Q&A with Liz Maverick--The Transporter

August 6, 2017
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Author Interview with RJ, Spotlight

Q&A with Liz Maverick, author of The Hudson Kings series.

THE TRANSPORTER: Shane Sullivan, a.k.a. the Transporter, channels his need for speed into top-secret delivery runs for the Hudson Kings, an elite band of mercenaries. His precious cargo has never talked back—until now. He’s riding to the rescue of his fellow team member’s sister, who’s fleeing her abusive boyfriend. His job: steer clear of trouble and get her to New York City in one piece. But he didn’t count on her driving him to distraction. Now he needs to keep both hands on the wheel—and off his best friend’s sister.

Q & A

I am so glad you could join us here at Romance Junkies. To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current project?

The Hudson Kings is a new series featuring a team of super-hot mercenaries who live and work in an armory in Manhattan. It’s romantic suspense in that there are mission hijinks and villains and terrifying moments of life and death. But the series is also as much about the relationships between the guys and their individual journeys as they find their way to the love of a great heroine. Romantic suspense, yes, but with lots of emphasis on the characters, plus my trademark snappy banter. (Or should I say Snappy Banter™?)

When was the moment that you knew you had to be a writer?

There were two moments that sort of blend together. Many (many!) years ago I went skiing with my family in Lake Tahoe. In the rented cabin was the stereotypical bookshelf full of yellowed paperbacks. One of them was The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen Woodiwiss. Yep, the first romance novel I ever read. I was kind of blown away after reading it. I didn’t realize books like that existed. And I started to think about the fact that there might be more books out there like that. And that’s how I became a romance reader. I should note that I, um, “borrowed” that book on a permanent basis and still have that copy.

Fast-forward to a few years later, I was on a train commuting to my tech job in Silicon Valley. I had a laptop in my bag and a definite sense that I didn’t want to commute to dot coms the rest of my life. One day on the train I took the laptop out of my bag and started typing. Courtesy of Kathleen Woodiwiss, I now realized that there was this thing called “writing fun books for a living” and maybe I could do that thing. And that’s how I became a romance writer!

Who gave you the one piece of writing advice that sticks with you to this day?

No one piece of advice has really stuck with me. I currently write next to a framed quote on my desk that says, PROCEED AS IF SUCCESS IS INEVITABLE. But it was actually my dad who used to say things like that to me. What has stuck with me are the general kindnesses and the small moments of support that individual authors have given me over the years.

Describe the “perfect” hero. What about the “perfect” hero for you?

For both questions, I think the answer is the guys I’m writing in the Hudson Kings. All gruff and tough and manly and alpha-ish and badass…a little attitude, a little torment in the background, but with that delicious soft center. *Le sigh.*

What are some of your favorite pastimes? Do you have any hobbies or collections?

In the four years since my daughter came along, I seem to have forgotten I had any hobbies other than being her mom and writing. That said I like to head into New York City to try new restaurants and see normal-crazy things happening at random around town. And I like to bake. And I like to swim laps. And I like to have tea. In fact, I have an extensive collection of antique china. And my little girl asks for a cup of Earl Gray so she can take sips with me. (Don’t worry I make decaf for her and put in buckets of milk and she only drinks about four sips.) I’ve also discovered a new hobby: I like to put Lego sets together. Yeah, I pretend it’s for the kid. Ha! Something about following those instructions is very relaxing, almost meditative…

What has been your biggest adventure to date?

Did you all hear the one about Antarctica? Heh. I really can’t top the two seasons I spent at McMurdo Station driving trucks and organizing housing for scientists in the South Pole. English tea in a china cup and truck driving in Antarctica. That’s me!

How do you describe yourself? How would your family and friends describe you?

I think my family and friends have me pegged. We would agree that Liz Maverick:

Is a sugar fiend
Comes up with Big Cool Ideas
Is surprisingly prone to social anxiety (That RBF is not attitude. It’s mild terror.)
Yet is a terrific public speaker
Should maybe not dress like a twelve-year-old boy as often as she does
Is super-loyal
Is so thankful that she has readers that make it possible for her to write “books like that” for a living!

What project are you working on next?

Look for Book 1, The Transporter (Shane!) on August 1, 2017 followed by The Financier (Nick!) on November 21, 2017.

About the Book

Title: The Transporter

Author: Liz Maverick

Release Date: August 1, 2017

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

Shane Sullivan, a.k.a. the Transporter, channels his need for speed into top-secret delivery runs for the Hudson Kings, an elite band of mercenaries. His precious cargo has never talked back—until now. He’s riding to the rescue of his fellow team member’s sister, who’s fleeing her abusive boyfriend. His job: steer clear of trouble and get her to New York City in one piece. But he didn’t count on her driving him to distraction. Now he needs to keep both hands on the wheel—and off his best friend’s sister.

Cecily Keegan has a poor track record when it comes to falling for charming bad guys. So although she’s grateful for this hard-bodied wheelman’s protection, she’s terrified of listening to her heart, which has been racing since she got into his backseat. But when she learns that the danger is far greater than a possessive ex, she has to trust Shane—and the strength inside herself—to deliver her from evil.

Liz Maverick is a bestselling, award-winning author and adventurer whose projects have taken her from driving trucks in Antarctica to working behind the scenes on reality-TV shows in Hollywood. Liz has written more than fifteen novels and is the creator of the USA Today bestselling Crimson City series, as well as Wired, a Publishers Weekly Book of the Year. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, and loves to stay in touch with readers via her website and newsletter at www.lizmaverick.com/newsletter.

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