Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Guest Post with P.A. DePaul + Giveaway!



WELCOME TO THE BLOG, P.A.! :) 





P.A. DePaul is a multi-genre romance author including paranormal fantasy and romantic suspense. She originally hails from Carroll County and Baltimore County, Maryland, but also lived in Macon and Warner Robins, Georgia. She currently resides in a beautiful community just outside Philadelphia. Exchange of Fire is the first novel in the SBG series with the second novel, Shadow of Doubt, releasing April 2015.




Where to Find P.A.:






Writer's Police Academy -- Bang, Boom, Whoosh





Whoosh! A tiny spark ignites into a flame and in less than seven minutes, the room resembles a charred shell. 




“Go! Go! Go!” Crack! Crack! Two policemen invade a room and kill an armed man.


“Fire in the hole!” BOOM! A suspicious backpack has been blown to high hell.


What do each of these scenarios have in common? They’re part of different demonstrations I witnessed over the two years I’ve been fortunate to attend the Writer’s Police Academy.


I should probably give a quick introduction before I go any further: My name is P.A. DePaul and I’m the author of the Romantic Suspense, SBG series. Exchange of Fire, SBG #1 introduces a clandestine Black Ops team working for SweetBriar Group (AKA SBG), a corporation the rest of the world believes is an environmental company.




What is the Writer’s Police Academy (WPA)? To quote their website (because they define it best) “The Writer’s Police Academy offers the most hands-on, interactive and educational experience writers can find to enhance their understanding of all aspects of law enforcement and forensics. This is a one of a kind event, featuring real police, fire, and EMS training at an actual police academy. Top instructors and experts!”


Demonstrations are a highlight of WPA. This is where authors can see real-life scenarios played out right in front of them while instructors and experts narrate the who, what, why, and how. I’ve witnessed building breaches using explosives to take the door down while a “stack” of policeman/SWAT invade the premises. I’ve seen an explosives-sniffing dog discover a backpack and signal it contains something that goes “boom,” then have the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team (EOD) get called in, them use the robot to move the backpack, an EOD tech “suit up” and rig the backpack to blow up! Fun! I’ve also watched the fire marshal set a room on fire so we could see how quick a typical living room goes up in flames and feel how hot that fire gets (from 200 feet away I was still uncomfortable from the heat). We also were treated to an “accident” scene that took the combined efforts of police, fire, and EMS personnel to take care of all the aspects. A fun, yet gruesome demonstration, was investigating a “dead body” in the woods at night. Talk about getting hands-on experience at what the first responders and detectives have to go through to process a scene! There are so many more but I have to give the blog back to TBQ, so I’ll stop here.




With each of these demonstrations, I gained more insight and knowledge as to what my Black Ops team could be faced with in their own missions. Even if the squads aren’t directly responsible for or investigating a crime, they could potentially be working with the local police, fire, etc so I need to understand how it all works.  My scenes have become fuller and I’ve gotten so many ideas just from watching these scenarios that, up until then, I’d only seen on TV or movie.



Thank you so much for taking the time to experience one of the nuances of attending the Writer’s Police Academy with me! I’m open to taking questions or chatting on whatever topic you want, though I warn you, I may take some “literary license” with answer! HAHAHA!


~P.A. DePaul





Exchange of Fire by P.A. DePaul
Publisher: InterMix (August 19, 2014)
Series: SBG, 1
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Faking her death was easy, living with her past is harder, but nothing is more dangerous than falling in love…

Sandra Walsh was a deadly sniper for the Sweet Briar Group, a covert agency with assassins for hire, until her last mission went horribly wrong, accidentally killing an innocent girl. Knowing she’s a danger to her team, Sandra goes off the grid, becoming a Shade—an agent declared dead but secretly hiding among the living. She intends to honor her vow never to pull another trigger or have contact with the spy world again. Until she meets Casper Grady…

Grady is a former Marine with a troubled past and a debt to pay. His life mission has gone from protecting the nation to helping local children and their families. The moment he meets Sandra, he knows there’s more to her than meets the eye, but he can’t help but be drawn to the mysterious femme fatale. And when Sandra’s past suddenly catches up to her, Grady is determined to protect her at all costs, no matter how dark and dangerous her secrets are.

As the danger increases, so does their intense attraction. But when they’re forced to choose between each other and the people they’ve sworn to protect, their growing love might not be enough to keep them together—or alive…




Where to Buy*:
More Info:





P.A.'s Intro:

In the following excerpt, our hero, Casper Grady, is having a conversation with his Operations Manager, our heroine, Wraith, about an employee party he’s hosting. Grady (a former Marine) owns Gradwick Adventure Center (a full-scale entertainment center with multiple levels for everything from laser tag to arcade to go-karts, etc) and hired Wraith/Sandra as his Operations Manager.

A little background: Wraith used to be a sniper for a Black Ops team called Delta Squad. She faked her death after her last mission went horribly wrong in order to escape SBG (or more accurately its CEO). The CEO got wind that she’s still alive and instead of celebrating, he sent assassins after her to rectify her still breathing status. In order to remain “dead,” she fabricated a new persona, Sandra Walsh, gained employment in Grady’s company, and never breathed a word about her past.


Exchange of Fire by P.A. DePaul
Excerpt


Grady couldn’t believe his ears. “How can anyone not like laser tag? It’s laser tag. Such a great way to blow off steam and have some laughs.”
“I see I’ve rocked your world with my big”—she fluttered her hands—“reveal. But there’re those of us who can get their laughs and blow off steam by other means.”
His mind instantly went into the gutter. Yeah, he could think of a few ways he’d like to help her relieve stress, and they all involved their naked bodies. He shifted his hips to hide the semi now perking up at the images.
“I’m—”
Sandra jumped in the leather chair like she had been goosed, then stilled ominously. What the hell? Her hands all but wrung together, and he could see the wheels turning in her mind.
He straightened from his feigned casual pose and stepped forward.
As if she carried the weight of the world, she stood and slowly reached into her front pants pocket and pulled out a key chain.
Unable to take it anymore, he growled, “What’s going on?”
Guilt flashed across her vivid hazel eyes before she lowered them to the device.
“Sandra?” Why wasn’t she saying anything? Tension coiled in him from the suspense. Goddamn wall of hers.
When she didn’t look up, he focused on what held her attention. Three small red LED lights stood in a row on the black plastic key chain. No markings or designs were visible to tell him what its purpose was. His gaze zeroed onto the first of the three small lights now flashing steadily. Just as he opened his mouth to demand an explanation, the middle light started flashing in time with the first.
Her posture stiffened, and she took in a swift breath.
The third and final LED lit up, joining the other two.
Her hand shook as she continued to stare at it.
That does it. He closed the distance between them and grasped her shoulder. She jerked under his touch, and her eyes flew to his. To the day he died, he knew he’d never forget the haunted, scared, and pissed-off expression filling her irises.
“What the hell is going on? What is that thing? What do those lights mean?” He gripped her tighter when she started pulling away. That same sickening, helpless feeling pooled in his gut.
“I’ve got to go.” She wrenched from beneath his hand. With a slightly wild air she scanned the office.

Warning bells clanged in his head. Every instinct told him not to let her out of his sight.





PA is offering a tour wide giveaway of 5-- $10 Amazon or B&N gift cards (winner’s choice) plus 4 e-copies of Exchange of Fire (sent via Netgalley). Just check out today’s post, leave a comment, and then fill out the giveaway widget!













Thanks for stopping by today, P.A.! :) Talk about an interesting experience for work -- wow! 

So do you have a question about the Academy? Or P.A.? Or her books? Leave a comment below if you do!





Be sure to check out all of the stops! Read fun, new content at each stop plus learn extra ways to enter the giveaway! For the main event page please visit this page.



Enjoy!



Until Next Time,

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  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

21 comments :

steph from FW&FD said...

The blurb in the badge just above is hilarious. Stress, Naked Bodies! Cute!

PA DePaul said...

Thank you so much TBQ for having me today! :D

PA DePaul said...

LOL! Brave or an adrenaline junkie or suffering from delusions of grandeur as I think I'm just like my characters. *snort*

PA DePaul said...

*snickering* boys. One track minds! lol

The_Book_Queen said...

:) You are so very welcome!

The_Book_Queen said...

Hehe -- it's the perfect combination, right? :)

Danielle Kincaid said...

You can't stop there!!! The academy sounds fun and helpful... Especially if there are one or two cuties lol

The_Book_Queen said...

A cutie or two always makes it better, right? :)

The_Book_Queen said...

I'm the same, Kate. We'll let PA have all the fun -- but if she finds any cute guys, she has to share. :)

PA DePaul said...

LOL! Danielle, I'm such a tease!!!
WPA is a lot of fun and I'm hoping to go again this year. *clears throat* Um, men in uniform...bet your damn skippy they're are cuties in the bunch. :)

PA DePaul said...

Hmmmm....the sharing part may be hard. ;)

Danielle Kincaid said...

Ooohhhh yeeeeaaaahhhh

Danielle Kincaid said...

I dunno, we might need some proof next time ;)

PA DePaul said...

LOL! True that. :)

Sophia Rose said...

That's really cool! I've heard about the WPA before from other authors who loved what it added to their research and background work.

Good teaser scene! She's got him curious now.

PA DePaul said...

Hi Sophia!! Thanks for stopping by!! WPA is an awesome source for authors. I think every author who writes about the types of professions they cover should attend. :)
Thanks for reading the scene. ;)

Glenda said...

Super cool experience with the WPA!


Once again, awesome excerpt!!

PA DePaul said...

Thank you Glenda!! Thank you for stopping by! :)

Anna@herding cats&burning soup said...

That seriously looks like so much fun. That's so neat they offer this for authors to come out.

*waves at Danielle* Thank ya for hosting this week :D

PA DePaul said...

Hi Anna! Thanks for stopping by and I echo Anna's sentiment Danielle! Thank you!! :)

The_Book_Queen said...

Of course -- happy to host! :)