On The Make, Margo Hoornstra

Brothers in Blue: To Serve and Protect Was Never More Personal

The Brothers In Blue series, created by author Margo Hoornstra, tells of four heroes who met at the police academy and became life-long friends. The dropout, the straight arrow, the movie star and the maverick: all share a passion to serve and protect, each in their own unique way.

     On The Make is the story of Adam Pride aka Adam Hollingsworth, one-time police officer turned reluctant movie star. He’s visiting Wild Women Authors this week and we are thrilled to meet him and welcome Margo back to our blog.

Where are you from? Everywhere and nowhere. At least until I was lucky enough to meet Madison Clark and her two boys Cameron and Dak. My whole life, my mother liked to move around a lot. We finally landed in the Detroit area, I hoped for good. When she took off again, I was old enough at eighteen to stay where I was for a change and support myself. That was a long time ago.

Tell us about your book. It’s a long story how I went from being a cop to becoming an actor, so I won’t go into that now. I first met Madison Clark when I was shooting a movie on location in Colorado. She’d recently moved there for a relationship that didn’t turn out at all as she’d expected. Then the accidents started, and she always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Turned out I needed to revert back to my police officer skills when a would-be assassin got the better of her. Though it took a long time to figure that out. She never did, and I almost didn’t.

What did you think the first time you saw Madison? Aside from the fact she had a face sent straight from heaven? I thought she was someone I wanted to get to know better. No. Not thought. I was sure of it.

What was your second thought? One thing I did not know for sure was whether I had a snowball’s chance in you know where, whether or not that would or could happen. Unfortunately, we didn’t meet for the first time under the best of circumstances. She was really, really pissed at her oldest offspring, fourteen-year-old Cameron and, by extension, me. And I was immediately determined to somehow get into her good graces. Or die trying. (Okay that last part is a little dramatic. I’m a reluctant actor after all.) However, I did risk my life more than once for her. Something I’d do in a heartbeat over and over again if, God forbid I had to.

Was it love at first sight? Now that I think about it, for me yes. Definitely, yes. However, aside from the fact she wanted nothing to do with me, at the time we first met, I was under the mistaken impression she was married. In my world, that made her off limits. Period. Which kinda blew my mind.

What do you like most about her? Her devotion to her family. Which I’m lucky enough to be part of. She’s especially devoted to her kids. All three of them. Hard to believe our precious little one’s impending arrival very nearly broke us up at the beginning. Something I shudder to think about. All I would have missed. The woman is certainly not a Black Widow in the making as she was seeing herself when we, shall we say, first became friends.

How would you describe her? Aside from being gorgeous? Sweet. Caring. Courageous. Determined.

How would she describe you? I would hope much the same way. Without the gorgeous part, of course. Nice looking maybe. I’d like to think so, anyway.

What made you choose acting as a career? I didn’t. Acting chose me. And only temporarily. I kind of fell into the acting stint when, as a police officer, I was assigned to a personal protection detail of a high-profile producer. My first love has always been law enforcement. Ironically, Madison’s first husband had been a cop too. Complete opposite of her second husband, who died under rather suspicious circumstances.

What is your biggest fear? That I might lose any part of the family I always wanted and now have. Madison and the boys. Our newest addition, the light of my life, their sister. Even my new mother-in-law Kay Carmichael. She’s a real hoot. Woman has a heart of gold and nerves of steel.

How do you relax? Living with two energetic, adolescent boys and also the light of my life, their little sister, I no longer do that, too often anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade chaos for calm for anything.

Who is your favorite fictional character? Does Kyle Flynn count? He’s the cop I played in the movie we were making. Kyle sacrificed for his family too. What was left of it.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Always, always stick with the truth. It will never let you down. That from one of my Brothers In Blue. The straight arrow of our group, Vince Miller. He recently made captain. Well deserved.

Thanks for spending time with us, Adam. Now to Margo. What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Not only the books, but the authors. Kathleen Woodiwiss. Phyllis Whitney.

What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? Coming from a law enforcement family, as well as having many, many friends in the profession, I hope I was able to convey the personal side of, perhaps a behind the scenes perspective, about those who dedicate themselves to serve and protect us. And the people who find themselves loving them.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? The Wild Rose Press was first introduced to me by an author friend back in 2008, I think it was. I initially submitted a number of short stories to a very special editor at their Last Rose of Summer line Kathy Cottrell. She accepted each and every one of those for publication, then went on to publish my next six contemporary romance novels. When I switched to writing romantic suspense, Ally Robertson, an editor with The Wild Rose Press Crimson Rose line picked up this four-book series, Brothers In Blue.

What books currently rest on your TBR pile? Quite honestly, too many to count. For the most part, books by fellow authors. First drafts from my critique partner Jannine Gallant.

Lastly, what’s up next and when can we expect to see it on shelves? Thank you for asking. Next is the final book of the Brothers In Blue series due out sometime in 2021. On The Move features Luke Simms, the maverick of the four. Or should I say less traditional? In the previous three Brothers In Blue, Luke was happily engaged to Chelsea, a fellow officer. Kind of an example for the others to strive for. When Luke’s book opens, Chelsea, who never made it on stage, has recently walked out on him. More or less at loose ends in his personal life, Luke throws himself into an undercover assignment which would have gotten him killed if not for a very courageous woman, a former prosecutor turned matchmaker named CJ. I’m also working on a murder mystery novella. Twelve other authors are in the group. Our Friday The Thirteenth books will release on November 13, 2020. My contribution is titled Dead To Rights. In addition to the murder, it’s full of mistaken identity and second chances with the tag line – One step off the path could be her last.