The Romantic Side of Suspense

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m talking with Danielle Grandinetti, a book blogger at DaniellesWritingSpot.com. Her short stories have appeared in several publications and her writing has won the University of Northwestern Distinguished Faith in Writing Award. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Danielle especially loves quiet mornings served with the perfect cup of tea.

“The story was originally contemporary romantic suspense but it was missing something,” Danielle says. A few years ago, “Wisconsin started having a milk shortage with farmers having to dump their milk [because there wasn’t a market for it]. … I learned that’s not the first time that’s happened. There was actually a huge milk strike in 1933. … So I took my contemporary romantic suspense and set it [back then] and it just brought it to life.”

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from A Strike to the Heart.

Connect w/ Danielle
Website/Blog: daniellegrandinetti.com
Newsletter: bit.ly/FiresideNews
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Danielle-Grandinetti/e/B01BEU1602/
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/danielle-grandinetti
Goodreads: goodreads.com/danielleswritingspot
Instagram: instagram.com/danielleswritingspot
Facebook: facebook.com/danielleswritingspot
Twitter: twitter.com/dgrandinetti
Pinterest: pinterest.com/danielleswritingspot

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guests are Sharon K. Connell and Tanya Stowe. Among other topics, we discussed how these two romantic suspense authors come up with their storylines.

“Most of my plots come to me, but I’m sure it’s based on the news and life experience,” Sharon said. “Also from things I hear from other people, reading other books, and it comes of just evolves.”

“I’m a full-time RVer,” Tanya said. “We travel the country and see a lot of places. … I get to park in the place, and get to know it, and get to feel things. … There will be something unique about the area that will trigger an idea.”

Sharon has lived in many places across the United States. She retired from the clerical/medical field in 2012, and now writes full time. Sharon lives with her husband in Houston, Texas, from where she writes Christian romance suspense, containing a bit of mystery and as much humor as she can get into a story. She has three grown children, and eight grandchildren, all living elsewhere in the country. Sharon attended college in Illinois, graduated from the Pensacola Bible Institute in Florida, and holds a certificate in fiction writing from the International Writing Program through the University of Iowa. Besides visiting all but six states in the United States, her travels have taken her to Canada and Mexico. The experiences she’s had while visiting and living in these areas has been invaluable in her writing.

Sharon is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Scribes Critique Group, Houston Writers Guild, and CyFair Writers. She is the founder of the global Facebook Christian Writers & Readers group forum. Her monthly newsletter, Novel Thoughts, goes out every month to its subscribers in all parts of the world, featuring helpful information for writers and readers.

Connect w/Sharon
Website: www.authorsharonkconnell.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/sharonkconnell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristianRomanceSuspense/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonKConnell

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SharonKConnell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkconnell

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/rosecastle1/

AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/sharonkconnell/

Tanya is a Christian fiction author with an unexpected edge. She is a Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author who fills her books with the unusual…mysteries and exotic travel, even a murder or two. No matter where Tanya takes you…on a train down a mountain or a suspenseful journey packed with danger…be prepared for the extraordinary.

Connect w/Tanya
Website: https://www.tanyastowe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TanyaStoweReadersPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TanyaStowe1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanya.stowe/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Tanya-Stowe/e/B003UDYONS
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tanya-stowe
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4595413.Tanya_Stowe

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus teasers for Ko’olau’s Secret and Vanished in the Mountains.

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m talking with Mary Dodge Allen, who has won two Royal Palm Literary Awards from the Florida Writer’s Association. She and her husband live in Florida, where she has served as a volunteer with the police department. Her childhood in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, sparked her lifelong love of the outdoors. She’s been a counselor and social worker, and she worked as a USPS mail carrier during a college break. Her quirky sense of humor is energized by a passion for coffee and chocolate.

“My books are based in Florida and Florida’s a great place to base your books,” Mary says. “It seems like weird and crazy crimes are committed in Florida. There are also a lot of things in Florida that can kill you—sinkholes, gators, hurricanes. There are a lot of hazards in Florida.”

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Hunt for a Hometown Killer.

Connect w/Mary
Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m chatting with Patricia Bradley and Lynn Blackburn. Among other topics, we discussed how fiction allows us to sometimes twist the facts to suit our stories.

“Some things can be fiction,” Patricia said. “In my very first series, I moved the Tennessee River down close to Memphis.”

“With the Secret Service, I have done as much research as I can, but it’s the Secret Service—they’re not going to tell me everything,” Lynn said. “I’m going to have to use my imagination.”

Patricia is a Carol finalist and winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award in Suspense, and three anthologies that included her stories debuted on the USA Today Best Seller List. She and her two cats call Northeast Mississippi home—the South is also where she sets most of her books. Her romantic suspense novels include the Logan Point series and the Memphis Cold Case Novels. Crosshairs, the third book in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers series, released November 2021. She is now hard at work on the fourth book, Deception.

Writing workshops include American Christian Fiction Writers online courses, workshops at the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference, the KenTen Retreat where she was also the keynote, Memphis American Christian Fiction Writer group, and the Bartlett Christian Writers group. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.

Connect w/Patricia
Website: https://ptbradley.com/
Blog: https://ptbradley.com/blog/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PTBradley1
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2S6DKGY
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/patricia-bradley
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7789445.Patricia_Bradley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ptbradley1/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ptbradley/

Lynn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!

Lynn’s titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Her newest series kicked off in March 2021 with Unknown Threat, a 2021 Christy Award finalist. She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children.

Connect w/Lynn
Website: https://lynnhblackburn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LynnHBlackburn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynnHBlackburn/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lynnhblackburn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnhblackburn/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10631390.Lynn_Huggins_Blackburn

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus teasers for Crosshairs and Malicious Intent.

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m talking with DiAnn Mills, a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne du Maurier, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Carol Award contests. Firewall, the first book in her FBI: Houston series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian fiction books of 2014.

“It’s because we live in a dangerous and unpredictable world, and there’s a lot of people out there who are afraid,” DiAnn says. “And they often turn to fiction for an adventure. … The goal is to show the reader that yes, we live in this dangerous and unpredictable world, but there are trained people who will do whatever it takes to keep us safe and to prevent crimes from happening.”

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Trace of Doubt.

Connect w/DiAnn
Website: https://diannmills.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diannmills
Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannmills
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannmillsauthor/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannmills/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diannmills/_created/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/diannmills
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/diann-mills
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/81639.DiAnn_Mills