For more than 40 years, Deb Brammer has written for Christian publication and served as a full-time missionary in Taiwan and New Zealand. In her books, you’ll find realistic characters who deal with cross-cultural experiences and care about ministry. Her most recent series is the Art Spotlight Mysteries.
How do you come up with titles for your books? Deb: I often like to find a play on words. The title for Broken Windows, book one in the Art Spotlight Mysteries, comes from a police theory about crime. It states that visual evidence of crime, like broken windows and graffiti, encourages more crime. When a graffiti artist cleverly uses a broken window as his canvas, Jordan tries to find and expose him while Jordan also examines broken windows in his own faith. Deja Who?, book two, deals with art forgery as well as identity crisis. An unsolved art mystery makes Jordan ask “Who am I?” all over again. In book three, I Scream, Destiny Champion is a child art prodigy who challenges the validity of contemporary art. She reveals her inner anxiety from a too-rapid rise to fame by copying ideas from Edvard Munch’s painting, “The Scream.” In her painting, however, the scream face is eating ice cream. I launched this book with an “I Scream Social.”
How do you connect with your characters? Deb: I understand Jordan because, though he has a different personality to mine, he grew up as a missionary kid in Taiwan and has a hard time understanding certain aspects of American culture. I’ve had to adapt to different cultures, so I get that. Zophie has the heart of my daughter. Each book has some minor characters, flawed and gentle, who pull at the heart strings and ask tough questions that can’t be passed over. I have to love these characters and hurt with them before I can write their stories.
What did you want to be as a child (and did that dream come true)? Deb: From the time I was an early teen, I determined to follow God’s will for my life. Along with that, I always wanted to be in ministry (like a pastor’s wife) and I’ve always wanted to write. God has given me 40 years of ministry as a missionary pastor’s wife in which I continue to minister to people from many different cultural backgrounds. I’ve also been able to author nine books, more than 125 published articles, and many resources for people in ministry. I used the various Christmas and Mum-Daughter programs, puppet scripts, ESL Bible studies, blogs, and other resources in my own ministry first. From there these resources have reached out to ministries around the world. God truly “gives the very best to those who leave the choice to Him.”
Current Book: I Scream A child’s simple painting enters the world of contemporary art, challenging Jordan to re-examine his principles and market art he can’t understand.
Connect w/Deb
Website: http://www.DebBrammer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebBrammerAuthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.nz/debbrammer/
Pinterest for I Scream: https://www.pinterest.nz/debbrammer/art-spotlight-mystery-3-i-scream/
An award-winning novelist, Julie B Cosgrove is a digital missionary for The Life Project, as well as the editor and recruiter of other writers for the organization’s websites. Julie also lectures to women’s and writers’ groups. Her blog, Where Did You Find God Today?, has readers around the world.
When do you find time to write? Julie: I am widowed and live alone, so I can find time to write fiction when my editing, devotional writing, lecturing and missionary work allows. I find the year is cyclical. There are times when things slow down, and I get the itch to write. So, my friends and family understand when I say I am in the mode and become reclusive for a while. I’ve never missed a publisher’s deadline though.
What is your favorite spot for reading or reflecting on your current work-in-progress? Julie: I have a spot on the couch where I curl up, usually with a cup of hot tea. My cat often joins me and perches on the top cushion, resting one paw on my arm.
How do you come up with titles for your books? Julie: For the Relatively Seeking Mysteries, I wanted them to all have “leaf” themes, since they are about family trees and secrets…and handsome bachelors who help the lady sleuths, of course. Fallen Leaf is indicative of both Jessica, who is put up for adoption, and her birth father, who is convicted of murder and thus disowned by his family.
What’s the weirdest way someone has died or been killed in your novels? Julie: I guess the mean old neighbor Edwin in Dumpster Dicing, the first book in the Bunco Biddies Mysteries Series. (Dumpster Dicing won Best Cozy Mystery 2017 by the Texas Association of Authors.) He was chopped up and placed in the community dumpster. Yes, it is a comedy, believe it or not.
How do you research ways to kill someone for your books? Julie: I go online a lot, and wonder when the police or FBI will knock on my door! I also have contacted a few retired police detectives who have been of assistance to me, and of course I love to watch and read mysteries. I belong to several suspense romance and mystery sites, and we sometimes bounce ideas off each other.
How do you pick the location/setting of your romantic suspense novels? Julie: All of my novels start off set in Texas, where I have lived most of my life. My characters are Texans. However, I do have them venture beyond its borders. For years, I freelanced for a popular travel website, and so I have learned ways to thoroughly explore other places digitally. Hush in the Storm, my first successful suspense romance, is partially set in New Mexico because it seemed logical for the plot. The award-winning sequel, Legitimate Lies, is set in Southern England, where I did have the blessed opportunity to travel in 2012. Much of this book, Fallen Leaf, is set in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area, and though I have never been there, I spent months “going there” online.
Current Book: Fallen Leaf Jessica’s birth father insists he was framed for murder. Can she trust the D.A., Brady, to help her? Or does Brady have a hidden agenda?
In
August 2017, Gina published her first novel, Whither Shall I Go. She currently lives in Kentucky with her husband
and daughter, but they will be moving to Colorado in May. When she’s not
working on writing, she enjoys reading, watching movies, singing, cooking, and
playing the piano and organ.
Why did you start
writing romantic suspense novels? Gina: When I was a girl, I loved
reading the Mandie Mysteries by Lois Gladys Leppard. In fact, this was my first
introduction to Christian fiction. As I grew older, I loved watching mystery movies
and cop shows, but they aren’t always clean. Christian suspense gave me something
to enjoy both clean and exciting. When I started writing No Greater Love, I knew it was going to be a contemporary romance
and involve a police officer—romantic suspense just seemed like the logical genre.
What’s the hardest
part of writing romantic suspense? Gina: For me, it was trying to
decide how much to reveal to readers and how much to keep secret. Do you give
the villain a POV? Or even a name? Do I want my readers to know who’s the bad
guy or do I want to keep him completely hidden until the very end?
Why do you like
writing romantic suspense? Gina: In real life, the good guys
don’t always win. Criminals go free. Justice isn’t served. Victims go unrevenged.
In fiction, I can make the story end how I wish it could be in real life—where
evil gets its comeuppance and good gets a happy ending.
Who’s your favorite
romantic suspense writer and why? Gina: My favorite romantic
suspense author is Colleen Coble. She always keeps me guessing right down to
the very end. In most suspense books I read, I can pick out the villain immediately,
but in Ms. Coble’s books, I am always surprised!
Current book: No Greater Love He said he’d never
risk leaving a widow. She said she’d never love a man in uniform. God had
different plans.
The Heart Changer by Jarm Del Boccio — Miriam is asked to do the impossible: serve the wife of Naaman, commander of the Syrian army. Clinging to treasured memories of home and faith, Miriam faces captivity with bitterness. Little does she know the Heart Changer is preparing her for a greater mission — far beyond what she could imagine. (Children’s from Ambassador International)
Contemporary Romance:
Faith and Hope by Amy R. Anguish — Younger sister Hope has lost her job, her car, and her boyfriend all in one day. Her well-laid plans for life have gone sideways, as has her hope in God. Older sister Faith is finally getting her dream-come-true after years of struggles and prayers. But when her mom talks her into letting Hope move in for the summer, will the stress turn her dream into a nightmare? Is her faith in God strong enough to handle everything? For two sisters who haven’t gotten along in years, this summer together could be a disaster…or it could lead them to a closer relationship with each other and God. Can they overcome all life is throwing at them? Or is this going to destroy their relationship for good? (Contemporary Romance from Mantle Rock Publishing)
Match Made in Heaven by Julie Arduini — Beth Prescott wants to make a difference with the senior citizens she serves as a volunteer coordinator, but their matchmaking efforts leave her guarded. She’s experienced too much pain to make that leap again. Dean Kellerman returns to the Finger Lakes area to help his grandfather and heal his own broken heart. He’s recommitted his life to Christ, and doesn’t want any distractions.
When his grandfather needs assistance with a senior program, it places Dean right in Beth’s path. Can these two surrender their pasts to Christ and have faith in each other and their future? (Contemporary Romance from Surrendered Scribe Media)
An Amish Reunion by Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, Kathleen Irvin, and Beth Wiseman — Their True Home by Amy Clipston: Marlene Bawell’s new friendship with an old crush is threatened when change once again disrupts the home she’s tried to make in Bird-in-Hand. A Reunion of Hearts by Beth Wiseman: Separated after tragic grief, husband and wife Ruth and Gideon Beiler are reunited when they accept an invitation to a family reunion they each believe the other has declined. A Chance to Remember by Kathleen Fuller: Cevilla Schlabach, Birch Creek’s resident octogenarian matchmaker, is surprised when Richard, a man from her Englisch past, arrives in Birch Creek for a visit. While he and Cevilla take several walks down memory lane, they wonder what the future holds for them at this stage of life—friendship, or the possibility of something else? Mended Hearts by Kelly Irvin: Abandoned by her father, penitent single mother Hannah Kauffman finds support in her old friend Phillip, who has loved her for years, but fears risking another mistake by opening herself up to love. (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Thomas Nelson and Zondervan])
Her New Amish Family by Carrie Lighte — Widower Seth Helmuth needs a mother for his sons, but for now, hiring the Englischer next door as their nanny will have to do. Trina Smith plans to stay in Amish country only long enough to claim her inheritance and sell her grandfather’s house. But as she falls for Seth, his twin boys and Amish life, will she inherit a home and a family? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
Beauty for Ashes by Kathleen Neely — Well-known novelist Nathan Drummond revisits painful memories when family responsibilities force him to return to his home town. Although he’d intended the living situation to be temporary, Nathan didn’t count on falling in love. As guilty memories threaten a return of panic attacks, Nathan begins to write a novel paralleling the tragic event from his youthful folly. Will the novel be seen as a work of fiction, or will it expose his secret? (Contemporary Romance from Harbourlight Books [Pelican])
Restoring Her Faith by Jennifer Slattery — An artist fighting to save her career must find a way to work with the handsome yet stubborn cowboy overseeing a church restoration project–without falling for his southern charm. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
Sweet On You by Becky Wade — Britt Bradford and Zander Ford have been the best of friends since they met thirteen years ago. Unbeknown to Britt, Zander has been in love with her for just as long. As they work together to investigate Zander’s uncle’s mysterious death, will the truth of what lies between them also, finally, come to light? (Contemporary Romance from Bethany House [Baker])
General Contemporary:
The Edge of Mercy by Heidi Chiavaroli — A dying request from an elderly neighbor forces a woman in a troubled marriage to find the 300-year-old story of a young colonial woman—one forced into an unwanted betrothal but drawn to a man forbidden to her by society. (General Contemporary from Hope Creek Publishers)
All My Tears by Kathy McKinsey — Meet five women who struggle with life’s deep sorrows. Beth fights to recover from alcoholism and to mend her relationships with her family. Ann doesn’t believe God will forgive her. Kathleen wrestles with a years-old fear and with saving her marriage. Cassie needs to learn to deal with chronic depression. Martie finds herself the single parent of the eight-year-old niece she barely knows when the child’s parents die in a car wreck.
See how God gives them the gifts of hope, healing, and love. (General Contemporary from Mantle Rock Publishers)
Historical:
The Refuge by Ann H Gabhart — Can Darcie Goodwin find love and a way to keep her baby in a community that doesn’t believe in marriage or individual family units? (Historical from Revell – A Division of Baker Publishing Group)
Historical Romance:
The Artful Match by Jennifer Delamere — At loose ends in London after a near-tragedy, Cara Bernay finds herself at odds with the Earl of Morestowe after she befriends his brother, a talented but troubled young artist. Soon she finds herself drawn to the earl as she becomes more involved with his family. Like Cara, they are suffering from unresolved mistakes in their past. Can they form an unlikely alliance and find a way to a new beginning? (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker])
The Golden Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse — Olivia Brighton finds herself widowed and working her brother’s restaurant in San Francisco during the height of the 1849 Gold Rush. Even though she receives at least twenty marriage proposals a day, she will never marry a gold miner. Her brother’s friend Joseph Sawyer has gotten caught up in local politics and the plight of Chinese in forced labor. The more Joseph gets pulled into investigating crime in the city, the less Olivia sees of the compassionate man. And just when she thinks she could love again, a fire threatens to steal all hope. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
Romantic Suspense:
Justice Delivered by Patricia Bradley — An escaped victim of sex trafficking must find the courage to report her captors to the authorities—some of whom could be corrupt—when her niece is kidnapped by the ringleader. (Romantic Suspense from Revell – A Division of Baker Publishing Group)
You Shouldn’t Have by Susan Page Davis — “I SAW MY NEIGHBOR MURDER HIS WIFE!” But the police don’t believe Petra Wilson. There’s no body, no evidence, no murder. But Petra knows what she saw. And now her dangerous neighbor knows it, too. Her sisters introduce her to private investigator Joe Tarleton. Petra tells Joe her story, expecting him to decide there is no case. But the dedicated P.I. accepts her word, and he vows to uncover the truth. Still, he can’t guard Petra twenty-four hours a day. In spite of her precautions, her neighbor makes inroads in her vulnerability. Petra is left open to a killer intent on silencing the only living witness. (Romantic Suspense from Tea Tin Press)
Beauty in Battle by Robin Patchen — Harper doesn’t want to return to Maryland to face the police. The mess she left behind makes her look guilty of the worst, but it’s too late to run again. Red is safe and the authorities are waiting. At least Jack is by her side.
Now that Jack knows the truth, his feelings for Harper are deeper than ever. He’s not about to leave her side, especially knowing a killer is after her. But Derrick is on their trail, and he’s come unhinged. And he may not be the biggest threat lurking. (Romantic Suspense, Independently Published [ACFW QIP])
Speculative:
Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse — Selene Ravenwood, once the heir to House Ravenwood, is now an exile. On the run and free of her family’s destiny, Selene hopes to find the real reason her family was given the gift of dreamwalking. But first she must adapt to her new role as wife to Lord Damien Maris, the man she was originally assigned to kill. While adjusting to her marriage and her home in the north, her power over dreams begins to grow. As the strongest dreamwalker to exist in ages, her expanding power attracts not only nightmares but the attention of the Dark Lady herself. With a war looming on the horizon and a wicked being after her gift, Selene is faced with a choice: accept the Dark Lady’s offer or search out the one who gave her the gift of dreamwalking. One path offers power, the other freedom. But time is running out, and if she doesn’t choose soon, her decision will be made for her. (Speculative Fantasy from Bethany House [Baker])
Snow Globe Travelers: Samuel’s Legacy by K.A. Cummins — Transported into another world, an Austrian girl must face a genetically-engineered warrior with an army of vicious hybrids. (Hard Science Fiction (for Children), Independently Published)
The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings — A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job. A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her sister’s house before her niece’s wedding. And a young artist pursuing his father’s dream so he can keep his own alive. When David, Gillian, and Michael each take the wrong suitcases from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed, and carrying it with them is slowing them down in ways they can’t imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave. (Speculative Allegory from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Thomas Nelson and Zondervan])
Nike N. Chillemi writes contemporary detective novels,
sometimes called cozy thrillers with a touch of wry humor and an uplifting
message There’s often a national security twist to them. She likes her bad guys
really bad, and her good guys smarter and better.
Why did you start
writing romantic suspense novels? Nike: I love a good puzzle. I
don’t have time much anymore, but I used to enjoy putting together boxed
puzzles of 500 or 1000 pieces. In fact, there’s a puzzle piece in the top
corner of all of my contemporary detective novel covers. I also love trying to
solve the puzzle of a good romantic suspense or mystery novel as I read them. What
is better than adding a romantic love story to a suspense story? So, I guess it
was natural that I’d evolve from reading romantic suspense to writing romantic
suspense novels.
What’s the weirdest
way someone has died or been killed in your novels? Nike: It was backstory in Blood Speaks. This character is mourned
by many of the townspeople. Edward Blanchard supposedly died in an accidental
car crash. Actually, he is the first murder victim of the killer. It was
generally known that Edward loved his fully restored 1968 Plymouth Road Runner. Every spring he’d take it out of storage and
bring it to the local garage for a tune up. He’d drive it down the steep hill
on which he lived that had many curves and a treacherous drop on one side. The
murderer snuck into Edward’s garage and smeared peanut butter onto the brake
line. During the winter rats, racoons, and other varmint ate the peanut butter
and destroyed the brakes. Edward went over the side on his way to the garage.
Have you ever
regretted killing off a character? Why? Nike: I regret killing off a lot
of my characters. Aside from hopefully giving readers a good, exciting read,
part of my motivation for writing Romantic Suspense is to allow readers to enter
the scene and see the evil in cutting short an innocent human life. I think
Christian romantic suspense is highly sensitive to the devastation brought into
the lives of the victim’s loved ones that senseless murder and crime leaves
behind. Hopefully, by the end of my novels, the characters experience spiritual
growth and and healing. It’s my desire that my novels leave the reader
uplifted.
Current
book: Courting DangerPI
Veronica Ingels teams up with Deputy Dawson Hughes to find a radio
broadcaster’s missing wife and young daughter, who might have been taken by
Islamic terrorists.
An award-winning novelist, Julie B Cosgrove is a digital missionary for The Life Project, as well as the editor and recruiter of other writers for the organization’s websites. Julie also lectures to women’s and writers’ groups. Her blog, Where Did You Find God Today?, has readers around the world.
