Holt popped on screen in Fatal Reunion as a guy flirting with Piper. But then I decided to make him an undercover agent because he was intriguing and use him in a later scene.
In Protective Duty, I needed someone who could be a buffer between Eric and Bryn if they had to be in the house alone all night. It dawned that Holt could be Bryn’s cousin! That’s how he showed up in that book. When his back story came out a little, I knew he needed his own story and readers were already asking about him.
I actually have a family member who worked deep undercover for over two decades, in narcotics, and is now a SWAT commander. He helped me with protocol and story ideas. Anything stretched was for sake of fiction.
Concealed Identity was inspired by the show Storage Wars. All those abandoned units and you can’t dig through it before you bid. Hmmm…what could be inside those things?
I cast Alyssa Milano as Blair and Jennifer Love Hewitt as Gigi. Blair is a fan of Christmas all year round. When making my Pinterest board, I googled “Alyssa at Christmas” and pictures of her and Jennifer Love Hewitt popped up! It was a great surprise. You can find these photos on the Concealed Identity Pinterest board.
Holt was difficult to cast. No one in Hollywood looked enough like the picture inside my head. I ended up using a foreign model. He’s as close as I could get. Some readers have said they picture Henry Cavill.
Concealed Identity was originally titled Veiled Threat.
Holt talks about his grandpa being a sheriff in a Glory, MS (which is fictional) and his grandma who still lives there. I actually pulled that idea from a book that isn’t published yet that takes place in fictional Glory. Holt’s grandma has a comical scene and there’s a chance for Holt and Bryn to make appearances with their spouses and children in later books set in Glory! I love books that have cameos of other characters.
I admit, I had a secret crush on Hector Salvador and instead of killing him off, I decided to spare his life with hopes for a book about him in which he is redeemed. Probably won’t happen though. He is pretty nasty, but there’s a loyal quality about him I liked.
Snow actually fell here in the South and I decided to have a play day. Instead of making a snowman, I did this and nearly froze my finger off, but it was worth it:
