Guest Post and Giveaway: Reckless Behavior by L.A. Witt

We’re so pleased to welcome author L.A. Witt to TNA today on the tour for Reckless Behavior, book three in the Bad Behavior series co-authored with Cari Z.

L.A. is talking writing and movies today, and there’s also a giveaway, so be sure to check out the details for that below!

Being a Writer Ruins Movies… Sometimes

So, being a writer is and always has been my dream job. I’ve been doing it full-time since 2008, and love it.

That being said, there is an unfortunate side effect of writing.

Have you ever tried to watch a cop movie with a cop? Or a firefighting movie with a firefighter? You know how they notice ALL the flaws and inaccuracies?

Yeah. It’s like that. Except it’s the storytelling that has me yelling at the screen. You notice the lazy writing. The things your editor would never let you get away with. The plot holes. The contrived conflicts. The characters who are clearly too stupid to live. The coincidences that scream “the writer didn’t know how else to resolve the situation!”

Movies I loved when I was a kid? A lot of them make me want to rip out my eyeballs now.

Books I used to read over and over? Same deal.

That’s not to say everything has to be perfect – or that I’m anywhere near perfect, because OMG I am so not. It’s just difficult (if not impossible) to shut off the part of my brain that scrutinizes story structure, plot devices, etc.

Writing suspense in particular has made it a lot harder to enjoy reading or watching the same, especially since I’m married to a cop. That isn’t to say I can’t or don’t enjoy them. In fact, while Cari and I were writing the Bad Behavior series, I got hooked on Chicago P.D., and I’m currently going nuts waiting for the next episode. Compared to a lot of shows out there, it’s pretty solid in terms of accuracy, but they do take some liberties now and then. Liberties that are impossible not to notice if you live and breathe law enforcement like my husband does, or if you write about it like I do.

There is one franchise out there, however, where my writer/editor brain stays silent. One place where I can put duct tape over my inner critic’s mouth, and simply enjoy the show without even noticing—never mind caring about—the flaws. Plot holes? Don’t care. Taking liberties with the laws of physics? Not interested. Implausible, improbable, impossible? LA LA LA CAN’T HEAR YOU.

What franchise is that?

Star Wars, y’all.

Freaking Star Wars.

For me, there is something sacred about Star Wars. Probably because it’s been a fixture since my early childhood. Like, early childhood. I was born in 1980. Return of the Jedi came out in 1983. I saw it in the theater. I was far too young to piece the story together and really understand what was going on, but even then, I recognized the iconic characters on the screen, which means I must have seen A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back before that. (Which sort of makes sense now that I realize my parents are Harry Potter junkies, and suddenly it dawns on me that they’ve been closet geeks all along, and that explains a lot about me.)

Anyway. Some of my earliest memories are of watching Star Wars, and apparently even my internal editor gets too overwhelmed by nostalgia to pick apart plot points like she does with everything else on the screen. Like no other movies, Star Wars lets me strap in and enjoy the ride without that little commentary in my head.

But not the prequels.

My internal editor and I have some standards.

About Reckless Behavior

After too many years of putting his job first, Detective Andreas Ruffner is getting his priorities straight. He’s ready to spend some quality time with his adult kids, not to mention come clean about some things he should’ve told them a long time ago. And introduce them to his partner and boyfriend, Darren Corliss.

But in a heartbeat, a family dinner turns into Andreas’s worst nightmare. When the dust settles, one of his kids is hurt, and the other three have been abducted.

Andreas is going to find his kids, and nothing, not even a broken ankle, is going to stop him. Thank God for his sharp, level-headed partner . . . who has a crisis of his own pulling him away when Andreas needs him the most. As both men try to support—and lean on—each other, they get no closer to finding the kids. And the longer the children are missing, the less likely it is they’ll ever be found.

[zilla_button url=”http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/reckless-behavior” style=”blue” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Available Now From Riptide Publishing [/zilla_button]

About the Bad Behavior Series

It’s “hell no” at first sight for newly partnered detectives Andreas Ruffner and Darren Corliss. Darren is too chipper, Andreas is too gruff, and that whole “IA wants me to prove you’re a dirty cop” thing really doesn’t get them off on the right foot.

It doesn’t matter if they like each other. They’re partners and that’s final. Though Andreas is easy on the eyes. And Darren is kind of cute. And . . . okay, maybe they can make this work.

They’d better, because as their cases get more horrifying—and more personal—they’ll have to trust each other with their lives, and with their hearts.


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About L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .

L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

About Cari Z.

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, “See ya!” She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She’s still climbing that ladder, but can’t stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get ‘im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there’s a lot of love to go around.

Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

Connect with Cari at her website or via her blog.

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Reckless Behavior, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit and their choice in an ebook from each of Cari and L.A.’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 6, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!