Character Interview: Nick Palzetti from The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé

I invited my friend Diane Burton back to Creative Hodgepodge. Unfortunately, Diane is busy promoting her newest release, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé, so she sent Nick Palzetti to talk with us. He is Alex O’Hara’s main squeeze, so you’ll find him in all her stories.

Welcome, Nick. Please introduce yourself for those who haven’t met you in your author’s other books.

Nick Palzetti. I work in DC, but I came home to Far Haven, Michigan last fall when Lexie—I mean, Alex—got in over her head on a case. I’d never tell her that. She’s very capable, but she didn’t know what or who she was dealing with. My boss ordered me to mislead her.

How did that go over once she knew?

She threw me out. Can’t say I blame her. I never lied to her, just didn’t tell her the truth. She didn’t see it that way.

Tell us about your family. 

Typical Midwest, Italian. Only child. Mama doted, Pop kept me on the straight-and-narrow.

How did your upbringing influence who you are today?

Pop and Alex’s father—collectively known as The Pops—owned an investigation agency. Mama and Alex’s mother managed the business. They brought us to work from the time we were babies. I learned the ethics of hard work, fair play, and justice. And the importance of family.

What was your first thought when you met Alex? 

I never really “met” her. Since our families were so close, she was always around. She was my kid sister . . . until she grew up. I must have looked at her a certain way because The Pops sat me down and explained the facts of life. Not those facts. The ones that meant she was hands-off and the consequences (don’t ask) if I tried anything with her. See, I had this reputation back in high school of playing the field. Besides, she was jailbait.

Why did you fall for him/her?

She’s beautiful, even though she doesn’t think she is. Gorgeous red hair, eyes as blue as Lake Michigan, long legs. Well, at 5’10” what do you expect? That all sounds superficial, doesn’t it? She’s earnest, hard-working, and married to the agency. When The Pops retired, they turned the business over to her, and she’s been trying ever since to prove she’s worthy. Not that she needs to. She’s an excellent investigator. She just needs to take it easy, have fun once in a while.

Why did you choose your occupation?

*eyes harden* What do you know about my occupation? I’m a pencil-pusher (Alex’s words) for the State Department.

Hang on. I heard you worked for some super-secret government agency that doesn’t exist.

You heard wrong. Next question.

O-kay. *blows out a breath* What is the biggest hurdle you had to overcome?

Lexie taking me seriously. I hurt her once. When she was fifteen, she threw herself at me. Eighteen-year-old boys aren’t known for their tact. I’d only thought about what The Pops threatened to do to certain appendages that I wanted to keep. Turning her down wasn’t my finest hour. Unfortunately, she’s got a memory that doesn’t quit. I had to convince her that I wanted her, that I loved her. I succeeded until I disappeared for almost three months. I’m not sure she will ever trust me again.

How would you spend a free day?

With Alex. She works too hard so I want to get her to lighten up. In winter, we’d got to the park and build a snowman, make snow angels, and have a snowball fight. In the summer, we’d go sailing. That’s the one thing I miss about living in DC. If I’m going to stick around, I’ll have to get that sailboat I’ve always wanted.

Where do you think your relationship with Alex is going?

I wish I knew. I want to marry her and make babies. She’s not so sure. I’ll have to bide my time while she builds the agency and learns to trust me.

Thanks for your candor, Nick. I hope you and Alex find a way to stay together.

From your lips to God’s ear. Listen, I gotta go.

Blurb

She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti?

Excerpt

“Hello, gorgeous.”

My heart stopped. My lungs seized. My hand hovered over the yellow legal pad. Thank God, it didn’t shake. My hand, not the pad.

I wasn’t going to give Nick Palzetti the reaction he expected. I would be cool, confident, self-assured. As if his presence in my office were nothing unusual. As if he waltzed through locked doors every day to lounge casually against the mahogany door frame. As if he hadn’t strolled out of my life two months, two weeks, and one day ago. I wasn’t counting, mind you.

He’d called me ‘gorgeous’ in that husky baritone before he left, too. Hadn’t meant a thing then and didn’t mean a thing now. He probably expected me to yell at him. Wasn’t going to do it. Nope. Wasn’t going to ask him where he’d been. As if it didn’t matter to me. I would say ‘Hiya, Nick, How’s it hanging? C’mon in. Take a load off.’ As soon as I could speak again.

My brain finally told my lungs to breathe. Bad form to fall at his feet. With my luck, I’d slip off my chair and whack my chin on the desk, which would require twenty stitches and orthodontics. Been there, done that. Have the scar to prove it.

Be cool. Don’t show any emotion. Don’t let him know what his disappearance meant.

“How the hell did you get in?” someone yelled. I guess it was me since Nick’s mouth didn’t move, and the office was deserted. I slammed my fist on the desk. “Where the hell have you been?”

The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé is available at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble.

Author Info:

Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction. Besides the science fiction romance Switched and Outer Rim series, she is the author of One Red Shoe, a romantic suspense, and The Case of the Bygone Brother, a PI mystery. She is also a contributor to the anthology How I Met My Husband. Diane and her husband live in Michigan. They have two children and three grandchildren.

For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com

Connect with Diane Burton online on her blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Sign up for Diane’s new release alert HERE.

The Protector by Diane Burton: Blog Tour and Review

I am so pleased to host another new release announcement for my friend and fellow Michigander, Diane Burton! Diane writes romance in sci-fi settings, yet they don't overwhelm the reader with technical jargon. I loved reading her Switched series as well as her detective book. This time she's promoting the third book in her Outer Rim series, The Protector.

The Protector (An Outer Rim Novel)
by Diane Burton
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords
Genre: Romantic Adventure/Science Fiction
Release Date: July 24, 2015
Length: 370 Pages

After tavern owner Rissa Dix rescues two girls from a slave ship, she must rally the townsfolk to prevent traffickers from raiding the frontier colony. She’s met with apathy and disbelief. Because she lost her own baby to traffickers, she’s determined that no other mother will suffer the same heartache. 

Industrialist heir Dillan Rusteran aids her in rescuing more children. Little do they know they’re about to tangle with a trafficking ring that puts Rissa in danger. Dillan’s loved her for years despite her claim she’s too old for him. As they fight the traffickers, will she finally see him in a new light?

I asked Diane to share a bit about how she came to write Sci-fi romance, and she was gracious enough to respond. So here's Diane:

****
Why Do I Write...
By Diane Burton

A question I’m often asked is why I write science fiction romance. It’s not the most popular genre. There’s more money in romantic suspense. I write what I like to read. I fell in love with space adventures when I saw my first Star Wars movie. Actually, I heard the music on the radio first and knew I had to see it. Action. Adventure. Romance. And it was in space. Even better.

My love affair with space exploration started with Sputnik and the Space Race. President John Kennedy proclaimed the U.S. would put a man on the moon in “this” decade (the 1960’s). We did, but he wasn’t there to see it. At the time, I knew the names of all the astronauts. I watched every launch broadcast. And like millions of Americans, I saw Neil Armstrong step onto the moon’s surface.

As space is explored (too slowly in my opinion) I often wonder if there is sentient life “out there.” And why not? Aren't we being arrogant to think we're the only creatures capable of thought in this vast universe? To paraphrase a character in the movie Contact, wouldn't that be an awful waste of space?

I write about adventure. Yes, we can have adventures in the here and now. For me, it’s more fun to think about adventure in space. Call it escapism, if you will. Who doesn't need an escape—from dirty dishes, weeds in the flowerbeds, a nasty coworker, homework, loss of a job (or the fear of losing one), a dying relative?

So I write about adventures in space. What’s an adventure without romance? Granted, some sci-fi stories don’t have romance. Again, I’ll say I write what I like to read. I love reading romances—especially romances with something different. An unusual locale, suspense, bad guys.

In the end, I hope my stories give readers a fun journey, hours of escape, and that “ahh” feeling of a satisfying ending.

The Protector can be purchased here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords
You can find Diane at these links: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

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Patty's thoughts:
Since I was busy with final edits for The Partridge and the Peartree I didn't get a chance to finish the entire novel. The last time I checked my Kindle app I was at 75 percent through. But what I did read is full of action and adventure! I'm always assured of a great story with Diane, and this one didn't disappoint. 

I am always drawn to strong heroines, and Rissa Dix is a super-heroine! She's learned to be tough because she had to. After several life experiences that would have destroyed a weaker woman, she's built a life for herself. What she doesn't realize is that she's also built strong connections with the community, and they rally behind her in her time of need.

Dillan Rusteran is an absolutely yummy hero. He's strong and capable, and it doesn't hurt that he's wealthy and generous. Yet he's not intimidated by Rissa's strength or the fact that she's older than him. He's there to help her - and more. 

Once I finish reading, I need to get caught up with my writing projects. And then I'm going to have to go back and read the first two books in this series: The Pilot (published in 2012) and The Chameleon (published in 2014)!

UPDATE: I FINISHED THE BOOK - AND YOU SHOULD, TOO! THE AWESOMENESS CONTINUES ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!!

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Diane Burton and The Chameleon

I’m so happy to once again host fellow MMRWA member Diane Burton! I’ve read several of Diane’s books, because they always offer great adventures and loveable, believable characters – even though they often live in other worlds! Diane has a brand new release to share with us today – it’s the second in her Outer Rim series, and it’s called The Chameleon. Let’s see what Diane has to say about one of the issues prevalent in this book:

Pretenses

Are people who they seem to be? Remember when you were a child and Mom said to be on your best behavior? Or there was your “church” behavior and recess behavior. A friend of mine and I often talk about the behavior of her five-year-old son and my four-year-old grandson. So similar. On the Friday of the first week of school, her boy came home, drop his backpack, and started screaming at her. He was so wound from being good in school, he had to let it out. My husband and I know better than to take our grandkids out to dinner on a Friday night. They’ve behaved so well in school that they can’t be “good” anymore.

When I taught elementary school, I was amazed when I told parents how well behaved their children were and the parents didn’t believe me. According to them, their kids were hellions at home. Then there was the reverse—kids being raised in such a restrictive atmosphere at home, let it all out at school. It wasn’t until I had my own kids that I understood the phenomenon.

The face some people show the world is not who they really are. In a small way, we all do that. It’s part of getting along in society. Think about Star Trek’s Spock, especially in the latest movie, Into Darkness. When Kirk is mad at him for revealing all in his report to the superiors, Spock says as a Vulcan he can’t lie. He doesn’t get the difference between being truthful and protecting his captain and friend. Most of our husbands when ask that dreaded question “does this make me look fat” evade or outright lie. The life he saves may be his own.

Then there are the criminals who hide women in their attic, abusing them, and the neighbors say he was such a nice man. Serial killers like sweet Norman Bates or pedophiles who are such great coaches are other examples. The person they present to the world is not who they are.

In The Chameleon, Jileena Winslott is not who she appears to be. She hates this dual personality and just wants to be herself. More importantly, she wants the man who has haunted her dreams since she was twelve to see the real her—not the fluff-brain Baby Winslott. What will she have to do to convince him she’s intelligent and capable without revealing her secret mission?

Blurb for The Chameleon:

Legally Blond meets Mata Hari

Socialite Jileena Winslott has perfected the image of the spoiled, rich, bubble-headed daughter of an industrial magnate. In reality, she’s a smart, savvy aide to her father in social situations where she is his eyes and ears. She yearns to be her true self and run the family business. When her father sends her on a covert mission to the Outer Rim, she has the chance to prove herself. Big problem. He insists she take along a fake fiancé—the man she’s secretly loved for years.

Security Officer Laning Servary has better things to do than babysit a spoiled rich girl on a tour of the Frontier. If he refuses, he can kiss his career good-by. Then Jileena’s father sweetens the pot. If Laning keeps her safe, his family will receive the land they share-crop. He can’t refuse.

In the close quarters of her ship, Laning and Jileena discover they aren’t who they seem. Pirates, weather, and her recklessness threaten to derail the mission. As Laning and Jileena revise their impressions of each other, they’ll have to make hard choices about their goals. Can their budding love survive?

Excerpt from The Chameleon:

“The company belongs in the family,” Jileena said.

“You have to accept that your brother is dead.”

Despite her heartache, she stood in front of her father, hands on her hips, determined to bring this to a head. She’d danced around the subject long enough, dropping hints that he ignored. He may have groomed her older brother to take over, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. “I am family.”

With his trademark stare—one that made competitors back off and employees quake—he pinned her in place. “You don’t have what it takes to replace me.”

His remark sent such an arrow of hurt through her she snapped, “Neither did Konner.” The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to retract them.

Father slumped back in his chair. The desolation in his expression broke her heart.

Immediately, she dropped to her knees in front of him. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I shouldn’t have—”

In a gesture she remembered from childhood, he smoothed her hair away from her forehead then tipped up her chin. “What you say is true. He had no stomach for this cutthroat business. And neither do you, thank the Divine One.” He patted her head twice. “You don’t have to worry about that. Now get up. We have work to do. Plans to make.”

“Plans?”

“Baby, I’m sending you to Galeria 7 to check out this discovery.”

“To the Outer Rim?” Jileena’s jaw dropped. While her father had sent her on discreet missions before, he’d never sent her that far from the Central Planets—especially since Konner had died out on the Frontier.

“You will check the site and do your own analysis. Put that geology degree of yours into practice. If, indeed, it is high-grade lambidium, you will negotiate mining rights with the local tribe.”

“M-Me?”

He’d done it again and seemed to enjoy surprising her. He couldn’t mean it. He wasn’t sending her. He had to be teasing. Yet he’d never been intentionally cruel. At least, not to her.

“I certainly can’t send Sindaro. As soon as reporters learn he left for the Rim, rumors would fly and negotiations would fail.”

He was right about that. If secrecy was paramount, Father had to send someone whose presence was innocuous. Someone like his fluff-brained daughter.

“Discretion is imperative. No one will suspect you are going out to the Rim for anything other than a vacation.”

Hope began to trickle through her. He’d never had her negotiate anything as important as mining rights. He was giving her a chance. A chance to prove herself.

The Chameleon is available at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:

Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction. Besides the science fiction romance Switched and Outer Rim series, she is the author of One Red Shoe, a romantic suspense. She is also a contributor to the anthology How I Met My Husband. Diane and her husband live in Michigan. They have two children and two grandchildren.

For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com

Connect with Diane Burton online at her Blog and on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Books by Diane Burton:

         Switched

         Switched, Too

         Switched Resolution

         The Pilot: An Outer Rim Novel

         The Chameleon: An Outer Rim Novel

         One Red Shoe

         How I Met My Husband (contributor)

One Red Shoe Worldwide Release Tour

Back in September, Diane Burton was here with a preview of her romantic suspense, One Red Shoe. The book released yesterday, and I am already about halfway through it. I have to tell you, it's a wild ride! Diane is back with an excerpt and buying information, as well as some insight into the types of stories that she loves.

Humor

What is it about humor that appeals to so many yet eludes others? I was a serious child. Oldest of seven, the one left in charge, the responsible one. That carried over into my adult life. Until I met a certain guy with a wicked sense of humor. He could tease me out of my seriousness and helped me find my own sense of humor. I was smart enough to grab onto that guy and we’ve been married for over forty years. I’m still too serious at times in real life, but I can let go in my writing.

Romantic comedy is my favorite type of movie. Romancing the Stone, It Happened One Night, Something’s Gotta Give, Six Days, Seven Nights. Falling in love is serious business, but without that spark of humor it came be maudlin. Television drama without humor will lose me as an audience. NCIS, Castle, Bones, Persons of Interest. Even gritty futuristics like Almost Human keep me watching because of the humorous interaction between the main characters. And don’t get me started on Doctor Who (which I just discovered even though it’s been on the air since 1963!). The sci-fi show is, at times, laugh out loud funny, especially the last Doctor.

Humor comes in many forms. Give me wicked banter any day over slapstick. I never understood the appeal of the Three Stooges. Maybe that’s a guy thing. I loved the Saturday morning cartoon Rocky & Bullwinkle because of the dialogue. Same with the original Muppet Movie. When I took my children to see it, the best part was the dad behind me who, along with the few other adults in the theater, couldn’t stop laughing at all the “good” parts—like “gone with the Schwin” and Fozzie’s “they don’t sound like Presbyterians.”

I said I’m not fond of slapstick, so how do you explain my love of the Stephanie Plum series? The physical comedy is laugh out loud funny. Author Janet Evanovich knows how to take a situation, twist it, turn it on its ear and make it hilarious. I should never read those books in bed because the bed shakes from holding in my laughter—don’t want to wake Hubs with laughing out loud.

Life is serious. The news every night keeps getting grimmer and more disturbing. Comedy is an antidote to life. The value of humor is vastly underrated. In fact, rarely has a comedy won an Oscar. Same with actors whose forte is their comedic timing. What do they receive awards for? Their dramatic work.

Medical studies tell us that laughter releases endorphins, nature’s natural pain killers. Laughter relaxes the skeletal system, reduces stress, lowers the blood pressure, and regulates the heart rate. According to inspirational speaker Marilyn Meburg, your liver needs laughter because it gets no exercise. The liver is the organ in your body that gets rid of toxins. So, if you’re not laughing you’re neglecting your liver.

Give your liver and the rest of your body that antidote to “real life” and enjoy a good comedy.

What are your favorite comedy books or movies?

Blurb:

Wannabe writer rescues wounded spy while risking her heart.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

Excerpt:

The slinky blonde with wild curly hair rose from the chair in the corner and walked toward him. She wore skin-tight jeans and an equally tight red shirt. “Sam?”

He was hallucinating. The woman sounded like Daria. A tiny angel charm nestled in the hollow of her throat above the low-cut shirt. An angel just like Daria’s, but—

“Sam, I’m glad you’re awake. We can leave now.”

“Oh, shit. Where’s your hair?”

She self-consciously touched the froth of blond curls that brushed her shoulders. “No time to talk. We have to get on the road again. I needed—”

“I thought you needed the bathroom because you were constipated not because you wanted to turn yourself into a—a floozy.”

“Constipated? You thought—” Her cheeks matched the color of the ultra-snug top and the slash of lipstick across her mouth. What happened to her fresh-scrubbed look? Good Lord, her eyelashes were all gunked up.

Sam swung his legs off the bed. He planted his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. “Your beautiful hair,” he moaned.

Gone. She’d cut it off. Instead of long and wavy from the braid, her hair was sticking out like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket. And it was the brassiest color he’d seen since his sister and her girlfriends experimented on each other in ninth grade. She’d even replaced her gold studs with large silver hoops that dangled from her ears.

“This is a good disguise, Sam. Come on, admit it.” She walked toward him, unsteady on her feet.

He looked down and saw why. Instead of cute penny loafers, she was wearing black boots with three-inch heels. He looked up those mile-long legs. “Your jeans are too damn tight. That penny in your pocket was minted in Denver in 1994.”

She tried to wriggle her hand into the pocket before she gave him a suspicious look. “I don’t have a penny in my pocket.”

“Well, if you did, I could read it.”

One Red Shoe is available at:

The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1082

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00FDXRHZA

And wherever ebooks are sold.

About the author:

Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction. Besides the science fiction romance Switched series, she is the author of The Pilot, the first book in a series about strong women on the frontier of space. One Red Shoe is her first romantic suspense. She is also a contributor to the anthology How I Met My Husband. Diane and her husband live in Michigan. They have two children and two grandchildren.

For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com

Connect with Diane Burton online

Blog:  http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/dmburton72

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/dianeburtonauthor

Goodreads: Diane Burton Author

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dmburton72/

Diane Burton is giving away a free pdf copy of One Red Shoe to a lucky commenter. For extra chances, please use Rafflecopter below:

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