Against the Edge by Kat Martin

By Rick Reed

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in anthropology and also studied history. Currently residing with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, in Missoula, Montana, Kat has written over fifty Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. Over fifteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in more than a dozen foreign countries. Among her many awards, Kat has won the prestigious R.T. BOOK REVIEWS magazine Career Achievement Award.

Her newest book, to be released in May, 2013, is the 7^th book in The Winds of Rain Canyon series and destined to be a hit with any audience.

AGAINST THE EDGE:

A child he’s never met.

A danger he’s never known.

That he’s a father is news Ben Slocum was not expecting. But once the initial shock wears off for the confirmed bachelor, he takes in the rest of what social worker Claire Chastain tells him: that Sam is in the custody of an abusive degenerate, that they’ve disappeared…and that Ben is now the child’s only hope.

As Ben and Claire band together to track the two down, their concern for the boy draws them closer, each fighting feelings there’s no time to explore.

Ben’s got one chance to take back what’s his, and in one gunshot he could lose it all…

“It doesn’t matter what Martin’s characters are up against—she dishes up romantic suspense, sizzling sex…and fans are going to be the winners.” —R.T. BOOK REVIEWS

“[AGAINST THE LAW]…nonstop action, nail biting episodes mixed with some sizzling love scenes…” —ROMANCE REVIEWS TODAY

“[AGAINST THE ODDS]…sizzles with unbridled passion and nonstop suspense…” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

AGAINST THE EDGE, is book number seven in your Against series. Can the readers expect to see more of these books?

I love writing this series and readers seem to be enjoying it. Which means I get to continue!  After AGAINST THE EDGE, book number eight, AGAINST THE MARK will be out the end of August. That’s Ty Brodie’s story. From there I’m planning to write three books about Ty’s cousins, Dylan, Nick, and Rafe Brodie, who live Alaska.

What prompted you to write The Raines of Wind Canyon series?   

After forty plus Historical novels, I was ready for a change. I had dabbled in Romantic Suspense off and on and really found it liberating. I decided to write three brothers. Once I had Jackson, Gabe, and Devlin Raines in my head, and a story line that tied them all together, I couldn’t seem to stop. I wrote three of their friends, and just finished writing three more. All the stories are Romantic Suspense but each is a stand alone book.

You are the author of over fifty books by my count. You have written numerous trilogies, at least 12 stand alone novels, and in addition to your newest series, you have also written historical romance.  Are any of your titles being considered for television or opted for movies?

I’ve had several contemporaries looked at for TV movies. THE SILENT ROSE, a ghost story based on a true event, went a long way toward production. SEASON OF STRANGERS, a book that deals with UFOs, was in consideration for a while, but MEET JOE BLACK with Brad Pitt was being released and the producers felt there were too many similarities. Lately, I’ve been working with Gary Hudson, an actor who has starred in a number of Lifetime TV movies, some of which were Nora Roberts novels. We’ve discussed AGAINST THE STORM and AGAINST THE WIND. Maybe something will happen. In Hollywood, you never know.

I know you love to travel to the locations where your books take place, but is there one series that you enjoyed writing the most? 

I’ve absolutely enjoyed The Against Series the most. Writing contemporary has allowed me to stretch out as a writer. No limits on vocabulary, similies, mores, that kind of thing, as there are in Historical. Adding the element of suspense keeps it intriguing.

Can you talk a little about why you became a writer?  Why romance?

Before I started writing, I’d been in real estate thirteen years. I had reached my earnings limit for selling residential property. I needed a new challenge and a way to make more money without working even harder than I was already. My husband had written a Historical novel, so becoming a writer didn’t seem an impossible task. Since he wasn’t able to sell the book, we decided to actually learn how to write and both started taking classes. Of course making money as a writer wasn’t as easy as either of us imagined. It took years for us to make the kind of money we made in the real estate business. By then I was hooked. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.

What attracted you to live in Missoula, Montana, and how has this influenced your writing?

A writer can live anywhere. Before we moved to Montana, we were living in Bakersfield, California. It is not a scenic wonderland. On top of that, we were both ready for an adventure and moving to Montana was certainly that. Traveling, no matter where, influences your writing, filling your mind with sounds, colors, and activity you might never have seen. Those things are always there to pull from. AGAINST THE WIND was set in Wyoming, a similar lifestyle to where we live.  THE SECRET is set on a ranch in Montana. I’d love to do more books set in the mountain country.

I’m sure your readers would like to know what a typical day is like for you.

First and foremost, I’m a workaholic. That means my life revolves around the computer. In December, worried about a streak of burnout, I decided to take a month off. That lasted about four days, then I was back to work, re-writing a novel I had written in the eighties that has never been published. I’m hoping to eventually see it in print. As for my day…I work four long days a week, that includes Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I go to the gym in the morning, come home and spend the afternoon doing some re-writing and as much promo as I can squeeze in. It’s a hectic pace and demanding, but worth it.

What’s next for Kat Martin?   

Lots of stuff in the works. New agent, Alexandra Machinist at Janklow and Nesbit. New publisher, Kensington Books, a company I had worked with before and highly respect. Along with those changes–more Against books. The Brodie brothers are next, three hunky outdoorsmen who brave the hostile elements of Alaska, each a story of romance and suspense.  I hope my readers will continue to enjoy the adventure–as I continue to do.

Visit Kat at www.katmartin.com and follow her on Facebook.