Colleen Collins Books

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Colleen Collins is a Private Investigator that writes mystery romance novels. When she was doing Jack Benny impressions at the age of 3, Colleen had no idea that she would eventually pursue a career in publishing. She had plenty of reasons to doubt the possibility of her life going down such a path, especially as an adult who kept meandering through disparate careers.

Colleen attended UC Santa Barbara. She pursued a theater degree, eventually graduating with honors. Soon after, she went to Hollywood and tried to carve out a place for herself, a task that was easier said than done.

Her initial objective was to find work in film production. She succeeded, joining a sitcom as a script girl. However, the height of her career in the industry was probably the time she spent working as Michael Ovitz’s assistant. He was the most powerful agent in Hollywood at the time.

The work Colleen Collins did for him was as stressful as it was crazy. But she had fun. In the years that followed, the author tried her hand at a number of careers. She worked as a telecommunications manager at RAND Corporation.

Her resume also includes stints as a speechwriter, technical editor, and even an improv comic. The author credits the semblance of stability she attained later on to her relationship with Shaun, her boyfriend. Shaun was a former criminal attorney who had experience training Private Investigators.

In 2003, the pair went into business together, opening an Agency and becoming private investigators. Shaun mentored Colleen, igniting her interest in PI work and opening her eyes to the world of sleuthing. Shaun and Colleen eventually married.

By this point in time, Colleen was a published author. Her attempts at writing fiction began years earlier. She had attempted to put a few of her ideas on paper but nothing ever stuck. Her luck changed when she received a rejection from one particular agent who told her that she had the talent to write professionally but she would never succeed if she kept writing sad stories.

Colleen took this criticism to heart. She started toying with more lighthearted material, eventually producing a romantic comedy that she finally sold.

The author wrote dozens of novels for Dorchester and Harlequin. Her bibliography also includes nonfiction books that explore PI work. Colleen started as a contemporary romance writer before finally turning her attention to romantic mysteries.

Her writing is heavily informed by her work as a PI. Though, she still does quite a bit of research. Colleen depends heavily on the internet even though it is a constant source of distraction. But she isn’t afraid to look to sources in the real world for information.

For instance, to write ‘Right Chapel, Wrong Couple’ in 1997, she started frequenting a gentleman’s club called ‘Denver’s Diamond Cabaret’. She grew so comfortable with the workers that she was eventually offered a free VIP Pass which she never used.

Colleen Collins Awards

The author was nominated for the Rita Award in 2001 (Rough and Rugged).

Best Colleen Collins Books

Colleen is a member of groups like Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, with some of the best books in her bibliography including:

The Zen Man: PI Rick Levine has the worst luck in the world, or so he would like to think. Levine was finally ready to get re-licensed as a lawyer. But before his life could change for the better, another lawyer was killed and the murder was placed at his feet. He was arrested and taken to prison from where he was expected to pay half a million dollars in bail.

Now Levine is finally free but only temporarily. He was released on bond. To make his freedom permanent, Levine and his girlfriend Laura must identify the real killer. They have thirty days to wade through shady legal backrooms and tony corporate centers.

Mistletoe and Murder in Las Vegas: Joanne Galvin needs a break. The Las Vegas Lawyer is barely making ends meet. The only thing she wants out of the holiday season is a paying client. She doesn’t expect to get saddled with a notorious timepiece arsonist who drags her into an adventure involving a serial killer, a special agent, and an arson dog.

When Does The Next Colleen Collins book come out?

Colleen Collins doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Mistletoe and Murder in Las Vegas and was released on December, 14th 2015. It is the newest book in the Affairs to Remember Series.

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