Spotlight & Giveaway: Six Days to Live by Lisa Dodson

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Lisa Dodson to HJ!

Hi Lisa and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Six Days to Live!

 
Hi! Thanks for having me!
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

The poison Colonel Coulter McKendrick was injected with during a commando raid will kill him in six days. Dr. Marena Dash is Colt’s only chance to live. Though Colt devastated Marena when he left her, she’s determined to find the antidote to save him. And with the criminals behind the biotoxin on their trail, Colt and Marena must put their past behind them to stay alive.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

“Who’s John? What does he know about me?”
Her eyes widened. “Really? You’re almost unconscious, and you’re grilling me about who’s on the phone?”

“Coulter,” she said loudly, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.
He turned and glanced her way. His puzzled expression met her horrified one.
“What?”
“What do you mean what? Stop the car. You’ve been shot!”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Burt. That’s ancient history.”
“When it comes to lovers, darlin’, there ain’t no such thing as ancient.”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve been poisoned and shot in the arm, and you suffered a seizure forty-five minutes ago. You’re complaining about how well you climbed a flight of stairs?”

“Don’t do what, Colt? Keep you from setting yourself back because you’re trying to be a hero?”
“I was trying to help you.”
“I don’t need your help,” she shot back. “You need mine.”

You were my world, Coulter, but you abandoned me.” Her voice caught in her throat. “You left me falling without a parachute.”
He rubbed his hand over his face. “My God, Rena. That was never my intention.”
“Then I’d say you failed miserably.”

What inspired this book?

I knew I wanted to write a romantic suspense that was unlike any story I’d written before. I wanted it centered on a retired military officer and someone with a medical and scientific background. Both are used to saving other people’s lives. To them, the danger goes with the territory. I wanted to work within the confines of time to explore how my characters handled going from being in control and calling the shots to a situation unlike any they’ve dealt with before. The stakes are incredibly high. It’s fast-paced, and, life or death, and my characters are thrown together after years of being apart. They parted amid tragedy and loss and find themselves thrust together and dealing with similar circumstances.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

There are two things I’m not fond of: Research and outlines. Both were imperative for making sure that Six Days to Live was as authentic as I could make it. My characters were dealing with life-and-death scenarios and needed to operate as professionally as their training demanded while simultaneously coming apart at the seams. The depths of their bravery, dedication to each other, and hope are what surprised me the most about Marena and Coulter.

What was your favorite scene to write?

The scene where Marena comes up against the hard deadline to save Coulter’s life and suddenly, it’s just too much for her. She comes undone and temporarily loses hope that she’s going to be able to save him. They finally have to deal with their feelings for each other, their broken relationship, and Coulter’s mortality. Through it all, Coulter is the one that pulls Marena back from the edge. He’s her tether.

She gave the dented trash can another kick before picking it up and lobbing it across the room—the projectile connected with a table.
The impact caused an ear-piercing boom that reverberated around the room before the metal can rolled off and landed on the floor on its side. It felt good, but the pain in her heart was still there.
The next thing to suffer Marena’s wrath was a storage closet. She banged her hand on its front until it throbbed with pain. The tears flowed down her face as she gave in to fear, anger, and frustration.
It took Marena quite some time to register the strong arms that encircled her middle. Coulter’s grip was firm enough to keep her from lashing out at the closet doors again. When she struggled, it was against him and not something that could do her any physical harm.
“Marena, stop. This isn’t helping.”
“I don’t care,” she cried.
“You’re going to break your hand,” he said calmly. Coulter backed away from the cabinet when she continued to lash out, dragging her with him. “Hey,” he soothed. “Rena, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay. It may never be okay again,”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The most difficult scene was when Marena decides that the only way to by herself some time and save Coulter’s life is to put him in a medically induced coma. Their conversation about it, and both the fear and love they express as he’s slipping into unconsciousness was heartbreaking.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

I think Six Days to Live is the best book I’ve ever written. It’s the most everything. Most researched, more harrowing, most suspenseful, most fast-paced. I don’t view it as a departure for me, but more like an enhancement.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

Life is filled with tough choices and paths for you to take. If you find yourself on the wrong path summon the courage to change directions. Have faith. It’s never too late. I’m a hopeless romantic, and I believe that there is always a second chance at forever.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m currently working on the edits for my next Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Three Winners will each receive their choice of
(1) Where Danger Meets Romance Gift Box or
(1) Autographed Copy of one of my novels (their choice), and a Swag Bag

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Excerpt from Six Days to Live:

When Coulter opened his eyes and blinked away sleep, two things came to mind. The first was that Marena was nestled up against him like a body pillow, and the second was that he felt like leftover boiled crap. His body ached, he was burning up, and he felt like a two-ton elephant had stomped on him from head to toe.
He glanced down at Marena. After they’d cleaned up the lab, she’d gone back to work for a few hours. Coulter had been working on his laptop when she had popped her head in earlier that night. She’d sat down on the bed and talked about the test runs that evening and her findings. Both had been emotionally drained, so they had fallen asleep fully dressed at some point.
Careful not to wake her, he eased himself out of bed. His shirt was soaking wet from sweating. He grabbed a replacement and was about to go to the bathroom to freshen up when he heard a noise.
His gaze flew to Marena. Coulter dropped the shirt and went for his gun. He tiptoed out of the room and closed the door.
Ignoring the pain, Coulter took a deep breath to clear his head. Silently, he crept along the passageway, sticking close to the wall. With his senses heightened, he was ready for anything. That’s when he heard it. A stifled groan was followed by something dropping on the floor nearby. Zeroing in on the target, Coulter moved with lightning speed down the hallway toward the back of the lab. Someone had likely entered the building from the rear through either the window or the exit door. That someone was about to wish they’d found another building to burglarize.
Though it was dark, and Coulter was without the aid of his night-vision goggles, he was used to engaging the enemy devoid of light. He was moving in the direction of the noise when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Coulter spun around, coming face-to-face with his target.
“Drop your weapon,” a voice growled into the silence.
“Not a chance,” he replied in a clipped tone that echoed his annoyance at the man’s getting the jump on him.
“Now, or I’ll make you drop it,” the man warned.
Coulter smiled at that. “You can try.”
“Where is she?”
The smile faded from Coulter’s face, and a fierce protectiveness caused his body to shake with fury. “Where’s who?”
“I swear if you’ve hurt her, I’ll kill you,” the man threatened.
“Wait.” Coulter lowered his weapon. The other man did not.
Coulter’s body tensed. “Luke?” he whispered after another moment.
Backing up, he slid his hand along the wall till he found the wall plate and flipped a switch, bathing the small hallway in light. Coulter stared in surprise at Marena’s brother.
Lucas Dash was a tall, well-built man. At six foot four, he towered over most men and, when he was dressed in full military gear, like he was now, engendered both fear and respect, depending on his intention. Marena’s brother was standing with a SIG Sauer M17 service pistol aimed at Coulter’s chest.
Lucas never broke eye contact with Coulter, his chest rising and falling with each angry breath as he assessed Coulter. His body was poised to spring like a lion about to pounce on its prey.
“Why are you here?”
“There’s a rational explanation for all this,” Coulter said calmly.
“I asked you a question.”
“I’ll answer when you lower your weapon.”
Engaging the safety on his gun, Lucas harnessed it. He stared at his former best friend in shock. He shook his head as if to clear it and frowned when, after blinking several times, the person standing in front of him remained the same.
“Start talking.”
Before Coulter could reply, Lucas’s gaze turned murderous. “You don’t have any clothes on.”
“I don’t have a shirt on. That’s not what I would call naked. Besides, I didn’t exactly have time to throw one on,” Coulter told him. “I thought you were an assailant and was on my way out here to kill you.”
Lucas eyed him with contempt. “Where’s my sister?”
“She’s in bed, asleep.”
Before Coulter could say more, Lucas’s hand connected with his chest. He shoved him hard. “Wrong answer.”
Coulter staggered backward. “Hit first and ask questions later must be a Dash family trait.”
“Only where you’re concerned,” Lucas said menacingly. “You didn’t break her heart enough the first time? So you wanted to try it again?”
“It’s not like that. Let me explain.”
“There’s not one thing I want to hear from you—except goodbye. You were my best friend.” He charged Coulter again. “I trusted you.”
Using Lucas’s weight against him, Coulter shoved him to the side.
“I supported you. When you told me you loved my baby sister, I believed you, and you made me look like a fool.”
“Luke, I’m not going to fight you, man. I’m still your friend, and nothing between us was a lie. I do love Marena. I never stopped.”
“You got a funny way of showing it. Did you take advantage of her? I swear if you forced her into anything—I’ll kill you.”
“I’ll kill both of you myself if you don’t stop bickering,” came the warning from behind them. “Now, knock it off.”
With a slight turn of his body, Lucas glanced behind him. He saw his sister wearing Coulter’s T-shirt with her legs and feet bare.
“I knew it.” His expression turned murderous.
Marena jumped in front of her brother. “Lucas, stop. Nothing is going on. I went to take a shower and heard all the commotion, so I threw on something and ran out here.”
“So, you were in his bed?”
“Yes, but not the way you think. We just fell asleep. Nothing happened.”
He smiled without humor. “If I handle him now, that’ll save Dad a lot of trouble.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

In less than a week he’ll be dead…
Unless she can save him.
The poison Coulter McKendrick was injected with during a commando raid will kill him in six days. Dr. Marena Dash is Colt’s only chance to live. Though Colt devastated Marena when he left her, she’s determined to find the antidote to save him. And with the criminals behind the biotoxin on their trail, Colt and Marena must put their past behind them to stay alive.

Book Links: Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Lisa Dodson is a National and Amazon #1 Bestselling Author and native of Washington, DC. She has written over eighteen novels in the Multicultural, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Sweet Romance, Clean Read, and Christian Fiction genres. A hybrid author, Lisa enjoys creating engaging storylines, strong characters with universal appeal, and a keen sense of humor. They are drawn together by love, respect, and strong family ties. In addition, Lisa loves traveling, so weaving beautiful destinations into the pages of her novels as lush backdrops or the heritage of her characters is not uncommon.
Her latest novel, Six Days to Live, for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, is coming in October 2022.
Lisa is a Business Development Manager at a technology consulting firm, a mother of two young adults, a Maltipoo, Brinkley, and lives in Raleigh, NC. She is avidly working on upcoming projects in multiple genres.
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