The Body Hunters

I love the sound of your series, Kath. Tell me more about the Body Hunters... and go into great detail about that hottie on the cover, please!  YUM

Isn't the hunk on the cover great?!  I have to say that all three covers for The Body Hunters have been stunning.  Some of you already know this, but I designed a poster for my office with all three.  It sure is a great way to start the day!

The Body Hunters were born as I sat on the beach one day and thought -- what if there were a group of private citizens that went after the victims and villains society had forgotten or given up on?

POSITIVE I.D. is the first of the new trilogy.  The hero on the cover is Will Hunter -- one of the group's co-founders.  Will chose to fake his own death years earlier in order to save the lives of his wife and infant daughter.  When his daughter goes missing, he and The Body Hunters join forces with the wife who has thought her husband dead for 17 years!  Lots of HEAT in this one.  It was MUCH fun to write. ;o))

Thanks for asking, Tawny.  Hey, has everyone checked out Tawny Weber's Blaze-ing Hot Books?  I hope so!

I LOVE the cover for this book.  Actually, I love the cover for the second book in the series, too.  COLD CASE CONNECTION.  What I really want to know is how the hero on that book tore his shirt sleeve...whoa baby but that's a great touch!    COLD CASE CONNECTION is a May release, right?  Will there be more books in THE BODY HUNTERS series?  Hope so!

Thanks for the great reads & can't wait for the next installment of what's sure to be a classic series!   

As you can see, I got a bit of a false start on the forum two weeks ago.  Whoops!  Can you blame me?  I was excited at the chance to chat about The Body Hunters!

Please don't be shy.  Ask away with your questions, make comments, or chat in general.

I'm looking forward to a great week and thank you eHarlequin for the chance to visit for a while!

Yay Janice!!

and Yay Kath, I can't wait to read these books.  I'm forcing myself to hold off until I have all three in my hands so I can read all day long and immerse myself, they sound that incredible!  Especially that you have a heroine body hunter!  Tell me more about her.

Tawny -- I'm thrilled you're excited to read the series!  No pressure for me. ;o))  The group is made up of an interesting mix of individuals.  One of the newer team members is Lily Christides, who was recruited for her expertise in tracking financial transactions and accounts worldwide.  In COLD CASE CONNECTION, the case turns personal when Lily's sister, a well-known television reporter, is brutally murdered.  The authorities -- including the hero, Cam -- have their suspects, but Lily -- true to Body Hunter mentality -- can't help but think the authorities might be wrong.  Lily is a get-to-the-point, no-holds-barred kind of gal, and in her, Cameron Hughes has met his match. ;o))

Positive ID sounds so exciting and I can hardly wait to read it.  You know, you got me pulled into your writing when I read Get Bunny Love a long while ago.  Congrats on your new release.

I'll have my eyes peeled for your books. The series sounds great.

I must be a little bit evil, I suppose!  LOL

ROFL and no comment

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello!  And thanks for saying you'll be on the lookout for The Body Hunters!  I hope you'll enjoy the series -- please drop me a note and let me know. ;o))

I'm like Tawny, can't wait to sit down and read all three, one after the other. They all sound fascinating!

Is it hard writing a series like this? How do you keep track of all the characters and info from book to book?

And, most important - will there be more Body Hunters after these three? (Yes, I'm greedy!)

[No comment on the halo]

LOL on your husband sleeping with one eye open. I think all those books sitting around would make me nervous, too.

Are there plans for more The Body Hunter books? 

While I was at the Romantic Times convention in Pittsburgh, I saw lots of cool The Body Hunter book bags during the book signing.  Will you be giving away any of these on your site any time soon?  How can a Kathleen Long fan win one of those?

Anna -- thanks so much for the great questions!  And thanks for saying you're looking forward to the series.  Writing The Body Hunters was definitely an adventure for me, but the continuity of the team itself made each story a pleasure!  One continuing character is a retired librarian who is a computer whiz.  She's based on a dear friend of mine from my Project Linus days.  Not only does she lend serious brain power to each investigation, but she makes a quilt for each victim during the search -- the outward symbol of the team's hope for a positive outcome.

She's one example of how the continuing characters actually made the process of writing a series easier for me than writing three stand-alone stories.  Yes, I had to learn the ins and outs of each plot and hero/heroine, but the team characterizations were already in place, so the writing felt natural to me.  Hope that makes sense!

As for the stories themselves, each is a stand alone mystery, yet tied by subplot issues. 

Whether or not there will be additional Body Hunters adventures depends on the powers that be. ;o))  Fingers crossed!  I have SO many ideas for future stories.  And one of the team co-leaders, Rick, has yet to have his story, which I'd love to give him.

Jana -- I hope I answered your question about additional Body Hunters titles above.  I have ideas for Cam's partner from COLD CASE CONNECTION, secondary character Michael (female) from UNDERCOVER COMMITMENT, The Body Hunters co-director Rick...and more!  I'd love to see the series go on forever.  Wouldn't that be something?!

As for those totes -- weren't they amazing?!  Fabulous HMB Medical author, Janice Lynn and I designed roomy red totes with our logos on either side.  They were a huge hit at the RT Bookfair and we both have extras.  Don't you love extras??  LOL

Let's have some fun!

In honor of your question, I think I'll draw one lucky commenter's name at the end of this week to win a tote (autographed by Janice and me!) filled with the winner's choice of three books from my backlist.  After all, I love giving away prizes!!

This series look and sound fantastic. The covers are absolutely awesome and with hunks, too. Your blurb is written that no one will be able to say no to grabbing these up and enjoying a great read. I can't wait to read them, I'm off to order them now. Like the others, I may have to wait until I have all three tucked in my arms before I begin to read them so I can have a continuous, great Kath Long read. The cold case concept is great

I have Positive I.D. and am counting down the days until Cold Case Connection and Undercover Commitment come out :-) I'm going to have my very own Kathleen Long read-a-thon *g*

Your covers are gorgeous and I love the premise of an agency that works on cold cases.

Your books are always a terrific blend of romance and mystery/suspense. Does that blend come naturally to you or are your first drafts heavier on one aspect than the other? 

Thanks for stopping by -- and I can't wait to read your debut!  Woo hoo.  I'm not sure I'll survive the wait until 2009, though.

I started reading through the comments. now I REALLY want to check out the series. The covers are wonderful eye candy and I love the idea of cold case files.

I'm going to go the route of collecting all three before reading even though you've said they each stand alone. when i read a series of books i like having them all. having to wait after reading one or two kills me... just like those blasted end of season cliff hangers that TV shows sometimes torture us with.

*surfing off to go order...*

Hi Kathleen! 

Congrats on the new series!  I love the premise of them and can't wait to read them.

I have read several of your books and enjoyed them immensely.

Good Luck and happy writing

Billie Jo 

Hi, Kath! I can't wait to read Positive I.D. it sounds great! :)

Hi Kath

I finally managed to register and make it to your blog. I can't wait to start reading my autographed book- Positive I.D.

So great to "see" you!!  Thanks for popping in to say howdy. ;o))  You are the best!!  Thanks for all of your support -- I mean it. ;o)

Hey...doesn't that sound like it could be the name of a band?  Yes...I'm a bit tired.  But seriously, thank you so much for your belief and encouragement!

Awww, I love your books, too!!  Hey, have a great trip and happy reading.  Thanks so much for tucking POSITIVE I.D. into your bag and thanks for your great note.  <--see?  The halo reappears.  I know Betty will believe it.

BTW, I just popped over to the ordering page, and the June titles have appeared.  UNDERCOVER COMMITMENT looks so pretty up there -- I love that about eHarlequin.com -- the ability to grab next month's books now!  Just had to share.