How Kelly Underwood Layers Suspense and Emotions in Her Writing (Episode 139)

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guest is Kelly Underwood, who’s favorite things are reading, writing, and drinking coffee. She was born in New Hampshire, but don’t ask her about snow, because she’s been a Florida girl since she was twelve. Her debut novel with Sunrise Publishing gave Kelly the opportunity to work with Lynette Eason as her mentor and lead author. Defending Honor, part of the Elite Guardians series, placed third in the romantic suspense category for the Selah Awards, and recently was a finalist in the Carol Awards. She also writes book reviews for her blog and is the 2024 president for the Central Florida chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s a sucker for a good suspense novel, the kind you have to read cover-to-cover until the mystery is solved and the bad guys are in handcuffs. If you’re looking for her, she’s probably on her back patio with her golden retriever, a Kindle in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

“Adding in those emotional layers [is the hardest part for me in writing romantic suspense],” Kelly said. “You can have a suspenseful theme, and that’s great, but you also need to have some romantic tension as well. So knowing when to add in certain beats and how to layer those emotions [can be difficult]. You just want characters people care about.”

Connect w/Kelly
Website: https://bestinsuspense.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bestinsuspense/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestinsuspense
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bestinsuspense/
Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Underwood/e/B09WGZ13JW
Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/bestinsuspense
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kelly-underwood

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Guarding Truth by Kelly Underwood. Excerpt and back cover copy read by Janda Sample of Janda Sample Storytelling.