Book Releases

Holding On (Colorado High Country #6) —
The Colorado High Country series returns with Conrad and Kenzie's story.

A hero barely holding on…

Harrison Conrad returned to Scarlet Springs from Nepal, the sole survivor of a freak accident on Mt. Everest. Shattered and grieving for his friends, he vows never to climb again and retreats into a bottle of whiskey—until Kenzie Morgan shows up at his door with a tiny puppy asking for his help. He’s the last person in the world she should ask to foster this little furball. He’s barely capable of managing his own life right now, let alone caring for a helpless, adorable, fluffy puppy. But Conrad has always had a thing for Kenzie with her bright smile and sweet curves. One look into her pleading blue eyes, and he can’t say no.

The woman who won’t let him fall…

Kenzie Morgan’s life went to the dogs years ago. A successful search dog trainer and kennel owner, she gets her fill of adventure volunteering for the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. The only thing missing from her busy life is love. It’s not easy finding Mr. Right in a small mountain town, especially when she’s unwilling to date climbers. She long ago swore never again to fall for a guy who might one day leave her for a rock. When Conrad returns from a climbing trip haunted by the catastrophe that killed his best friend, Kenzie can see he’s hurting and wants to help. She just might have the perfect way to bring him back to the world of the living. But friendship quickly turns into something more—and now she’s risking her heart to heal his.

In ebook and soon in print!


About Me

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I grew up in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, then lived in Denmark and traveled throughout Europe before coming back to Colorado. I have two adult sons, whom I cherish. I started my writing career as a columnist and investigative reporter and eventually became the first woman editor of two different papers. Along the way, my team and I won numerous state and several national awards, including the National Journalism Award for Public Service. In 2011, I was awarded the Keeper of the Flame Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism. Now I write historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense.

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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

DEADLY INTENT (I-Team #8) is OUT! Author Q&A




Deadly Intent (I-Team #8), the first I-Team full-length I-Team story since Seduction Game in 2015, is out! It tells the story of Pulitzer Prize-winning I-Team photographer Joaquin Ramirez and former US Army Captain Mia Starr, whose paths cross one night at a crime scene, changing their lives forever.

Here’s the blurb:


Secrets buried in the sand…

Former US Army Captain Mia Starr has built a new life for herself in Denver, far away from camel spiders and sand—and the terrible secrets of her first deployment to Iraq. She isn’t looking for a relationship, especially not with an intrusive photojournalist. Joaquin Ramirez might be sexy, but in her experience, photojournalists only want to make a buck off other people’s suffering. Still, the universe must have a sick sense of humor because it keeps throwing her together with Joaquin, making the desire she feels for him harder and harder to resist.

An undeniable attraction…

As a Pulitzer Prize-winning news photographer, Joaquin has everything a single straight guy could want—except the right woman. When he meets Mia while shooting a crime scene, he immediately sees beyond her cold exterior to the vulnerable woman beneath. Though the police consider her a suspect, he’s sure she’s innocent. Someone is killing soldiers—and trying to pin the blame on her. Unable to resist the pull between them, Joaquin stands by her only to find himself snared in the killer’s net as well. 


A twisted soul hungry for revenge…

Mia can’t help it when the heat between her and Joaquin melts away her preconceptions. As their passion explodes, danger draws ever closer. When it becomes clear that Mia is the killer’s true target, she must trust Joaquin with a secret that could ruin her … or risk losing the love of a lifetime.


The story is available at all major ebook retailers. It will be out in print next week. At this time, I have no plans in motion for an audiobook.



Q: I thought you said Dead By Midnight was the I-Team finale. 

A: At the time, I thought it was. I was unable to write romantic suspense because of contractual limitations. I terminated my contract last year, leaving me free to write romantic suspense again. Joaquin's story hadn't been told, and there were so many I-Team fans who wanted him to get his HEA that I knew I had to give him a story. 

Q: Does that mean the I-Team series is going to continue?

A: Yes, though I'm not sure how many more books there will be. I have several novellas in my head, and then there's Matt Harker. He needs a story. Alex Carmichael, too. And now there's a new I-Team member, introduced in this story, Anna Hughes, who will need an HEA as well.

I will be launching a spinoff series this year focused on Cobra International Solutions, Javier Corbray (Striking Distance, I-Team #6) and Derek Tower’s security and black ops business. Derek will get his story first. We'll see beloved I-Team characters in that series. Holly and Nick (Seduction Game) work there now. There is a major shake-up coming in the life of one I-Team hero, and he might end up there, too.

Q: Oh, a new romantic suspense series!

A: Yes! I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

Q: What can you tell us about Joaquin’s story?

A: Joaquin has changed tremendously from the first book. By the time we get to Breaking Point (I-Team #5), he's already starting to go through some big transitions. The Joaquin we meet in Deadly Intent is the Joaquin who survived the cartel attack and the hostage crisis in Dead By Midnight. In real life, you don't go through violent, traumatic events without changing. He is not the kid brother kind of character any longer. Also, we learn things about him we didn’t know before.

Qualities he has always had — the ability to see deeper into people, empathy, etc. — become clearer in this story. We know where they come from.

He is the perfect man for Mia, who doesn't like him at first. She has a hard-earned grudge against photojournalists from her time serving in Iraq.

Q: Are characters from the other I-Team stories in the book?

A: Yes. We see everyone, even if some of the appearances are more like cameos. It's hard with such a big cast of characters to have everyone play a meaningful role in every story. I try to make the connections realistic. We are not in touch with all of our good friends or family every day. We move in circles that overlap. Today, we're in this circle. Tomorrow, we shift to that circle. I try very hard to make any appearance by a character from a previous book meaningful, and not just “fan service.” 

The couple known as Marcangelo have prominent roles in the story, as does Holly, and the entire West clan at the Cimarron. (If you don’t know what the Cimarron is, you've missed the I-Team After Hours novellas — Skin Deep and Soul Deep — and need to catch up!)

Q: Can this book be read out of order?

A: Yes, this can be read as a stand-alone. But I highly recommend you read Seduction Game and Dead By Midnight first. There are events and characters in this story whose lives are deeply impacted by those two books. If you haven't read them, Deadly Intent will be full of spoilers.

Q: What about your straight contemporary series — the Colorado High Country series?

A: I’m going to keep writing that series. There are so many characters whose stories we haven’t heard. I can’t just drop them and leave them behind. Writing straight contemporary has been a challenge for me. My heart is more romantic suspense. But there are some suspense elements that leak into these stories. (I can't seem to help it.) So we'll be back in Scarlet Springs soon! 

In fact, I have a novella planned for this year that will bring some of our favorite I-Team heroes together with the Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue Team crew and Hawke’s crew of firefighters. That's going to be a very high-octane story.

Q: That sounds exciting! So, what's next?

A: I'll be starting the next Colorado High Country story next. I need to bring poor Conrad home from Nepal, where he lost his climbing partners in a summit bid for Mt. Everest. Megs is going after him. He will connect with search-dog trainer Kenzie Morgan, who will wisely give him a puppy to train. That puppy, and Kenzie's love, will ultimately save our hero from his crushing grief.

After that, probably the novella, and then Derek’s book in the new Cobra series.

Q: That's a busy year you have planned for yourself.

A: Yes, it is, but also exciting. I love these characters as much or more than my readers do. 

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add about Deadly Intent?

A: I think Joaquin will surprise you. He is one of my most sensual heroes. Anyone who thinks he isn’t really hero material is in for a shock.
Thursday, February 15, 2018

COVER REVEAL & EXCERPT — DEADLY INTENT: An I-TEAM Novel



DEADLY INTENT, the first full-length I-Team novel since SEDUCTION GAME in 2015, will be out NEXT WEEK! It is also my first Romantic Suspense novel since 2015.

Watch this space for news about the release.

Deadly Intent tells Joaquin's story. Yes, finally, Joaquin Ramirez, the I-Team's Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, gets his own story. His heroine is Mia Starr, a veteran of the war in Iraq and former Army officer, who now works as a horticulturalist at the Botanic Gardens.

Here’s an excerpt:

Mia stood in the doorway while Joaquin led Elena onto a bit of open wood floor to cheers from their relatives.

“Quino taught Elena to dance when she was four and he was fourteen,” Aleta, Elena's mother, told her. "He's the artist of the family.”

So Joaquin was thirty-four — three years older than Mia.

Not that that mattered or meant anything at all.

Mia really ought to head home, but having seen him dance once tonight, she couldn't get herself to move toward the door. He and Elena stood there debating something in Spanish.

Aleta leaned close to Mia. “My nephew wants salsa dura —  the classic salsa - but Elena wants salsa romantica. They've agreed on Marc Anthony.”

None of that meant anything to Mia. She knew nothing about salsa, apart from the kind that went on tacos.

Finally, the music started and Joaquin and Elena began to move. People cheered, the noise bringing friends and relatives who'd been in other parts of the house and wanted to watch, too. They pushed past Mia, but she barely noticed them, her gaze fixed on Joaquin.

He moved with innate grace, every step, every motion of his hips, even the way he held Elena radiating masculine sensuality. The two of them seemed to be connected, mirroring each other with their steps as if they practiced this together all the time. Elena — down-to-business Corporal Ramirez — had transformed into a dance goddess, her short dress barely enough to cover her butt. She twirled and tossed her hair, never missing a step, a bright smile on her face. How could anyone dance like that in three-inch heels? Mia could barely walk.

Then Elena turned in Joaquin's arms, pressing her butt backward toward him, her hips thrusting in a way that was blatantly sexual. He laughed, answering with thrusts of his own, their hips grinding in sync.

Whistles. Cheers.

Mia's pulse skipped.

If she had danced like this with a cousin... Well, let's just say her conservative Presbyterian parents would've asked questions. But there was Elena’s mother and her little old grandma, laughing, their feet moving to the rhythm, clearly untroubled.

Then another thought struck Mia.

If Joaquin moved like that on the dance floor, what would he be like in bed?

God in heaven.

No. No, no. She couldn't think about that.

She couldn't help but think about that.

Elena had begun to sing along to the music, even her ribcage undulating as she turned in his arms once again, their feet keeping a perfect rhythm as they circled around the room. But, although Elena was the showier of the two of them, Mia could tell it was Joaquin who was in control, his dominance clear—a touch here, his hand catching Elena's there, his arms supporting her while she arched backward.

More cheers.

When the song ended, the room exploded into applause.

Joaquin hugged Elena close. “Welcome home, prima.”

“Joaquin is a good man,” Aleta said.

Mia looked over to find the older woman watching her. “I ... um...”

Then Joaquin was there, hand out. “Dance with me.”

Mia shook her head. “I ... I can't dance. I've never—”

She’d never tried.

“Quino is the best teacher.’ Elena looked at Mia, expectation on her face.

“Come on, Captain Starr,” Aleta said. “Give it a try.”

Her words were picked up by the others in the room.

“At least try it.”

“Quino can teach you.”

“You can do it, captain.”

She glanced around at them. “Only if you all promise not to laugh.”

For some reason, they all found this funny.

But Joaquin didn't laugh. He looked into her eyes, the intensity of his gaze pinning her to the spot. “I won't laugh. I promise.”

Against her better judgment, Mia took his hand. “I'm warning you. I can't dance to save my life.”

“The basic step is easy. Elena, come show her.”

Elena walked over to stand at Mia's right side. “Just listen to Quino.”

“Step back with your right, step in place with the left, then step slightly forward with your right. Then back with your left, step in place with the right foot, slightly forward with the left. Rock back, replace, step forward. Rock back, replace, step forward. That's it. You've got it.”

They repeated that several times, Mia watching Elena's feet.

"Now, try doing it without looking at your feet. Look at me, and follow my lead."

Mia looked into Joaquin's brown eyes, felt her pulse spike - and her step faltered.

"Relax," he said in a silky voice that made relaxing impossible.

"I'd rather be taking enemy fire." She blurted the words, but it was the truth.

The room exploded into laughter — and somehow that helped. No one here wanted to humiliate her. No one wanted to embarrass her. They were just having fun, and they wanted her to have fun, too.

"It's easier for you to follow if we're a little closer together." Joaquin drew her deeper into his arms —not so deep that their bodies touched, but close enough that she could feel the warmth emanating off his body and smell his skin.

She inhaled deeper, savoring the scent of him.

"Let's try again. One, two, three, rest. Five, six, seven, rest. You've got it. You're doing it. Now let's try turning."

The next time she stepped back with her right foot, Joaquin turned her to the right — and she lost the step.

That's okay. This is new. You'll get the hang of it." Joaquin coached her until she'd managed to get through a few turns, not once losing patience with her. "Let's try it with music."

Someone put on the same Marc Anthony song, Joaquin counting out the rhythm for her. "One two three, rest. Five, six, seven, rest. Look at me, not your feet."

Mia found herself dancing, the rhythm of the music showing her feet what to do. At first they moved forward and backward. Then Joaquin led her through a few turns, putting a hand on her hip to guide her. The contact startled her, his touch seeming to burn through the fabric of her dress. Again, her step faltered.

"Hey, no one gets it right the first time," he said. "Just keep dancing."

Mia tried to concentrate. One two three, rest. Five, six, seven, rest.

"You're overthinking it. Let go."

She gave in, looked into his eyes once more, the rhythm taking over.

"You've got it." Joaquin grinned, his face stunningly handsome.

Mia found herself smiling, too. She knew she must look stiff and awkward, especially compared to Elena, but she didn't care. "This is fun!"

"More fun than dodging incoming fire?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Yes."

Too soon the song ended.

Cheers and applause.

Joaquin stepped back, raised one of her hands to his lips, kissed it. "Thanks."

Heat rushed into her cheeks. "Thank you."

All at once, Mia needed to be somewhere else, anywhere else. "I should go."

"So soon?" Elena looked disappointed. "It's not even ten."

"I'm an early riser, so this is late for me." Mia gave Elena another hug. "It's great to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too. Thanks for coming. I'll get your coat."

Mia thanked her hosts, accepting hugs from Elena's mother and a kiss on her cheek from Elena's father.

"Thank you so much for what you did for Elena."

When Elena returned with Mia's coat, Joaquin took it and helped Mia into it. "I'll walk you to your car."

She was about to tell him there was no need for that, but the look in his eyes told her that would be pointless. "Goodnight."

He grabbed his jacket and followed her out the door, and for a time they walked without speaking. He broke the silence. "Thanks again for coming tonight. It meant a lot to Elena."

"I try to stay in touch with all of my soldiers. Well, they're not really my soldiers, not any more."

"Like Andrew Meyer."

"Yes." Mia's mood plummeted.

“I'm really sorry about your friend—and the news article.”

"You just have a job to do. Nothing personal, right?" Mia clicked the fob on her key chain, unlocking her car door, her headlights flashing.

Was she being unfair to Joaquin? It was his job. And she was a person of interest — at least at the moment. The police would clear her soon.

He opened the door for her. "I hope you get good news soon."

"Thanks." She stood there for a moment, caught between anger and attraction. "And thanks for the dance lesson."

“My pleasure.”He waited for her to climb in and shut her door.

As she drove down the street, she saw in the rear view mirror that he was still standing in the street, watching her drive away.

~ ~ ~ ~

I can't wait to get Joaquin's book into your hands!

Copyright (c) Pamela Clare 2018

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Favorite Writing Quotes


"I am an artist. I am here to live out loud."
—Emile Zola

"I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day."
—James Joyce

"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery."
—Jane Austen

"Writers are those for whom writing is more difficult that it is for others."
—Ernest Hemingway

"When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth."
—Kurt Vonnegut

"The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar is the test of their power."
—Toni Morrison

"No tears in the author, no tears in the reader."
—Robert Frost.

"I'm a writer. I give the truth scope."
—the character of Chaucer in
A Knight's Tale