Fatal Intent by Ryshia Kennie - Guest Post & Giveaway

Tour Schedule

Ryshia Kennie is the author of two published romances. From the Dust, is a romance set during the Great Depression. Her second book, Ring of Desire, was set against a backdrop of magic and mystery, in medieval England. An award winning author, her recent novels now focus on suspense and women’s fiction – always with a hint or even a dollop, of romance. The Canadian prairies are home where she lives with her husband and one opinionated Irish Terrier.

Ryshia Kennie’s Social Media Links:

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Book Description:

In the heart of the jungle lies more than just the hint of death.

Leading a scientific excursion into the Borneo rain forest is a life long dream for entomologist, Garrett Cole. But when her guide turns up dead and headless, her abilities are tested. As the dense foliage pushes her team further from the river, they are lost. Every shimmer of sound is a threat, and when a blonde haired, half-naked giant emerges from nowhere, she wants to run. But there are no options – she needs help.

Raised in the lush cradle of the Borneo jungle, Aidan is as unconventional as the fact that he has no last name. While the city is home, he returns to the jungle for peace and solitude. As a PI, how can he ignore the mystery this group and their dead guide poses? Leading them in a convoluted trek in a bid for answers he soon finds himself in a clash of wills with their alluring leader and answers that slide dangerously close to the tribe he loves.

In the jungle’s torrid heat they find unexpected solace in each others arms. But faced with death and betrayal, in a battle of wits that puts lives on the edge, can anyone be trusted?

Aidan moved vines back, exposing his face. They only had to look in his direction.

He was so close he could have reached out and touched her. She was delicate, out of place here in the midst of this wilderness. Her skin, even beneath the sweat and exertion-stained flush, was fair. She wasn’t built to be here, she was too slight to survive, too weak, too . . .

She glanced up. A frown immediately seared her face.

“Who the hell are you?” she snarled.

He bit back a smile. She should have screamed. She hadn’t. All tiny limbs and fragile beauty, and yet she attacked first.

He let his gaze rove over the group, refusing to be corralled by her attack.

One of the men looked panicked, the others seriously stressed. He shifted his spear to his other hand and waited, taking the warrior advantage of time and observation. The silent often learned much about their enemy.

“Put that down.” She gestured to his spear.

His fingers loosened for a millisecond before gripping the spear tighter. Was she out of her mind? Green, innocent, and totally forest-illiterate, but she was feisty.

Feisty? She was seething, hot, absolutely pissed—about what, he wasn’t sure. Her anger didn’t make much sense. Nothing about this afternoon made much sense.

Buy Link:  Amazon

Ryshia will award one Read Your Writes Book Reviews commenter an ebook copy of From the Dust, a historical romance set in Depression Era Saskatchewan. The grand prize for the tour will be an autographed copy of From the Dust, a book unique bookmark, and a Region 1 DVD of East of Borneo, a 1931 B&W movie.

To increase your chances of winning the grand prize, follow the tour schedule above and leave comments at the other stops.

Have a look at Ryshia’s inspiration for Fatal Intent.

Fatal Intent was inspired by a trip to Malaysia and specifically a journey into the Borneo jungle. You couldn’t ask for a setting more outside my city-life norm. A deer in the city is a big deal. In the jungle, a lizard in your path, a monkey in the rice field, unearthly screams in the evening’s fading light – were normal. Nature rules in the rain forest and even a moth has the power to awe and amaze, especially when it’s the size of a small bat. I wish every book could be as fun as Fatal Intent to research.

Imagine heading up a powerful river against a current that has massive logs hammering their way down river. Imagine you’re cocooned in a ferry that looks rather like an airplane fuselage or maybe a vintage Airstream camper. The scenery sailed by in a blur as we flew up river with logs flying by in the opposite direction. The boat was full and there wasn’t a life jacket in sight. On the roof was the overflow where a cluster of brave souls, that had the courage or maybe desperation, clung to a small metal railing on the slickly, wet metal roof rather than wait for the next boat.

It was a few hours in that boat with a Kung Fu movie that blared at top volume and air conditioning that blasted with as much intensity as the movie. I was shivering and my head ached by the time we docked. I was glad to inch my way outside, around the narrow corridor between boat railing, boat and water, and get back on land. And yes, the image of that reality - had to make it into Fatal Intent. There were many bits and pieces that I experienced in that jungle that crept into the story. The feel of the jungle, the incredible volume of the insects, both in sound and size – more memorable, if you can believe it, than the numerous and often extremely large reptiles that made the jungle their home.

There were many boat trips on this journey but the most unforgettable trip was in a small boat into one of the river’s calmer tributaries. And it was there that I met the Iban, Borneo’s former headhunters, in their longhouse where I saw the weather-worn skull of what they claimed was the last head taken, hanging from the rafters. And that’s where the story began, or at least the idea of it.

I kept a record of the trip, as I always do, in a travel journal (one of the few times I still use a notebook and pen for any extent of time) and, of course, photos. When I got home, well then it was time to research details. Like how long does it take to walk out of the jungle? What villages would you stumble on along the way? And more telling questions, like the history of the Iban. That research stitched together all the intense moments on the trip and made sure that the story remained grounded. And yes, it was a lot of trips to the library.

And now, I’m looking forward to the next bit of research, the next story – I saw an empty travel journal in a drawer the other day, just waiting…