romantic suspense

How the Settings of Sara Blackard and Dani Pettrey Define Their Books (Episode 77)

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On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guests are Sara Blackard and Dani Pettrey. Among other topics, we discussed how they picked the locations for their series.

“I picked Alaska because I love it up here,” Sara said about where she lives and writes. “There’s a lot of adventure that happens just out my front door. … I like writing from an Alaskan point of view.”

This series “is spread out through North Carolina, from the Outer Banks all the way down to Wilmington,” Dani said. “We actually vacation in [that area … ], and I just think the area is so beautiful.”

Sara Blackard is an award-winning romance novelist who writes stories that thrill the imagination and strum heartstrings. When she’s not crafting wild adventures and romances that make readers swoon, she’s homeschooling her four adventurous boys and one fearless princess, keeping their off-grid house running (don’t ask if it’s clean), or enjoying the Alaskan lifestyle she and her Hunky Hubster love.

Connect w/Sara
Website: shop.sarablackard.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sara.blackard.author
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarablackardauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sara.blackard/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19758019.Sara_Blackard

Publishers Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author Dani Pettrey has sold nearly 800,000 copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance.

Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today). She researches murder and mayhem from her home in Maryland.

Connect w/Dani
Website: danipettrey.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DaniPettrey
Instagram: authordanipettrey
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DaniPettrey

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus teasers for The Deadly Shallows and A Rebel’s Trust.

 

Getting to Know Hallee Bridgeman

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USA Today bestselling author Hallee Bridgeman recently stopped to share some about her writing life.

Why did you start writing romantic suspense novels?
I wrote my first romantic suspense between January and March 2000. I actually had a dream New Year’s Eve and woke up from that dream about 2 a.m. and started writing. The final product was A Melody for James.

What’s your go-to when you need a pick-me-up to keep writing?
My inbox. I get such amazing letters from readers that completely encourage and inspire me to keep writing. If you ever feel the urge to write an author—do it. You have no idea what it means.

What’s the weirdest way someone has died or been killed in your novels?
I skied a philandering woman, who was pregnant with her lover’s child, into a tree. I wanted to just divorce my characters, but a poll of my readers said they wouldn’t approve. Funny—I’ve never had anyone complain about killing off a pregnant adulteress.

Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
I always start with my characters. Once my characters are established, then I create the plots.

About Hallee Bridgeman
Hallee is the USA Today bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee settled with her husband in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she’s not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. She’s also an accomplished speaker and active member of several writing organizations.

Connect w/Hallee
Website: www.halleebridgeman.com.

Honor Bound
She’s trained to save lives. He’s ordered to take them. Can extreme opposites really attract?
Medical missionary Cynthia Myers is trained to save lives. Captain Rick Norton of the Special Forces A-Team is ordered to take them. When Cynthia’s past catches up to her, they must learn to put aside their differences to make it out alive from the treacherous jungles of a war-torn African country.

How The Dark Guest Got Its Title

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One of the questions I often get is why did I call book one in The Cold War Legacy series The Dark Guest? It came from a very unlikely source.

As a reformed Presbyterian (PCA), I’ve become more acquainted with the Puritans and their writings. Titles like The Mystery of Providence and The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment have brought fresh understanding to modern-day troubles. The Banner of Truth Trust publishers have brought many of these little gems back to life through reprints.

Among those is a lovely book of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision. My husband and I read the book together for family devotions before we had kids. According to the back cover copy, “The strength of Puritan character and life lay in prayer and meditation.” This collection of prayers, written in poem form, are gathered “from the largely forgotten deposit of Puritan spiritual exercises, meditations and aspirations. They testify to the richness and colour of evangelical thought and language that animated vital piety in an important stream of English religious life,” as the preface states.

One of the poem-prayers, grouped under the section called “Penitence and Deprecation,” was entitled “The Dark Guest.” The poem talks about how sin becomes the dark guest within us but grace, through the cross, provides deliverance.

When I first read this prayer-poem, I thought the title would make a wonderful romantic suspense book title because of the way sin causes all sorts of chaos in our lives. When the idea for the plot came to me, I knew immediately The Dark Guest would work as the title because of the long secrets my hero and heroine uncover.

My story shows what happens when we allow sin to stay as a guest in our hearts. A guest implies we welcomed sin in, and at times, this is very true of us. If we don’t evict the “guest,” he will take up permanent residence and demand more and more of us. In my story, Violet and Henry must confront the sin in their own hearts that have taken up residence, as well as combat the long shadow sin can cast on others when sin is allowed to fester for years.

Here’s “The Dark Guest” from The Valley of Vision.

O Lord,

Bend my hands and cut them off,

for I have often struck thee with a wayward will,

when these fingers should embrace thee by faith.

I am not yet weaned from all created glory,

honour, wisdom, and esteem of others,

for I have a secret motive to eye my name in all I do.

Let me not only speak the word sin, but see the thing itself.

Give me to view a discovered sinfulness,

to know that though my sins are crucified

they are never wholly mortified.

Hatred, malice, ill-will,

vain-glory that hungers for and hunts after

man’s approval and applause,

all are crucified, forgiven,

but they rise again in my sinful heart.

O my crucified but never wholly mortified sinfulness!

O my life-long damage and daily shame!

O my indwelling and besetting sins!

O the tormenting slavery of a sinful heart!

Destroy, O God, the dark guest within

whose hidden presence makes my life a hell.

Yet though has not left me here without grace;

The cross still stands and meets my needs

in the deepest straits of the soul.

I thank thee that my remembrance of it

is like David’s sight of Goliath’s sword

which preached forth thy deliverance.

The memory of my great sins, my many temptations, my falls,

bring afresh into my mind the remembrance

of they great help, of they support from heaven,

of the great grace that saved such a wretch as I am.

There is no treasure so wonderful

as that continuous experience of thy grace toward me

which alone can subdue the risings of sin within:

Give me more of it.

 

Linda Wood Rondeau’s “Ghostly” Writing (Episode 76)

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On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m talking with award-winning author Linda Wood Rondeau, who writes stories that grip the heart, inspired by her nearly 30 years of social work. When not writing or speaking, she enjoys the occasional round of golf, visiting museums, and taking walks with her best friend in life, her husband of 45 years. The couple resides in Hagerstown, Md., where both are active in their local church.

“I used the term ghosts for several reasons,” Linda explained. “My hero … calls these disturbances [in a house] ghosts because he doesn’t know what else to call them. … I choose the ghosts for the title because I think it’s important for us to understand as Christians that Satan will use any means to deter or deflect our relationship with the Lord.”

Connect w/Linda
Website: www.lindarondeau.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindawoodrondeau
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lwrondeau
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorlindawoodrondeau/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5352394.Linda_Wood_Rondeau
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/linda-wood-rondeau

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from The Ghosts of Trumball Mansion.

How the Past Impacts the Future in the Books of Lori Altebaumer and Wendy Wilson Spooner (Episode 75)

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On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guests are Lori Altebaumer and Wendy Wilson Spooner. Among other topics, we discussed how the past has implications for the present and future.

“The repeat pattern of my [book] themes is taking a woman who has been broken … and walking her through the steps of forgiveness, things like that, to show her that her past doesn’t take away her future,” Lori said.

“My books are dual timeline,” Wendy said. “This is a wonderful, rags-to-riches immigration story that has God woven through all of it and how he carries us through so many things.”

Multi-published author Lori describes herself as a wandering soul with a home-keeping heart. Her tagline of head in the clouds, boots on the ground, and heart in His hands isn’t just a catchy phrase, but sums up the way she lives her life. Lori has enjoyed both traditional and independent publishing. Her debut novel, A Firm Place to Stand, has been recognized as 2020 AWSA Golden Scrolls Awards winner as well as being selected as a finalist for multiple Selah Awards and the BRMCWC Director’s Choice Awards in 2021. Her work has been included in multiple compilations including Arise to Peace published by Right to the Heart and The Power to Make a Difference published by Lighthouse Bible Studies. Lori enjoys engaging with all facets of the writing industry and people who are passionate about the craft of writing. A life-long Texas, she loves her Southern roots, things that make her laugh, and the company of family and friends.

Connect w/Lori
Website: https://lorialtebaumer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorialtebaumerwrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lori_altebaumer/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lori-altebaumer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/15304811.Lori_Altebaumer

Wendy, Lic. G., LCoT, is a genetic genealogist by day, a writer by night, and an artist in between. Her love of what we can learn from history compels her to write the true stories she unearths during her research because she has found that truth is indeed, much more exciting and inspiring than fiction. She’s a member of the International Society of Genetic Genealogist, The Association of Professional Genealogists, Romance Writers of America, and The American Night Writer’s Association. As an award-winning author of professional articles and poems, she’s turned to novel writing to share what she has learned with a greater audience. When not writing or researching, Wendy paints, hikes, binges on Bollywood movies, and spends time with her greatest loves—her family.

Connect w/Wendy
Website: https://wendywilsonspooner.com/

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus teasers for A Far Way to Run and Celtic Winter.

 

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