Special agent? In the USFWS?
The gentleman went on to characterize this elite group of agents within the Service as the FBI of game wardens.
I was instantly captivated.
My author’s mind began spinning for possibilities on how I could incorporate a USFWS special agent into my conservation corner of the Steele Ridge world. Luckily for me, Britt Steele had a biologist best friend—Derek “Deke” Conrad.
While writing Loving DEEP, I hadn’t yet uncovered Deke’s full professional potential. That changed in Roaming WILD.
Though USFWS special agents collaborate with many agencies, they seem, to me, to be loners. Now I know romance readers love a good brooding I-don’t-need-anyone hero (I include myself in this category), but this didn’t fit Deke’s character.
Deke’s a social guy. Loves people. He needed a team.
So I brainstormed ways to give him a support group. It didn’t take me long to come up with an elite, black ops team hand selected from the ranks of special agents.
Thus, Special Operations for Natural Resources, aka SONR, was born.
I had a ton of fun getting to know Keone, Wes, Matteo, Raelyn, Taji, and let’s not forget tell-it-like-it-is Jax.
I hope you enjoyed SONR, my fictional interpretation of a dedicated group of men and women who work hard to protect our precious natural resources, every day. A resourceful team willing to put their lives in danger for their beliefs, their passions.
Many readers might be wondering why all this species diversity stuff is important. It’s not something many of us will notice as a part of our daily lives.
Unless…
We pause a moment in our backyard and inhale a deep clean breath of air,
we glance over our shoulder while sitting at a stoplight to appreciate the swaying tallgrass in a local prairie,
we brake to a stop on a bridge during our weekend bike ride to marvel at the clear flowing water in the creek below, or
we travel to a national park, walk the trails, and soak in the sounds and scents of the wild things that call such a place home—and note how our minds grow calmer and how the white noise of our lives disappears, leaving us happier and healthier than when we started the journey.
Only then do we come to realize that everything on this beautiful earth is interconnected—from the speck of dust on a coffee table to an eagle soaring high above her nest perched on the cliff’s edge.
It all matters.
Every. Single. Bit.
Acknowledgments
A million thanks to my husband. His patience, love, and generosity makes it possible for me to write about the beauty of the human heart every day.
As always, I’m indebted to Adrienne Giordano and Kelsey Browning. Sisters of my heart, writers extraordinaire.
My editor, Deborah Nemeth and copy editor, Martha Trachtenberg, have my infinite gratitude for their wise counsel and eagle eye.
Kim Killion, I adore your talent. Roaming WILD’s cover could not be more perfect.
As I have never written a military-style book before, I must give enormous thanks to Scott Silverii for helping me bring SONR to life. I love this group of wildlife warriors and hope to see more of them in the future.
Special thanks to my friend and Lady Jane’s Salon-goer, Liz Semkiu, for helping me bring Roaming WILD’s Med Mobile to life. The inside of the RV would have consisted of an exam table and a stethoscope, without your expert advice.
Sending a big hug to you, dear reader. Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support of my stories. You’re amazing!
TEAM STEELE RIDGE
Edited by Deborah Nemeth
Copyedited by Martha Trachtenberg
Beta Reads by Amy Remus, April Renn, Cricket McGraw and Isabel Seligstein Hofmann
Cover Design by Killion Group, Inc.
Author Photo by Lisa Kaman Kenning, Mezzaluna Photography
Copyright © TDC Creations, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented—except in the case of brief quotations—without permission in writing from Steele Ridge, LLC.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Print Edition, June 2017, ISBN: 978-1-944898-15-1
Digital Edition, June 2017, ISBN: 978-1-944898-14-4
For more information contact: [email protected]
About the Author
Tracey Devlyn is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and historical romantic suspense, historical mysteries, and mainstream thrillers.
An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters.
Don’t miss a new release! Join Tracey’s New Release Newsletter list at http://TraceyDevlyn.com/Contact!
For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her at:
www.TraceyDevlyn.com
[email protected]
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