Now, published in twenty-six countries, two of her titles have been excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine, and her books have been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Literary Guild, and Mystery Guild book clubs.  A member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors, she has won several awards, including Romantic Times' Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title.  In addition, she received RWA's national service award and was named RWA Pro-Mentor of the Year.  Currently writing for NAL Signet, JoAnn lives with her husband and two fuzzy little rescued dogs (who pretty much rule the house) in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Christine managed to catch up with her to ask a few questions:

How did you begin your--grownup writing career?  

I'd been writing for Arizona's largest daily newspaper for several years, but my first two novels - published by Silhouette Desire and NAL -- were both published in October, 1983.

What was your first novel to hit the New York Times list?

BLUE BAYOU, the first in my Callahan Brothers trilogy, published by Pocket Books in 2002.

When did you first start writing the "High Risk" books?

I conceived the concept during the summer of 2006 and began writing the first book, FREEFALL (Feb. 2008), that fall after what was originally planned as a trilogy sold to NAL Signet.
 
Are the High Risk books the first time you've added thriller elements to your work?

No; I first put thriller elements into two books for NAL (written solely from male points of view) in 1984.  Many of my Harlequin Temptations included suspense, as did SECRET SINS, my 1990 hardcover novel for St. Martin's Press. I also wrote several romantic thrillers for Mira Books and Pocket Books before returning home to NAL.

How many books are in the series?

Five.  The first three books - FREEFALL, CROSSFIRE, and SHATTERED - allow readers to see more of the disastrously failed mission in Afghanistan which changed all the men's lives through each hero's point-of-view in flashbacks. BREAKPOINT picks up after their court-martial trial.  

So there are more coming?

There's a fifth, still untitled book coming out next summer.  SEAL Sax Douchett returns home to his small bayou town just as someone begins killing people from old high school classes' "Most Likely To" lists.

Anything you want to tell your readers I haven't asked about?

Having been involved with military support groups for several years, one of the things that has been so fulfilling is the research help and encouragement I've received from so many current and formerly deployed troops and their families. This series is also extremely personal to me because my husband has one nephew on his second tour of duty in Iraq and another (who's done an Iraq tour) serving as an evac-medic in Afghanistan.  

For more information on the "High Risk" series, BREAKPOINT, upcoming tours and bestselling author JoAnn Ross, please visit her website at http://www.joannross.com.

Contributing editor, Christine Goff is the award-winning author of the bestselling "Birdwatcher's Mystery" series.  She began her career writing non-fiction for local, regional and national publication.  Chosen Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' 2002 Writer of the Year, two of her novels were named finalists for the prestigious Willa Literary Award for Best Original Paperback Fiction; and her latest novel, DEATH SHOOTS A BIRDIE, was a named finalist for the Colorado Authors League 2008 Best Genre Fiction Award. Her novels focus on environmental concerns through bird-related issues. Currently, she is working on a new book; a thriller set in Israel.