I’ve lived in 10 states and one foreign country, but New Mexico is now my home. The desert Southwest inspires my work, as I bring romantic suspense to the land I love. Here are some of my favorite spots – heavy on the adventure.

1. Hovenweep National Monument: Located on the southern border between Colorado and Utah, these ruins once housed 2500 people between A.D. 1200 and 1300. It’s one of many sites left behind by the ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi. It’s a smaller site than some, but that’s part of its charm. You can hike and camp without crowds. Hovenweep inspired my romantic suspense [amazon_link id=”B006M6P6FA” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Whispers in the Dark[/amazon_link]. 
2. Utah’s Canyons: Utah has so many amazing national parks that’s hard to choose a favorite. Canyonlands allows remote camping and hiking where you may not see another person. Arches and Natural Bridges are famous for their natural stone arches and bridges. Bryce Canyon is filled with hoodoos – odd pillars of rock – while Zion is known for its beehive rock formations. Take a driving trip and visit them all. 
3. Chiricahua National Monument: This glorious site in southeastern Arizona isn’t as famous as many of the Utah canyons, but it’s easily accessible from highway 10. A drive takes you to the top of the mountain range, where a variety of hikes provide closer looks at the unusual rock formations: spires, columns, pinnacles, and even a formation that looks like a duck. 
4. The Grand Canyon: If you haven’t been there, put it on your life list. If you can manage a strenuous hike, it’s worth taking the South Kaibab trail down to the bottom. Stay overnight at Phantom Ranch – maybe even add in a recovery day – before you head back up. The dorms and dining hall mean you won’t have to carry a heavy pack. 
5. Tombstone, Arizona: This historic city in southeastern Arizona is a bit of a tourist trap, but it’s still fun to see what life was like in the Old West. Have a drink at a historic saloon, take a stagecoach ride, or watch the re-creation of the shootout at the OK corral. Cowboy wannabes will have a blast. 
6. Carlsbad Caverns: Wander through the caves at your own pace or take a ranger-guided tour. The stalactites and stalagmites are astounding. In summer, stay for the bat flight program. Carlsbad is in southern New Mexico. Kartchner Caverns in southern Arizona is also worth a visit. 
7. Santa Fe: My list leans towards outdoor adventures, but if you want great food, shopping, and museums, take a break in Santa Fe. Different museums focus on Indian arts and culture, Spanish Colonial art, fine arts, international folk art, and more. Artist Georgia O’Keeffe even gets her own museum. Best of all, the area around the Plaza maintains the traditional pueblo style of architecture for a full immersive experience. 
8. Socorro, New Mexico: This small town wouldn’t show up on very many lists, but as a local, I know the special places nearby. Hikes can take you out in the desert or up to the mountains, visiting native petroglyphs or hunting for fossils. Hundreds of rock climbing routes provide adventures for everyone from beginners to experts. Plus, you have a good chance of seeing unusual wildlife, from roadrunners to coyotes to great horned owls. 
9. The Very Large Array: I count many world travelers among my friends and relations, so sometimes it’s hard to impress people with something new. But the VLA does the job. Two dozen enormous white radio telescope dishes stretch across the desert plains, pointing toward the sky. A walking tour provides a closer look and explains the science investigations. 
10. Jemez Springs: After all this adventure, it’s time to relax, and this small town in the mountains of northwestern New Mexico is known for its hot springs. You can also visit the ruins of an old Spanish church; Soda Dam, a cool rock formation formed from the mineralized water flowing in the river; and Battleship Rock, so named because it resembles the prow of a battleship. (Pictures on my Pinterest page.) I’ve attended many writing retreats at a camp north of the town, and those experiences inspired [amazon_link id=”B00GQOEE9M” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Counterfeits[/amazon_link], my latest romantic suspense novel. The Kindle e-book is currently on sale for $.99.

I’ve left out many wonderful places, but these are among my favorite spots. Many I visit again and again. If you make it to the Southwestern United States, maybe you’ll enjoy them as well. Otherwise, you can visit in books. Either way, we’ll be glad to have you!

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| [amazon_link id=”B00GQOEE9M” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] |

Counterfeits: Painter Jenny Kinley has spent the last decade struggling in the New York art world. Her grandmother’s sudden death brings her home to New Mexico, but inheriting the children’s art camp her grandmother ran is more of a burden than a gift. How can she give up her lifelong dreams of showing her work in galleries and museums?

Rob Caruso, the camp cook and all-around handyman, would be happy to run the camp with Jenny. Dare he even dream of that, when his past holds dark secrets that he can never share? When Jenny’s father reappears after a decade-long absence, only Rob knows where he’s been and what danger he’s brought with him.

Jenny and Rob face midnight break-ins and make desperate escapes, but the biggest danger may come from the secrets that don’t want to stay buried. In the end, they must decide whether their dreams will bring them together or force them apart.

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Excerpt:

Jenny rose from sleep slowly, her body resisting. She could see nothing in the pitch black. Where was she? She blinked, trying to make sure her eyes were really open.

Memories broke through the fog. The phone call, the rush across country, the late arrival. Crawling into bed in her grandparents’ upstairs guest room. She groaned and pulled up the blanket. Morning must be hours away, given the darkness.

The old house creaked, but no sounds drifted in from outside. Maybe that’s what woke her; she was used to the murmur of city sounds all night long. Who’d have thought that would become normal?

Her head pounded. Probably dehydration from the high elevation and dry air. She should get up, drink a glass of water, take a couple of aspirin. Her head would thank her in the morning. If only she could make herself move.

The house creaked again, followed by a rhythmic sound – like footsteps. Jenny jerked upright, her ears straining. Had she heard a voice?

She shook her head. She must still be half asleep, dreaming. Imagining her grandparents were still here. Wishful thinking.

Downstairs, a door closed. Jenny clutched the blanket. Imagination be damned. She was not alone.

For a long moment, she sat frozen. During her ten years in New York City, she had never been burglarized or mugged. It seemed impossible that such a thing should happen now, here, in an off-season art camp five miles outside of Jemez Springs, New Mexico.

Maybe it was someone her grandmother knew. But what were they doing there in the middle of the night? And if they’d come to see Jenny, they should have knocked, rung the bell. Waited for morning. Anyway, who knew she was there? Even Ms. Lucena didn’t know when she was supposed to arrive. She hadn’t told anyone her travel plans; she’d just gone.

She had to do something. Jenny rose and eased open the bedroom door, praying she had somehow been mistaken, that everything would make sense if… when…. She couldn’t imagine a benign explanation.

She stood with her ear to the crack and heard a low chuckle, and then a male voice. She couldn’t tell if the laugh and the voice were the same person. Either way, that suggested two or more people, at least one of them male.

Why would a man be laughing in her grandmother’s house, in the middle of the night, two days after her grandmother’s death? No good reason came to mind.

She fumbled for her phone on the bedside stand. But even before she activated the screen, she gave a frustrated grunt. She wouldn’t get reception here. The only place in camp that got cell phone reception was the southeast corner of the parking lot. The landline was downstairs, in the kitchen.

Something crashed in a room below. Jenny jumped and dropped her phone. It hit her thigh, then her foot, and went skittering under the bed with a faint scrape against the wood floor.

A man was swearing downstairs. Hopefully that had covered up any sound she’d made. Jenny clenched her hands to control the trembling. She couldn’t imagine her grandmother being friendly with anyone who swore like that.

She had to get out of the house. She wouldn’t wait upstairs for the burglars, if that’s what they were, to find her. If she could get to her car – damn. Her keys were in her purse, which was downstairs on the living room couch. So she couldn’t drive, but she could still go to the Lodge, break in if she had to. Use the phone in the office, call the police.

Still shaking, Jenny crouched and felt along the floor for her shoes. She was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top; no need to waste time putting on clothes. She was already cold, but her jacket was downstairs, lying over her purse on the couch. It didn’t matter. She just had to get out.

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Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. [amazon_link id=”B00GQOEE9M” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Counterfeits[/amazon_link] starts a new series about an art theft that brings danger to a small New Mexico town. [amazon_link id=”B006M6P6FA” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Whispers in the Dark[/amazon_link] has archaeology and intrigue among ancient ruins, [amazon_link id=”B0094V0OD4″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]What We Found[/amazon_link] features a young woman who stumbles on a murder victim, and [amazon_link id=”B004SQSONC” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Rattled[/amazon_link] follows a treasure hunt in the New Mexico desert. To learn more about her latest work, visit www.krisbock.com.