Book Release day is always fun. Well today is extra special because we have been given ONE COPY of Death Echo to give away to one lucky winner today! Yes, a free book and a great writer! So, take a minute, read this wonderful interview…and post a comment telling which was your favorite question and how you heard about our give away!
Check back here tomorrow to see if you are the winner! (USA residents only please)
As security tightens at the world’s airports and borders, international harbors and ports are becoming the new frontier for crime. In DEATH ECHO (William Morrow, on sale June 8, 2010, ISBN 13: 9780061629754, $24.99), New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell delves into the very dangerous and very lucrative world of transnational crime and illegal smuggling.
Former CIA agent Emma Cross thought she got out of dangerous work when she took a job with St. Kilda’s consulting. A little PI work and troubleshooting is certainly less stressful than Tribal Wars. At least it was until she found herself caught in the middle of an international incident.
Until five years ago, Mackenzie Durand and his Special Ops team were deployed into some of the world’s nastiest places. On the last op, he was the only survivor. After a rumor started circulating that the CIA hung his team out to dry with bad intel, he quit and never looked back.
Thrown together by an organization of bad guys with international ties more dangerous than either realizes, Mac and Emma must put aside their distrust for each other in order to save more than just their own lives.
About the Author
Elizabeth Lowell has authored more than 60 novels and one non-fiction book. She has more than 30 million copies in print and has 30 New York Times bestsellers to her credit. Her science fiction novels have been nominated for eight Nebula awards and a mystery, Just Enough Light to Kill, written with her husband, was named one of the best crime novels of 1984 by Time magazine. Elizabeth Lowell and her husband divide their time between Arizona and the Pacific Northwest.
Meet Elizabeth Lowell
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences researching for this novel? What was it like living aboard a ship and cruising the Inside Passages?
A: The boating part of the research was the most fun I’ve ever had while working. I was desert-raised, so boating wasn’t a part of my childhood or most of my adulthood. Yet the first time I got aboard our cruising boat, I was hooked. My husband set himself to learning how to be a captain. With my writing, I already had a fulltime job, so I set about learning how to be a first mate, just like Emma Cross.
It was, and is, an adventure. The Inside Passage is gorgeous, treacherous, ever-changing water. Huge tides, currents like rivers between islands, winds piling up waves, fog, rain, and sometimes even sunshine. Not to mention fresh fish, crab, prawns, and clams. Yum!
Cruising is also work. Nobody is born knowing how to tie lines correctly, how to guesstimate wind, tide, and currents. Learning how to read charts, judge radar echoes, lay a course, stay on a course, navigate very, very narrow passages”¦the list goes on and on. And that’s not even talking about engine repairs on the fly, electronics trouble-shooting, landing something that weighs many tons without splintering docks, the fine art of anchoring””and staying anchored. So much to learn!
In DEATH ECHO I’ve tried to give a flavor of the joys and frustrations of living aboard a 42′ boat.
Q: Many of your previous novels have been inspired by current events. What was the inspiration behind Death Echo?
DEATH ECHO had multiple sources of inspiration. Following the shifting power politics of the world is a personal fascination. Speculating about drivers of change is a hobby. The What if? part of my brain never sleeps. I love putting together snippets of headlines and stories buried in the back of the newspaper, and wondering about possible connections. I’m not much for conspiracy theories””face it, that many people just can’t keep hot secrets that long””but I know there is much more to any story than what surfaces in a newspaper or blog.
One day I’m reading about stolen yachts. Then I’m reading about counterfeit currencies and wobbly governments. Then comes a story or three about private security agencies. Many, many stories about the fallout of empire in the Former Soviet Union and thousand-year-old grudges surfacing along with very modern weapons”¦ Irresistible.
Q: What was the process like for writing this novel, and if at all, how did it differ from your others?
A: Writing a novel is like being at sea; some things don’t change and others change without warning. Each backdrop for a novel is different, requiring different knowledge from me and different demands on the characters. Whatever the backdrop, balancing the development of the characters and factual grounding with the need for fast pacing is always a challenge.
Q: In DEATH ECHO you talk about a shadow economy existing in the Pacific Northwest, can you talk a little about that?
A: Wherever there are borders, there is smuggling. Wherever there are different cultures, there are cultural conflicts. People who have lived a century or centuries in the same place have a different view than people who came from somewhere else to make a new life.
In other words, it’s not just the Pacific Northwest, it’s everywhere. The shadow economy, the one that isn’t taxed or regulated except by direct violence, is global. If there is money to be made, someone will make it. The more regulations that exist, the more money is made avoiding, evading, or ignoring laws. International borders exist for people who believe in and follow laws. For the inhabitants of the shadow world, borders are lines on maps that have little to do with reality””especially borders that aren’t based on solid geographic barriers such as mountains, big rivers and oceans. My books play out in the world of shadows cast by regulations and cultures.
Q: One of the main characters in this book is a yacht named Blackbird””that could also be a yacht named Black Swan””where did you come up for the names of these two identical vessels?
A: The Black Swan was taken from a book of the same name. The book described the impossibility of planning for circumstances that simply can’t be foreseen, such as Australia’s black swans when all of Europe only knew of white swans. It’s much the same as people from Europe having a difficult time understanding at a gut level that in America’s west, many, many rivers run down into valleys”¦and dry up.
Blackbird seemed like an easy companion to Black Swan.
Q: You write at length about surveillance bugs, how did you research these devices?
A: There are many ways, from specialty magazines to specialty sites on the internet. Books are useful, but mainly for historical research; by the time it hits print, it’s pretty much outdated. I take the existing information I can find and choose a device that suits my purposes. If I can’t find one that works, I remind myself that 1) the best stuff is classified and 2) my books are fiction.
Q: Who does the secretive and mysterious Alara work for?
A: If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
Q: You talk a lot about the volatility of the Russian Federation. Do we have a new Cold War on our hands?
A: A new Cold War would be easy. What we have is a seething stew of ancient grudges and modern weapons. A flock of black swans. Totally unpredictable.
And wonderfully useful to a novelist.
This is my favourite question, with it’s answer… 😆
Q: Who does the secretive and mysterious Alara work for?
A: If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
Valerie
in Germany
I have every one of your books and love them, but the St. Kilda books are my favorite, especially The Wrong Hostage. Joe Faroe is my all-time alpha hero.
Is there a one place that you like to write about?
Patricia
OH ADD THIS ONE TO MY BASKET!!
Great interview – sounds like an exciting read :)!
This is my favorite question:
Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences researching for this novel? What was it like living aboard a ship and cruising the Inside Passages?
I loved reading about the adventure :).
Pam S
Hi Elizabeth,
I’ve been a big fan for years. Still have your Silhouette Desire and Ann Maxwell titles on my favorite’s bookshelf, and love the way your storytelling has evolved. You give us wonderfully intense characters, with great suspense plot lines, and you remain one of my favorite auto-buy authors.
Big congrats on your new release, I look forward to reading Death Echo.
caity_mack at yahoo dot com
😛 WOW! ELIZABETH HAS 60 AND I NEVER READ ANY? OH MY STARS!!!
LOL……..I am an Army brat with 3 brothers who are active duty so I hear “1) the best stuff is classified and ” all the time. So in this case, truth is stranger than fiction. Love the books, please don’t stop writing for a long long time.
~Ellen
Remember, she who dies with the most books, WINS!
My favorite question was:
Q: Many of your previous novels have been inspired by current events. What was the inspiration behind Death Echo?
I love knowing how an idea came about *bg*
I found out about today’s post from the Coffee Time Romance toolbar and e-mail 🙂
The first question is my favorite!
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences researching for this novel? What was it like living aboard a ship and cruising the Inside Passages?
A: The boating part of the research was the most fun I’ve ever had while working. I was desert-raised, so boating wasn’t a part of my childhood or most of my adulthood. Yet the first time I got aboard our cruising boat, I was hooked.
I love the term “desert-raised”, and I immediately had a vivid mental picture of the desert land-lubber learning to become a sailor!
I learned of this contest from your email : )
gcwhiskas at aol dot com
my favorite question was the one about the shadow economy. I never heard that term before and now I know.
I receive emails from coffee time romance and that’s how I learned of this contest
Yay, I love contests and I love Elizabeth Lowell Thank you coffee time romance
Deb
Congrats to Elizabeth on the new release. My favorite question is the one regarding the yachts. I like knowing where an author gets inspiration for names.
Who does Alara work for? Is one of my favorite questions..lol.
I have been a fan of yours for years and years. I know when I purchase one of your books I’m in for a great time!!
I always like knowing what inspires an author to write the story they did.
I found out about the post from a Coffee Time Romance e-mail.
The question that I found interesting was about the shadow economy of the Northwest. Thanks. I received a newsletter mentioning this in the newsletter.
My fav question is:
Q: Who does the secretive and mysterious Alara work for?
A: If I told you, I’d have to kill you. 😆
I can almost see the Cheshire cat-like grin on Ms. Lowell’s face as she answered!
My favorite question was:
Q: In DEATH ECHO you talk about a shadow economy existing in the Pacific Northwest, can you talk a little about that?
A: Wherever there are borders, there is smuggling. Wherever there are different cultures, there are cultural conflicts. People who have lived a century or centuries in the same place have a different view than people who came from somewhere else to make a new life.
In other words, it’s not just the Pacific Northwest, it’s everywhere. The shadow economy, the one that isn’t taxed or regulated except by direct violence, is global. If there is money to be made, someone will make it. The more regulations that exist, the more money is made avoiding, evading, or ignoring laws. International borders exist for people who believe in and follow laws. For the inhabitants of the shadow world, borders are lines on maps that have little to do with reality—especially borders that aren’t based on solid geographic barriers such as mountains, big rivers and oceans. My books play out in the world of shadows cast by regulations and cultures.
I like how she is making a social comment and tying the book into current events. The Shadow Economy in the Pacific Northwest is not something I am familiar with, so I found this interesting to read.
I found out about the giveaway from my Coffe Time email. 🙂
this is one of my fav questions other then the one before it
Q: You talk a lot about the volatility of the Russian Federation. Do we have a new Cold War on our hands?
A: A new Cold War would be easy. What we have is a seething stew of ancient grudges and modern weapons. A flock of black swans. Totally unpredictable.
i heard of this give away because i got an email sounds awesome have to say this has been put on my wish list since i hear it was coming out
Actually, I had two fave questions from this interview.
1) What was the process like for writing this novel, and if at all, how did it differ from your others? ~ As someome who dreams of becoming an author one day, her answer struck very close to home.
2) Who does the secretive and mysterious Alara work for? ~ I adore an author with a sense of humor, LOL!
I found out aboutt his contest via the Coffee Time newsletter!
This was my favorite question…
Q: Who does the secretive and mysterious Alara work for?
A: If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
I heard about the giveaway thanks to the wonderful emails I receive from CTR.
My favorite question was the one about the surveillance bugs and how Elizabeth did research on them! Death Echo sounds like a good read!
Hi, I have been reading you for years. Really enjoy your work. I have a few of your older “skinnies” as I calle them on my keeper shelf. Sweet Wind, Wild Wind is one of them.
My FAvorite Question is this one… I think the answer is cleverly funny but also sadly true!
MQ: You talk a lot about the volatility of the Russian Federation. Do we have a new Cold War on our hands?
A: A new Cold War would be easy. What we have is a seething stew of ancient grudges and modern weapons. A flock of black swans. Totally unpredictable.
I heard about this contest in my email
I love the question about the research and the Inside passage. Really enjoyed reading the answere.
Learned about the contest from the toolbar.
Elizabeth, I’ve been looking forward to the release of this book. 🙂 I love your writing. I’m so happy I found about about today’s post from Coffee Time’s newsletter.
What is your next project?
caroline@carolineclemmons.com
I forgot to tell you my favorite questions. 😳
It was who does Alana work for?
If I told you I’d have to kill you.
Love it!
I found out about the giveaway through a Coffee Time e mail.
I liked the question about cruising the Inside Passages and living aboard a boat for research.
I loved the question about the shadow economy because I read a book by Steve Berry this winter about the same topic. That stuff scares the crap out of me. I found out about the giveaway in my email as I subscribe to Coffee Times!
I was interested in her reading the small articles about current events because I do the same. I read about events taking place in countries I hadn’t previously heard of, have never visited and often couldn’t place on a map without doing research. I don’t know why this information facinates me, but it does and it evidently does the author, also. A tremendous number of strange events are going on every day in various parts of the world. They make for amazing reading and I am sure her book does, too.
learning about boating and surveillence “bugs” sounded fun. and with the book, you can make up anything you want. ok, the Alra question was funny 😆 ! i heard about this brom the Coffee Time Romance blog. thanks for the contest..it looks like a great book!
Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences researching for this novel? What was it like living aboard a ship and cruising the Inside Passages?
I would love to do research on a boat for a month…but I don’t live near any kind of boats that would be interesting to be on for a month…..
great interview!
I receive your email thats how I heard about it….
Heidi
I was waiting for the new book. Your books are exciting to read. I knew a lot of research was done in writing books, but you really do your research. Looking forward to reading Death Echo. Even if I don’t win I will still order it fr. my book club.
You write at length about surveillance bugs, how did you research these devices?
The answer was pretty interesting.
I found out about the giveaway through Coffetime Romances emails I receive.
My favorite question was:
Q: Many of your previous novels have been inspired by current events. What was the inspiration behind Death Echo?
I found out from Coffee Time email.
lorettaC
lbcanton@verizon.net
Forgot to mention that I found out about this contest from the Coffeetime Newsletter.
My favorite question was the one regarding the “shadow economy” of the Pacific Northwest. I’d never heard that term even though I live near a border albeit the Southern Border and know first hand about what that term implies. Most interesting. I’d love to read this book
I learned about this contest through an email.
I have been reading a lot about this book and it sounds wonderful! My favorite question was the first about her research for the book.
I learned about the contest from a Coffee time romance email
😉 the book sounds amazing,can’t wait to read it.y favorite question was about alara
I have not read your books before but this one sounds really good and I would love to read it. You would be a new author to me! Great interview and thinks for sharing!
Q: Who does the secretive and mysterious Alara work for?
A: If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
I remember one of my favorite books years ago.
THE BLACK SWAN by Victoria Holt.
The contest came from my email.
My favorite question:
Q:In DEATH ECHO you talk about a shadow economy existing in the Pacific Northwest, can you talk a little about that?
It provided me with a much information and made me realize how wide-spread the shadow economy is in our country.
Q: In DEATH ECHO you talk about a shadow economy existing in the Pacific Northwest, can you talk a little about that?
Living in the Pacific Northwest myself I found this really interesting.
I heard about this contest from your newsletter.
You talk a lot about the volatility of the Russian Federation. Do we have a new Cold War on our hands?
A: A new Cold War would be easy. What we have is a seething stew of ancient grudges and modern weapons. A flock of black swans. Totally unpredictable.
Love reading about what inspired you for this story. Learned about the post from the Coffeetime newsletter today.
caity_mack at yahoo dot com
The whole interview was awesome 😀 I really like the Q & A on the shadow economy. Interesting, scary and thought provoking. I can’t wait to read DEATH ECHO.
I heard about the contest by email & notification through my CTR toolbar. Thanks for the chance to win.
My favorite question deals with how the author gathers
and builds the inspiration for her novels. How she includes the gathering of current events printed in newspapers, weaving those informational nuggets into
the basic structure of her novels.
I received news of this contest as an offshoot of the
daily email with the June Jubilee information for
today’s date.
My favorite question deals with how the author gathers
and builds the inspiration for her novels. How she includes the gathering of current events printed in newspapers, weaving those informational nuggets into
the basic structure of her novels.
I received news of this contest as an offshoot of the
daily email with the June Jubilee information for
today’s date.
My favorite question deals with how the author gathers
and builds the inspiration for her novels. How she includes the gathering of current events printed in newspapers, weaving those informational nuggets into
the basic structure of her novels.
I received news of this contest as an offshoot of the
daily email with the June Jubilee information for
today’s date.
I love the question regarding the shadow economy. I believe that the shadow economy will always exist in whatever country or economy. You are right that the more restricted the law is, the more people will try to find a way to get around it.
My favorite question was about the shadow economy in the Pacific Northwest. It was a very informative answer!! Miss Lowell, I adore your books – I have read them all! Some I’ve read at least twice. The “Only” western series is the best Westerns I have ever read! (at least twice on them!) I am anxiously awaiting Death Echo, I love your St. Kilda books.
Forgot to say that I found out about this contest from Coffee time emails, that I subscribe to.
I like the question about surveillance bugs and her answer which says her books are fiction and the best bugs are classified.
I received an e-mail about this contest from CTR.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
The most intruiginng question of the day concerned the shadow eoconomy.
😛 i liek the number one and would like to do that and wish you the best and have a great summer
your book sound cool 😎
I like the question about her research.It’s nice to know she put the time in to learn about boats.
I liked knowing the inspiration for Death Echo. It’s interesting to know what causes an author to write a story, espcially when it comes with more than one inspiration.
I enjoyed the interview and all the questions were great. I liked the question about the yachts and how she named them Blackbird and BlackSwan. I also liked her response of “If I told you, I’d have to kill you” to question. lol
I found out from email sent from Coffee Time Romance.
Can’t wait to read.
Here is my favorite
Many of your previous novels have been inspired by current events. What was the inspiration behind Death Echo?
But aren’t you worried about maybe getting people up in arms over using current situations, like maybe boat pirates pissed because you using them?
The other favorite is
Who does the secretive and mysterious Alara work for?
I hear that answer from my hubby who is in the military.
Zina
I heard about this from the Coffe time newletter
Who does Alaric work for?
I always appreciate a good laugh!
Thanks for this!
-Caitlin G.
My favorite question has the best answer! I love it.
Who does the secret and mysterious Alara work for?
The answer is priceless!!!!!!
If I told you, I’d have to kill you….ROTFLMAO
Congrats on the release!! I havent read one of your books yet, but this sounds like a great one to start with. Thanks for sharing!
I think what's most impressive about Elizabeth Lowell's books (I've read several, though not this one) is the way she researches her topics so diligently–but then spins a story that has a strong forward narrative and doesn't get bogged down by the research. The research, however, is important because it makes her stories ring true. This was a great interview–thank you!