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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Guest Post with Author Nikki Navarre and Giveaway


Today I am happy to welcome author Nikki Navarre to RFTC. Nikki is celebrating the recent release of her book The Russian Seduction and has stopped by to share what inspired to write it. Before I give the floor over to Nikki, let's get to know her a bit.

DOSSIER FOR NIKKI NAVARRE DECLASSIFIED
Subject: Nikki Navarre 
Assignment: Double Agent 
Cover: Diplomat. Playgirl. Author of The Russian Seduction. 

Nikki Navarre is the sinister twin of unsuspecting historical romance author Laura Navarre. In her other life, Nikki is a diplomat who’s lived in Russia and works on weapons of mass destruction issues. In the line of duty, she’s been trapped in an elevator in a nuclear power plant and has stalked the corridors of facilities churning out nerve agent and other apoca- lyptic weapons. In this capacity, she meets many of the world’s most dangerous men.

Inspired by the perilous realities of her real life, Nikki writes romantic suspense set in glamorous international locales and laced with political intrigue. Her literary credentials are suspiciously similar to those of her innocent twin. A member of Romance Writers of America’s Published Author Network (PAN), winner of the 2012 Pacific Northwest Writers Associa- tion award for romance and a 2009 Golden Heart finalist, she has won the Emily Award for Excellence, the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Award, the Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award, the Golden Pen, Hearts through History’s Romance through the Ages, and other awards.

Nikki holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from the University of Southern Maine, an M.A. in National Security Policy from The George Washington University, and other alarming credentials. Based in Seattle with her screenwriter ac- complice and two Siberian cats, she divides her time between her writing career and other adventures for U.S. government clients. Her notorious adventures in the world of diplomacy will get her in trouble one of these days.

The Russian Seduction (October 2012) may be the last mistake she ever makes.

Places to find Nikki:
| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter


State Secrets, Champagne & Seduction: My Inspiration for The Russian Seduction
by Nikki Navarre

I remember clearly the first time I saw Captain First Rank Victor Kostenko. I was at a posh hotel in Atlanta, attending an awards ceremony at the Moonlight & Magnolias conference sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers. I didn’t win, so I treated myself to one of my signature cocktails—a vodka martini, straight up and very dirty—then went to bed despondent. I must have had very vivid dreams, because when I woke up, this renegade Russian submarine captain was standing over my bed. Think golden hair like melted butter…glacial blue eyes…a hard jaw glittering with gold-dust stubble…and broad shoulders encased in the black jacket and epaulets of a Russian submarine captain.

So began my obsession with maverick captain Victor Kostenko, who was the golden boy of the Russian navy until he lost his command for an act of treason he didn’t commit. Now it’s rumored he’ll do anything to get back in his government’s good graces. Until that happens, this competitive, aggressive, ex-Olympic athlete is trapped in a desk job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as punishment for someone else’s crime. He’s a bomb waiting to go off, which makes him very exciting and very dangerous. Victor is also the hero in my debut book for River Valley Publishing.

Set in the edgy cosmopolitan world of contemporary Moscow, The Russian Seduction is smart, sensual romantic suspense with lots of glamour and international intrigue. State secrets have never been this sexy! The book offers an inside peek at the hidden world of diplomacy. How do I know? I know because for five years I worked in a diplomatic assignment in Russia, in a setting similar to my heroine, rising-star American diplomat Alexis Castle. She’s clawed her way up the male-dominated diplomatic ladder by working twice as hard as her male colleagues and being twice as good. Yet it’s whispered her impressive achievements are due solely to her male connections: the legendary diplomat who was her father, and the ruthless, amoral ex-husband who just became her boss. Alexis is itching to prove herself, and the only obstacle standing in her way is her dangerously uncooperative new counterpart at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—bad-boy Russian Victor Kostenko.

The Russian Seduction is the first book in my Foreign Affairs series, and a departure from the award-winning medieval and Renaissance romances I write under a pseudonym for a major press. Given my unusual background, I had lots of fun writing these Russia books. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do. Why not stop by for a free peek here: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-therussianseduction-927681-149.html

And I love hearing from readers! If you like my Facebook Fan Page, Rafflecopter might pick you for a free copy.

Happy reading!


State secrets have never been this sexy.

Victor Kostenko was the golden boy of the Russian Navy, a submarine captain with a maverick image, until he lost his command for an act of treason he didn’t commit. Arrogant, aggressive, and super-smart, the captain pairs his daunting reputation with an appetite for adventure. And he’s never met a rule he won’t break. Now it’s rumored he’ll do any- thing to get back in his government’s good graces.

Political Counselor Alexis Castle is one of the highest-ranked diplomats at the U.S. Embassy, a rising star who yearns to live up to her father’s legacy as a legendary ambassador. Brilliant and driven, she’s always played by the rules. She’ll torpedo her career for sure if she falls for one of the world’s most dangerous men – a bad-boy Russian sub captain who breaks every rule in the book.

When a hard-line Russian leader invades a country the U.S. promised to protect, war can only be avoided by a risky undercover liaison between one man who has everything to gain…and a woman who has every- thing to lose.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | All Romance |

Want to win some goodies from Nikki? Check out what's up for grabs.

Up for grabs:

To Enter:
  • Please leave a meaningful comment/question for Nikki. 
  • Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. 

Good Luck =)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

18 comments :

  1. Congrats on the release! Sounds like an interesting read... there go all the science papers I was going to be reading :P

    Having grown up attending international schools in Europe, Asia, & North America, I have loads of friends with diplomat parents-- but they're generally the Economic/Commercial Attaché, and we did get to be on personal terms with the Consul & all the Consular staff in Hong Kong. Are any of the other diplomatic posts more gun-totingly exciting? :)

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    1. Hi Cris!

      I've only served in the former Soviet Union, though I've visited some other places, but I think it's safe to say the former USSR is still a pretty exciting place to do this kind of work. At least, for the political, arms control-type stuff that I did, and that my heroine Alexis also does.

      Sounds like a fascinating upbringing though! How lucky you were to have that eclectic international experience. I never even left the States until I was 22 (couldn't afford to go), so I envy you for that!

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  2. Grea blurb, definitely need to read it. Love the cover. Thx for giveaway.

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    1. Thanks so much, Lona! I love the cover too--my publisher did a really great job with it. The fact that they're huge fans of the book really let them pick models and images that worked. I love that they slipped the flags in, too!

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  3. Thanks for a great post and congrats on the new release!

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  4. Thank you for hosting Nikki today, Dani! :)

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  5. That sounds really interesting. I've never read anything like it. I usually stick with historical or paranormal, but I will definitely be adding this book to my TBR list!

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    1. Thanks, Patricia! I'm a huge historical and paranormal fan myself, since I write in those genres too. :) I love the versatility of romance as a genre--there's something to suit every taste!

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  6. Sounds like a great read!! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  7. Congratulations on the new release Nikki! My question has to do with when this story is set - is it currently or is this set more during the "Cold War" years? Thanks for the giveaway!

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    1. Hi Maria!

      Thanks for your question. I actually wrote the book in 2009 and set it in the present. But things change so quickly on the international scene--the relationship between Russia and the former satellite state of Ukraine, for instance, has evolved a lot since I wrote the book. But it's definitely a post-Cold War story.

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  8. Nice post. The book sounds good.

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  9. The Russian Seduction sounds very interesting. I look forward to reading it. Congrats on its release and many thanks for the giveaway! You have an impressive background and I think it is so romantic how you met the love of your life. I am such a sucker for HEA :)

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    1. Thanks, Hai-Yen! I'm a sucker for HEA too. :) And I feel incredibly fortunate to have found my own real-life hero. He inspires all the books I write!

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  10. Congratz on the new release. The book sound good.

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  11. Congrats on the release. This sounds like a great read :)
    If this was someone's first time reading your books which one would you suggest they start with?
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

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  12. Yes please - more! I enjoy seeing more Russian alpha males - thanks so much!

    kerryjcj@verizon.net

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