Guest Blog

A Conversation With H.L. Wegley

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H.L. Wegley is an award-winning author of inspirational thrillers and romantic suspense. He’s worked as an USAF intelligence analyst and a weather officer, and a research scientist, and developed computing systems for Boeing. He and his wife retired near Seattle where they enjoy small-group ministry, grandchildren, and Washington beaches.

How do you research ways to kill someone for your books?
H.L.: The Crimescenewriter group on Yahoo has policemen, doctors, scientists, lawyers, military—just about any way you might want to kill someone, there are people in the group who know how to do it or have become acquainted with people who have done it. This group is a great resource for anyone who writes suspense, thrillers or mysteries.

Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
H.L.: Many of my plots have come from my Air Force experience, and my scientific and computer work as a civilian. Viewing historical events from inside the intelligence community is eye-opening, sometimes a bit scary, and filled with plot material. I’ve seen things I can’t talk about, but no one seems to care if they seep into stories.

How do you pick the location/setting of your romantic suspense novels?
H.L.: My novels often deal with dark subjects like terrorism, coup attempts, human trafficking and other types of crime. I try to set these stories against beautiful backdrops—places I know well—to contrast the ugliness of what man often does against the beauty of what God has created. I’ve really enjoyed using the beautiful Crooked River Ranch area of Central Oregon for the setting of two books.

What does your family think of your writing romantic suspense?
H.L.: My personality type, according to Meyers-Briggs, is INTJ, the research scientist type, known for not openly expressing much emotion. INTJs feel a lot of emotion, but it gets processed through their minds before it comes out. As a result, my wife, who is an ESFP (my antithesis), has asked me several dozen times, “How can you write such romantic characters and yet be—” Let me paraphrase this a bit, “Yet be like Mr. Spock?” My answer, “Crafting a story is just an exercise in logic.” That doesn’t satisfy her and I’m sure she’ll ask me again. 😊

What is absolutely essential for you to write?
H.L.: The most important essentials for me to write are a rested mind, or one fueled by a couple of shots of espresso, and no human voices. The only exception I’ve found to the human voices requirement is that I can write when there are a lot of background voices, like in Starbucks. But maybe that’s just one buzz cancelling out another.

Current book: Chasing Freedom: Against All Enemies, The Prequel
When a young woman asks for asylum, she finds herself Chasing Freedom with everything she’s ever held dear at stake. A high-action, romantic suspense story.

Connect W/H.L.
Website: http://www.hlwegley.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HLWegley/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hlwegley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harrywegley/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4460203.H_L_Wegley

 

 

A Conversation With James L. Rubart

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James L. Rubart is 28 years old but trapped inside an older man’s body. He’s the bestselling, Christy Book of the Year, Carol, and RT Book Reviews award-winning author of nine novels, and co-owns The Rubart Writing Academy. He lives with his amazing wife in eastern Washington.

Why do you like writing romantic suspense?
James: I’ve thought about it. Yes, all my novels have romance in them. And all of them have suspense. But I never set out for those things to happen! I’ve simply written the stories that won’t stop pinging around my mind. I’m one of those unusual men who loves epic adventure and suspenseful movies, but also loves rom-coms. So I suppose it was natural for both to come out in my stories. Add to that the fact I’m still madly in my wife after more than a few years of marriage, and I can’t help but put romance in my novels.

Have you ever regretted killing off a character? Why?
James: Yes. In my Well Spring series (Soul’s Gate, Memory’s Door, Spirit Bridge) I killed a strong, wise, mentor character I loved who was … wait! I didn’t kill him, he was killed in the course of a battle with an enemy. I had nothing to do with it!

What did you want to be as a child (and did that dream come true)?
James: Since 7th grade, my second biggest dream was to play in the NFL. The first was to be a novelist. In 2010, the biggest dream came true.

What is one of your favorite ways to connect with readers?
James: I love getting emails from readers, and love connecting on Facebook or Twitter, but there’s nothing like meeting a reader in person and getting to hear about their life, to share a smile together.

What is absolutely essential for you to write?
James: Absolute quiet. I’ve tried writing to music and it doesn’t work for me. And, of course, a bag of jumbo size sunflower seeds.

Current book: The Man He Never Was
A modern day reimagining of the classic Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde story with a spiritual twist you won’t see coming.

Connect W/James
Website: jamesLrubart.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesLRubart/
Twitter: @jamesLrubart
Google Plus: James L. Rubart
Instagram: jamesLrubart

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A Conversation With Davalynn Spencer

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Davalynn Spencer writes heart-tugging, cowboy romance set along the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.  She is the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters and an award-winning rodeo journalist and former crime-beat reporter who caters to Blue the Cowdog and mouse detectors Annie and Oakley.

Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
Davalynn: Inspiration for my Western romance comes in many forms—from a lady on her cell phone sitting in a car at the market (yes, that became a historical novella), to a sudden “video” that flashed through my mind like a movie preview. That last form is how I met Mae Ann Remington. I was relaxing near my woodstove on a cozy winter evening; she was standing in a bank lobby with her groom, a man who had written for a bride. A loud gunshot, the pinch of gunpowder, the jolt of a heart stopping – that’s what I heard, smelled, and felt in a flash, and I knew I had to write Mae Ann’s story.

How do you pick the location/setting of your romantic suspense novels?
Davalynn: For me, setting is a character in the story. One of my contemporary suspense titles is set in Santa Cruz, California, in a beach house. The sea and everything coastal are integral parts of the deeper story. But all of my historicals have taken place in Colorado. There’s something mysteriously romantic and challenging about the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Rugged beauty, breathtaking sunsets, extreme and sudden weather conditions that can threaten survival. All of my stories have an element of danger. Maybe that’s why I like living here in this “alpha” state.

What did you want to be as a child (and did that dream come true)?
Davalynn:I’ve been writing since the sixth grade, and as an adult, I continue to self-medicate with words. I have to write, whether for journals, blogs, interviews, or novels. Words and I have an ongoing relationship. In fact, my computer screensaver says, “In the beginning was the Word.”

How do you ensure your books are accurate?
Davalynn: One of my historical series, The Cañon City Chronicles, is set (obviously) in Cañon City, Colorado. I live nearby, and believe me, there is a historian on every corner. If I don’t get something right, they’ll let me know! Before my fiction days, I worked as a journalist and crime-beat reporter for the daily newspaper. That kind of writing is all about getting the facts straight and double-checking those facts by citing more than one source. As a reporter writing occasional feature pieces, I became acquainted with the well-informed people working at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center. Much of the research for my novels today is done there. The History Center is a goldmine for a historical author. Cañon City was truly an Old West town, one that survived.

Current book: An Improper Proposal
Widowed before she says “I do,” a mail-order bride does the unthinkable and ends up a rancher’s wife facing snakes, scoundrels, and second chances.

Connect W/Davalynn
Website: http://davalynnspencer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davalynnspencer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051432.Davalynn_Spencer
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/davalynnspencer/boards/

 

 

A Conversation With Sherri Stewart

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An unexpected turn of family events led Sherri to open her laptop and write fiction. As a former attorney, principal, teacher, and flight attendant, she draws on personal experiences for her romantic suspense books. Sherri is a freelance editor and lives with her family near Orlando, Fla.

How do you connect with your characters?
Sherri: Like most writers, I write what I know. Most of my female leads are high-spirited women but definitely flawed. They deal with issues that I deal with, so in a sense, writing is therapy for me. My first female character, Julie, is an immigration attorney handling cases that I dealt with that didn’t end well. Julie gave me a second stab at the cases. My females have a sense of humor and can laugh at themselves, which makes them teachable. They have a faith in God that’s not fully developed, but the suspenseful event is a catalyst to deepen their faith. Their names come from people I know, and their physical form and personality comes from a favorite television character. Lorelei Gilmore is a perennial favorite of mine.

Why do you like writing romantic suspense?
Sherri: I write romantic suspense because I like to read it. Always have. My childhood heroes, Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, solved mysteries, but there was always the possibility of romance with Ned that intrigued me. Later, it was Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt in my twenties. Then, Mary Higgins Clark and a plethora of authors in my thirties and on. Romance alone is too predictable. I prefer an unseen threat looming over the characters. The male and female leads learn to trust each other, although at first, they’re at loggerheads. (Is that a word? It’s the first time I used it). A good romantic suspense novel is a page-turner.

What did you want to be as a child (and did that dream come true)?
Sherri: As a child, I wanted to be a spy. I even wore a trench coat to school. I cringe when I think about it. Then I wanted to be an actress in middle school. Neither dream came true, sigh. For most my adult life, I taught high school French because I love to travel, and French helped me become a flight attendant in my twenties, which I absolutely loved doing. My husband’s job transferred us to Canada, so I had to give up flying, but wrote about it in Très Chic. I taught in Christian schools for many years and later became a principal, which will provide fodder for a future suspense novel. One of my dreams was to study law. When my nest was empty, I went to law school and practiced immigration law for a time, so that dream came true. I’m now retired from teaching and law, and this year, I started a freelance editing business, which keeps me busy but seated way too much.

Current book: Call Me Jane
She just has two questions: What’s her name? And why is she wearing only a nightgown on Peachtree Street on a cold night in November?

Connect w/Sherri
Website: www.stewartwriting.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sherristewartauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/machere
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stewart_sherri
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01NAGB8HD

 

 

A Conversation With Patrick E. Craig

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Patrick E. Craig is a lifelong writer and musician who published his Apple Creek Dreams series through Harvest House Publishers in 2011. His current series, The Paradise Chronicles, includes The Amish Heiress and The Amish Princess, with The Mennonite Queen coming soon. Patrick is represented by the Steve Laube Agency.

What’s the hardest part of writing romantic suspense?
Patrick: Well, that’s a good question. My basic genre is Amish Fiction, but I do not write light-hearted romance dressed up in Amish clothing, where everything turns out peachy just because the characters are Amish. Growing up, I was an avid reader of Zane Grey, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Agatha Christie and J.R.R. Tolkien, among many others. Since I am one of six male Amish authors, I have felt a responsibility to bring the male POV to my Amish stories. So I have written stories that include adventure, suspense, history, drama and danger, all of which are experienced by desperate people in desperate situations. Once I have that part of the story going, I have to weave it into a romance where men are real men who protect and cherish their women, and women are noble and strong, not less than men but feminine heroes. As you might guess, this takes a great deal of focus.

When do you find time to write?
Patrick: I’m a morning writer, so I am usually up by 6 a.m. writing. I still work part-time, so I cram that into my day also.

What’s the weirdest way someone has died or been killed in your novels?
Patrick: I’ve had a man blown up by a hand grenade, an Amish couple killed by a train when their buggy is trapped on the train tracks, a mad woman who burns her own house down around her, a special forces guy who is killed in hand to hand combat, poison, assassination. You name it, I’ve written it.

Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
Patrick: My current series, The Paradise Chronicles, was born out of my first series, Apple Creek Dreams. In that series, I wrote the story of Jerusha Springer in the first book, A Quilt for Jenna, and the story of her adopted daughter, Jenny, in the second, The Road Home. I was planning on doing the story of Rachel, Jenny’s daughter, in the third book, but I fell in love with the Jenny character and wrote the third book about her. So I had to start a whole new series to tell Rachel’s story, then I just went on to tell the story of some of the matriarchs of their family, all the way back to 1534. Those stories became The Amish Heiress, The Amish Princess, and the soon-to-be-finished The Mennonite Queen.

How do you pick the location/setting of your romantic suspense novels?
Patrick: Amish people live in three or four main areas in the United States: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and some places in between. So getting started was pretty easy. But finding the exact town and researching it so I knew something about the people and the location took a lot of work. I set my first series in a little town in Ohio called Apple Creek. To my surprise, when I was doing the location research, I discovered that my great-great-great grandfather was born and raised thirty miles from there in Independence, Ohio.

What are some of the questions you hear when you say you write romantic suspense?
Patrick: “How can you write suspense and action books about the Amish?” is one of the main questions I get. As I delved into the Amish culture, I discovered that they are people just like us, with real problems and real challenges who often find themselves in desperate situations.
Another question is, “How did you find out so much about the Amish?” When I started writing Amish books, I was totally unencumbered by any knowledge of the subject. In fact, I started on a dare, when my editor challenged me to send him a one-sheet for an Amish quilting story. I did, and Harvest House bought it. So then I had a three-book contract and had never researched the Amish. All I can say is thank goodness for Google. In my browser bookmarks, I have dozens of folders for my stories and each one has literally hundreds of articles and references I found on the Internet.

Current book: The Amish Princess
A tale of love, adventure and suspense set in the turbulent period surrounding the Revolutionary War.

Connect W/Patrick
Website: www.patrickecraig.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatrickECraig
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatrickECraig
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3487196.Patrick_E_Craig
Amazon Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/n6sfagg

 

 

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