“Travis, I could strangle you.”
“Does that mean you’re going to throw me out of your life?” His tone was light, but his expression wasn’t. “I’d find that very difficult to accept. So difficult that going back into a trauma state would be easy by comparison.”
She had never seen him this vulnerable. There was so much she didn’t know about him. So much still to learn. He was constantly thinking, moving, planning. He’d lived a life of which she had no real conception. This might be only the first of the secrets she’d find out about him. Travis was definitely no angel.
What the hell. He’d never be boring.
“Why should I throw you out? You’re probably the only man in the world who understands me. But you do have a few faults that are going to cause us some big headaches.” She took his hand and smiled at him. “Oh, well, I guess we’ll just have to work on it.”
Dear Reader,
If you’ve read any of my recent suspense novels, such as The Search or Final Target, you’d probably be surprised to learn that I actually began my career writing historical romances. Several years ago I began thinking of writing a book centered on a magnificent ancient statue with mystical powers. But the more I thought about the book, the more complex the concept grew, and I realized it could not be contained in one book. It was soon clear this was to be a trilogy— the story of a family whose fate was intertwined with the Wind Dancer through the centuries—and although they were love stories, they were also filled with suspense and adventure. The books stand alone, but the Wind Dancer is central to the thread of suspense that runs through each of them.
The first book, entitled The Wind Dancer, is set in Renaissance Italy during the reign of the Borgias. It’s a story of ambition and revenge and the statue that sent the mighty Borgias spiraling downward. Interestingly enough, Lorenzo, the Assassin, is probably my favorite of all the secondary characters I’ve ever created.
The second book, Storm Winds, takes place during the turbulence of the French Revolution and concerns the role played by the Wind Dancer in the rescue of a member of the royal family. It’s also a love story and follows the lifelong friendship between two women.
Reap the Wind, the third and final novel in the trilogy, is a contemporary suspense. It’s a thriller on a global scale and moves from the streets of Paris to the White House. I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy the tremendous amount of traveling I had to do to make sure each and every detail was correct. The characters came alive for me and the enthusiasm for writing these books became obsession. I’ve always believed that some books are written with the mind and others with the heart. The Wind Dancer books involved both my mind and my heart, and the characters and mystique stayed with me long after I finished writing the trilogy. Even though a decade has passed since I finished Reap the Wind, I couldn’t resist bringing the statue back to ignite the swirl of violence and intrigue in Final Target.
Imagine my surprise when Final Target came out and I found myself inundated with mail from my readers asking about the history of the Wind Dancer. I’m delighted to take this opportunity to explain this link to my earlier titles. When I reread Reap the Wind, I got to do what most authors never have a chance to do—go back and do a little reworking. What author can resist tweaking a bit when given the chance?
You’re going to find Reap the Wind a little different from my more recent thrillers, because it’s a bit more sensual. But if you want to find out more about the Wind Dancer, there’s no better place to go.
And after reading Reap the Wind, if it’s piqued your interest in this statue, you can always go back and read about the Wind Dancer’s history, first in Renaissance Italy and then in Storm Winds, set during the French Revolution. I think you’ll like them. I’m very proud of these books.
I guess it’s obvious that I’m one of the lucky people who truly love their work. I’d like to thank you for reading my stories and making that work possible. I’ll try never to disappoint you.
—Iris Johansen