Passion, romantic suspense, and down-to-earth characters in extraordinary circumstances are the hallmark of Carla Neggers's novels. She began writing as a youngster?when she'd grab pen and paper and climb a tree to spin her tales?and hasn?t stopped since. A stickler for accuracy, she can often trace the germination of a plot to the exact moment of inspiration. "For example, ona trip to the Netherlands some years ago, we did a tour of a canal-like waterway," she says. "I kept thinking-what would happen if a dead body floated by? What if it was an American? It's the way myt mind works?around me, everyone else was admiring the quaint countryside. I was devising murder."