Midnight Fever by Lisa Marie Rice

Fighting fire with fire

Nick Mancino always gets what he wants—until now. Despite his seductive persistence, brainy, beautiful scientist Kay Hudson continues to elude him. However, Nick was a Navy Seal and an FBI Special Agent, so giving up isn’t an option. Kay’s got no business being tempted by anything. She’s on the verge of risking her reputation, her career, her very life, to blow the lid off a deadly bioweapons conspiracy. But Nick won’t let her face her demons alone…and they will have to face down an enemy that could consume them…and the entire world.

Author Lisa Marie Rice recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss her latest novel, MIDNIGHT FEVER:

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I hope they’ll believe in intelligence and strength and the power of good and that—no matter how crazy our world may be—good can win over evil. I see my books as a sexy, thrilling escape for my readers and I want them to feel that, when they come to the end of MIDNIGHT FEVER, in spite of all the craziness around us, they’ll feel satisfied with the thrills and romance the story delivers.

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

I’m always determined to write about women who are intelligent, strong and perfectly capable of saving themselves. I hope that’s what my readers will always remember me for—writing strong, smart, sexy women who are just as tough as the Men of Midnight. So I hope readers will see MIDNIGHT FEVER and all of my Midnight and Men of Midnight books as books that put women who can stand on their own in focus.

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

I spent a lot of time researching bioweaponry, since it plays a huge role in MIDNIGHT FEVER. I was amazed at the various ways a virus can be weaponised…it’s frightening when you think about it.

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?

A lot of blood, sweat and tears (and a few swear words) went into writing this book. Perhaps it was because of the current state of the world with so many terror attacks, Brexit, the US election and its aftermath…at first, I found it difficult to focus on writing. It took a lot of energy and determination for my focus to return.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

One of my favorite authors is actually also a close friend, Shannon McKenna. What I love about her stories is the intricate plotting and, above all, the emotional intensity. Shannon takes her characters sometimes into uncharted territory and makes them SUFFER for that happy ending, and you are with them all the way, chewing your fingernails and with your stomach clenched, hoping it all works out.

*****

Lisa Marie Rice is eternally 30 years old and will never age. She is tall and willowy and beautiful. Men drop at her feet like ripe pears. She has won every major book prize in the world. She is a black belt with advanced degrees in archaeology, nuclear physics, and Tibetan literature. She is a concert pianist. Did I mention her Nobel Prize? Of course, Lisa Marie Rice is a virtual woman and exists only at the keyboard when writing romantic suspense. She disappears when the monitor winks off.

To learn more about Lisa, please visit her website.