Baby, It's Cold Outside

Here in Montana, we had our first below zero temperatures of the winter. It was minus fifteen for the weekend and into Monday. This is actually balmy for a Montana winter. I've lived in Montana most of my life and it has been fifty below at times. As my late husband used to say, "That is no foolin' cold."  Going out in those kind of temps makes your face freeze. I can remember as a kid waiting for the school bus when it was below zero and the snot in my nose froze. 

It seems the whole country is in a bit of a deep freeze. My friend who lives outside of New Orleans sent me pics of the snow falling at his house. The cold temperatures were mentioned Monday at the presidential inauguration.  I'm sure it's warm somewhere in the United States. 

It's no surprise that many of my Love Inspired Suspense books take place in the winter. I received a letter from a fan who said that she could feel the cold in my book Zero Visibility despite living where it was warm. Write what you know, I guess. Some of my other winter books include Mountain Captive and Hidden Away. 

My book that released yesterday, Defending the Child, begins in the middle of an intense winter storm. Marielle flees her house with her foster child Ian in the middle of a blizzard when a home intruder threatens to harm them. Ian was a witness to a horrible crime and now people are after him. He went mute as a result of what he saw. Marielle seeks refuge at a Bible camp in the mountains but the camp's caretaker turns out to be the man who left her at the altar years ago. Graham has his own reasons for needing to hide out at the isolated camp. 

I'd love to give away a few copies of Defending the Child. Let me know what the weather is like where you are at and leave your email address (USA only). Or tell me about a memory you have connected to extreme weather of any kind. 

 

January Giveaway

 

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What's HOT in Inspirational Suspense

Wondering what's new in inspirational suspense and mystery?  Amir Tsafan and Steve Yohn released a new suspense, The Sick Man's Rage: A NIr Tavor Mossad thriller, book 4, from Ten Peaks Press. Here's a little bit about the story:

After Hamas’s brutal massacre against Israel in October 2023, the Mossad goes after the terrorist group’s leaders wherever they are. When one of Israel’s targeted killings occurs on Turkey’s soil, that country’s president promises severe retaliation. Now Nir Tavor’s team is in a race against time, alliances, and deadly threats to stop this attack from the skies that could annihilate Israel’s gas fields and destroy their economy.

You can buy The Sick Man's Rage: A Nir Tavor Mossad thriller, book 4 HERE from Christianbook.com

I wish you a happy week of reading, lovers of inspirational suspense and mystery. And stay warm!

Mary Ellis, Suspense Sisters

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

We have exciting things planned for you this week on the Suspense Sisters!

On Tuesday, Mary Ellis shares what’s hot in inspirational suspense.

Wednesday, Suspense Sister Sharon Dunn will talk about winter and her upcoming release, DEFENDING THE CHILD. She’ll also be giving away copies of this exciting book!

Caught in a mountain blizzard…with a child to protect.

After Marielle Coleman’s foster son witnesses his mother’s murder, he becomes a killer’s next target. Escaping into a raging Montana snowstorm, Marielle and her little boy hide at a remote camp—and unexpectedly reunite with her ex-fiancé, Graham Flynn, an undercover DEA agent. Now Graham and Marielle must put aside their distrust to save the child from dangerous pursuers. But Graham’s still hiding secrets from Marielle…ones that could tie them all to a conspiracy that will end their lives.

PREORDER IT HERE 

Friday, author Mary Alford interviews new Suspense Sister Gina Holder. They’ll be talking about Gina’s book, HANDMADE MAYHEM. Leave a comment, and you could win a copy!

Addie Masters, owner of White Elephant Junk Removal, is an artistic, junk-loving redhead from a coastal town on Boston’s North Shore. She enjoys upcycling, rescue dogs, fixing things, and selling her unique creations.

She never planned on being an amateur sleuth.

But when Addie discovers the body of a client during a routine pickup and the police arrest the wrong man, it’s up to her to prove his innocence... and figure out whodunit.

With the help of Detective Noah Daniels, a cat named Friday, three dogs named Sherlock, Nancy, and Miss Marple, and a potbelly pig named Winston, Addie takes on her first murder mystery in Handmade Mayhem.

ORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

BOOK REVIEW: Hidden Dangers by Jennifer Pierce

 

Marji Laine here. 

After reading about the accomplishments and accolades of Jennifer Pierce, I’m a little embarrassed to tell you that she is a new-to-me author. But then, after reading her latest release, HIDDEN DANGER, I can certainly see why she’s received so many accolades!

This book seemed to have a slower start from most suspense that I read, but it lured me into a false sense of relaxation. Boy, did it ever! Every time Maggie and Cody thought they knew what to expect next, the rug was pulled out from under them.

Not that they were always wrong. It was just the process of chipping away at the evidence (or in this case, the lack thereof), while attempting to hide from a stalker who seemed to know and see everything.

Most of the time, mysteries illicit questions like, who would do that, why is she targeted, or how was the attack planned. For me, I always ask, Why now? What has happened or is about to happen that elicited such a violent response? In some stories, the answer is obvious and doesn’t give much help in solving the mystery. In this one, the question just kept coming up in my mind.

And when I did get to the end, I was in trouble! I was listening to the audiobook in my car, while driving. And it didn’t matter that I anticipated what was coming, I struggled to keep my foot light on the gas pedal during the intensity of the final attack. And there were so many police cruisers on the freeway. I'd look down and find I was going way too fast again every few seconds. 

I guess that describes my reaction to this suspense pretty well. LOL! Thankfully, my realization of my speeding usually came before I saw the next cruiser! Whew! 

So to say, “I loved it,” is an understatement. Jennifer Pierce has become a new favorite. I can’t wait to read more of her books!

Here’s a little about HIDDEN DANGER:

All Maggie Jones wants to do is sell her late father’s property and get out of Whitehaven, Texas as fast as possible - before she runs into the one man she’s spent the past six years avoiding. Someone has other plans for her, though. Sinister plans. And when a seemingly harmless act of vandalism turns into a series of menacing threats, she has no choice but to turn to last person on earth she wants to see for help.

Sheriff Cody Smith never expected to see Maggie again, especially after he’d broken her heart all those years ago. Maybe this is the second chance he’s always wanted. But when he realizes Maggie’s in grave danger, he intends to keep her safe at all costs. With lines from an old nursery rhyme as their only clue, he needs to find out who’s behind this deadly game before the rhyme ends and Maggie’s time runs out. Can he protect her, catch the bad guy, and make amends for past wrongs? Or will old wounds get in the way?

Get your copy of HIDDEN DANGER here!

I hope you LOVE it!

FIGHTER, NOT VICTIM

I like writing strong women. I’ve written women who are CIA snipers, underground fighters, and lots of things in between. At a glance, Dangerous Beauty may seem like a departure from that. Liliana was captured and torn from her home. Her family was murdered in front of her. She’s in a foreign country with a limited understanding of the language, no understanding of her legal rights, no money, no transportation, no great skills, and no contacts (literally no one left in the world). She’s seen death. She’s been battered and molested.

But Liliana is not weak. She refuses to see herself as a victim. She understands that as soon as she does that, she’s given up her power and her enemies have won. She’s a fighter, not a victim.

Along the way, she helps others whenever she can. She helps the girlfriend of an enemy, she helps women trapped in the clutches of evil human traffickers, and she helps Meric overcome his past, his origins. Meric is certainly a hero, but Liliana is not a damsel in distress. She’s just as much the hero of the story as he is.

And she does this all while keeping her faith. Not just keep it but live it.

I really wanted to write a different kind of strong woman. Someone soft. Someone without some great talent or skill. Someone poor with little knowledge of the world. She has nothing, literally nothing but the dress on her back (not even shoes), and she frees four women from slavery and one man from his self-induced cage.

Watching Liliana unfold on the page makes me want to be a better person.

She makes me think of what I can do to help others. Not even in some great way. We have opportunities to help others every day.

That clerk at the grocery store who is always in a bad mood, smile at her. Ask her about her unique name on her name badge. Complement her hair or her nails.

Take the neighbors some cookies when they move in. Make an extra loaf of pumpkin bread at Thanksgiving. Give them a tin of goodies at Christmas. (You may notice a theme of sweets with me!)

That HVAC tech or plumber or electrician who went the extra mile for you, reach out to his boss and tell them how great he is, specifically what he does that’s so helpful. Write a great review online.

Just smiling and being kind in every day interactions can have a wonderful effect on the world. What if everyone did that? What if we all set aside our stress and anxiety and put others first, even just for a few moments? Everyone is going through something. You and I are not the only ones struggling. We should never assume our load is heavier than anyone else’s. A lot of people hide how much stress they’re under, how they’re at the end of their ropes. Just be kind to everyone. Maybe the kindness we share with others will help that person hold on just a little longer.

Amazon

Baker Publishing Group

Melissa Koslin is a fourth-degree black belt in and certified instructor of Songahm Taekwondo. In her day job as a commercial property manager, she secretly notes personal quirks and funny situations, ready to tweak them into colorful additions for her books. She and Corey, her husband of twenty years, live in Florida, where they do their best not to melt in the sun.