![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
When I first started writing books with the intention of publishing, I devoured any writing advice I could find. One nugget of wisdom I read was to find your plots in the headlines of today’s papers. I never thought much of it after that, one piece of advice among many, until I happened upon an article about a man stealing a truckload of pharmaceutical drugs in two and a half minutes—and getting away with it. Really? What kind of man had the nerve to pull that one off? He took shape in my mind: a rather small man, suffering classic “small dog syndrome.” He’d be cocky, irreverent, and borderline obnoxious. My mystery man took shape, with sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and hardened muscles from a punishing workout routine that was half penance/half necessity, to allow him to defend himself while in prison. Prison?
Why yes, my protag has been to prison. For drug trafficking. And in his former profession, he stole pharmaceuticals. Now he’s working off his sentence for the good guys. Allow me to introduce Richmond Eugene (Lucky) Lucklighter, a cocky little bantam rooster of a man. Oh, and I think I should mention that he’s not your typical romantic hero. He’s not gorgeous or rich, and grew up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina. He swills Starbucks coffee and peppers his speech with four letter words.
What’s a loose cannon without someone to rein him in when necessary? After his arrest, Lucky finds himself working for the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau’s Department of Diversion Prevention and Control, and one Walter Smith, a literal giant among men, once a DEA field agent, now head of the Atlanta branch of the SNB. He’s my protagonist’s boss, the man with the insight to hire Lucky for his insider information into the illicit pharmaceutical drug trade.
Now that we have the setup, let’s bring in Lucky’s foil, and possible love interest, William Patrick (Bo) Schollenberger, former Marine turned pharmacist, now working for the SNB after his own brush with the law.
I had no idea when I introduced Diversion that there would be a sequel, but as of this writing, the third book is in the works, and at least two more are planned.
Let’s get back to those headlines, shall we?
While a person goes about their life, seeing doctors when necessary and filling prescriptions at a chain pharmacy or a smaller corner drug store, there’s layer upon layer of activity hidden beneath the surface, from the manufacturer who creates the drugs to the pharmacy tech smiling and handing over a bag full of allergy medicine. If any part of the pipeline breaks down, the tech frowns and says, “I’m sorry, but we can’t fill your prescription.”
The stories in the Diversion series are what happens when the pipeline breaks down, horribly. And while Diversion and Collusion are works of fiction, the main plots came straight from the evening news.
Diversion is currently available at Amber Allure, an imprint of Amber Quill Press. http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Diversion.html
Watch for Collusion, releasing February 24, from Amber Allure.
***
CollusionDead men can’t love.
Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter “died” in the line of duty while working off a ten-year sentence in service to the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau, only to be reborn as Simon “Lucky” Harrison. The newbie he trained, former Marine Bo Schollenberger, is now his partner on (and maybe off) the job. It’s hard to tell when Lucky doesn’t understand relationships or have a clue what any sane human is doing in his bed. Bo’s nice to have around, sure, but there’s none of that picking-out-china-together crap for Lucky.
While fighting PTSD, memories of a horrid childhood, and a prescription drug addiction, Bo is paying for his mistakes. Using his pharmacy license for the good guys provides the sort of education he never got in school. Undercover with his hard-headed partner, Bo learns that not everything is as it seems in the world of pharmaceuticals.
When a prescription drug shortage jeopardizes the patients at Rosario Children’s Cancer Center, it not only pits Bo and Lucky against predatory opportunists, but also each other. How can they tell who the villains are? The bad guys don’t wear black hats, but they might wear white coats.
Find Eden at www.edenwinters.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EdenWinters
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdenWinters1
For a giveaway of Collusion, please visit: http://www.edenwinters.com/2013/02/collusion-release-party.html
The 2013 Elisa Rolle Rainbow Awards are an annual contest celebrating outstanding work in LGBT fiction and nonfiction. Hosted and owned by blogger Elisa Rolle, the contest is open to all authors of work containing LGBT fictional characters and work chronicling the true stories of LGBT persons. For this the contest’s fifth year, some new rules have been instigated, and a new partner has emerged to assist Elisa. The Rainbow Romance Writers, a chapter of the Romance Writers of America, will partner with Elisa in the management and coordination of this contest. Despite RRW’s status as a chapter for romance writers, their participation in no way changes the Rainbow Awards and do not make them exclusively a romance contest. One need not be a member of RRW or RWA to participate in this contest.