The Way of the Brave review and Fugitive Trail Giveaway

by Elizabeth Goddard

Hey friends!

Thanks so much for joining me. One of the biggest reasons I'm a writer today is my love of reading. Well, of course, that makes total sense. But I found myself in a place that I was so busy writing that I didn't have time for reading. A couple of years ago I switched gears and promised myself that at the end of the day I would read for half an hour or an hour. Sometimes that ends up being two hours. But that gives me the opportunity to enjoy what inspired me to write to begin with.

While I read widely and general market stuff too, I mostly stick to Christian fiction--some historical, mysteries, romances, but more often romantic suspense. There are so many awesome books to add to my TBR pile.

This week I finished an amazing book--The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren.

First, the title. . . .ah. . . I love the title. Doesn't that just bring to mind images of heroism? Many of my own books I would consider adventure romance, well, romance, suspense plus adventure, since I have a bad guy in my stories. But if you've read my books, you know I love beautiful nature settings. Mountains. Oceans. Rocky beaches. Wilderness regions and wild scenic rivers.

In all of that, I consider myself an armchair adventurer. I love to see the mountains in the distance, but not necessarily climb to the top. If you've ever wanted to climb Denali, or any mountain at all, but chances are that you won't, then you're in my camp.

But you can climb that mountain when you read The Way of the Brave.

Susan totally took me to the top of Denali. I felt the freezing temps, the sense of elation at reaching the summit and the real fear of falling or dying for lack of oxygen. But it was so worth it to climb because the beauty of the Alaska range from the top of Denali made me cry. See what I mean? You can go mountain climbing without even leaving your living room, if you do it with Susan May Warren.

You might be thinking to yourself that you're not interested in climbing mountains--but you will be completely engaged with her characters. Wonderful, engaging characters that draw you in and make you root for them to make it as they face danger after cataclysmic danger, even while the romance builds and builds, and it . . . ah. . . is just right. It will leave you with that sought after happy sigh at the end.

Okay, I might be gushing. But I love the book so much that I bought the paperback to go with my Kindle edition and pre-ordered the next book. Adventure, amazing settings, breath-taking views and heart-wrenching happily ever after romances are totally my thing. How about you?

Reading the story totally inspired me regarding my own stories as well.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I highly recommend The Way of the Brave by Susan MayWarren.

Back Cover Copy:

Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska now, but the pain of his failure--and his injuries--has followed him there from Afghanistan. He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones's elite rescue team, but he also can't shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.

Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun's yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret mission to root out the Taliban, she green-lighted an operation that ended in ambush and lives lost. When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she'll be forced to trust her life and the lives of her friends to the most dangerous of heroes--the man she nearly killed.

Her skills and his experience are exactly what's needed to prevent another tragedy--but in order to truly set Orion free from his painful past, Jenny will have to reveal hers. They'll have to put their wounds behind them to survive, but at what cost?

Leap into action with this high-octane, breakneck new series from bestselling author Susan May Warren.

BUY THE BOOK!


In other readerly news (or would that be writerly news) my new Love Inspired Suspense releases on Sunday, March 1!

To celebrate I'm giving away TWO copies--one each to two winners (U.S. Only). Leave a comment with your contact information to enter the drawing. 

Back Cover Copy:

A killer’s out for vengeance…

unless this K-9 sniffs him out first.

When a plane carrying dangerous convicts crashes in the Colorado Rockies, Deputy Sierra Young and her search-and-rescue K-9, Samson, race to help—and discover they’re after her! With one survivor vowing revenge, Sierra’s former coworker turned PI, Bryce Elliott, is determined to protect her. But can Bryce, Sierra and Samson track down the fugitive before he succeeds in taking their lives?

K-9 Mountain Guardians

BUY THE BOOK!


Happy Reading!

Elizabeth Goddard

P.S. One more thing. . . if you'd like to learn about book deals and my latest releases, be sure to follow me on Bookbub! 

Just call me grace... ...Roxanne Rustand

Hi everyone,

Posting a bit later today than I should have. I hope you are all seeing signs of spring coming! We've been hearing a lot of birds singing, which is so delightful here in the Upper Midwest. The heavy snow has melted away and most of the thick ice underneath, too.  Except for one big, unavoidable patch outside the back door, which is shaded by the deck.

As I was returning from feeding the horses, I knew it was there. I was sooo careful. And then I crashed onto my shoulder. After several hours in the ER, I'm back and catching up here on Suspensesisters! No fractures, thank goodness, but I have limited range of motion and physical therapy orders. And I am typing with one hand.  :)

So, I will just post something quick and easy!  Our family loves this, and it works for anyone--even if they are on a Keto or low carb diet. You can have it on the table in twenty minutes!  I always double it. Oh, and the book cover below is my January book release--and those characters are a lot more coordinated than I am!  :)

BUTTERY GARLIC  SHRIMP

1#  large raw shrimp--peeled & deveined (or you can use 
         pre-cooked, frozen shrimp)
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 garlic cloves peeled and minced (or use the minced kind in a jar)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp minced parsley
1 tsp lemon zest

1. Cook raw shrimp in a big skillet with 2 Tbsp butter and the salt and pepper until just cooked through (or, warm the precooked, thawed shrimp this way.)
2.  Move the shrimp to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Add garlic to the butter in the pan and stir for about a half-minute.
4. Add chicken stock and simmer until stock is reduced by half (this is important or the entree will be watery and disappointing.)  Approx 6-10 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the butter, the lemon juice, and red pepper flakes,  and keep whisking until the butter and broth combine to form a nice sauce. Cook another two minutes, then add shrimp and sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest.


Leave a comment, and have a chance at winning a free copy of this book!  :) 


Wishing you all a wonderful spring!

Roxanne Rustand

What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense by Mary Ellis

Wondering what's new in inspirational suspense and mystery? 

Mario Escobar has a brand new suspense, Children of the Stars, 

releasing today from Thomas Nelson. 

Bestselling author Mario Escobar follows two brave young Jewish boys as they seek refuge in the French town of Le-Chambon-sur-Lignon and eventually Argentina. Jacob and Moses Stein live with their aunt in Paris until the great raid against foreign Jews is unleashed in August 1942. Their parents, well-known German playwrights, have been hiding in France, but before their aunt manages to send them south, the gendarmes stop the boys and take them to the Velodromo de Invierno, where more than 4,000 children, 5,000 women, and 3,000 men had to subsist without food or water. Jacob and Moses manage to flee, but the road will not be safe or easy. Hardcover.

Buy it here from Christian book.com: https://www.christianbook.com/children-of-the-stars/mario-escobar/9780785234791/pd/234791?event=Fiction|1000643#CBD-PD-Description

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!

THIS WEEK:

On Tuesday Mary Ellis will tell us What’s Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.

Wednesday we’ll hear from Suspense Sister Roxanne Rustand. Check out Roxanne’s newest release, SNOWBOUND WITH THE COWBOY!

They have one more chance to get it right…

She’s here to stay. He plans to leave. Can a snowstorm bring them back together?

Returning home to open a veterinary clinic, the last person Sara Branson expects to find in town is Tate Langford—the man she once loved. But the injured rodeo star has no intention of staying, and their families don’t get along. So when a snowstorm strands Sara and Tate together, why can’t she stop wishing their reunion could turn permanent?

Order it here!

Friday, Suspense Sister Elizabeth Goddard reviews THE WAY OF THE BRAVE by Susan May Warren.  

Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska now, but the pain of his failure--and his injuries--has followed him there from Afghanistan. He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones's elite rescue team, but he also can't shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.

Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun's yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret mission to root out the Taliban, she green-lighted an operation that ended in ambush and lives lost. When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she'll be forced to trust her life and the lives of her friends to the most dangerous of heroes--the man she nearly killed.

Her skills and his experience are exactly what's needed to prevent another tragedy--but in order to truly set Orion free from his painful past, Jenny will have to reveal hers. They'll have to put their wounds behind them to survive, but at what cost?

Leap into action with this high-octane, breakneck new series from bestselling author Susan May Warren.

Order it here!

Elizabeth will also talk about her upcoming book, FUGITIVE TRAIL.

A killer’s out for vengeance…unless this K-9 sniffs him out first.

When a plane carrying dangerous convicts crashes in the Colorado Rockies, Deputy Sierra Young and her search-and-rescue K-9, Samson, race to help—and discover they’re after her! With one survivor vowing revenge, Sierra’s former coworker turned PI, Bryce Elliott, is determined to protect her. But can Bryce, Sierra and Samson track down the fugitive before he succeeds in taking their lives?

Order it here!

Elizabeth is giving away two copies of FUGITIVE TRAIL! Leave a comment, along with your contact information. U.S. only!

The Suspense Sisters

We love books!

The Dog Who Saved My Life

In April, it will be six years since my husband died. Grief and trauma have a profound effect on mind, body and soul. After he died, I slept all the time and getting up in the morning was a daunting task. One thing got me out of bed. My border collie pawing at the door or pacing the floor telling me "enough already, I need to pee." That is why I call him, the dog who saved my life.

This blog post is not about the loss of my husband; it is about how much pets add to our lives. Bart was a rescue dog that we got at eight weeks. The only thing we know about him is that he and his mother were found abandoned in an empty house that had been a rental. Shortly after we got him, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. So he came into the house filled with stress. In many ways, he didn't get the kind of attention he deserved. All the same, he has shown up for me and for my kids. He's tuned into my emotions so much so that if I have a moment of sadness he senses it and comes to sit in my lap. He's good company at the end of the day. He sits beside me on the couch while I pick a show to watch. He never rolls his eyes at my selection though he prefers movies with horses, sheep and barking dogs. He's a good listener. When I talk to him, he turns his head to one side as though he totally understands. I like to run my story ideas by him. I keep telling him that we like the UPS man because he brings good things to us, but he does not agree. If he hears the UPS truck even blocks away, he starts to bark.

I can't imagine life without him. He really is my first dog. We had dogs growing up but they were family dogs who mostly stayed outside. How about you? How has your pet added to your life? In honor of dogs, I will be giving away a copy of my K9 book Courage Under Fire which is part of a series that take place in Queens, New York. Leave a comment with your email address and I will pick a winner. 

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS!

I wasn’t sure what to write about today so I decided to ask my Facebook friends if they had any questions for me. Boy, they came through big time! I’ll tackle a few of them today and save the rest for future posts.

Here goes!

Sue asked: “When did you realize you were a writer?”

Great question, Sue. I was working at a bank in Wichita, Kansas. I’d lost my dream job, the thing I thought I’d been called to do, and was pretty discouraged. I had no goals. No idea of what to do next. I’d been very blessed at the bank, but I knew this wasn’t the way I wanted to spend my life. I’d been watching “Murder, She Wrote”and kept thinking I’d really like to be Jessica Fletcher. (Without the high body count. LOL!) I loved reading, especially mysteries. So one day, during my lunch hour, I decided to see if I could write a novel. I started out with Chapter One, but by the third page, I was convinced this wasn’t for me. This was too hard! I couldn’t figure out what to write about, and getting the words down was almost painful. I’d decided to stop, delete what I’d written, and try to find something else to do with the rest of my life. But a little voice inside me told me to try one more time. So, I did. This time when I put my fingers on the keyboard, they began to fly. The words and ideas poured out and that has never stopped. Although I still had a lot to learn about the craft, I knew that day that I was a writer!

Pam asked: “How in the world did you come up with Kaely Quinn and her quirky profiling methods?”

I actually dreamt about her, Pam. This had never happened to me before (or since) but in my dream this female FBI profiler was sitting at a table. No one sat across from her. Then she began to profile an UNSUB (unknown subject). As she talked, a figure began to form in the chair across from her. Finally, someone sat there. The profiler had figured out exactly who they were looking for. Then the dream ended.

I was so excited the next morning I called my editor at Bethany House and told her about the dream. She gave me the go ahead to write about my unusual profiler. And so, MIND GAMES, FIRE STORM, and DEAD END were born.

I’m hoping God will drop another great character into my head sometime. I love Kaely.

Melissa asked: “Why don’t more authors include people with disabilities in their books?”

I can’t speak for other authors, but I hear you. Actually, I’ve created several characters with disabilities. In SIMPLE DECEIT I have a young man with Down Syndrome. I named him Drew. After the book was released, I heard from a young lady whose brother had this same diagnosis. And his name was Drew! She even sent me a picture of Drew. That really blessed me. I’ve also included several characters with disabilities into several of my Guideposts books.

But…I’m taking this as a nudge to make sure I continue to add different kinds of characters. That includes other ethnicities and those with disabilities. Our writing should reflect real life as much as is possible, shouldn’t it?

Jennifer asked: “Death, murder, crimes (especially against a person) can sometimes be hard to read. Have you ever had hard time writing about a specific crime or researching it? Have you ever had an idea for a crime that after you researched it, you changed your mind?”

Yes, sometimes it’s very difficult. The truth is most serial killers are motivated by sexual urges. These urges are usually satisfied in very perverted and disturbing ways. I don’t include this in my books. As much as I can, I try to present the crimes committed in my stories in a way that won’t upset readers. I try to focus on solving the crime and catching the bad guy. Not the crimes themselves. Murder mysteries and suspense novels are a struggle between good and evil and I like that. Although I try to keep readers on the edge of their seats, I don’t want to give them nightmares!

One other thing: In my books, children and animals are off limits. I won’t write or read mystery or suspense novels if a child or a pet is harmed.  

That’s it for now. I’ll come back with more of these questions in later posts. If I answered your question, send me a private message with your address. When DEAD END comes out, I’ll send you a copy.

I’ll also pick someone who comments below and send them a copy of DEAD END! Be sure to include your contact information. If I don’t know how to find you I can’t mail you a book!

God bless you all!




 


 

Nancy Mehl is a USA Today best-selling author. She’s been a finalist for the Carol Award twice and won the award once. She was also a finalist for two Reviewers’ Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews and was a finalist for the coveted Christy Award.

She lives in Missouri with her husband, Norman, and her Puggle, Watson. She’s authored almost forty books and is currently working on a new series for Bethany House about an FBI profiler working with the FBI's prestigious BAU.

Her newest book, FIRE STORM, book two in her Kaely Quinn Profiler series, is now available. Book three, DEAD END, will be released in March. Also look for her books in The Mysteries of Lancaster County series (Guideposts) – co-written with her daughter-in-law, Shaen Layle.
 

Readers can learn more about Nancy through her Web site: www.nancymehl.com. She is part of The Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com, along with several other popular suspense authors. She is also very active on Facebook.

 

What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense by Mary Ellis

Wondering what's new in inspirational suspense and mystery? 

Sarah Sundin just released The Land Beneath Us 

Sunrise at Normandy series, book 3 

With his future stolen by his brothers' betrayal and the Allied invasion of France looming, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, though all the while believing his fate is to die in battle.

Growing up in an orphanage, Leah Jones longs to rise above her lonely upbringing and find a place to belong. With a job as a librarian at Camp Forrest, she uses her spare time to search for her real family-the baby sisters she was separated from so long ago.

After Clay saves Leah's life from a brutal attack, he also rescues her virtue by offering her a marriage of convenience. But can their new relationship withstand the trails of grudges, foreboding dreams, and D-day? Artfully blending emotionally rich romance and historical accuracy with heart-pounding battle scenes.

Buy it at Christian book.com here: https://www.christianbook.com/new-3-the-land-beneath-us/sarah-sundin/9780800727994/pd/727997?event=Fiction|1000643#CBD-PD-Description

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!

THIS WEEK:

On Tuesday Mary Ellis will tell us What’s Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.

Wednesday Nancy Mehl will answer questions from readers. She’ll also be giving away a copy of her upcoming release, DEAD END, the final book in the Kaely Quinn Profiler Series.

When a body is discovered in a field in Iowa, the police uncover fourteen additional corpses ranging from 20 years old to recent. The remains point to a serial killer with an MO the authorities have

seen before--Ed Oliphant, a man who has been in prison for over 20 years . . . and is Special Agent Kaely Quinn's father. After several failed interview attempts to discover if Ed has been training someone to be a copycat killer, the police turn to Kaely in St. Louis.

Kaely promised herself she would never step foot in her hometown or set eyes on her father again. She's always refused to confront her past, but if she wants to prevent any more deaths, she must come face-to-face with the man she's hated for years.

As more bodies are discovered, Kaely races against time and her own personal turmoil to uncover the killer. Will this most personal case yet cost Kaely her identity and perhaps even her life?

Preorder it here.

Friday, we’ll hear from Suspense Sister Sharon Dunn. Check out her upcoming novel, MOUNTAIN CAPTIVE. (Released on March 1^st)

Trapped in a blizzard,

Can he complete his rescue mission?

Private investigator Jude Trainor won’t give up on finding a kidnapped little girl—even after the suspect runs him off a mountain road and sends bullets his way. But when Lacey Conrad steps in to help Jude, the criminal sets his sights on her. Can Jude and Lacey outlast a snowstorm and a person who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks?

Preorder it here.

The Suspense Sisters

We love books!