On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m chatting with Jessica West, who lives in east Tennessee with her husband and eight children. She is a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her kids. She loves the Lord and believes her life wouldn’t be possible without God. Jessica is also an indie author with five books published. Currently, she is working on the third book in her East Tennessee Mystery Series.
“I have a one-year-old in one hand and type with [the other] hand, and then I have a three-year-old next to me on the couch,” Jessica said. “They can be kind of tricky but it works for me. … I try to [write for] two, two-and-a-half hours but sometimes the baby tries to delete with his feet what I’m writing because he wiggles in his sleep.”
Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Fleeing From Danger by Jessica West. Excerpt and back cover copy read by Janda Sample of Janda Sample Storytelling.
Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad — What’s a little covert matchmaking between friends? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published [ACFW QIP]
The Daze Before Christmas by Laurie Germaine — She fled her old life for a new one. Trouble is, she can’t remember why she ran–and now God is prompting her to return. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Wishing for Mistletoe by Robin Lee Hatcher — When the heart pens its own holiday romance, even a skeptic can find magic under the mistletoe. (Contemporary Romance from RobinSong, Inc.)
Faking the Shot by Carolyn Miller — Faking the Shot is a fake-dating Christian romance and the fourth book in the Northwest Ice Christian hockey romance series. It can be read as a standalone, and is perfect for fans of banter-laden romance with hope, heart and humor. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Rediscovering Christmas by Mindy Obenhaus — She feels she’s lost everything… Will love give her hope? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
A Kringle Family Christmas by Miriam Thor — When Bethany Kringle’s brother unexpectedly comes home for Christmas with his friend, Jay, in tow, Bethany shelves her plan to skip the holiday, and instead, with a little help from Jay, makes it a Christmas to remember. (Contemporary Romance from Pelican Book Group)
Maddie by Dawn Kinzer — Messages scrawled in a century-old cookbook and the residents of a tourist town in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains add important ingredients to the life recipe an ER travel nurse is searching for. (Contemporary/Women’s Fiction, Independently Published)
Historical Romance:
Pretending to be the Mountain Man’s Wife by Misty M. Beller — In the wild mountains of the Montana Territory, the Coulter ranch is a place of family, second chances…and a hidden fortune. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)
Courting the Country Preacher by Angela K. Couch, Carolyn Miller, Naomi Musch, Kari Trumbo — Four inexperienced preachers face a myriad of challenges including those who figure a man of the cloth needs a wife. Can they meet the expectations of “helpful” congregants and be true to their hearts? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
An Unexpected Catch by Abbey Downey — Can she count on the pitcher to save her dream, or will his secret destroy their futures? (Historical Romance from Wild Heart Books)
Investigation of a Journalist by Danielle Grandinetti — A story of love and second chances when secrets come full circle in this suspenseful conclusion to the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series. (Historical Romance from Hearth Spot Press)
The Library by Edwina Kiernan — How can someone keep the peace when there’s never been any peace to keep? (Historical Romance from Moliant Publishing)
Seeking Simon by Susan Pope Sloan — When a mysterious stranger claims to be her fiancé, the fight to save her land turns into a battle for her heart. (Historical Romance from Wild Heart Books)
Abigail’s Pursuit by Jodie Wolfe — With the Civil War raging, Abigail is on the verge of losing everything, and the other seeks forgiveness from the family he can’t find. Can two wounded hearts find their way back home? (Historical Romance, Independently Published)
Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller — She’s desperate to keep her job. He’s desperate for solitude. What is God’s plan in this complicated situation? (Historical Romance from Maplebrook Publishing)
Mystery/Crime:
Seven Days Off: A Mylas Grey Mystery by Luana Ehrlich — Private Investigator Mylas Grey can’t take seven days off—not when an ex-con gives him information that could help him locate a missing school counselor. (Historical Romance from Potter’s Word Publishing)
Romantic Suspense:
Bayou Beginnings by Robin Caroll — In a romantic suspense Louisiana mystery that is set amid historical events, two very different people must come together to survive. (Romantic Suspense, Independently Published)
His Last Text by Rebecca Lake — A romantic anniversary dinner. A heartfelt message. Then silence. (Romantic Suspense, Independently Published)
Here Lyeth by Johanna Frank — Answers are buried beneath a grave marker. Only it happens to be her own. (Speculative/Allegory, Independently Published)
Plus check out these recent additions to Fiction Finder published within the past month:
River of Peril by Sandra Merville Hart — A Civil War volunteer nurse is shocked to learn that her Confederate soldier beau came to her ward overnight with a head wound–and doesn’t remember her. (Historical Romance)
A Christmas Gift by Annette M. Irby — A stateside farmer. An international boy-next-door model. And the Christmas reunion that brings them back together. (Contemporary Romance)
Murder by Half by Dony Jay — A troubled detective with a blue-collar background and an Ivy League degree must risk everything to solve the murder of his high-profile attorney friend—and do so before more people die. (Crime/Suspense)
Sea Thrifts & Thistles by Ruth Kyser — After the unexpected deaths of her parents in a plane crash, Heather Conners makes a discovery that turns her world upside down. (Contemporary Romance)
The Perfect Getaway by Nancy Lavo — Riley is tired of looking over her shoulder. Can she trust the small-town superhero with her secret, or will the loyalty she admires in him bring danger to her door? (Contemporary Romance)
On the Right Track by Shaen Layle — On The Right Track is the eighth book in the Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm Series. (Cozy Mystery)
Julia’s Joy by Susan G. Mathis — She came to claim her inheritance, but the mysterious scarred lighthouse keeper makes her question all her plans. (Historical Romance)
Why the Nations Rage by Aidan Meerman — Casey Cole is three hundred years old but expects to be dead in as many seconds. The brutal regime that governs his home crushes all forms of dissent… and he’s about to put his neck out. (Biblical Suspense/Thriller)
The Lost Daughter’s Irishman by Carolyn Miller — She wants to find a way to live again; he wants to close a deal and move on, until sparks fly and these opposites attract. (Contemporary Romance)
Christmas in Nutfield by Robin Patchen — Come home to Nutfield in these two Christmas novellas, featuring Daniel Nolan, the little boy from Innocent Lies, all grown up, and Caro Neely, from Convenient Lies. (Contemporary Romance)
When Love Overcomes by Denice Perkins — Having everything we want and a plan for our future doesn’t prevent God from abruptly sending our lives in a whole other direction and showing us even greater happiness. (Contemporary Romance)
A Country Christmas Collection by Davalynn Spencer — Two Holiday Novellas, each a complete romance with cowboys, a second chance at love, and a feel-good, happily-ever-after! (Contemporary Romance)
Tangled Promises by Lynn U. Watson — Thunderous applause extinguishes her dream and ignites her worst nightmare. (Historical Romance)
Neurifact by Kenneth Dale Watts — A neurological AI tool observes and assesses a unique brainwave phenomenon associated with one F-35C pilot’s impulsive action and arrives at a spiritually based finding. (Military Thriller/Suspense)
During this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense” podcast, you’ll hear from five authors about their romantic suspense books available this month. Here’s the list of authors and books for November 2024, with the book’s release date if not available now.
Terri Reed/Search and Detect
Jaime Jo Wright/Specters in the Glass House
Katy Lee/K-9 Christmas Guardians (11/27)
Danielle Grandinetti/Investigation of a Journalist (11/19)
On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guest is Angela Carlisle, who is a writer and editor by day. She prefers to spend her free time reading, baking, and drinking ridiculous quantities of properly steeped hot tea. Whether reading or writing, she loves stories with heart-pounding suspense, permeated with the hope found in Christ. She resides in the hills of northern Kentucky with her family and preschool-age sourdough starter.
“I hardly will ever order hot tea when I’m out because I know it won’t be good enough. … I worked in a tea room and that kind of spoiled me for properly brewed tea,” she said. As for writing romantic suspense, “ultimately it’s because that’s what I most love to read. So I already loved the genre, and when I had an idea for my first book, that’s what I naturally gravitated to.”
Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Secondary Target by Angela Carlisle. Excerpt and back cover copy read by Janda Sample of Janda Sample Storytelling.
Multi-published author Laura Conaway recently stopped by my newsletter to share about her writing life. Plus, she’s giving away one print copy of her most recent romantic suspense, Silencing the Witness, exclusively for my newsletter readers. See below for details.
What is your favorite spot for reading or reflecting on your current work-in-progress? I love to read or reflect on the stories I’m writing outside at my local park pavilion or my local library depending on the weather. Being surrounded by nature or books always gives me inspiration.
How do you connect with your characters?
I connect with my characters by either drawing from personal experience or interviewing others who’ve walked similar roads as my characters. In Silencing the Witness, I was able to relate to Avery as a school teacher because I was a former educator. In my novel, Expired Vows, some of my characters struggled with brain injuries, and I was able to talk with a friend who has a brain injury and get her perspective.
Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
Inspiration comes when I least expect it! Sometimes I overhear a conversation and find myself thinking, “Oh, that would make a great story.” Other times, something I’m learning in Scripture that God is teaching me resonates and I know I have to write about it. In Silencing the Witness, Seth’s character was born when the school I was teaching at got a new security officer and an incident arose where fast action had to be taken. In my upcoming release, Rescued Duty, I was fascinated with how God calls us into His family through Jesus and we have brothers and sisters now that expand beyond the blood-relative relationships. I wove this truth into the story through foster care and what it means to find our forever family.
What is one of your favorite ways to connect with readers?
I love meeting readers at book events or chatting via email! I’m quite an extrovert, and it’s always encouraging to me to put a name to a face and know that the readers I pray for are real people who have their own life story.
About Laura She’s a Publishers Weekly bestselling and award winning author who resides in Pennsylvania. She creates stories with a healthy dose of suspense and happily ever-afters while her characters discover triumph through trials. As a former librarian, she’s always searching for the next best read and loves solving mysteries like Nancy Drew. When she’s not inhaling sweet potato fries to motivate writing, Laura spends her time playing guitar and sharing about the Greatest Story ever written.
When her photo is leaked in the local paper, Avery Sanford’s identity in witness protection is compromised. She’s the key witness to a murder, and a ruthless drug ring will stop at nothing to silence her. With attackers on her tail, Avery has no choice but to accept the help of former army commander Seth Brown. But keeping Avery alive long enough to testify could be the end for them both.
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About Laura
