CJ: Did Wyoming Manhunt require such intensive research?

AVP: I'm happy to say I've never been hunted by my boss in the wilds of Wyoming.  But I was inspired to write about the state when my brother recently moved there. And I have to admit, the story of a certain vice president's hunting accident had a role in sparking my imagination.

CJ: What part of research do you find most enjoyable?

AVP: For a little humor, you only have to peek in on one of the martial arts classes I'm currently taking. I'm a white belt in karate, and my attempts at learning are pretty funny at times. It's a good thing the words "give up" aren't in my vocabulary.

CJ: Your mother is also a published author.  Might there be a collaboration in your future?

AVP: My mom and I write very different types of stories. She writes nice family romances. I tend toward more violent fare. However, she makes a great sounding board for testing out my ideas. If she sucks in her breath or shudders when I'm telling her about a story premise, I figure I'm on the right track.

CJ: Tell us about your next project.

AVP: My next book is one that I've always wanted to do...a gothic. You know, an old house, a dark, tortured hero, a heroine afraid for her life. As a fan of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, I've always wanted to write a bit of a tribute to that tradition, and I've finally found the story to do it.

I'm also working on a story set in my native Wisconsin that takes full advantage of the research I've done with the help of my local police and fire departments. Maybe I'll throw in some of my special brand of karate for comic relief.

CJ: How do you develop your bad guys?

AVP: My bad guys are usually a combination of real cases/criminals. I blend with tender loving care, then let them ferment in my imagination. Truly I think I make my bad guys a little different by loving them. I adore writing bad guys more than any type of character. I like delving into their minds and hearts, thinking what they think and feeling what they feel. I guess that makes me a bit twisted, but at least I only explore my criminal tendencies in the fictional world!

Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, Ann Voss Peterson worked as a bartender, a horse show groom and a professional window washer before publishing her first novel. Her seventeenth romantic thriller, WYOMING MANHUNT, will be the debut of Harlequin Intrigue's new Thriller series. Romantic Times calls the book "a first-class read."  Look for it in March.

Contributing editor and award-winning medical suspense author CJ Lyons is a physician trained in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.   Publisher's Weekly proclaimed her debut medical suspense novel, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), "a spot-on debut....a breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" and Romantic Times made it a Top Pick.