Northstar Security Series by Stanalei Fletcher

Welcome to the garden. It's pretty chilly, I hope you brought a jacket. As usual I have some goodies and beverages, help yourself. Last week we had an interview with Riley O'Neil from Beyond Duty, the 3rd book in the Northstar Security Series by Stanalei Fletcher. It's a great book, it is a standalone, so I thought I'd share a bit about the first two, because they are also great, not to mention the coming soon 4th book!

A bit about Stanalei Fletcher:
Stanalei's first writing award came from her high school creative writing class.
The award: A coupon redeemable for a future writing assignment.
The contest: The wildest excuse ever for not turning in a homework assignment.
Her story: UFO abduction.

Many of her stories fall into the romantic suspense genre and are filled with action-adventure woven through dangerous circumstances. But she also likes to dabble on the edge of sci-fi. She's even been fortunate to have her stories final in a few contests.

Stanalei's love of writing romance stems from reading favorites such as Grimm's Fairy Tales, Barbara Cartland, and Alistair MacLean. She has over twenty years in the martial arts and holds the rank of Sandan, a third degree black belt, in Aikido. After a taste of life on both U.S. coasts, she now reside near the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with her hero, who just happens to be her best friend and husband. Together, they enjoy backcountry dirt trails on a RZR, visiting our National Parks, or exploring museums and ghost towns.

Stanalei is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Utah Romance Writers Chapter, and the Kiss of Death Chapter of Romance Writers.

I asked Stanalei why she wrote a series:

Who doesn’t love a good television series or a sequel to a favorite movie…as long as the sequel is as good or better than the first movie? I love a good series. But I’m picky about the type of series I watch. For instance, I also love closure. I’m not a fan of cliffhangers. I feel incomplete and frustrated at the end of a cliffhanger season finale, or part I of II of a movie sequel. Sure, I’m anxious to see the next installment and I’m likely to pay good money for a seat. But what if I lose the opportunity see or read the end of the story? I already have an uneasy feeling about the last episode, why would I put myself through that emotional roller coaster again?

That said, I get the reasoning behind cliffhangers or a continuity thread that waits to wrap up in book 3. Readers love to know there is more to come of their favorite character or storyline. Marketing loves a hook. “Leave ‘em wanting more” has been a tried and true marketing message for decades.

So if these are my feelings about a series, why did I write one? And what are my stories like? For starters, that old marketing adage, “leave ‘em wanting more”, makes sense. But my Northstar Security books are not cliffhangers. I want the reader to close that last page with a satisfied feeling of a complete story. I hope they’ll come back and look at the next book in the series, but if they choose not to, then I don’t want to leave them frustrated.

Each of my Northstar Security books features a couple, who experience challenges and conflict in their circumstances, but in the end, are destined to win the day and find happiness with each other. A reader can enjoy just one book and not feel like there’s unfinished business by the end of the story. Or a reader can look forward to the next book in the Northstar Security series to see what other characters are up to and if they will find their own satisfying conclusion.

I hope that the books in my Northstar Security series offer such a read.

Northstar Security Series:

Proving Ground

Screw-ups don't get second chances. That's what Caitlin Malone believes when she returns to Oregon after failing her first Northstar Security assignment. When she inadvertently stumbles across a plot to steal deadly pathogens from the bio-lab near her hometown, she sees a chance at redemption.

It's early September, any spark will send the dry timber into a raging fire, and the terrorists are counting on that distraction to work in their favor. Caitlin must first escape the fire to avert the biological disaster. Her only hope for survival is the man who broke her heart, USDA Forest Ranger, John MacAlistair.
Buy Links:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo

Dead Reckoning
Byron O'Neal, Northstar Security Firm's director didn't always run an elite private investigation firm.
His early CIA years were spent chasing Soviet spies. Now his past is catching up, and Kellee, Bryon's daughter is caught in the middle of a game of Russian Roulette. Northstar agent and former Navy SEAL, Egan Maddox, is tasked to save Kellee from the Russian mafia before it's too late, a task that puts not only his life, but his heart on the line.
Buy Links:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo

Beyond Duty:
When Northstar Security Firm investigates the blackmail of a U.S. Senator, agents Riley O'Neal and Mary "Chip" Anderson don the unwelcome cover of newlyweds to find two kidnapped women and stop the blackmail - and posing as newlyweds to avert a national security crisis is a lot harder than it seems.
Buy Links:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo




Coming SOON: Breaking the Honor Code:
Cyber-terrorism brings even the most powerful companies to their knees. When Northstar Security Firm discovers a breach inside their computer firewall, agent Sloan Cartland will do anything to help the firm's brilliant computer tech, Allison Richards, find the culprit-even after he learns that all the evidence of the break-in points back to Allison.

Thank you for spending a few minutes of your valuable time with me today. For more information about the stories in my Northstar Security series, you can check out You can find Stanalei Fletchers at:
Web site, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, Romance Books 4 Us
Sign up for Stanalei's newsletter here...
Amazon page

I hope all of you enjoy the Northstar Security Series.

Comments

stanalei said…
Thank you for hosting me today, Mary. I love sharing your garden!
Melissa Keir said…
Sounds like a winner! We got lucky with the weather today... little humid but for October in Michigan, nice change from snow!
Hi Stanalei, The Northstar Security Series sounds intriguing. Best of luck with sales!
Jan Romes said…
It sounds awesome, Stanalei!
Two schools of thought, cliffhangers or not in a series. I tend to prefer cliffhangers, which keep me curious, intrigued and panting for more. At the end of Season Three of Downton Abbey, when Matthew was killed off, I was heartbroken but I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. My two series, the Delphi Bloodline series' first book, ATHENA'S SECRETS, ends in a cliffhanger but the current conflict is resolved. The second book, ATHENA'S QUEST, will resolve another conflict in a relationship but present the next important conflict. And on it goes. In my FBI series, starting with A BODYGUARD OF LIES, the relationship is left hanging but the main conflict is resolved. I like those cliffhangers! But to each his own.
--author Donna Del Oro
Judy Baker said…
Enjoyed your post, Stanalei, and love your books. I'm one that like stand-alone series, but have read a few lately that are cliffhangers and I have to move on to the next book. But, I still prefer stand-alone.
Mary said…
Hi Everyone,
Thank you, Stanalei, for dropping by the garden, what fun.

Melissa our day turned out pretty nice, but still on the chilly side.

Thank you Joanne and Jan for joining us.

Judy and Donna, I'm sort of split. I love a good cliffhanger, but I like stand alones, just in case I am not able to read them in order.

Again, thank you everyone for stopping in and saying HI!
Mary
Sandra Dailey said…
Like Judy, I love the stand-alone series. I don't like to feel forced to read the next book(s) for completion. I expect a common thread in the series, but I need to feel satisfied at the end of each book. Good luck with Northstar Security.
Love the excerpt.

Janice~
stanalei said…
Thank you everyone, for your comments and thoughts on series and cliffhangers. I do agree, that a cliffhanger will keep you on the edge of your seat and I totally understand their appeal. I'm glad we have the options for choices and applaud the writers who make those cliffhangers work!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing Mary's garden with me last week.

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