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A Fun Way to Share Suspense

 I don't know about you, but I love discovering new suspense authors. There are so many amazing stories being released all the time, and I like to find new books that stand out. The problem is that there are only 24-hours in a day and pesky things like jobs and other commitments often get in the way of my reading and relaxation. Facebook groups dedicated to fiction and even hashtags like #booktok have helped me stumble across wonderful stories that I wouldn't have found otherwise. Then, when I find a book that keeps me guessing and sticks with me after I've read the final page, I want to share it with others who have similar taste in reading material. 

This love of stories and sharing them is what inspired my author friend, Hilary Hamblin and me to start the Knives and Roses Podcast. We both love and write suspense and romantic suspense, and we've made it our mission to share off-the-charts suspense with anyone looking for a book recommendation. We review both Christian and general market fiction, but have standards as far as language and spicy scenes are concerned. If a book has minimal language and we review it, there will always be a disclaimer for content, so readers will know what they're getting into before picking up a book. 

We've had the privilege of interviewing authors like Patricia Bradley, Jessica Patch, Jaime Jo Wright, Elizabeth Goddard, Sami Abrams, and several others. It's been fun getting to know the people behind the books we love! 

Listeners have recommended books for us to review on the podcast as well. It's been great finding new authors this way as we share our favorites books with others. So far, the podcast has been a fantastic experience! It's given me the opportunity to read books I might not have considered reading in the past and sharing my love of stories with other readers. 

If you're ever in the mood for listening to book reviews, check it out on your favorite streaming platform. 

How do you find new books and authors. Let me know in the comments below for a chance to win the latest book I read for the Knives and Roses Podcast, Attempted Mountain Abduction by Jessica Patch!

WHAT'S HOT IN INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE

 By Patricia Bradley

Want to know what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense? This week, it's Jessica R. Patch's Attempted Mountain Abduction!

The only way to escape hit men in pursuit is through the icy wilderness.

Hired to protect a murdered tech mogul’s daughter, undercover bodyguard Bridge Spencer never expects his ex-fiancée to blow his cover…while she’s trying to kidnap the child. 

But before he and former CIA spy Wendy Dawson can figure out whose side they’re on, they’re attacked. Setting aside his heartbreak, Bridge has no choice but to team up with the woman who abruptly dumped him in a letter three years ago. 

Guarding the child from assailants who are after her father’s top-secret technology is priority one. But in the frigid Smoky Mountains, dangers are everywhere. The question is…which one is deadliest?

You can purchase it here.

WE LOVE BOOKS!

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

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

On Tuesday, Suspense Sister Patricia Bradley will tell us what’s hot in inspirational suspense and mystery.

Wednesday, we’ll hear from author A.D. Lawrence. Her column is titled: “A Fun Way to Share Suspense!” It’s all about the fun she’s had collaborating on the Knives and Roses Podcast. She’ll also be giving away a copy of ATTEMPTED MOUNTAIN ABDUCTION by Jessica Patch.

The only way to escape hit men in pursuit
is through the icy wilderness.

Hired to protect a murdered tech mogul’s daughter, undercover bodyguard Bridge Spencer never expects his ex-fiancée to blow his cover…while she’s trying to kidnap the child. But before he and former CIA spy Wendy Dawson can figure out whose side they’re on, they’re attacked. Setting aside his heartbreak, Bridge has no choice but to team up with the woman who abruptly dumped him in a letter three years ago. Guarding the child from assailants who are after her father’s top secret technology is priority one. But in the frigid Smoky Mountains, dangers are everywhere. The question is…which one is deadliest?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

ORDER IT HERE 

Friday, we’ll interview author Darlene L. Turner. She’ll talk about her newest release, ECHOES OF DARKNESS.

A serial killer stalks a small town, and a police officer must face her family’s dark past to catch him.

The sleepy community of Kenorapeake Falls in northern Ontario seems like somewhere Constable Oaklynn Brock can finally outrun her violent past. That is, until she’s assigned to investigate a series of suspicious deaths. She can’t reveal that she knows how serial killers think because she grew up with one. Yet the eerie similarities between these murders and those committed by her father, known as the Suicide Slayer, hint at a copycat in their midst. But why here and why now?

Caleb Greene of the Canadian Watchers Squad, a special task force, has his own reasons to be wary of working alongside Oaklynn. But with rumors of a local cult known as the Light Paragons gaining power, the stakes are too high to refuse.

As they explore connections between the killings and cult, Oaklynn and Caleb are forced to confront old secrets…and a terrifying new threat. Someone is watching Oaklynn’s every move. They know exactly who she is and what she might be capable of. And soon her biggest fear isn’t just having her past exposed, but that a killer will turn whatever days she has left into a living nightmare…

ORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

Is it Real? Or is it Cake?

 

You may have heard of a television show called, “Is it cake?” If not, the idea is that bakers create cakes that resemble — sometimes incredibly well — familiar inanimate objects. The point is to guess which one is cake.

When I thought about what to write about this week here on the Suspense Sisters, I thought about how authors often do the same thing as these bakers. Our job is to create fictional worlds and describe them in such a way that they seem real to the reader, even if they’re not. The best way to do this is to base it on our real world and then let our imaginations soar from that starting point.

The reason is two-fold. 

One, it grounds the reader in the familiar. We might use a state name or a nearby large city to pinpoint where we are on the globe while still setting our actual story in a town that doesn’t exist. 

Two, this gives writers freedom to change details necessary to the plot. We can change street names, local businesses, geographic landscape … all while not confusing anyone who tries to find it on a map or annoying those who live there, if we were to set the story in an actual town.

Do writers ever set their stories in actual locations? Yes! I’ve done both. In my Addie Masters Mysteries, Rockport is a real New England town in Massachusetts. In that case, I try to stick to the town map as much as I can, but I also employ my imagination as I create fictional businesses and characters.

In my Shadows Over Whitman series, I created Whitman and built it over the real Oregon town of Enterprise. Sometimes I would forget Whitman wasn’t real and try to find it on Google Maps. Cue the face-palm. Doy!

In my newest novel, The Puzzle Within, I renamed Denver as Platte City, and then I took real locations and fictionalized them for the story. This allowed me to alter any details I needed to while still making them feel real because—well—they are. Just renamed and changed up a little bit. But you can find all these places on Google maps, and you can visit them in real life.

Fictional Name = Real Name

Silver Lake = Dillon Reservoir (Heart Island)

Wynkoop Station = Union Station

Abbot Castle = Walker Mansion Ruins

Chroma Cliffs = Paint Mines Interpretive Park

Eagle's Nest Observatory- Observatory Park

Mintaka- Ashcroft Ghost Town

Platte City Aquarium- Downtown Aquarium

What about you? What are your favorite fictional settings? If you could visit one imaginary town, which would it be? Which do you prefer, set in real places or fictional?

Comment below for the chance to win an eBook copy of The Puzzle Within.

FBI agent Arizona Powers, recovering from a nervous breakdown, isn’t ready to call it quits. Hoping to prove herself, she takes on a protection assignment for Bridgette Van Sloan, the spoiled teenage daughter of an ambassador.

Nick Trueheart, a former escape artist, joined DSS as a risk analyst after the tragic death of his wife. Consumed by his obsession to learn the identity of his wife’s killer, Nick lacks the time and patience to handle the unstable field agent.

When Bridgette disappears from an escape room, Nick and Arizona become entangled in a dangerous game and a race against time. The risks are high as they confront their own failures and unravel secrets hidden within to save Bridgette—and themselves—from a sinister plot.

Gina Holder is an indie author and stay-at-home mom. She’s had an infatuation with books for as long as she can remember. She loves sharing uplifting messages from God’s Word and introducing readers to new and new-to-them authors on her blog. When she’s not writing, Gina enjoys playing the piano, cooking, reading, watching Hallmark mysteries, and solving “escape room” puzzles. She loves growing in her craft as an author. She published her debut novel in 2017. Gina lives in Wyoming with her husband and daughter.        

DANGEROUS STORM BY ROXANNE RUSTAND

Popping in today to talk about Dangerous Storm by Roxanne Rustand! This is book #7 in the series, but you don't have to read the first six to enjoy Dangerous Storm (but you will want to!). Dangerous Storm takes place on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and that's someplace I've been--it is beautiful! 

Here's the cover and back copy:

Claire has inherited her sister’s small, rustic resort on Lake Superior. Given her business experience in New York, running it won’t be much of a challenge. Right?

The cabins and quirky guests she can manage. She hopes.

But now she has guardianship of her orphaned five-year-old nieces and their rebellious brother. With no experience as a mom, can she help them feel secure and happy once more?

These beloved children and their dog, cat, guinea pig, and gerbils make life much more interesting. But when Logan, her late sister’s first husband, shows up at her door and pushes her to sell the property back to him, everything changes.

Someone is threatening her…

She might feel a simmering attraction to him, but is Logan behind it, trying to drive her away? Or is it someone else…someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants?

And now, the danger is rising.

Lake Superior’s North Shore is stunningly beautiful. But it can erupt with incredible, deadly force when a N’Easter slams into its rocky cliffs. A massive storm is on its way.

And life just might depend on knowing who to trust.

My take:

This was a story that grabbed me right away. Claire is trying so hard to win her sister’s children over, especially her rebellious thirteen-year-old nephew. He held the key to the five-year-old twins’ acceptance of her. Then there’s her next-door neighbor, her sister’s handsome ex-husband, who was terrible to her sister. Or so her sister claimed. No way was she falling for his side of the story.

When someone harasses her, and accidents happen around the property after a real estate dealer tries to buy the rustic resort her sister left her, Logan comes to her rescue. When he reaches out to the nephew, Claire realizes her sister lied about Logan.

This is a great story with twists and turns the reader doesn’t see coming–at least this reader didn’t. The suspense will keep you turning the pages to a satisfying ending.

You can purchase Dangerous Storm by Roxanne Rustand at Amazon or read it in KU.

Question for the comments: Do you have to read the first book in a series even though all the books are stand-alones? Leave a comment, and I'll enter you in a drawing for a digital copy of Dangerous Storm.