I’m happy to have Katie Reus visiting Smexy on this romantic day. :) I reviewed her book, Dangerous Secrets earlier in the day.

Who is Katie Reus? Give us the low down.

For the informal bio, I was born and raised in Florida and will probably always cling to my love of flip-flops no matter what time of year. I’m not one of those writers that always knew writing was for them. I only discovered it a few years ago but now I can’t imagine not writing. Very recently I plunged into it full time so that’s been pretty exciting (and a little terrifying). Other than that, I’ve been married almost seven years to a military vet (so I have lots of experience with long-ass tours and separations). About a minute after we got engaged he was sent to Africa for 5 months so he got out of helping plan the wedding and I got a taste of what it would be like as a military wife. Other than that, this year I’ll be a first-time mom and that’s definitely the highlight of my life right now.

Congratulations!! That is very exciting. Both the heroine and hero are from the deep south in this book, and Adam especially has those nice southern gentlemanly manners. Are you from the south? Did that have any influence over your characters?

I’m from Florida which is technically ‘the south’ but it’s so different from where I live now which is totally the Deep South (and let me tell you, there’s a big difference). That definitely had an influence on my characters’ mannerisms, etc. Right now I’m writing a story set in Texas and in addition to the general research that goes into writing a romantic suspense, I’m also having to research Texas, which is like another country (and I definitely mean that as a compliment). So writing the main characters from Dangerous Secrets was relatively easy in comparison because they come from places I’m familiar with.

What inspires you to write romantic suspense? What type of research is involved to portray a believable villain (in this case a sexual predator)?

I love romantic suspense and it’s the genre that really introduced me to romance so I guess that’s my inspiration. I have a degree in psychology so I drew on some knowledge I already had but other than that, a lot of reading. I read a few books on psychopaths, sexual deviants and the criminal mind and really geared myself up for getting into the mind of a psycho.

Did Adam or Izzy surprise you in anyway?

Izzy was a bit of a struggle sometimes. I wanted to write her a certain way but she was pretty vocal about writing her the right way, aka, her way. Adam came very naturally and was easy to write, probably because I’m married to a southern gentleman. Adam introduced himself to me personality and all before I’d even thought of the plot for this book. That was actually a very nice surprise because that doesn’t always happen.

The sex scenes in this book are smokin’ hot! Are they harder to write than the action scenes or do they come pretty easily?

Ack! I don’t have a solid answer because it just depends on the book and characters. Some sex scenes I’m finished before I realize I’ve even started. They just flow. And it’s the same with some action scenes. Days like that I cherish. On the flip side sometimes it’s hard to get into a sexy state of mind so when that happens I just skip the scene then come back to it later. With this book, however, the sex scenes came very easily. Other than Izzy driving me crazy sometimes, this entire book flowed nicely. I wrote it more with the characters in mind so compared to my next RS release, this one is heavier on the romance than the suspense.

What are three things you must have with you when you write?

I only need my computer (because there’s no way I’m writing long hand) and I’m good to go. But, I do like a good cup of coffee at hand in the morning. I can write without it, but I don’t like to. And, if I get to pick one more thing I have a stuffed penguin that hangs out on my desk with me.

What one hero and one book would you take with you to a deserted island to keep you…occupied :)?

Just one?? Hmm, probably John Medina from Linda Howard’s All the Queen’s Men. That book is my all time favorite romantic suspense. The hero is hot, resourceful, loyal, patriotic, and incredibly complex. But, if you were feeling really nice (I’m not above bribing you) and would let me have two, I’d choose Zsadist from JR Ward’s Lover Awakened as my backup.

Do you have big romantic plans for Valentine’s Day?

If my husband is smart we will have awesome plans. I hate going out on V-Day because everything is so commercialized so I’m hoping that the man will surprise me with some home cooking (surf and turf if he’s really smart) and then clean up the kitchen afterward. To me, that would be perfect.

Nothing more romantic than a man doing the dishes – I totally agree! What is up next for you?

This upcoming year (and next year) things will be pretty busy for me. I recently signed a three-book deal with NAL (Penguin) and the first book in the trilogy releases in early 2012 from the Signet Eclipse line. A couple of my favorite authors write for that line so I’m insanely stoked about that. So right now I’m working on polishing the second book I have contracted and soon I’ll start on book #3. I’m also currently working on a short category suspense that I hope to find a home for this year. As far as actual releases I’ve got one more definite release from Carina this summer and I might have news on a couple other things currently in the works, but right now I’m just playing wait and see.

Thanks again for having me, Mandi! Since you’ve been cool enough to host me I’d like to offer a book from my backlist to one commenter! And if anyone wants to know more about me, feel free to check out my website, blog, or find me on twitter @katiereus.

Thank YOU Katie!!

To enter to win an E-Book from Katie’s backlist, or from the backlist of her pen name Savannah Stuart, just leave a comment.  Contest open through February 16th to everyone.