Hairballs Happen

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." -- Robert A. Heinlein

Have you ever wondered about the cozy relationship between writers and cats?

Here is how one cat explains it (as translated by Robert A. Sloan):

“Writers are one of the best breeds of humans to get, because writers already have civilized, catlike habits. Most writers don't like being disturbed, either. They have an uncanny, almost feline, focus on their work that's very much like a hunter's patient stalk. They sit still for long periods of time, and have warm, comfortable laps. Quiet, undemanding intimacy is possible with a writer that a cat might not find with the more frantic types of humans.

That explains why cats are so tolerant of writers, but why are we so fascinated and eager for feline companionship? Dan Greenburg’s quote sums it up quite nicely: “Cats are dangerous companions for writers because cat watching is a near-perfect method of writing avoidance.”And now for a little cat-watching:

Cross-posted at http://www.intrigue-authors.blogspot.com/

Hello World

A brief explanation about the title of this blog.

If you’re a fan of eighties alternative music like I am, then you’ve probably already recognized it. “Blasphemous Rumours” is a Depeche Mode song from their 1984 album, Some Great Reward—an album that many believe was the beginning of their turn from the poppy dance tunes with which they began their career to a darker, bleaker, more serious sound.

What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with Amanda Stevens? Apart from the fact that I’ve been a diehard Depeche Mode fan for over twenty-five years, I find myself at a similar turning point in my own career.

I’ve written nearly fifty books, all of them romantic suspense. Some were darker than others. Some of them pushed the envelope. Some were gothic, some supernatural, some even bordered on science fiction. But they were all romantic suspense, peopled with heroes and heroines who, whether they realized it or not, were struggling to find love and acceptance and the inevitable happy ending.

I love those kinds of books. I love reading them and I love writing them.

But The Dollmaker, my first mainstream thriller from MIRA Books, is not that kind of story.

It's been called creepy and disturbing, a book that must be read with all the lights turned on. It’s the story of a mother’s worst nightmare, a husband’s moral failings and an unspeakable obsession that covets and destroys the innocent.

In other words, The Dollmaker is my Some Great Reward. It marks the beginning of my turn from romantic suspense to creepy, southern thrillers, and it arrives in bookstores this week. I hope you’ll give it a try.