Laura Marie Henion

Laura Marie Henion is a freelance writer and fictional author specializing in the genre of romance and suspense. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and has obtained many of her ideas and accurate information from family members, friends and law enforcement personnel. She has always had an interest in the law enforcement field and enjoys creative writing. As a young adult she created short stories and poetry to share with her family and friends. Laura integrated her creative writing skills in her professional career as both a sales center manager and a social worker. She loves working with people and believes this stems from both her Bachelors Degree in Social Work as well as her strong, law enforcement family background. These factors add to the authenticity of her stories and the true to life qualities of her characters. She is currently working on a fourth manuscript and is hoping to release another book in the near future. Laura Marie presently resides in Historic Hudson Valley New York with her husband and three small children. visit author's site here

Author's Books

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Hello, my name is Laura Marie Henion. I am a fictional author writing in the genre of suspense and romance. First, I would like to share a little bit about who I am and where I get many of my ideas for my stories. I am a mom of three wonderful children, I am the office manager for my husband's business and I am a published author of four full- length novels.

People always ask me how I handle all the responsibilities I have at home, in the office and pursuing a career as an author. I have always enjoyed reading and creating stories. While I was at home taking care of my three children, all under the age of four, at the time, I would read various types of novels to help me relax. It was a way to step back from the chaos of crying babies and dirty diapers and just drift off to another time and another place.

My idea of a great novel is one with authentic, believable characters, great suspense, just the right amount of romance and a story line and ending that leaves me feeling complete. There are no loose ends or questions unanswered.
Have you ever finished reading a novel and days later, while you're washing dishes, doing laundry or working in the office, you thought about the characters in the book?
I love when that happens.

I have always enjoyed writing, whether it was as a hobby or in my professional career as a social worker and sales center manager.

After reading and enjoying so many novels by talented authors, I decided I wanted to try to write a story of my own. Being a busy mom of three and knowing firsthand that reading a novel for the 'soccer mom' is not always easy, I wanted to create a fast paced story. It had to include strong believable characters and thrilling suspense. I am also a romantic, so I added the romance as the icing on the cake.

My motivation stems from various areas. First, my supportive husband who encouraged me to follow my dream and give it a shot. Second, my strong law enforcement family background and a foundation established at a young age. My parents encouraged high achievement, self-respect, self-confidence and a tremendous amount of love. I have a close-knit family where we encourage one another to achieve dreams and accomplishments without criticism, negativity or false hope.

I remember making the decision to just give writing my book a shot. What did I have to lose? No one, other than my husband, knew what I was about to attempt.
I did not want to have any regrets in life, so if I did it and I failed, at least I knew I tried. With that mind set, I took pen in hand and began.

I created JUST LOVE ME that stemmed from an idea I had after attending one of my Dad's Practical Homicide Investigation seminars, in Honolulu Hawaii.

Try to imagine this, an eighteen-year-old young woman her mom and her dad in paradise surrounded by law enforcement personnel. I was privy to the life of Hawaiian detectives, law enforcement and their daily activities of holding up the law, investigating homicides and dealing with the numerous diverse cultures of the land.

Keono Kuai, Commander of the Homicide Detail, my hero in JUST LOVE ME, is an accurate, authentic and believable character based on the intelligent, professional and sexy men of Hawaii. These investigators are tough, unique and deserving of the tribute I hope I presented in JUST LOVE ME.

I want the characters in my stories to be authentic and real. What I mean when I say authentic and real is that they don't have super human powers, they don't wear capes, instead they are true men and women with a desire a strength and a determination to improvise, adapt and overcome any given situation. These characters come in various forms. They can be homicide detectives, Cops, Firefighters, SWAT, Texas Rangers, journalists the list goes on.

Now, let us talk about family background. You think cops are tough? Try being a Cop's Daughter. Now that's tough.

I am a Cop's Daughter, and at a young age, my parents enlightened me to the fact that evil people walk the streets. I need to be aware of my surroundings, trust my gut instinct and always have an escape route in case of emergency.

My father was involved in homicide investigation on the city streets of New York, had written numerous text books on homicide investigation and crime scene analysis as well as co authored hundreds of other law enforcement related material. His textbook PRACTICAL HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION, TACTICS, PROCEDURES AND FORENSIC TECHNIQUES, is referred to as "The Bible of Homicide Investigation."

With two older brothers involved with police work and my Dad's expertise and experience, combined with my creative writing skills and imagination, I have created The COP'S DAUGHTER Series.

I have created a series where my readers don't necessarily have to read each book in a certain order. The main connection to the book is that the heroine is a Cop's Daughter.

The other connection involves the accurate law enforcement procedures the personnel and the importance of inter-jurisdictional relationships. In real life when there is a homicide investigation, it takes more than just one detective and a forensic technician to solve a crime. There are many people involved in an investigation and a homicide detective needs to be flexible, educated, street smart and diplomatic, to just name a few qualities. In all of my stories, I try to bring out the realities of police work and the investigative process.

In my series COP'S DAUGHTER, I have combined the emotions, the education, the knowledge and that special "oomph", that Cops Daughters have, into each of my heroines. They are ready to take on the bad guys, help solve the case and perhaps risk everything to help bring justice to the victim's family. There is a unique strength in all of us as Cop's Daughter's that isn't so easily describable, but unique.

I am very excited about this series and I hope my readers will enjoy each distinctive story of suspense and romance.

In between writing JUST LOVE ME and the COP'S DAUGHTER series, I also wrote a short story called WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, STAYS IN VEGAS. It is included in the HATE Anthology along with other talented Whiskey Creek Press authors and their stories.

This was my first attempt at trying to write a short story for an anthology after writing full-length novels. I wanted to write something fun, fast paced, suspenseful and different. Vegas was a blast to write about. I included the wild gambling activity, showgirls and nightlife of Vegas surrounding a murder mystery case and its investigators.

In this story, two different law enforcement agencies must come together to solve the crime, laying their lives on the line and dealing with proper and improper protocol. There needed to be a charismatic, strong and of course good-looking detective from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. Detective Conway Lewis emerged, with his arrogance, police homicide investigative experiences as well as his ability to play a believable undercover role.

His new partner had to be tough, believable in her role as 'show girl' but most importantly be able to handle herself in the high stakes murder investigation the two would embark on together. Therefore, I created Julianna Monroe, an investigator for the Nevada State Police. She's youthful looking, experienced, tough and not only ready to solve this crime and help find the killer, but also take on the Metro detective who thinks very little of her capabilities. The twists and turns in the case are continuous from beginning to end. The suspense, the investigative process and the attraction between the two investigators lead to solving the crime. One reviewer states that the story 'reads like a novel in itself'. I hope you take the time to read the HATE anthology and all the wonderful stories included in this anthology.

As if life was not stressful and chaotic enough for me, I decided I wanted to write a different novel. Something that was separate from my police novels and perhaps a story that represented my Italian heritage and strong morals and values. I attempted to do this with HARD HEADED WOMAN but things did not work out as I had planned.

Before long, the suspense took over the story. Then the heroine took on such a strong, independent personality that I needed an equally strong hero. Antoinette Savanio is a lovable, believable and honorable character that some may perceive or label as a HARD HEADED WOMAN. I've been called such before, and to me it is a compliment.

Not just any man can get along with such an independent and confident woman who has grown up on the tough city streets of New York. He would have to be just as stubborn, strong, independent and capable. There was no question in my mind as to who the hero would be. Jack Coltry, Texas Ranger emerged.

Whooweee…is he a piece of work. The mere mention of the words Texas Ranger, makes a guilty person shake in their boots. Add the fact that Jack is a tall, good looking, masculine cowboy with an attitude and confidence to boot, and you've got trouble.

These two individually dominant characters make this story fun, exciting and suspenseful. I enjoyed learning a lot about the Texas Rangers, rodeos and rodeo cowboys and combining my research with some of my own Italian ethnic traditions.

I feel that HARD HEADED WOMAN is a one of kind story that has a little bit of something for everyone.

When I sat down and began writing the second book to the COP'S DAUGHTER Series, I wanted to focus a little bit more on the personality of my serial killer as well as the personalities of the homicide detectives. When I think about it, I can't even fathom the emotions, the stress and upset detectives must have while they are investigating a homicide. They need to be able to separate the fact that a life was taken and focus on solving the crime and bringing justice to the victim's family. This can't be easy.

Day in and day out they have to continuously think about their cases, the evidence, the suffering families and all while trying to live their lives. How do these detectives stay focused? How do they cope with such violence and chaos?

Being a cop is like being part of a large family. They lean on one another, develop coping mechanisms and try their hardest to live with the violence they see.

My character Lauren Phelps, represents not only a New York City homicide detective but also a Cop's Daughter. She's tough and she has to be. It's not easy for a female officer to prove herself and to achieve First grade homicide detective and be considered one of the best. But, she accomplishes this, attains a respectable reputation and lands another intense case. This case could either help her career or ruin it entirely. Lauren continues to set goals, loves being a cop and everything her badge and her position stands for. Being a homicide detective means everything to Lauren Phelps. She has sacrificed so much to achieve her position. She has no personal life, no boyfriend, no commitments other than that to the New York City police department.

COP'S DAUGHTER –LAUREN, Book two, the suspense, the steamy romance and the story line itself is sure to leave my readers more than satisfied.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about my novels and me. I encourage you to read an excerpt and stop by my website at www.lauramariehenion.com for more information and upcoming releases.

I love to hear from my readers, so please feel free to write a review and email me directly from my website. I have included a READERS REVIEWS section on the website for this purpose.

Thank you for your support and keep a look out for future books in the COP'S DAUGHTER Series.

Laura Marie