romantic suspense

Cathy McDavid’s Fiery Writing (Episode 74)

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On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m chatting with Cathy McDavid. Since 2006, New York Times bestselling author Cathy McDavid has been happily penning contemporary Westerns for Harlequin. Every day, she gets to write about good looking cowboys riding the range, busting broncs, and sweeping gals off their feet — oops, no. Make that winning the hearts of feisty, independent women who give the cowboys a run for their money. With more than 55 titles in print, Cathy is blessed to share her Arizona home with her own real-life sweetheart. Her grown twins have left to embark on lives of their own, and she couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishments.

She got started writing about wildfires because of a personal encounter with one. “A wildfire came [close to our cabin in Arizona] and we were watching it from our front porch,” Cathy said. “That gave me the original idea for the first book I did … about hotshots. … That was a subject that was personal for me.”

Connect w/Cathy
Website: https://www.cathymcdavid.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathymcdavidbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathyMcDavid
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cathymcdavid

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Wildfire Threat.

 

Character Evolution with Elizabeth Goddard and Virginia Vaughn (Episode 73)

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On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guests are Elizabeth Goddard and Virginia Vaughn. We chatted about how each of them develop their characters throughout a series.

“I wrote [my hero in Critical Alliance] into the first two books, but I didn’t really know who he was or what he was doing exactly,” Elizabeth said. “I really left him as an enigma—and even the other characters in the book were like, what is he doing and where is he going. I answered those questions in book three.”

“I wish I was that clever that I could have it all plotted out beforehand,” Virginia said. “That’s my goal one day—to know all of my characters before I start my series.”

Elizabeth is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 novels, including Present Danger and the Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold more than a million copies. She is a Carol Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry.

Website: www.ElizabethGoddard.com
Facebook: @ElizabethGoddardAuthor
Twitter: @BethGoddard

Virginia is a multi-published author of inspirational romantic suspense. Blessed to come from a large, southern family, her fondest memories include listening to stories recounted by family and friends around the large dinner table. She was a lover of books even from a young age, devouring gothic romance novels and stories of romance, danger, and love. She soon started writing them herself. A former investigator for the State of Mississippi, Virginia utilizes her criminal justice background with her love of writing to transform words into powerful stories of romance and danger. Texas Buried Secrets is her 17th Love Inspired Suspense.

Connect w/Virginia
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3NYqzTl
Website: www.virginiavaughanonline.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ginvaughanbooks
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/virginiavaughan
Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/profile/virginia-vaughan

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus teasers for Critical Alliance and Texas Buried Secrets.

 

 

How Jamie Jo Wright Weaves the Past Into the Present (Episode 72)

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On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guest is Jaime Jo Wright, author of time-slip suspense. She’s a winner of the Christy, Carol, Daphne du Maurier, and INSPY Awards. She’s also the PW and ECPA bestselling author of three novellas. Jaime brings to life the stories of the past and intertwines them with the present, to bring readers award-winning
time-slip novels.

“I’ve seen time slip done a couple of different ways, like when the characters are tied together by an event or an article in history,” Jaime said. “With my characters—whether they know it or not—the past is directly influencing the life of the current heroine. So you can’t separate the past heroine from the current heroine because the current day heroine wouldn’t be who they are.”

Connect w/Jamie
Website: www.JaimeWrightBooks.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jaimejowright
Twitter: twitter.com/jaimejowright
Instagram: instagram.com/jaimejowright

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from The Souls of Lost Lake.

 

Getting to Know PS Wells

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Multi-published author PS Wells recently stopped by my blog to share some about her writing life.

How do you pick the location/setting of your romantic suspense novels?
For my novels, I take my readers to places they have never been to, and introduce them to history and activities they have not experienced. For instance, in my novel Chasing Sunrise, I take the reader on a HALO (High altitude, low opening) jump from an airplane, scuba diving along the mile deep wall off the coast of the island of St. Croix, and through the category 5 Hurricane Hugo. When possible, I choose a setting that is so three-dimensional that it acts as a character in the story.

What’s the weirdest way someone has died or been killed in your novels?
On the island of St. Croix is one of the most poisonous trees in the world. A small drop of the milky substance causes skin to blister. Smoke from burning the tree may cause damage to eyes and the respiratory system. The fruit is potentially fatal if eaten. So what’s an author to do with such an opportunity when the story takes place on St. Croix? While the bad guys didn’t die, our hero did leverage the manchineel tree to his advantage to render the antagonists able to be brought to justice.

How do you ensure your books are accurate?
Accuracy is so important to earn and keep the reader’s trust. I will ask experts to read through a section to check for accuracy. For instance, when the Coast Guard boards a ship from another country in The Patent, I searched for someone in that branch of the service. One evening, a group of people met at a restaurant and I found myself across from one person I had not met before. When he told me he was career Coast Guard, I asked if he would read a short section to be certain I had the setting correct. He rolled his eyes, and said yes mostly in deference to our mutual friends. Not long after, I got his comments over email. He said it was fine except for adjustments in the ranks. He ended with a comment I’ve frequently received, “You sure don’t write like a girl.” I’m thankful that one of my daughters is a critical care paramedic and I often ask medical questions. Because she understands both the medical world and authors, she is a frequent resource for writers.

About PeggySue Wells
PeggySue Wells is a bestselling author of 31 books including The Patent, Chasing Sunrise, Homeless for the Holidays, and Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make. When not writing, Wells parasails, skydives, scuba dives and snorkels.

Connect w/PeggySue Wells
Website: PeggySueWells com and SingleMomCircle.com

The Patent
One man stands between a desperate enemy and the perfect weapon.

Attorney and inventor Marc Wayne submits a patent with far reaching military applications. His ideas do not go unnoticed and he is kidnapped by a foreign government seeking to build his invention. Wayne’s sister is a young FBI agent thrust into the middle of her brother’s abduction. If she fails to find her only family member, a new global power will threaten the world. As the kidnappers remain one step ahead of the FBI, can Marc use his wits to free himself and the beautiful scientist who is eager to return to the United States?

Why Mary Alford and Robin Patchen Ensure Good Triumphs Over Evil in Their Books (Episode 71)

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On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guests are Mary Alford and Robin Patchen. Among other topics, we discussed how good and evil are played out on the pages of our books.

“We see enough of the other kind of stories where the bad guy doesn’t get his in the end,” Robin said. “I like what they call whole stories, where good is good and bad is bad and good wins. I like to write whole stories.”

“We live in a very fallen world, and it’s nice to get away from the reality that evil doesn’t always get punished right now,” Mary said. “It’s good to have books where the hero and heroine have everything worked out in the end, the bad guy gets punished and there’s usually a happily ever after at the end of the story.”

Mary is a USA Today bestselling author. Her titles have been finalists for several awards, including the Daphne du Maurier, the Beverly, the Maggie, and the Selah. She and her husband live in the heart of Texas in the middle of 70 acres with two cats and one dog.

Connect w/Mary
Website: https://maryalford.net/
Facebook: @ MaryAlfordAuthor/
Twitter: @maryalford13

Robin is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the 26 letters of the alphabet.

Connect w/Robin
Website: https://robinpatchen.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobinPatchen/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/robin-patchen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5187882.Robin_Patchen
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Robin-Patchen/e/B00A289790/

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus teasers for Among the Innocent and Lineage of Corruption.

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