How the Settings of Sara Blackard and Dani Pettrey Define Their Books (Episode 77)
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.
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.
Connect w/Linda
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
