Writing Advice on "intrigue" genre storylines

What traditional romantic hooks or storylines do you think work well in an Intrigue?
Do you use one in an upcoming book? Tell us about it.
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B. J. Daniels: Amazingly, the classic hooks work. I guess that's why they're classics. My February book, Big Sky Standoff, is set in Montana, involves horses and an outlaw. My heroine is a stock detective who is out to catch a band of rustlers. She teams up with my outlaw, the man she sent to prison for rustling. It has a lot of the classic hooks: western setting, outlaw/bad boy, lack of trust/hero in question,
opposites attract.

Delores Fossen: I think most traditional hooks and storylines work well with Intrigue, but one of my favorites is the "cowboy cop." There's just something special about a Stetson wearing lawman. In my upcoming February Intrigue, Trace Evidence in Tarrant County, the hero, Sgt. Sloan McKinney is a Texas Ranger, the ultimate cowboy cop.

Mallory Kane: I love the traditional hooks for romance--protector hero, marriage of convenience (or forced proximity,) woman in jeopardy, secret baby, amnesia--I could go on . In my latest book for Intrigue, Six-Gun Investigation, January 2007, my hero is a cowboy, a Texas Ranger. My heroine is definitely in jeopardy, and to protect her, the hero must keep her close to him.

Susan Kearney: In my upcoming Feb release for Tor, Island Heat, I combined a suspense story with paranormal elements. Just like the many Intrigues I wrote for Harlequin, my hero is hot and my heroine is sympathetic. The hook, that the heroine is the only one who can stop the hero's missions--is one that works well in suspense. She must stay close to the hero to find out what he's doing--and how she can stop a man who dominates with otherworldly powers. Set on Earth, Island Heat is first and foremost a powerful love story.

Sylvie Kurtz: Traditional hooks of women-in-jeopardy, protector-hero, amnesia and forced proximity seem to work well for Intrigues to bring out both the romance and the suspense that are key elements. You'll find the woman-in-jeopardy, protector-hero and forgotten memories hooks at the heart of Pull of the Moon (Dec. 2006)--those hooks bring out the gothic feel of the story. For Spirit of a Hunter (The Seekers, Book 5, July 2007), I used woman-in-jeopardy, protector-hero and forced proximity to take my characters on a wild adventure through the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Julie Miller: I think just about any traditional romantic hook can work in an Intrigue, if you remember to give it a unique, suspenseful twist. Some traditional hooks I've used include amnesia (Unsanctioned Memories--imagine forgetting the face of the man who raped you and left you for dead, and knowing that he's coming after you to finish the job! Scary, not knowing the threat even when he's looking you in the eye!) and, of course, heroes in uniform. Cops and their various, related professions are what my Taylor Clan and Precinct books are all about. Books about brothers have worked especially well for me, too. Again, check out the Taylor Clan--it's cool to have a hero who can protect you and solve the case--it's even cooler when he has a whole family of heroes who can back him up. In my January 2007 Intrigue, Beast in the Tower, I use the traditional Beauty & the Beast storyline--reclusive, cursed hero and the spunky, good-hearted woman whose love and belief in him can restore his own heart and faith in himself. The unique twist in Beast is that the hero is a mad-scientist billionaire instead of a prince, and instead of having a sorceress and magic to overcome--he has outside business adversaries trying to steal his formulas and take over his company. So yeah, I imagine you could take any traditional storyline or hook and make it work for Intrigue--as long as you give it a unique twist and make the tone of the story right for the line.

Dani Sinclair: Any and all traditional hooks work well in Intrigue and I use many of them. The trick is to take something familiar and give it a twist. Most readers seem to enjoy finding stories that hold a special appeal for them whether it's an amnesia story or a marriage of convenience or a hidden identity or some other familiar hook. When my editor suggested a series of books with fairy tale story lines I gave her Secret Cinderella and Beautiful Beast. My February Intrigue is yet another one. In Sleeping Beauty Suspect the hero rescues an unconscious heroine after battling his way to her side. He places a gentle kiss on her forehead as he's leaving and she opens her eyes. But instead of the end, this is only the beginning. Happy New Year everyone!
Rebecca York: Classic hooks work well in Intrigues. I love using them because these stories are tailor-made for larger than life characters. In my upcoming Intrigue, Royal Lockdown (June 07), I've got two of these characters--a self-made man, Shane Peters, who's become one of the country's leading security experts, and Princess Ariana LeBron who end up fighting for their lives against a gang of terrorists who will stop at nothing to kill them. Their terrifying trip through a Boston blackout almost ends in disaster. But Shane and Ariana learn to work together to save their lives. Along the way, they forge an unlikely bond. But can love overcome the differences between these two people who never would have met under ordinary circumstances?