Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Bulletproof Badge & Q&A with author Angi Morgan

1) What are five words that describe your writing process?
Storyteller. Texan speak. Linear. Feedback-needy.

2) What emoji best describes your personality? Why?
I had to ask my friends for this answer. They said the sunglass smiley face because I’m cool. But it’s probably because a lot of my pictures have sunglasses on my face. I love road trips and can’t drive without them.

3) Which would you rather do: Never write another story or never read another book?
If I never wrote another story, the ones in my head would probably drive me (and everyone around me) nuts. So sadly, I’d have to give up reading and stick with storytelling.

4) How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
Oddly enough, I thought the names were extremely important…up until my West Texas Watchmen series heroines’ names needed to be changed. I’d called them Scottie, Donnie and Ronnie. Too masculine…so I ran a fan contest and let them name them. Sometimes I’ll hear a name and say, that’s this character’s name and it can’t change…Ever.

5) Are you a spring, summer, fall, or winter person?
Summer. I love hot–and it gets hot enough in Texas. But give me the beach and a tan. I’ve spent many springs and summers running a girls fast pitch softball complex…snow cones and pickle pops are the best!

6) Is there a certain type of scene that's harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy?
Love scenes…I can write action in about an hour…love scenes take me all week. Action is action. But I always want a love scene to be special for just those two characters. It has to be unique and progress the characters’ stories.

7) What was your favorite scene to write in Bulletproof Badge? Why?
Garrison takes Kenderly back to his aunt’s house which is modeled after my grandmother’s home. He’s tending a deep scratch after escaping the bad guys…

“How could I have gotten into this mess?” She fanned her cheeks in a motion his sister used years ago when trying not to cry. “When I woke up this morning, I never imagined I'd have two dogs at my feet, be sitting in a funny little kitchen with peroxide dripping down my thigh and have a complete stranger blowing up my skirt.”

8) If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be?
I’ve been a fan of Dennis Quaid’s smile all my life, so he would need to be on.

Kurt Russell because I’d love to know if he had stories of Walt Disney.

Chris Pine because I recently discovered he could be any of my heroes.

I’d eventually have writers, I’m sure. (Hiding behind my sunglasses emoji now.)

9) What did you find most useful in learning to write? What was least useful or most destructive? 
Listening to myself and trusting my gut about my work.

Not listening to myself and not trusting my gut about my work.

Seriously, the hardest thing for a neurotic writer is trusting that the version of the story on the page is the absolute best version there is. Trusting that you got it right? It’s hard. And all of a sudden I realized that people liked the way I told stories. When I got that version of my writing on the page I gained some confidence and ran with it.

10) What is your next project?
This week I’m finishing up book four of TEXAS RANGERS: ELITE TROOP. Hard Core Law is about the Company F commander and the decisions a very good man is faced with in order to save his children. My next project is about two brothers from Liberty Hill, Texas where football rules the town year-round. The first hero is the sheriff (former quarterback and town hero). He gives his brother his word that he’ll protect a woman, then finds out she’s wanted for murder. Does he arrest her or protect her like he promised?

About the author:

An 11th generation Texan, Angi utilizes her strong heritage to create passionate characters willing to risk everything. She writes Intrigues where danger and honor collide with love. When the house is quiet, she plots ways to engage her readers with complex story lines, throwing her hero and heroine into situations they’ll never overcome...until they find the one person they can love. With her three children out of the house, Angi concentrated on her work, finding her dream agent and editor. She and her husband live in North Texas with only the four-legged ‘kids’ to interrupt her writing. Tex & Roxie keep Angi and her characters company and remind her to occasionally take time off to play.


Title:  Bulletproof Badge
Series:  Texas Rangers: Elite Troop #1
Author:  Angi Morgan
Publication Date:  January 19/16 by Harlequin Intrigue
Length:  224pgs
Genre:  romantic suspense
Shelf:  review
Rating: ★★★

Back Cover Blurb:

HE'D TAKE A BULLET FOR HER

His key witnesses dead, Texas Ranger Garrison Travis had to protect innocent bystander Kenderly Tyler. Her crucial evidence had two very dangerous Texas crime families willing to do anything to keep her quiet. But Garrison's undercover status had branded him a killer, and now the bad and the good guys were after them both.

Hiding out with a handsome protector, on the run for her life, was so beyond anything Kenderly had imagined. While there was more than just adrenaline pulsing between them, the Ranger vowed his job was his life. Dare she wonder what would become of them should they actually make it out alive?

My Review:

At times this novel was frighteningly realistic. Morgan developed the plot in such a manner that it was easy to picture. She used descriptions to her advantage, creating a whole that came to life. The novel itself was well written and intimately crafted. There were a few times where I found that the plot lagged a bit, getting caught up in a back and forth between the main characters that didn’t completely further the story itself. I found the plot really captured my attention when Garrison’s colleagues got involved. The plot thickened and I could finally really see it going somewhere.

The characters were engaging. I would have liked to know more about Kenderly’s past. It seems to play a large role in her reactions but I don’t know why. Garrison’s complete trust in his colleagues was refreshing. Together they were a fun filled pair that I quite enjoyed. The back and for the between them overshadowed the overarching plot a few times, but it was interesting.

As a whole, this was a fun novel with enough romance and suspense to keep me coming back for more. It was a good introduction into this new series and has left me wondering what will happen next.

Book Links 

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for featuring BULLETPROOF BADGE, Jonel.

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  2. I love that you would want Dennis Quaid to be one of your first guests on a talk show Angi!! I saw him on Ellen one time when she sent him over to the Starbucks on her studio lot and he had to say everything out loud that she said in his earpiece -- they were HILARIOUS! :) I think he'd most definitely be a memorable first guest!

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