This week I’m hosting Irene Hannon with An Eye for an Eye and Birdie Etchison with The Prairie Romance. If you want to enter the drawing for the book, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (Oct. 4th) evening.
Hero Interview for An Eye for an Eye by Irene Hannon:
1. Mark Sanders, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
A lot of people seem fascinated by the fact that I’m on the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team. We’re among the most highly trained and best-equipped tactical personnel in the world, and I have some amazing stories. Unfortunately, I can’t share most of them because they’re classified!
2. What do you do for fun?
I used to hang out with one of the other HRT operators, Coop, until he got married. We still get together now and then, but most nights after work he goes straight home to Monica. (Not that I blame him!) Right now I’m on temporary assignment in St. Louis, and I’ve been spending my free time working out, jogging and inhaling drywall dust while I help another FBI buddy, Nick, rehab his historic house. He claims it will be fabulous when it’s finished. I have my doubts.
3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Not much. I’m a get-the-job-done-without-delay kind of guy.
4. What are you afraid of most in life?
Fear isn’t part of the HRT vocabulary. When you’ve dealt with terrorist raids, prison riots, hyperviolent street gangs, drug dealers and murderers, not much scares you. But I have to admit that since Coop got married, I’ve been more lonely than I expected. And spending the rest of my life that way does scare me a little.
5. What do you want out of life?
I used to think it was simply to be the best at my job. And to do my part to make the world a better, safe place, corny as that sounds. But since I reconnected with Emily Lawson, the girl who stole my heart during an idyllic summer at Wren Lake when we were teenagers, I have to admit that I’ve revised my aspirations to include finding a special woman to share my life with. Preferably Emily.
6. What is the most important thing to you?
At the moment, it’s finding the sniper who so rudely interrupted my unexpected reunion in the park with Emily. I need to figure out who he was after, why he wants one of us dead—and stop him before he finishes the job.
7. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?
I’ve never been much of a reader. I’m more an action kind of guy.
8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I wish I had more insight into human nature—and a more forgiving heart. Emily has both, by the way. And they come in handy in her profession. She’s a psychologist. But even back in our Wren Lake days, she was insightful, caring, generous and compassionate. Makes me wonder why I ever let her get away the first time around.
9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
No pets. My HRT missions call me away for extended periods too often.
10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
To the morning in the convenience store a few months ago that changed my life. The tragic consequences of that encounter with an armed robber continue to haunt me. On the other hand, if that hadn’t happened I would never have come to St. Louis and reconnected with Emily. God certainly works in mysterious ways, as she would surely point out if she were part of this discussion. Maybe He has a plan. If so, I hope He lets me in on it soon.
