Getting to Know Terri Reed
Award-winning author Terri Reed recently stopped by my blog to share some about her writing life and her most recent romantic suspense, Secret Sabotage.
What’s the hardest part of writing romantic suspense?
For me the hardest part of writing romantic suspense is finding inventive ways of putting my characters into jeopardy. There are only so many scenarios that are realistic enough to be dangerous, give the action and suspense necessary to keep the tension high. I try to balance my writing with the romance and keeping the tension of the relationship high while still giving a realistic arc so that the characters can fall in love by the end.
What’s the weirdest way someone has died or been killed in your novels?
I’m always searching for creative ways to torture my characters or cause a secondary character’s demise. In my book The Doctor’s Defender, I had cupcakes laced with arsenic kill of a minor character. In Mission to Protect, I had salad dressing laced with hemlock that almost did in the heroine, but the K-9 dog alerted and kept her from dying. In Treacherous Slopes, the bad guy planted poisonous spiders in the overhead light of the hero’s trailer.
What’s your go-to when you need a pick-me-up to keep writing?
My pick-me-ups depend on what’s keeping me from writing. If I’ve hit a wall in the story, I call my critique partner and we brainstorm ideas. If I’ve lost steam and motivation, I look for a class to take that will fill my creative well. If I’m tired/sore/don’t want to sit at the computer, I find some other place to write: dictate in the bathtub, use pen and paper at the dining table or go for a walk and think through the scenes I want to write.
About Terri Reed
Terri Reed’s award-winning romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publishers Weekly top 10 Romance Bestsellers and Publishers Weekly top 10 Religion Fiction Bestsellers, Publishers Weekly top 10 Mass Market Paperback Bestsellers, Nielsen’s Bookscan top 100 Bestsellers and featured in USA Today and have been Amazon Bestsellers, as well as Fresh Picks at Fresh Fiction. Her novel A Family Under the Christmas Tree was adapted into a Hallmark movie and retitled Picture a Perfect Christmas in 2019. She resides in the Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and agility training with her dog.
Connect w/Terri
Website: http://www.terrireed.com
Email: terrireed@sterling.net
Mailing address: PO Box 19555, Portland, OR 97224
Secret Sabotage by Terri Reed
The crash was intentional…But he can’t remember why.
With no memory of the crash that landed him in a hospital, Ian Delaney is determined to uncover who sabotaged his helicopter—without the protection of his family-appointed bodyguard. But Simone Walker’s used to stubborn clients and won’t let Ian leave her sight. To catch an unknown traitor, they must rely on each other…or the next attack could prove lethal.
On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guests are Lynette Eason and Susan May Warren. Among other topics, we discussed how each other links the books in their series.
Connect w/Susan
On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m talking with Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., the award-winning author of more than 20 Christian fiction books, including ECPA and Amazon bestsellers. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn’t “cure” her overactive imagination! A self-professed history geek, she resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia but grew up as a “Yooper.” Carrie loves to read, bake, bead and travel—but not all at the same time! You can connect with her at www.CarrieFancettPagels.com.
About Jessica R. Patch
