"In addition, and perhaps more important, I always keep in mind that the villain is the hero of his own journey. He needs to not only be as smart or smarter than the protagonists, but he needs to have strong motivation to commit his crimes. He can be a true psychopath or a shrewd thief; either way his actions must make sense to him."

"Caricature villains are no fun to write or read, so by giving the villain more time on the page you also give the reader more depth into his true goal and his backstory."

That really rings true for me. I stop reading books when the villain is cardboard. Allison's bad guys -- even though they commit horrible acts -- are as interesting as her good guys.  Her books explore the concept of good versus evil. What is evil? What is its goal? And far are the good guys willing to go to defeat it?

Not only are her characters deep, Allison is a master at scene and setting. In a Murderati interview, Allison touched on it: "I don't like to over-describe anything. In fact, I usually layer in description after I write the book. Like--during editor revisions. I research most everything on the fly."  

I appreciate an author who doesn't do my thinking for me. Allison gives her readers a perfect balance.  If something in a scene or setting is important to the story, it gets more page space, but we're never bogged down with meaningless detail just to fill page space.  It's refreshing.

Allison's success as a romantic suspense author didn't happen overnight. Her love of books roots back to her childhood. "I've always loved books. I love the way they look on the shelf; I love the way they smell; I love browsing bookstores, admiring covers, reading blurbs, and discovering new authors. My love of reading came at a young age when my mom let me get my first library card as soon as I could print my full name. I was four. That card changed my life."

"We weren't wealthy growing up, so owning books was a special treat reserved for birthday and Christmas presents. My mom went to the library every week and borrowed at least seven books; she read an average of one a day--while working full-time and raising me."

Allison soon discovered Stephen King and loved THE STAND so much she wrote to him, telling him she wanted to be a writer too. King responded by sending her a postcard that said: "If you want to be a writer, write." Classic Stephen King. Direct and to the point. Allison highly recommends King's book, ON WRITING, which she's both listened to and read twice. Like Allison, Stephen King is huge proponent of audio books. I am too.

It's been a tough economy lately. I asked Allison how she felt about hardcover versus mass-market paperback.  

"Honestly, I had always wanted to come out in hardcover because those are the books that get the attention by the industry and subconsciously carry more clout. In fact, until I was published as a paperback original author, my mother even thought that hardcover meant better quality. She didn't know that half the books she'd bought through her book clubs were PBOs. Mass markets are seen by many as inferior, formulaic and pulpy. I think that is changing, but there will always be some who think that hardcover is better just because of the format, when in reality it's about marketing."

"I'm very happy to be a mass market author, especially in this economy. Mass markets are convenient and affordable. And as I've learned over the last few years, being a debut hardcover author has its own challenges. The grass is always greener, right? I'm thrilled to be published; format is really up to the publisher who wants to make as much money on the book as possible. The better the book does, the better for everyone involved--publisher, agent and author."

Part of my job as a contributing editor is to ask difficult questions. I wanted to know what Allison found the most unsettling about the publishing industry as a whole.

"Waiting. Nothing seems to happen fast in publishing, and that builds angst, at least for me. For example, I sold my first book in March of 2004 . . . it didn't hit the shelves until January 2006. We wait for answers to all questions, wait for the next contract, wait for the next release, and all the time writing, writing, writing without knowing if what you're writing is any good."

"What also has proved unsettling is that so much in publishing is driven by early sales. A book can be terrific, but unless it has been packaged right with a great cover and placement it can tank. Word of mouth is still the most effective advertising, but it's almost impossible to know what generates word of mouth for some books and not others. It's kind of crazy. And I think everyone involved thinks it's kind of crazy, too."

I think the vast majority of authors agree. The expression, will you hurry up and wait, is completely accurate to publishing. It takes a certain type of personality to "brave the storm" and Allison's in that elite group. She's not only a talented writer and a class act, but terrific person as well. I'm privileged to be featuring her this month.

SUDDEN DEATH hits the shelves on March 24th, followed by FATAL SECRETS, May 19th and CUTTING EDGE on July 28th. Each book in this new Sacramento FBI trilogy will have it's own UK edition. All three are available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers.

Allison Brennan worked as a consultant in the California State Legislature for thirteen years before leaving to devote herself fully to her family and writing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.  In her free time, she enjoys wine tasting, playing video and board games with her kids, and Sacramento Kings basketball. She lives in Northern California with her husband Dan, their five children, and a cat.

Contributing editor Andrew Peterson is working on the next novel in a planned series featuring Nathan McBride, a former Marine sniper. FIRST TO KILL is a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards for Best First Mystery.  Andrew enjoys flying helicopters, scuba diving, long range target shooting, and a very sad round of golf.  He also works as a volunteer firefighter.  Andrew and his wife Carla, live just north of Paso Robles, California. More information about First to Kill by Andrew Peterson, can be found at AndrewPeterson.com