STELLA STEPS INTO ELIZABETH'S WHIRLPOOL

Stella: Is WHIRLPOOL an original hardcover, a paperback reprint of a hardcover, a paperback original, a revision…?

Elizabeth: That’s a tricky question. The book WHIRLPOOL is based on came out years ago as The Ruby by Ann Maxwell, a paperback original. At the time I wrote (with my husband as co-author) The Ruby for one publisher, I was writing historical romance under the name Elizabeth Lowell for a different publisher. I used two names both for contractual reasons and because I didn’t want to confuse an audience by doing historicals one moment and contemporary romantic suspense the next.

Stella: So you decided to confuse us after all.

Elizabeth: *wonders if she should plead the Fifth* Not really…it’s just that I’m writing contemporary romantic suspense now as Elizabeth Lowell, and the two publishers I worked for have since merged and become one. When that happened, I agreed to revise/update the three Ann Maxwell romantic suspense titles and have them brought out under the name Elizabeth Lowell. WHIRLPOOL is the last of those three titles. In fact, WHIRLPOOL is the last rewrite I plan to do. Future books will all be originals appearing first in hardcover and then in paperback.

Stella: *reaches for aspirin* So much for the back story. Tell us about the story itself.

Elizabeth: WHIRLPOOL is the story of what happens when a jewelry maker finds a fabulous Carl Faberge egg delivered to her door in an unmarked paper carton. It’s a gift to die for. Literally. In order to survive, Laurel accepts help from Cruz Rowan, a man with his own agenda. He is employed by Risk Limited, an international firm specializing in security. The firm has been hired to recover the stolen egg. (A second Risk Limited book, Silk and Shadow, is still under the name Ann Maxwell with yet another publisher. One of the perils of writing a series, which I will talk about in my next blog!

Stella: My head hurts.

Elizabeth: You’re not alone.

Stella: *passes over the aspirin*

Elizabeth: What makes all the confusion worthwhile is the book itself. It combines romance, action, suspense, and beautiful art. The characters learn to think of the past in new ways, to survive, to trust, and to love. My favorite kind of book, whether reading or writing.

Stella: The good news is that people who never discovered that you wrote as Ann Maxwell have a sexy, suspenseful treat in store!

WHIRLPOOL is available now! Go to your favorite bookseller or order from the online buttons below.