Complicated Creatures Part One: Romantic Suspense Thriller
By Alexi Lawless
His modus operandi suggests he’ll test your mettle by playing hardball in the eleventh hour to see what competitive offers you may have.”
Derrick thought on that a moment. “How do you know that will be his approach?”
Her mouth curved slightly. “Rumor has it.”
Derrick tutted while he moved toward his desk to pick up his mobile phone. He’d worked with her long enough to know anything she told him would be founded in far more than mere rumour. Samantha was nothing if not thorough. He appreciated having a partner-in-crime who could help anticipate the chess moves while he focused on finishing the skyscraper construction. Derrick could already taste the finish with the conclusion of today’s deal, and he felt the impatience to get started flitting at the edge of his concentration. He could hardly wait to board the jet home later tonight. It had been nearly two months since he’d seen his family. He turned on his phone, glancing at the picture of his son on the screen.
“Don’t worry,” Sam said beside him, snapping the folio shut. “You’ll be back in California for your son’s baseball game tomorrow.”
Derrick smiled at the thought. “I thought I’d take him to the game in the T-Bird. Let him show off a little to his friends afterwards.”
“My guess is all little boys like to be driven around town by their dads after they win their little league trophy,” she smiled, laughing softly.
“That they do,” Derrick agreed, enjoying the image in his mind’s eye. He could almost feel the dry California sun on his skin, so different from the oppressive humidity he’d gotten so used to in Indonesia. “And where will you be this time tomorrow?” he asked.
“Sitting by the beach in Bali, God willing.”
“Good plan.” Derrick briefly imagined that svelte figure of hers in a bikini.
Sam moved toward the door, refocusing him. “Ready to do this?”
Derrick nodded, slipping the phone into his pocket, his mind shifting to the meeting. He watched Sam touch the earpiece under her dark hair, murmuring to an unseen listener that they were heading toward the conference room. His bodyguard, Carey Nelson, stepped out before him as they left the office.
Genre: Thriller
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Alexi Lawless
Biography.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a closeted writer for thirty-odd years—from way back when I was banging out stories on a Commodore 64 to my years writing the corporate strategies for some of the largest companies in the world. But it was two years ago, laid up after foot surgery, that I started to seriously consider whether it was time to come out as the novelist she’d always wanted to be.
Complicated Creatures Part One was published in April. Over the summer, I published Complicated Creatures 1.5, a novella, which is available free on my website. Now available for pre-order and due to be published on October 24, 2014, is Complicated Creatures Part Two. Part Three will be out sometime in 2015.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I was inspired to write books with strong female characters – something I feel is often lacking. Samantha Wyatt has been compared to a “female James Bond” and fits the bill for being strong but still vulnerable and feminine.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wrote the first book in the Complicated Series while on the road, traveling through the desert of California and Utah. Traveling is crucial for me as a writer, but music is even more important.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Rice is the author whose books made me say, “Yeah, that’s what I want to do.” You can’t get better than that.
What are you working on now?
I’m just putting the finishing touches on Complicated Creatures Part Two, then plan to disappear off the grid for a while to recharge. Two books and a novella in one year is a lot of keyboard pounding.
Alexi Lawless
