The Romantic Side of Suspense podcast

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m chatting with Lori DeJong, a contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of thirty years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter and son-in-law are settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Lori loves to write about love and romance and all that fun stuff, with a firm foundation of faith. Clean but sassy, sparkly, and even goose-bumpy romance, with God in the middle and characters seeking and learning and changing, couldn’t be more heartwarming or spine-tingly.

Lori’s debut novel, Love’s True Calling, released in 2023, was the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, a double finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards, and was named the 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year. Love’s True Home, released in June 2024, was also a Selah finalist. Love’s True Measure released in June 2025. Lori’s Christmas novella, Jingle Bell Matchmakers, a part of “A Match Made at Christmas” novella collection, is also available and was named a 2025 ACFW Carol Award finalist.

“Character development is my favorite part of writing,” Lori says. “I love making people and living with them. I’ll live with them for a few weeks before I’ll actually start writing the story. … I know their birth order, their love language. I know what they drive, where they live and how they dress.”

Connect w/Lori
Website: https://loridejongwrites.com/ 
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LoriDeJongCommunity 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loridejongwrites/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loridejongwrites
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/loridejongwrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/loridejongwrites 
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38460845.Lori_DeJong 
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lori-dejong

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Mistletoe and Malice by Lori DeJong. Excerpt and back cover copy read by Janda Sample of Janda Sample Storytelling.

During this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense” podcast, you’ll hear from seven authors about their romantic suspense books available this month. Here’s the list of authors and books for February 2026, with the book’s release date if not available now.

• Marisa Masterson/Limburger & Larceny
• Seralynn Lewis/Surviving the Deal
• Lynette Eason/Whiteout
• Jennifer Chastain/Fatal Encore (2/27)
• Elizabeth Goddard/Deadly Currents (2/17)
• Katy Lee/Tracing a Kidnapper’s Trail (2/24)
• Sarah Sundin/Mists over the Channel Islands

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guest is Jacqueline Adam, who lives in British Columbia with her husband and two incredible children. She and her family love to find adventure, whether it be zip-lining, riding roller coasters, or camping throughout the Rocky Mountains and beyond. Jacqueline writes love-inspired suspense stories with strong, dynamic characters that overcome impossible odds.

Jacqueline’s stories start “with an inciting incident. It could be from a show, or from the news. There’s just that little bit of a granular, that little spark. Once that happens, sometimes, I’ll think this would be really cool,” she says.

Connect w/Jacqueline
Website: www.jacquelineadam.com
Instagram: @authorjacquelineadam
Facebook: @jacquelineadamauthor

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Kidnapped for Ransom by Jacqueline Adam. Excerpt and back cover copy read by Janda Sample of Janda Sample Storytelling.

During this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense” podcast, you’ll hear from four authors about their romantic suspense books available this month. Here’s the list of authors and books for January 2026, with the book’s release date if not available now.

• Jodie Bailey/Buried Mountain Justice
• Megan Short/Trapped on the Alaskan Glacier (1/27)
• Jessica R. Patch/A Killer in Texas
• Julie Klassen/Whispers at Painswick Court

On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m chatting with Jennifer Pierce, who is a top ten Publishers Weekly bestselling author. She lives in Arkansas where she’s busy raising two children and a husband. She’s a paralegal by trade and an author by free time. She’s fluent in sarcasm and Princess Bride quotes. Her love of books began with trips to the library with her grandmother. Please don’t ask her to name her favorite book—it’s like trying to pick her favorite child. And unicorns. She loved unicorns before they were cool.

When Jennifer wrote her first book, “I didn’t know what I was doing, but it kind of felt natural to me, this kind of storytelling. … I had a lot of crafting to learn, but the story was still there.”

Connect w/Jennifer
Website: Jenniferpiercewrites.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovereadwriterepeat/

Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Trail of Suspicion by Jennifer Pierce. Excerpt and back cover copy read by Janda Sample of Janda Sample Storytelling.