The Countdown Begins and GIVEAWAY!

 Hey, friends!

I’m so excited to share with you that I have a new book releasing on September 1st. That’s just a day from now. To celebrate, I'm giving away a $15.00 Amazon gift card. If you'd like to enter to win, leave a comment on the blog with your contact information. 

Deadly Evidence  is the first book in a brand new series called Mount Shasta Secrets. If you’ve read my books you know I love nature settings, especially the mountains and the Pacific Northwest coast. Mount Shasta is situated in northern California. I could see Mount Shasta from Mount Ashland when I lived in southern Oregon. I love that very northern California region of the west coast.

(both images are public domain)

Since setting inspires me I knew I had to write a novel set in the Mount Shasta region. I’m so glad my Love Inspired Suspense editors allowed me to use the series title Mount Shasta 

Secrets.

From the Deadly Evidence back cover: 

A dangerous reunion they may not survive

In this Mount Shasta Secrets novel

FBI agent Tori Peterson intends to find her sister’s murderer, even if someone’s willing to kill her to keep the truth hidden. But that means returning home and working with the lead detective—her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Bradley. Though sparks still fly between them, Tori and Ryan must stay focused on catching a killer…before they are silenced for good.

I had a lot of fun writing Deadly Evidence, the first installment in the Mount Shasta Secrets Series. I’ll soon be starting on the second story in the series so I hope you’ll join my crew of characters with Deadly Evidence!

To view purchasing options, visit my website here! 


Also, I have a book releasing in October and it’s time to pre-order the second book in my Uncommon Justice Series for Revell—ALWAYS LOOK TWICE! 

The back cover copy:

At the advice of her therapist, homicide survivor Harper Reynolds has traded her job as a crime scene photographer for a more peaceful life taking photographs of the natural world. But her hopes for a life surrounded by the serenity of the outdoors are dashed when she inadvertently captures a murder being committed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She flees the scene in fear–and loses the camera.

Former Green Beret Heath McKade is a reserve deputy in an understaffed county who has been called in to protect Harper, a childhood friend he is surprised to see back in the area. When Harper learns that the sheriff’s department can’t find any evidence of the murder she witnessed, she is determined to do what she can to see that justice is done. What neither Harper nor Heath could know is how many explosive secrets from the past will be exposed–or how deeply they will fall for each other.

In this suspenseful page-turner, bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard keeps you on the edge of your seat as you discover that uncommon justice lies just on the other side of fear.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY OF ALWAYS LOOK TWICE TODAY! 

Happy Reading!

Elizabeth Goddard

Your Character's Dream Job

by Patricia Bradley

When I first started writing I was told to "write what you know"…and with my first hero, it wasn’t hard. He was a writer, and a secondary character was a potter, both within my area of expertise. But that advice posed a problem when it came to my heroine. She had a Ph.D. in psychology focusing on victimology, and I didn’t have that Ph.D. So I winged it…after doing a LOT of research. 

From my first book I went on to have heroes and heroines who were police officers, counselors, pilots, park rangers, a missionary, security specialist, rock climber, even a doctor. I am none of these things. So how do I write about them convincingly?

Most of the time I have friends who are in the field I need that I can talk to. But for the rock climber, I read articles and forums on rock climbing, and the forums were especially informative. I learned the slang climbers use. For the doctor, I have several women friends who are physicians, and they answered my questions and gave me little tidbits of personal information that added authenticity to the story.

In my Memphis Cold Case novels, I had a contact in the Cold Case Division at the Memphis Police Department. When I had a question, I’d shoot him a text. Same with a friend who was a pilot. I’ve never reached out for information and had someone turn me down. Most people are happy to talk about what they do.

Right now I’m working on a series about National Park Rangers set on the Natchez Trace down near Natchez. I’ve interviewed several rangers already and have a district supervisor on speed dial. :-)

In the future I want to write a story about a riverlorian on the Mississippi. About now you’re asking what in the world is a riverlorian. Right? The word is derived from three words: river, lore and historian. Riverlorians spin tales about the history of the rivers they travel.

I’m also planning to write a cozy mystery series about a docent who heads up a committee in charge of restoring an antebellum mansion near the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

What kind of jobs would you like to see in books? Leave your answer in the comments along with a way to contact you, and I’ll pick someone to win a $10 Amazon gift card!

WHAT'S HOT IN INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE

by Patricia Bradley

Wondering what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense? Here are two from Love Inspired Suspense from Elizabeth Goddard and Terri Reed 

Releasing on September 1st....Deadly Evidence by Elizabeth Goddard.

A dangerous reunion they may not survive

In this Mount Shasta Secrets novel

FBI agent Tori Peterson intends to find her sister’s murderer, even if someone’s willing to kill her to keep the truth hidden. But that means returning home and working with the lead detective—her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Bradley. Though sparks still fly between them, Tori and Ryan must stay focused on catching a killer…before they are silenced for good.

You can purchase Deadly Evidence at:

Amazon

B&N

Christian Books

Also new this month... 
Seeking the Truth by Terri Reed from the True Blue K-9 Unit Series, which released on August 6th, available now in Kindle and mass market paperback.

Her investigation could prove fatal…In this exciting True Blue K-9 Unit installment....By secretly investigating the New York City K-9 Command Unit chief’s murder, reporter Rachelle Clark puts a bull’s-eye on her back. Single dad and K-9 unit officer Carter Jameson thought Rachelle was reporting on police-field-dog trials—not his brother’s death. Though he’s not happy about her true purpose, the danger is real…and he and his trusty German shepherd must save her.

You can buy it now at:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Truth-Faith-Face-Crime-ebook/dp/B07N41T7BJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26Y6Z3HHFHLQG&keywords=seeking+the+truth+by+terri+reed&qid=1563917583&s=gateway&sprefix=Seeking+the+truth+%2Caps%2C599&sr=8-1

and at Christianbook.com:
https://www.christianbook.com/seeking-the-truth-terri-reed/9781335232250/pd/5232250?event=Fiction|1000643

Upcoming New Release and Traditional Mystery Review

UPCOMING NEW RELEASE and TRADITIONAL MYSTERY REVIEW

In a previous blog entry, I talked about the difference between a cozy mystery and a traditional mystery. I love them both and currently write a cozy mystery series.

I have a new release in my own series that will be out at the end of August. Book 5 in the Lily Gayle Lambert Mystery series is set in Destin, Florida. Lily Gayle and her best friend, Dixie, leave their small Mississippi town of Mercy and head to the Gulf Coast in search of a fun girl’s weekend. But, trouble soon follows not only during the road trip to Florida, but also when a dead man is discovered on the beach and Lily Gayle is the last person known to have been with him. As Lily Gayle and Dixie struggle to prove Lily Gayle’s innocence in the crime, people staying at the condo building come out of the woodwork to accuse Lily Gayle of being the criminal. Don’t miss the next installment in the Lily Gayle Lambert Mystery series!

Follow me on my Amazon page or Bookbub to be notified when Death on the Beach is released!

Amazon

 Bookbub

Traditional Mystery Review

I have had a life-long love of traditional mysteries, in addition to cozy mysteries, and one of my very favorite traditional mystery authors is Louise Penny. She is the author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series set in Canada. Talk about your layered mystery series! Louise weaves a wonderful backstory across her series that keeps you loving and rooting for her characters personal lives as much as you root for them in solving the crime found in each individual book!

Book Blurb:

When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Surete du Quebec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder.

None of them had ever met the elderly woman. The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane?

When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre will suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing.

But it isn't the only menace Gamache is facing.

The investigation into what happened six months ago -- the events that led to his suspension -- has dragged on, into the dead of winter. And while most of the opioids he allowed to slip through his hands, in order to bring down the cartels have been retrieved there is one devastating exception.

Enough narcotic to kill thousands has disappeared into inner city Montreal. With the deadly drug about to hit the streets, Gamache races for answers.

As he uses increasingly audacious, even desperate, measures to retrieve the drug, Armand Gamache begins to see his own blind spots. And the terrible things hiding there.

Review:

I am in a major time crunch due to the upcoming release of my own new book, plus plotting a story for a Christmas cozy mystery anthology and a novella combining a character from one of my favorite cozy authors into one of my own stories.

All that being said, I could not put this book down. I have loved this series from the beginning, but I am so invested in these characters that when I picked up this book to 'read just a couple of chapters' I found myself reading far longer than I should have under the circumstances.

This story is so nuanced, building on Ganache's recent past he is struggling to come to terms wth and melding it beautifully into the current mystery. Even the snowstorm at the very beginning of the story becomes an allegory of all of the things certain characters are unable to see in their own lives. All of my favorite characters are here jumping off the pages and into my living room as though they are real and the culmination of the mystery was one I did not guess before the end. A very satisfying read!


Thank you for stopping by to read my entry into the Suspense Sisters blog! I hope you enjoyed it and that you will follow me on Amazon or Bookbub...or both!


I am giving away FIVE ebook copies of Death on the Beach to readers who comment below by Sunday, August 25, 2019. Please leave your email address so that I can reach out to you. The ebook copies will be sent out to winners after September 1, 2019.

Layers Make All the Difference

Layers Make All the Difference

It's nearly out! Strands of Truth releases from Christianbook.com next week, and they have a special edition that has an extra chapter so check it out from there!

Okay, so let's talk about something other than my new book. :)

When I wrote my first mystery, my agent kicked it to the curb for a solid YEAR. Not enough layers, she said. Layers? What are layers? I'd been writing smaller books that were straight romance, but I always wanted. . . to kill people. :) I've loved murder mysteries all my life, and I wanted to try my hand at it. But before I could start down that path, I had to have a good grasp on layers.

Here's what I've learned.

Good layers are often the key to making an editor sit up and take notice. So much of the time, stories that hit the editor’s desk are so similar. Romance especially can be tough to make fresh. But it’s all in the layers.

Here are the layers I work on with every story:

1. Setting is huge for me. A character who lives in Boston is very different from one who lives in Indiana. The culture that shaped him/her is different too. Think about where your characters are. Read newspapers from that area and see if you can find a plot layer in what is going on currently there. Is there a culture group that’s strong there? In my Rock Harbor books, the Finnish culture had a huge role and was fun to layer in. The Lonestar series is set on a ranch in Texas that rescues abused horses and matches them with abused children. That idea gripped me by the throat, and that’s what you want your idea to do.

2. Character types. Take a look at character types and pit different types against one another to play off weaknesses and pet peeves. This can add a really great layer of conflict that’s ongoing. Maybe your female lead loves the wilderness and the hero’s idea of a great vacation is a cruise where everything is served to him. Maybe your heroine makes gourmet chocolates and the hero breaks out in hives from the aroma on her clothing. You get the picture!

3. Can you give your protagonist an obsession? That can really springboard you to plot ideas as she pursues it. This is often where to layer in your theme. In my new novel, Strands of Truth, Harper is obsessed with finding out who her father was. That obsession leads her into major danger.

4. Interesting occupation. This leads me to story ideas all the time. I’ve written about a SAR dog team, a dolphin researcher, a smokejumper, an antique quilt expert, and an old time telephone operator at the turn of the century. Harper in Strands of Truth researches pen shells and sea silk.

5. Think of plot layers that are problems for your main characters. Try to come up with at least three. For example, in Strands of Truth, Harper has found a half sister she didn't know she had, but a killer starts coming after them both. She is being forced to work with a man she's always considered an enemy, and a local politician wants to shut down her pen shell beds. The problem with many manuscripts I see is that there isn’t enough conflict and it isn’t varied enough. It’s not enough to have just ONE conflict.

Layers will life your book out of the rejected pile. They will add depth and interest to your characters and your plot. If you’ve already written the book, it’s still not too late to tear into it and make it something special. Don’t be afraid to start from scratch and add the things that need to be there.

What's Hot In Inspirational Suspense?

by Patricia Bradley

What's Hot In Inspirational Suspense

Wondering what's new in inspirational suspense and mystery? Deadly Silence by Susan Sleeman released In July! It's book 2 in the Truth Series.

A child she'll do anything to keep.
After Kelsey Moore's husband dies, she wants only one thing. To adopt her husband's son who she has come to call her own. But as she begins the process that her husband had dragged his feet on, she learns a secret so shocking she begins to question everything she knows except for the love she feels for her son. The child is not her husband's biological child, her former husband never had legal custody of the boy, and no one knows where he got the child. Fearing she might lose her son, Kelsey must find his birth mother and convince her to give up her parental rights.

A danger she's never known.
But when Kelsey starts asking questions, she runs into a brick wall named DEA Agent Devon Dunbar. Devon has been investigating an adoption/human trafficking ring with drug connections for the last six months, and he's not about to let Kelsey interfere in his investigation. But even if Devon brings out feelings she never thought she'd experience again, and he asks her to trust him, Kelsey can't even give him the benefit of the doubt. Not with the way her husband had lied to her and not even when her own life is on the line. If she doesn't succeed, she could lose the one thing that means everything to her - her five-year-old son.

You can purchase Dead Silence at:

Amazon

B&N

The latest in Amish Romantic Suspense and a chance to win a copy of one of these books!

In June, we begin to explore the ever-changing world of Christian Suspense. Today, I’d like to share one of my favorite Suspense genres with you. Amish Suspense and Amish Romantic Suspense.

Here are some new and upcoming Amish books that you don’t want to miss.

Coming August 22^{nd -}   ThreadlySecret: Amish Cozy Mystery (Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Book 21) by Samantha Price.

Blurb: When elderly Amish widow, Ettie Smith, was invited to the local fair to help judge the cookie contest, the last thing she expected was to find a murdered woman in the quilting tent. With so many people bobbin about, Ettie didn't want anyone to cotton on to what had happened, so quickly covered the body with an Amish quilt. Ettie forced her sister to inform the local detective, knowing he would only needle her about finding another murder victim.

Can Ettie and her sister stitch the clues together, or will this be one murder that will leave them completely unraveled?

Available now! 

Amish Covert Operation – by Meghan Carver. I loved Meghan’s first venture into Amish Suspense and this one is good as well.  

Blurb: She witnessed a crime

Can an agent in disguise keep her safe?

After Amish widow Katie Schwartz’s search for her reclusive brother results in a shooting and her finding a cryptic message, she must rely on federal agent Adam Troyer to shield her. But, undercover as a Plain man, can Adam save her brother’s life and protect Katie? Trusting the handsome Englisch agent is already dangerous…but falling for him could risk everything Katie holds dear. 

Available now! 

Shattered Silence: An Anthology (Echo Falls Book 3) by Marta Perry. I may have mentioned this before, but I love anything Marta Perry writes.

Blurb:

A woman on the run seeks sanctuary in a peaceful Pennsylvania Dutch community—and finds a protector in the most unlikely of men…

One moment Rachel Hartline is secure in her career and community. The next, she’s in the wrong place at the wrong time—watching her ex-husband commit a crime that puts her in unfathomable danger. Fear and hurt send her home to an Amish farm and the family she’s always trusted. But a private investigator is close behind—and he may be a threat to her in more ways than one…

Cold, calculating Clint Mordan isn’t convinced Rachel is as innocent in her ex-husband’s schemes as she claims, but when her ex’s enemies target Rachel, Clint is driven to keep her safe. Maybe the terror in her beautiful eyes and the target on her back aren’t an act. But as his feelings toward her deepen, Clint realizes he’s the only one who can keep Rachel alive in a game where only the killer knows the stakes.

Available now!

Summer of Suspense. There are several Amish tales of suspense in this anthology.  
Our very own Mary Ellis has a release in this anthology.
Missing - by Mary Ellis

Murder in Sugarcreek – by Serena Miller

Fading into the Night  - by Vannetta Chapman

Wedding Day Revenge – by Rachel J. Good

They all look great, don’t you think? So, leave me a comment for a chance to win a copy of your choice of the books mentioned above. Please leave your email address. Print, when available to US residents only, eBook otherwise. I’ll announce the winner on Friday, August 23^th.

Blessings always!

Mary Alford

A Review of the mystery THE SCENT OF MURDER by Kylie Logan

Happy August, readers, and the weather is hot and steamy. If there's one thing we all love in summer (or spring, fall or winter!) it's a good mystery. And the book I just finished reading, The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan, fits the bill to a tee!

Here's what the story is about: The way Jazz Ramsey figures it, life is pretty good. She owns her own home in one of Cleveland's most diverse, artsy, and interesting neighborhoods. She has a job she likes and volunteer work she's passionate about--Jazz is a cadaver dog handler. Jazz is working in an abandoned building with Luther, a dog in training, when Luther signals a find. Jazz is stunned to see the body of a young woman who is dressed in black and wearing the kind of makeup and jewelry Jazz used to see on the goth kids back in high school. She's even more shocked when she realized that beneath the tattoos and the piercings and all that pale makeup is a familiar face. The murdered woman is a former student at the school where Jazz works, the lead detective assigned to the investigation is an old lover, and Jazz finds herself sucked into the case, obsessed with learning the truth.

And here's my review:  I have read and enjoyed every book this author has written, but The Scent of Murder is by far my favorite. I loved how Kylie Logan wove the details of cadaver dog training seamlessly throughout the story. Her research is spot-on, her pacing perfect, and the suspense builds to a satisfying surprise ending. But by far, Logan’s gift lies in creating realistic, multi-layered characters you’ll remember long after the book is done. Feisty Jazz Ramsey won’t rest until she finds out the truth about a young woman’s murder, a young woman you will come to care deeply about. Well done! I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Kylie Logan is the national bestselling author of the League of Literary Ladies Mysteries, the Button Box Mysteries, the Chili Book-off Mysteries, and the Ethnic Eats Mysteries. The Scent of Murder is the first of a new series.

The Scent of Murder is available in hardcover edition and in ebook, including B&N, Apple and Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Scent-Murder-Mystery-Kylie-Logan/dp/1250180619/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2C0VZ60MQDBOX&keywords=the+scent+of+murder+kylie+logan&qid=1564598859&s=gateway&sprefix=The+Scent+of+mur%2Caps%2C391&sr=8-1

What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense?

by Patricia Bradley

Wondering what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense? Here are two Love Inspired Suspense books that released in June!

Her child’s life is on the line

A Roughwater Ranch Cowboys story

After putting his serial killer brother in prison, former US marshal Mitch Whitehorse chooses a solitary country life—until his brother escapes. Now Mitch’s former sister-in-law, Jane Reyes, needs protection…for herself and the toddler she’s kept a secret. Mitch still isn’t sure of Jane’s innocence in his brother’s crimes, but to keep his nephew out of a killer’s grasp, trusting her is his only option.

You can purchase Danger on the Ranch here:

Amazon

B&N

She’s keeping secrets. He must keep her safe.

An FBI: Special Crimes Unit page-turner

Were it not for Tessa Carlson, Special Agent Henry Miller’s daughter would have been abducted. But rescuing the little girl has thrust Tessa—a woman in hiding—into the media’s spotlight…and into a criminal’s crosshairs. Now her survival depends on putting her faith in widowed single father Henry if she wants to live to see another day.

You can purchase Lone Witness at:

Amazon

B&N

TWO BIG RELEASES!

FIRE STORM released on August 6th! Hope you've ordered your copy! 

When FBI profiler Kaely Quinn's mother is diagnosed with cancer, Kaely takes time off work to go to Dark Water, Nebraska, to help her brother care for their mother. Upon her arrival, she learns of a series of fires in the small town, attributed by the fire chief to misuse of space heaters in the frigid winter. But Kaely is skeptical, and a search for a pattern in the locations of the fires bolsters her suspicions.

After yet another blaze devastates a local family, Kaely is certain a serial arsonist is on the loose. Calling upon her partner from St. Louis, Noah Hunter, and her brother's firefighter neighbor who backs Kaely's suspicions, Kaely and her team begin an investigation that swiftly leads them down a twisted path. When the truth is finally revealed, Kaely finds herself confronting a madman who is determined his last heinous act will be her death.

Order it here!


SUMMER OF SUSPENSE Anthology also released on August 6th! 

Start your summer off right with 16 gripping and never-before published tales of Christian suspense from today's most popular mystery and suspense authors. 

Join Mary Alford, Christy Barritt, Patricia Bradley, Vannetta Chapman, Mary Ellis, Debby Giusti, Rachel J. Good, Ruth Hartzler, Shaen Layle, Ruth Logan Herne, Loree Lough, Elizabeth Ludwig, Nancy Mehl, Serena B. Miller, Samantha Price, Alana Terry on a dangerous journey filled with mystery, suspense, and faith that that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end!

Order your copy here:

Nook https://bit.ly/2DZC0YQ
Apple https://apple.co/2VcpYkA
Amazon https://amzn.to/2VsrPqs

PTSD: Fear and Anxiety

First things first, my book is out!!!  
Fight Write: How to Write Believable Fight Scenes with Writer's Digest is available online and with all major bookstores. Buy it with abandon!

Ok, in our last round on FightWrite.net we looked at how the PTSD symptoms of intrusive thoughts and insomnia manifest in the behavior of our characters. In this round, we will look at fear and anxiety more closely. 

Fear and Anxiety
Fear and anxiety are sometimes used synonymously and the two are quite different. Fear is an intense physical and emotional response to an impending or assumed impending threat. Anxiety is less intense but sustained feelings of worry, nervousness or unease that arise from impending events or situations. Both fear and anxiety are completely normal. They exist to save us from harm and are in proportion to the threat or impending event.

And, then, there is panic. Panic is uncontrolled fear and anxiety that is not in proportion to the threat. Panic pulls out a shotgun to get rid of a housefly. We'll look at that in our next round. Today, let's focus on fear and anxiety. 

Physical Manifestations of Fear

The great thing about fear is that if you feel it, whatever you're afraid of hasn't happened yet. What do I mean? Well, if you are afraid the plane you're in will crash, it's because it's not falling from the sky yet. Once it starts a wild descent, you are not afraid. You are in "survival mode". And, while survival mode is a very intense feeling, it's not one of fear.

Survival mode is a jet-fueled nothingness. You are completely aware of that moment. Not the second before or after. Just the one your'e in. Though you are fighting hard, you are numb. Pain may register, but it's as if you are feeling it second hand somehow. You can't believe it is you. After the incident, you may remember nothing. The memory is a blur. If you see the incident on film, it may surprise you. You may have no recollection of what you are seeing. Or, you feel suddenly remember every moment and relive the event. But even then, there's not fear so much as shock.

I mention the book The Gift of Fear quite bit when I teach

self defense as well as when I teach fighting to writers. And if you only buy one book the rest of your life, you should buy The Gift of Fear. Unless you don't have a Bible. Bible, then Gift of Fear. Ok, so TWO books! Then, my book third! But, fear is a precious thing. Your character should heed it. However, when the feared thing attacks or moment happens, that fear needs to leave. Fear is a warning. It exists to spare you from what may come. It is not intended to help you survive the coming thing but rather avoid it. It creates a storehouse of adrenaline for you to use to survive the thing you fear. That make sense?

For more on that see my posts on Adrenaline, here's one and here's another, as well as this interview with an assault victim.

Also, I want to add that what you feel in survival mode is not the same as what you feel when in a sanctioned fight. When you are in a fight that you have trained for, there's more clarity. That is one of the purposes of training. You bathe yourself in adrenaline constantly so that you learn to be productive while splashing around in it. You do still feel its effects, such as diminished pain (thank goodness!) but you do not get lost in its fog.

Ok, where were we? Ah, yes, fear and its physical manifestations!

* going pale
* freezing in place
* inability to speak
* goosebumps
* rapid heartbeat
* rapid breathing
* voice tremor
* knees buckling
* fainting
* running away
* sweat above lips or on forehead
* visible pulse
* trembling all over or in regions of body
* body odor (fear makes you stinky)
By the way, according to science, fear does have a smell although, they aren't really sure what it smells like(1). However, when study participants smelled sweat of those who were afraid, the participants also felt fear. Go figure! Also, ew.

Behavior Associated with Fear 

* elbows pressing into sides or cowering to make one's self appear smaller
* looking all around and behind one's self
* clenching teeth
* keeping one's back to a corner or wall
* easily startled
* gripping something so hard the knuckles turn white
* grabbing on to something or someone to feel protected

Physical Manifestations of Anxiety  

* sweating
* fatigue
* dizziness
* headache
* edginess
* shortness of breath
* insomnia
* upset stomach
* muscle aches
* difficulty swallowing
* tingling in limbs

Behaviors Associated with Anxiety  

* rubbing the back of the neck
* crossing arms to create a physical barrier 
* wringing hands
* bouncing foot
* rocking in place
* shifting in seat
* adjusting clothes as if they are tight or uncomfortable
* rolling the shoulders
* clutching an object such as a purse
* working a small item with the fingers
* constantly glancing at clock or door

If your character is anxious or afraid, show the reader their anxiety and fear. Not only will showing these feelings make the moment on the page more realistic, but, anxiety and fear are contagious. You're reader's brain will sink its claws into those emotions and be pulled along with the character.   

For a great, exhaustive reference on the physical and mental effects of emotions, check out The Emotion Thesaurus. It's brilliant.

Until the next round at FightWrite.net, get blood on your pages! Oh, and be sure to check out my FightWrite podcast and book!

(1) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/3545435/The-smell-of-fear-is-real-claim-scientists.html

What's New In Inspirational Suspense

Patricia Bradley

What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense

Wondering what's new in inspirational suspense and mystery? Lisa Harris's new suspense releases today ~ Deadly Intentions. 

Research scientist Caitlyn Lindsey is convinced that someone is taking out her team one by one. First, a friend and research partner was killed in a home invasion. Three months ago, her boss died in a suspicious car accident. Four days ago, another partner supposedly committed suicide. And now Caitlyn herself has miraculously survived a hit-and-run. Afraid for her life with nowhere to turn, she reaches out to one of the victim's husbands, Detective Josh Solomon.

Though initially skeptical about Caitlyn's theory, Josh soon realizes that the attack that took his wife's life was anything but random. Now the two of them must discover the truth about who is after Caitlyn's team--and what their end game is--before it's too late.

In this nail-biting thriller, award-winning author Lisa Harris will have you believing that there's no such thing as random.

You can purchase Deadly Intentions at:

Amazon

B&N 

Christian Books

This Week on the Suspense Sisters

We’re planning another great week on the Suspense Sisters. Check out our posts, our interviews, and our awesome giveaways!

On Tuesday Mary Ellis will be talking about what's hot in Inspirational Suspense.

On Wednesday, Carla Hotch will be talking about anxiety and fear in out characters.

And on Friday, Nancy has exciting information about two exciting new releases--Summer of Suspense and Firestorm! And she's giving away 3 copies of Firestorm!

Be sure to tune in for these awesome posts!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER OF THE SUMMER OF SUSPENSE CONTEST!

DANIE WALTHER!

Please look for an email from us, Danie. We'll need some information so we can get your prizes to you. 

CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE SUSPENSE SISTERS!