<![CDATA[Ann Voss Peterson - Behind the Scenes]]>

<![CDATA[Ann Voss Peterson - Behind the Scenes]]>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:09:19 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[Emergency Vehicle Operator Course]]>Sun, 02 Feb 2020 18:05:42 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/emergency-vehicle-operator-course

Yep, that's me behind the wheel of a police car.

A few years ago, I participated in my local citizens' police academy as research for my stories. The 10-week course gave me an idea of the training Val Ryker and her coworkers went through as police officers. One of the things I got to experience was EVOC training.

The course included a backing test and a high-ish speed chase through an obstacle course. It was fun, but a lot more challenging than I expected. One thing I never mastered was calling in my location to the dispatcher while driving. Every time I tried, I automatically slowed down. Apparently talking and driving at the same time are beyond me.

I used this experience in FRANTIC, my new release from Small Town Secrets: Sins.

Excerpt from
FRANTIC
Small Town Secrets: Sins, Book 3

She shifted again and the car lurched backwards. Diana punched it. Tires spun on gravel. Caught. She bulleted in reverse, craning to see over her shoulder.

At sixteen, her adopted father had drilled her on backing and parallel parking before he’d allowed her to take her behind-the-wheel test. He’d insisted on slow and careful and perfect. He’d be rolling over in his grave if he saw this.

Bobby, on the other hand, would be impressed.

Please don’t let me crash.

The van kept coming, gaining.

Diana couldn’t keep this up. She had to turn the car around and fast, before the van caught up or she smashed into something.

She spotted an intersection behind her coming up fast. That was her chance.
Wait for it. Wait for it.

She yanked her foot off the gas. As the backward momentum died, she spun the wheel hard to the left. The car spun, tires sliding, gravel flying. Halfway through the spin, she shifted into neutral. And when the nose of the car faced the turn she wanted, she plunged it into drive, hit the gas, and shot ahead.

The van followed her around the turn, back end fishtailing, not even slowing down.

Now what?

Diana couldn’t go back. She wasn’t sure if Bobby and Val had even survived the dump truck. And if they had, there wasn’t a chance she was going to lead the copycat killer back to finish the job.

She had to lead him away.

She had to get help.

Diana took another turn, way too fast, the van on her bumper. Then fingers shaking, she reached for the button on the radio. “Dispatch? Dispatch? Hello?”

A backhoe jutted out into the street in front of her.

She swerved, gravel skidding under her, then muscled the car back onto the road before she landed in the ditch.

Ohmygod. Ohmygod. Ohmygod.

Diana stole a glance into the rearview mirror. The van had made it around the backhoe and was back on her tail.

“Is anyone out there? Come in!” The street came to a T, and Diana took a right.

Here, only skeletons of houses dotted one side of the street. Less equipment to dodge. Fewer people. And yet, she was also more alone. “Hello? Hello? Please!”

“Who is this?” A woman’s voice finally answered, the sound turned low.

“Diana Gale.”

“Who? This is a police channel.”

Diana gasped for breath. Of course the woman wouldn’t know who she was. “I’m Bobby Vaughan’s fiancé… well, ex-fiancé, really.”

“Vaughan?”

“Yes, yes, he’s a detective with the sheriff’s department.”

“I know who Vaughan is. Why’d you break up?”

“What?” Diana couldn’t have heard her right. She had no idea where the volume might be, but reflexively she reached for the radio anyway. Her fingers hit the handheld speaker and knocked it off its cradle. It hit the floor. “Damn it.”

“There’s no need for profanity.”

“You can still hear me?”

“I hear everything.”

Diana focused on negotiating a sharp bend in the road. When the pavement straightened out, there were no more houses, just forest on either side.

Now she was really isolated, racing into a wilderness she didn’t know. And back at the house…
“Bobby and Val… Val Ryker… they need help.”

“Val Ryker? My aunt used to work with her. She’s a legend around here. Why didn’t you say Val was in trouble?”

“I just did.”

“Where is she?”

Sunlight blared through the windshield, blinding Diana. She flipped the visor down. Ahead the straight road turned curvy, and Diana slalomed through trees and juts of purple rock. The van fell out of sight, lagging behind on the turns.

“Hello? Diana?”

“Sorry. Can’t talk and drive.”

“You’re not chewing gum too, are you?”

“Uh, no.”

“Thank the Lord.”

Diana frowned. She couldn’t be hearing this right. Was this woman making fun of her? “I’m serious.”

“What happened to Val and Bobby?”

“They were hit by a dump truck.”

“You said you were serious.”

“I am.”

“A dump truck?”

“They need help.”

“No kidding. Where?”

“In a new housing development off of…” She drew a blank.

“Where?”

“Uh… Forest Road. Forest Road.”

“Forest? You sure about that? I have you on Sunrise Ridge.”

“You can see me?”

“I can see the car.”

“How?”

“You’ve heard of GPS?”

“Okay… Yeah… Right… Could you send help?”

“Already did. It was called in a moment ago. Police and ambulance on the way to Forest Road.”

“I mean out this way, too. The Copycat Killer is chasing me.”

“You’re kidding this time, right?”

“Not at all.”

“Why didn’t you lead with that? How close is he?”

“I… uh…” Diana navigated a switchback turn without a glimpse of van behind her. “I think I might be pulling away.”

“Good. You need to head back toward town.”

“I… I don’t know where I am.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll guide you back. Listen. You’re going to need to take the next left and go about…”

Out of the corner of her eye, Diana spotted a road sign and an opening in the trees. She stomped the brake and muscled the wheel to the left. The car skidded, righted itself, and she gunned it down the country road.

“What did you do?”

“You said take a left.”

“I said the next left. You just turned onto a dead-end.”

“You’ve got to be kidd—”

The trees opened up on one side and Diana caught a glimpse of sky and fields. A lake sparkled in the distance. A road ribboned the slope below.

The road she was supposed to have taken.

“Turn around!” The dispatcher yelled. “Get out of there!”

Diana slowed and did a U-turn.

A white spot appeared at the end of the road. Too late.

Think. Think.

For a moment, she just stared at the van hurtling toward her. She had an idea, but it was risky. Dangerous. Oh, who was she kidding? It was entirely insane. But it was better than waiting. Letting him catch up to her, take her to some cabin in the woods…

She shifted into drive, let out a long breath, and stomped on the gas. The car surged forward, pushing her back against the head rest. She barreled toward the van.

Please swerve.

Please swerve.

Please swerve.

It didn’t waver, just raced straight for her.

Order FRANTIC and the rest of the Small Town Secrets: Sins series now!

]]><![CDATA[SMALL TOWN SECRETS: SINS]]>Wed, 15 Jan 2020 17:42:46 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/small-town-secrets-sinsLove, sex, revenge, murder...
welcome to Lake Loyal, Wisconsin.

LETHAL - AVAILABLE NOW!
CAPTIVE - 1/15/2020
FRANTIC - 2/12/2020
VICIOUS - 3/11/2020

Get the Small Town Secrets: Sins series

]]><![CDATA[Free Thriller eBooks!]]>Thu, 20 Jun 2019 19:59:09 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/free-thriller-ebooksFor a limited time, get my book PUSHED TOO FAR along with a bunch of other thrillers FREE from Amazon!
Just click on the image below.

]]><![CDATA[Calling All Writers!]]>Fri, 16 Feb 2018 16:45:05 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/calling-all-writers

Here's a post for the writers out there! On April 12 - 18, 2018, I will be speaking at the University of Wisconsin - Madison's Writers' Institute. It will be a busy weekend, as I'm scheduled to give the keynote address, teach two writing craft workshops, and sit on a panel devoted to the new and somewhat confusing world of self-publishing. The conference is chock-full of workshops on all different kinds of writing; novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, memoir, and you name it.

And that's not all.

I (and others) will also be offering manuscript critiques to those who sign up ahead of time. In addition, several agents and editors will be in attendance and accepting meetings. So get your taxes done ahead of time, and I will be looking forward to seeing you in Madison!

Click Here For More Information

Click Here For Information About Critique Services

]]><![CDATA[Setting Research for Return to Jenkins Cove]]>Thu, 26 Oct 2017 18:00:46 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/setting-research-for-return-to-jenkins-coveOne of my favorite things about being a fiction writer is exploring different worlds. For the Return to Jenkins Cove series I wrote with Rebecca York and Patricia Rosemoor, I got to explore a different world in the literary sense AND in the literal.

Most of my books are thrillers (the Val Ryker series and the Codename: Chandler series) and romantic suspense with an emphasis on the suspense (Small Town Secrets and Rocky Mountain Thrillers). So when Rebecca York and Patricia Rosemoor approached me to write a series of paranormal romantic suspense trilogies with them, I jumped at the chance to do something a little different. The result was three serial stories (Gypsy Magic, Renegade Magic, and New Orleans Magic) and two novel trilogies (Security Breach - available in 2018 - and Return to Jenkins Cove, which will be released November 1, 2017.

For all five of the projects we did together, we took research trips to explore our settings. Our trip for Return to Jenkins Cove took Patricia and I to Rebecca's neck of the woods (Maryland). We stayed at a bed-and-breakfast on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, and plotted out our series using St. Michaels as a loose model for our small town of Jenkins Cove, Maryland.

Christmas… Ghosts… Mystery… Romance…
Something evil lurks in the charming town of Jenkins Cove. When Sophie Caldwell devotes a room in her B&B to communicate with spirits, dangerous secrets rise to the surface, and the lives of three couples will never be the same.

Christmas Spirit by Rebecca York
Michael Bryant is sure he doesn't believe in the supernatural, but when Chelsea Caldwell's life is in danger, he must trust the words of a ghost to save her.

Christmas Awakening by Ann Voss Peterson
When Marie Leonard returns to Jenkins Cove for her father’s funeral, she never expects to rekindle her romance with billionaire recluse Brandon Drake…nor to be haunted by the ghost of his dead wife.

Christmas Delivery by Patricia Rosemoor
Haunted by ghosts, Jenkins Cove will now have to deal with Simon Shea who has “returned from the dead” seeking revenge...only to reconnect with Lexie Thornton, the girl he loved, and the daughter they conceived thirteen years ago.

Return to Jenkins Cove: Christmas Spirit... Christmas Awakening... Christmas Delivery... To get the whole story, read all three!

]]><![CDATA[ROCKY MOUNTAIN THRILLERS]]>Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:00:00 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/rocky-mountain-thrillersI have two brothers, one older, one younger, and they are both spectacular guys. Growing up, our parents took us on epic road trips across the U.S., and the three of us continue to enjoy traveling as adults. But where my younger brother and I have always found our way back to our native Wisconsin, my older brother has lived several places throughout the world. A few years ago, my older brother decided he wanted to live in the mountains. So after his sons graduated high school, he moved to Cody, Wyoming.

I visited Wyoming several times as a child (Yellowstone and Grand Teton were my dad's favorite national parks). But it was my brother moving to Cody and my subsequent trips to visit him, that inspired me to write three romantic thrillers set in that part of the world. And that's how Rocky Mountain Thrillers was born.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN THRILLERS are fast-paced novels with a dangerous edge. Each stand-alone story is set in the brutal and beautiful Rocky Mountains and contains intrigue, romance, and break-neck action. Read all three!

Manhunt
When single mother and accountant Shanna Clarke goes on her company's big game hunting trip in Wyoming, she never dreams that her boss intends to hunt her.

Fugitive
Wyoming rancher Sarah Trask is on the run from the law after a dirty sheriff shoots her brother, and the only man she can turn to for help is her unborn baby's father... a man unaware he is about to become a dad.

Justice
Denver cop-turned-investigator Melissa Anderson was on the job for years, but she’d never fired her gun... until a drive by shooting in front of the courthouse sends her and a child witness under her protection on the run to Wyoming... and into the arms of the child's rancher father.

Check out Rocky Mountain Thrillers on Amazon. Click Here!

]]><![CDATA[New Orleans Magic]]>Tue, 06 Jun 2017 18:41:53 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/new-orleans-magicNew Orleans is magic. The music. The food. The energy in the air. Every part of the city is alive with creativity. From the strains of a zydeco band drifting from an open door on Frenchmen Street, to the scents in the Quarter--good and bad--to the sweat trickling down my back on a hot day, the city makes me feel alive.

Rebecca York, Patricia Rosemoor, and I tried to capture a little of that atmosphere in our serial romantic suspense series, New Orleans Magic.

Of course, it's tough to truly capture a place like New Orleans. It tickles all the senses, including some of the sixth kind. So if you get a chance, take a trip to the Crescent City and experience the magic for yourself!

And be sure to read New Orleans Magic before you go!

NEW ORLEANS MAGIC SERIAL
After a murder at a voodoo ceremony in a charming New Orleans bistro, three street cops, Jordan O’Reilly, Liam O’Reilly, and Zachary Doucet, have a personal stake in solving the case. But if they meddle in the investigation, they may get thrown off the force--or worse.

Part 1: Jordan
Jordan O’Reilly is first to take the heat. While moonlighting with a security company, he’s assigned to protect Camille DuPree, the restaurant owner. Six years ago, he and Camille were in love, and each thinks the other broke it off. Now they’re thrown back together and must cope with their shattered relationship as well as the murder investigation and an ugly voodoo charm that shows up on Camille’s doorstep.

Part 2: Liam
Liam O’Reilly doesn’t have to wear the uniform to be a cop, he is the uniform. Disciplined and skeptical, Liam doesn’t believe in voodoo any more than he does in lasting love. But then he meets brash defense attorney Simone Jones… and his carefully structured world spins out of control.

Part 3: Zachary
Officer Zachary Doucet arrives at a murder scene‒‒the victim another voodoo ceremony participant‒‒only to face his ex-partner Detective Rebecca Romero. Zachary sees this murder as proof that the wrong man is in jail and intends to clear his half-brother Jordan. From experience, Rebecca fears he’ll do anything to get what he needs, so she unofficially works the case with him. Their unconsummated attraction to each other flares anew, but with Rebecca a straight arrow and Zachary a maverick, is there hope for a future together?

New Orleans Magic: Jordan…Liam…Zachary…each of these compelling stories ends with an HEA for the hero and heroine. But only the full set will finally get to the bottom of the murder mystery. Be sure to read them all!

JORDAN by Rebecca York

LIAM by Ann Voss Peterson

ZACHARY by Patricia Rosemoor

]]><![CDATA[Destructo Ann!]]>Sat, 18 Jun 2016 15:43:48 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/destructo-annAs part of my local fire department's citizen's academy, I got the opportunity to try my hand at some destruction. Here I am using a cutter and a spreader to dismantle an old car. Yep, a little Jaws of Life action! You wouldn't believe how heavy these tools are. I was sore for days. But being able to pull someone of a crashed car would be worth a little muscle soreness, don't you think?

I used this experience in a scene from Pushed Too Far. Check out the excerpt below the pics.

]]><![CDATA[The School]]>Mon, 30 May 2016 17:23:47 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/the-schoolIn 2014, I wrote a supernatural thriller with a touch of romance to be included in a box set with eleven fabulous authors. I'd had this story in my mind for a while, and although it was a departure from the police thrillers I write, I thought it would be fun. It was. :) My police chief, Val Ryker, along with David Lund, make an appearance in this creepy story about a kid who ventures into an abandoned school and disappears. His mother must face her own fears and haunting memories to find him. At the time I wrote The School, my old middle school was being torn down and replaced, and that was the school I had in mind when I was writing. Check out the pictures of settings in The School below.

Now The School is available as an ebook, and it will be part of my Small Town Secrets series, a collection of books set in the world of Val Ryker. Click here to get The School FREE on Amazon from May 27 through May 31, 2016.

]]><![CDATA[Setting research for Dead Too Soon -- available now!]]>Thu, 12 May 2016 15:34:38 GMThttps://www.annvosspeterson.com/behind-the-scenes/setting-research-for-dead-too-soon-available-nowThe Val Ryker thrillers are set in Lake Loyal, Wisconsin, a fictitious town located among the Baraboo Bluffs. But many real locations make it into the stories, too. Here are photos of some of the settings I used in Dead Too Soon. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I'm not going to explain the below scenes. But once you've read the book, I suspect you'll recognize them all.

It took Lund only seventeen minutes to drive from the Dells to the old Baraboo train depot, even without lights and sirens. And yet, by the time they stopped on the hill overlooking the red brick building, Val had a horrible feeling they were too late.
She eyed the hulk of a building along the tracks below and rubbed her numb hand and arm. Three stories of red brick and arched windows, the depot had been around since the 1800s. No doubt it had been bustling back then, when the most efficient mode of travel was by train and Baraboo had been home to the Ringling Brothers Circus. Now cinderblock filled spaces that were once windows, some painted red, some unadorned gray. The structure's west end held two graffiti-scarred garage doors, a small steel door tucked beside one. To the east, a single small door was the only way out.
She and Lund joined the county emergency response team at the edge of a scraggly clump of barren trees.
"We've been seeing far too much of each other lately, Val," Bobby Vaughan, the county's ERT commander, said. "Helluva bad day."

Read Dead Too Soon, available now!

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