Bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz takes us beyond the everyday boundaries of the mind—and the heart—in the second Arcane Society novel.
Level-ten parasensitive Clare Lancaster has resigned herself to the fact that she may never find a suitable mate. A human lie detector, any falsehood—no matter how subtle—sets her blood racing. And most people, to one degree or another, hide behind a façade.
Including her business titan father’s new “consultant,” Jake Salter. His careful conversation walks a delicate line between truth and deception, revealing and resisting. But it is with his help that Clare begins to unravel a web of conspiracy and murder involving the powerful Arizona family that she just became a part of seven months ago. Caught in a dizzying storm of secrets, lies, and half-truths, Clare and Jake will plunge into an investigation that demands every bit of their special gifts, as something more than mere attraction sparks and sizzles between them…
Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name, as well as futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print.
Hometown:
Seattle, WA
Place of Birth:
San Diego, CA
Education:
BA in History, University of California at Santa Cruz, MA in Librarianship from San Jose State University (California)
Heart to Heart: It's a brilliant idea to come up with an organization -- the mysterious Arcane Society -- that can become the focal point for both your Amanda Quick historicals and Jayne Ann Krentz contemporaries. How did you come up with that? What are the challenges in developing the two time eras?
Jayne Ann Krentz: I'm so glad you love the idea because I am absolutely enthralled by it. I can't begin to tell you how much fun I am having with this series. The Arcane Society, a secretive group devoted to paranormal research, makes an ideal backdrop for the kind of story I love to do most: romantic suspense with a psychic twist. Each novel will feature a different hero and heroine, and each will stand alone and can be read on its own. However readers who take up the series under both my Quick and Krentz names will get to discover all sorts of interesting stuff about the Arcane Society, past and present.
HtoH: Tell us about your interest in the world of paranormal/psychic research. For your Amanda Quick titles, certainly we saw that element in Wait Until Midnight, then fully developed in Second Sight, the first Arcane Society title.
JAK: I should probably explain first that, as a writer, I draw a bright line between the psychic stuff and the supernatural. The Arcane Society books fall squarely into the psychic category. I see the paranormal talents of my characters as extensions of natural human intuition -- not magic; not supernatural. My characters' psychic abilities tend to cause them a lot of trouble. But they also add an intriguing twist when it comes to the romantic relationships in my books -- and if you read me, you know that there is always a strong romance at the heart of all my books.
HtoH: We love your main character in White Lies -- Clare Lancaster, a Level 10 parasensitive, a virtual human lie detector, who can't get a date. And the only guy who might interest her is working undercover, and she's the only one who could tell. What are some of your favorite scenes with this couple?
JAK: Poor Clare. What guy wants to date a woman who knows for sure he's lying when he says he'll call? But the hero of White Lies, Jake Salter, has a few unusual psychic quirks, too. One thing he can't resist is a challenge, and Clare is definitely a challenge. I had a lot of fun with the swimming pool scene. Clare has never gone skinny-dipping at night but Jake talks her into it. After all, the pool lights are all off. Turns out that Jake can see in the dark….
HtoH: What's coming up in 2007 -- for Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick, and Jayne Castle? Can we expect more Arcane Society titles?
JAK: The next Amanda Quick is The River Knows. It is not an Arcane Society novel. Not every book will be an Arcane book. The River Knows features a heroine with a secret past that could get her killed. I'm going to wait and see how readers respond before I decide how far to take the Arcane books. As for the next Jayne Castle, it will be another book in my Ghost Hunter series. The heroine is in desperate need of a bodyguard who can double as a date for her sister's wedding. There is also another heroic dust-bunny named Araminta.
