Katie Ruggle Q&A and Giveaway

Check out our Q&A session with Katie Ruggle, author of GONE TOO DEEP, a Romance Junkies Recommended Read! And Sourcebooks is giving away the first 2 books in the series!!!!  ♥♥   “I. Loved. This. Book!  The third novel in the Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue series, GONE TOO DEEP can easily stand on its own. The mystery from the first book continues to play through this third novel, and the tension builds. This book is so far my favorite, mostly because I fell in love with the characters, and in particular, the hero, so hard!” 5 Hearts, RR  reviewed by SJ

Welcome to Romance Junkies, Katie. As author of the bestselling Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue series with Sourcebooks, you’re making a big name for yourself in romantic suspense. So we’re thrilled you agreed to answer some questions for us. We love your work, so let’s get started.

Does where you live or have places you’ve been influenced your work?

Until last year, when I moved to Minnesota to be close to my elderly parents, I lived in an off-grid house in the Colorado Rockies. So much of the setting of the Search and Rescue series is based on my experiences there. On winter evenings, the snow piling up outside and the wind howling down the woodstove flue made it easy to write about the cold and remote wilderness of imaginary Field County, Colorado. My more, well…unusual neighbors provided great inspiration for some of the quirkier supporting characters, as well.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

I love writing about isolation, about characters who break out of their comfort zones and find less-lonely lives. George, the hero of Gone Too Deep, is an extreme case, with his silence and almost hermit-like existence, but I think there are quite a few real-life people who retreat into a world of electronic devices and forget how wonderful it is to connect with someone, emotionally and physically. For George, it’s his first experience with this, so it’s extra fun to watch him falling in love with Ellie.

What challenges did you face in getting your first book published?

I was extremely lucky to work with my fabulous editor, Mary, who helped me through the entire process. It was thanks to her and my publisher, Sourcebooks, that everything went as smoothly as it did.

How long did it take to get this book from idea to being published? What was the most grueling process?

I submitted my proposal in September of 2014, and the first book in my Search and Rescue series, Hold Your Breath, was released on April 5^th, 2016. The toughest part was that, because the books are coming out only two months apart, the editing schedule was intense. I work very, very early mornings at a bakery, so I’d get home, edit like crazy (at one point, I was doing edits on three books at one time), try to get a few words written on my new 2017 K-9 Unit series, and then grab a few hours of sleep before it started all over again. My house would go a long time between cleanings.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing Gone Too Deep?

I was probably most surprised by how many people camp in cold weather—for fun! Crazy, right? Most of my research on the other books had been done (unknowingly) months or years in advance of writing the other books. Gone Too Deep, on the other hand, had camping in it. Not only are the main characters forced to camp, but it’s winter camping. I’m not a camper. I love almost all outdoor activities: hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, target shooting, SCUBA diving, ATVing, but, when the fun’s over, the last thing I want to be doing is peeing in the woods. Give me indoor plumbing and a comfy bed, please. Researching this book taught me more than I ever wanted to know about cold-weather camping. I’ll still pick the hotel room over the tent every time.

Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

Even though the rest of my life is structured, filled with lists and charts and schedules, I’m a complete pantser when it comes to writing. If I even think about doing an outline, everything stalls out. My characters are driving this bus, and I just hold on and hope for a smooth ride. These hopes are usually dashed by the second chapter.

Thanks for stopping by, Katie. We’re loving this series so much!!!

♥

For a peek at GONE TO DEEP, read below.

In the remote Rocky Mountains, lives depend on the Search & Rescue brotherhood. But in a place this far off the map, trust is hard to come by and secrets can be murder…

George Holloway has spent his life alone, exploring the treacherous beauty of the Colorado Rockies. He’s the best survival expert Search and Rescue has, which makes him the obvious choice to lead Ellie Price through deadly terrain to find her missing father. There’s just one problem—Ellie’s everything George isn’t. She’s a city girl, charming, gregarious, delicate, small. And when she looks up at him with those big, dark eyes, he swears he would tear the world apart to keep her safe.

With a killer on the loose, he may have no choice.

Ellie’s determined to find her father no matter the cost. But as she and her gorgeous mountain of a guide fight their way through an unforgiving wilderness, they find themselves in the crosshairs of a dangerous man in search of revenge. And they are now his prey…

Amazon: http://amzn.to/29arUEs

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/28Ql61G

iBooks: http://apple.co/28QlhtG

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2adB7PE

About Katie Ruggle:

When she’s not writing, Katie Ruggle rides horses, shoots guns, and travels to warm places where she can scuba dive. A graduate of the police academy, Katie received her ice-rescue certification and can attest that the reservoirs in the Colorado mountains really are that cold. While she still misses her off-grid, solar- and wind-powered house in the Rocky Mountains, she now lives in Rochester, Minnesota, near her family.