Maggie Blackbird

Today, I have fellow eXtasy Books author Seelie Kay in the interview chair.  She’s here to talk about her latest release Martimus, book five in the Fiesty Lawyers series, a romantic suspense.

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Part One: Seelie Kay on Writing

1. First, what’s your favourite scene in the book? Not in regards to writing, but reading, and why?

Seelie: The end. I don’t want to give it away, but it is very satisfying.

2. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?

Seelie: No. I did what I needed it to do: Wrap up all the lose ends and send the Feisty Lawyers on their way.

3. Share a “side story” about the characters.

Seelie: Cate Creighton falls in love with her opposite. Someone she met while masquerading as a “dumb blonde.” He thought she was a hopelessly shallow socialite. He’s in for a big surprise, on that will change his life.

4. If you could spend time with one character from your book, who would it be? And what would you do during that day?

Seelie: Actually, I would have great fun with any of the Feisty Lawyers. They’re all committed to their jobs, and see many ugly things, but they get the humor in life. They are not afraid to laugh at themselves.

5. Did the characters hijack the story or did you feel like you had control of your book?

Seelie: Let’s just say we compromised!

6. How did you come up with the title for your book?

Seelie: I needed to a title that would reflect the story’s origins–a habitat at the bottom of the sea. Searched through a lot of lists, but Martimus just fit.

7. If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the leads?

Seelie: In this particular story, I could see Jennifer Lawrence as the female lead. A young Kate Winslet as Tillie. And Chris Hemsworth as Warren Hazelton.

8. If your book was a candle, what scent would it be and why?

Seelie: Dark chocolate and cinnamon. Sinful with an extra dose of spice!

9. If your book had a theme song, what would it be and why?

Seelie: Sometimes When We Touch.

10. If your book was a colour, what would it be and why?

Seelie: Blue. And it is!

11. What did you edit out of the book?

Seelie: I cut about 20,000 words. I just felt I needed to tighten it up and focus on the main characters.

12. What can we expect from you in the future?

Seelie: I am working on a book about a lawyer who happens to be vampire. He is targeted by a serial killer. “First, let’s kill all the lawyers!”

Part Two: All About Seelie Kay

1. What is something unique/quirky about you?

Seelie: I relax by baking. When the counter is covered with sweets, you know I’m stressed.

2. What about your hobbies/interests? Please, share.

Seelie: I love organic gardening, cooking and baking, fine wine. I’m also a foodie. I used to write a food blog. Now I just like to eat!

3. What are some of your pet peeves?

Seelie: I have a really low tolerance for people who chose to be miserable. Choose joy. Choose laughter. Choose to be happy.

4. Where were you born/grew up at?

Seelie: In Wisconsin, a state I returned to after many years.

5. Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Seelie: Kind, irreverent, quick-witted, happy.

Part Three: Seelie Kay on Reading

1. What book do you think everyone should read?

Seelie: The Bible. It’s timeless.

2. What fiction genre(s) do you read the most?

Seelie: Crime fiction and romantic suspense.

3. If you could have been the author of any of your fave books that you’ve read, which book would you choose and why?

Seelie: Anything by JD Robb (Nora Roberts).

4. Share your favourite character from a book that you’ve read, and why they are your fave.

Seelie: I’m a big fan of Lt. Eve Dallas in the In Death series by J.D. Robb. She’s smart, sassy, and sexy. She’s also married to a very hot Irish billionaire.

5. On average, how much do you read every week?

Seelie: I read to relax, usually before I fall asleep. I average about three to four books a week.

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Title:  Martimus
Series:  Feisty Lawyers, Book Five
Author:  Seelie Kay
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Heat Rating:  Four Flames
Publication Date:  May 29, 2020
Book Length:  169 Pages
Publisher:  eXtasy Books

Martimus. An underwater habitat dedicated to pharmaceutical research. Martimus. A facility that staffs its vessel with inmate labor. Martimus. The place where inmates visit and never return.

Blurb:  Agent Cate Creighton is in love. Unfortunately, as the Agency honeypot, she is knee-deep in an assignment that tests the bounds of her new relationship. It seems eight socialites have gone missing, all wealthy twenty-somethings with influential parents. No one seems to care until a former vice president’s daughter disappears.

When the vice-president shares a tale of false arrest, a broken promise of deportation, an illegal diversion into a private prison, and an alleged trip to an unwater habitat called Martimus, Cate and her colleagues must find a way to follow the same path. In other words, they must enter the right prison, meet the right fixer, wind up on Martimus, and hopefully return in one piece. And it looks like Cate is the perfect bait.

That doesn’t sit well with Cate’s lover, former U.S. Navy Seal Warren Hazelton. He intends to protect her until death ‘til do they part.

Fortunately, another possibility appears, in the form of an MISix agent who has interfered in one too many Agency operations. Tillie Henderson owes them and they are all too willing to serve her up on a plate. It’s race against time as the Agency attempts to lure their adversary out of hiding and into their somewhat ambiguous trap. Maybe then Cate can finally focus on love.

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Tom cocked an eyebrow. “Warren, you’re a former Navy Seal. Isn’t there some sort of limit on the amount of time you can spend under the sea before it starts to seriously impair your health?”

Warren frowned. “Usually two weeks. After that, the lack of exposure to the sun and the constant high pressure oxygenated environment would begin to take a toll. There’s also a psychological impact. Think sensory deprivation. Your senses are out of whack because you’ve been dumped into a soundproof sponge. There is no normal sensory stimulation. No sunlight, no sound… Even taste and smell become compromised. Coming back to the real world would be an adjustment.

“In addition, those underwater stations are small. People are right on top of each other. Things we take for granted, like privacy, hot showers, home cooked meals, are in short supply. That can create anxiety, depression, and stress. No way he served that sentence consecutively. He had to take a break in between.”

Warren gazed at Tom. “That environment is more hostile than a prison. You may not be in danger from other inmates, but you are putting your life at risk. Three months sounds like way too much time to be stuck underwater though, especially if you’re not leaving the station for deep sea diving on a regular basis. They must be breaking up the time somehow, otherwise they’d have a pretty tough situation on their hands. A lot of contract workers would be headed to a rubber room. It would be extremely difficult to survive a month, much less three, down there.”

“Could they be treating the inmates like guinea pigs?” Hope asked. “Testing their limits? Tracking actual survival rates?”

Warren sighed. “Possibly. It’s not like they have to answer to anyone. They are located in international waters. No country in particular has legal oversight. I imagine they could be doing anything they want without recourse. Unfortunately, when the prospect of a reduced sentence is dangled in front of some people, they grab it, damn the consequences. If one or two inmates suffer some sort of harm or die along the way, they chalk it up to collateral damage.”

“And who’s going to know?” Cate shook her head. “Someone dies, they probably flush them down a chute into the deep sea and they become shark chum. No evidence left behind.”

Hope cringed. “God, that’s kind of evil. But that still doesn’t answer our original question. Where the hell is Fuzzy? Has he already served out his sentence? Has he been released, and if he has, where the hell is he? He’s the one we need to find. He could have a lot of the answers.”

“That lack of governmental oversight is troubling,” Tom said. “If Cassie McIntyre is down there, I can’t believe the CIA isn’t all over it. At least, our government should be doing a welfare check through the Red Cross or something.”

Warren grimaced. “Unless no one knows she is down there. Think about it. They are on the bottom of the ocean, more than two miles under the sea. It’s not like you can just go down there and knock on the door. Any regular monitoring would be impossible.”

Cate nodded. “And we haven’t been able to confirm that she embarked on the same path as Fuzzy. All we’ve got are suspicions. Right now, she’s missing. We need to sit down with her family and get more information. And we need to find other prisoners who contracted with Martimus.

“Otherwise, we’ve got nothing.”

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Seelie Kay is a nom de plume for a writer, editor, and author with more than 30 years of experience in law, journalism, marketing, and public relations. When she writes about love and lust in the legal world, something kinky is bound to happen! In possession of a wicked pen and an overly inquisitive mind, Ms. Kay is the author of multiple works of fiction, including the Kinky Briefs series, the Feisty Lawyers series, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The White House Wedding, and The President’s Daughter.

When not spinning her kinky tales, Ms. Kay ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. She resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she shares a home with her son and enjoys opera, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

Ms. Kay is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Find Seelie:  Web Site | Blog | Facebook Page | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | eXtasy Books Author Page | BookBub