M L Buchman and I Own The Dawn + Giveaway!

Winners: Rachel and Heather!

My guest today is ML (Matt) Buchman, author of I OWN THE DAWN, book 2 in The Night Stalker Series.

I am a true romantic suspense lover so when I get a chance to read and review a new author, I’m always excited about that. Then I discovered ML were the initials for a MALE romantic suspense author and was truly intrigued. I’ve never had any doubt men could and do write fabulous romance and sex…I’ve been teasing Harlan Coben about coming over to the dark side for some time now — the man writes some awesome sexual tension in those thrillers! — but I have wondered how men feel about writing in the genre.

Matt was up for the task of writing a post on the subject, which I’ll share with you as soon as I share my opinion on his newest release.  Sourcebooks is supplying 2 print copies of I OWN THE DAWN for giveaway! Be sure to enter!

First, the book:

I OWN THE DAWN

When a special mission slowly unravels, it is up to Kee and Archie to get their team out of an impossible situation with international implications. With her weaponry knowledge and his strategic thinking, plus the explosive attraction that puts them into exact synchrony, together they might just have a fighting chance.

Name: Archibald Jeffrey Stevenson III
Rank: First Lieutenant, Dap Hawk Copilot
Mission: Strategy and execution of special ops maneuvers

Name: Kee Smith
Rank: Sergeant, Night Stalker Gunner and Sharpshooter
Mission: Whatever it takes to get the job done

I OWN THE DAWN BY M.L. BUCHMAN – IN STORES AUGUST 2012

Pick up your copy today at Amazon | B&N

My Review Style: I’m not a reviewer who cares to rehash a plot. The blurb tells you pretty much what happens in the book. What I want to tell you is how well it’s done and what the book, the story and the author has to offer you as a reader.

Overall take: If you love romantic suspense, if you love hot guys and strong women, if you love emotion with tense action, you’ll love I OWN THE DAWN.

One of the first things that resonated with me–within the first few pages of I OWN THE DAWN–was Matt’s heroine, Kee.  I loved her. She is strong and confident. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to tell the “boss”, in this case an Air Force General, that she expects nothing less.  Softening these strengths and making Kee the loveable character I couldn’t turn away from are the hints of insecurity beneath the bravado and touches of self-deprecating humor.  She knows when to be professional and when to be casual. She has quirks and issues and brains and guts.  And, then we learn about her childhood, and we just lover her more.

Kee’s background looks like an earthquake-ridden sidewalk with weeds popping through every crack as if to draw attention to the imperfection and remind her of the painful events that created it. Only she never uses this as a crutch. In fact, she won’t ever discuss it. But the memories have shaped her and when she is faced with the care of an orphaned Pakistani child, the way her empathy for the girl affect both the child and Kee is a beautiful thing to watch. Some people prefer novels without children. I often write children in when they fit the plot and move both character and plot forward, and this is what Matt did with I OWN THE DAWN. The effect is a rich tale of inner growth on many levels.

Archibald, the hero, is a delightfully complex character. Easy-going on the exterior, he is far deeper, more observant and talented than his unassuming exterior lets on. I enjoyed watching his inner struggle when it came to the decision of whether or not to become involved with Kee as well as how he opened up as a person in the dynamic family type unit he, Kee and the child made.

Matt’s writing is clean and sharp and fast. Even when there is no immediate action on the page, I was deeply interested in the character’s stories. And when there was immediate action on the page, it smoked!  While I’m a fan of military stories, more in movies than books, I am definitely no expert with the language. And Matt’s book is packed with sleek, accurate, detailed information. Yet the way he delivers that information, the context, the setting, the dialogue, the action…it all makes everything completely understandable. I never felt lost. I never felt as if I couldn’t picture something or imagine a scene. On the contrary, I found his style of military speak rich, giving the story and the characters an authentic feeling.

Pick up your copy today at Amazon | B&N

Now, Matt gives us a little glimpse into a man’s experience as a romance author.

Thanks Joan for having me. Oddly the same day I received your question of a man’s prospective on the fine art of romancing authoring, I was walking down the hall at work. I was in my mode, I’m a middle manager in a building of about 400 people. So there I was, in my mode, as I was saying, being efficient and getting stuff done, walking down the hall. And someone I know well enough to chat with but not by name stopped me and said, “There’s a rumor that there’s a male romance author in the building. And someone said it was you.”

Slam! Welcome to my other life in the midst of a mad workday. “Yep! That’s me.” (I don’t actually say, “Yep!” but I like to think I’m a bit like by heroes who sometimes try on a little Texas when courting their ladies. I don’t know why, but they do.)

So we chat a bit, and the next question comes sideways as they always do, “Who are you to be writing a romance?” Nice enough, but shocked that this type A+ guy in the hall who is in charge of rebuilding a department that had slipped into a sorry state of affairs, could have any knowledge of such things.

“Yep!” It’s that guy-romance-author moment. Like in 1996 when I was one of 7 men amongst 1,800 women at my first ever writer’s conference, Romance Writer’s of America National. It was like walking into the local RWA chapter last year right after I moved to Portland. “Yep! That guy-romance-author moment.”

First off, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want a love story in your book, even if it’s not a romance per se. What’s the most fun I ever had? Courting my wife. What’s the best thing I ever did? Asked her to marry me. Happiest moment? Well, there’ve been a lot, but when she answered with a “yes” that could barely squeak forth, that’s way high on the list. (I’d thought through the whole proposal, exactly a year from our first date, standing on our favorite island, etc. One thing I didn’t foresee was what that little “yes” would do to me. My knees buckled and I sat down squarely on a pricker bush. My then fiancé transplanted it to a very nice home on our front porch where it lived for many years until a passing deer ate it.)

Second, I looked at this still nameless person in the hall and said, “Well, I’m the romantic one in the family. End of Wizard of Oz? Gets me every time. That scene of 4 seasons in Notting Hill. I can watch that movie 5 nights running and cry every time.” Of course, the real trick is saying all that convincingly while wearing a button down shirt and good slacks, and checking my iPhone while we’re hurrying down the hallway together toward our separate destinations.

A little bemused, I slowly shift gears from the life I’m working towards back to the one that I like well enough and pays the bills. It’s another drive-by-guy-romance-author moment. I can’t wait for the next one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M. L. Buchman has worked in fast food, theater, computers, publishing, and light manufacturing. It’s amazing what you can do with a degree in geophysics. At one point he sold everything and spent 18-months riding a bicycle around the world. In 11,000 miles, he touched 15 countries and hundreds of amazing people. Since then, he has acquired a loving lady, the coolest kid on the planet, and lives in Portland, Oregon. For more information, please visit http://www.matthewlieberbuchman.com.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a free copy. Also, be sure to check this Contest page for a chance to win a free, signed copy of I Own the Dawn.

 Sourcebooks is supplying 2 print copies of I OWN THE DAWN for giveaway! Be sure to leave a comment!