What's HOT in Inspirational Fiction!

Marji Laine here. 

This will be the final "What's Hot" article for the year and I wanted to do something a little different. Our Suspense Sisters have released excellent mysteries and suspense stories all year long. Scroll down to get a look at some completed series and separate books by our Suspense Sisters. You can use the links to buy copies of your own, or leave some review-love for the talented authors! 

Nancy Mehl

Our founding Suspense Sister completed her Ryland & St. Clair series. These three books are intense! The perfect reading for a stormy night! 

Find the series HERE on Amazon.

Mary Alford

This USA TODAY bestselling author delivered a number of stand-alone books this year. The covers are BUY-LINKS

for these books! 

                  

Patricia Bradley

This USA TODAY bestselling author completed her Pearl River series this year! This is the perfect series to enjoy with a warm cup of cocoa! 

Find the series HERE on Amazon!

Sharon Dunn

This USA TODAY bestselling author has two books released through Love Inspired Suspense. The covers below are Buy Links!

Melissa Koslin

Our newest Suspense Sister released THE LOST LIBRARY in September. The cover is a BUY LINK!

Marji Laine

This award-winning Suspense Sister completed her historical mystery series. Once Upon A Mystery has a tiny thread connecting all of the stand-alone books. A great way to spend a cozy evening snuggled under a blanket. 

Find the series HERE on Amazon!

Roxanne Rustand

This USA Today bestselling author completed her Mountain Pines Suspense series. An excellent warm up for a chilly evening!

Find the series HERE on Amazon!

And don't miss the latest releases for 

Kristen Hogrefe Parnell and A.D. Lawrence! 

Covers are Buy Links!

Enjoy your Christmas break with lots of love and laughter. And LOTS of excellent mystery and suspense! I hope you LOVE it! ~Marji Laine

What's HOT in Inspirational Suspense!

Marji Laine here, and we have TWO IN A ROW! Another brand new book releases today by a Suspense Sister. This time, it's with Roxanne Rustand! DANGEROUS STORM is a new element of Roxanne's Northern Pines Suspense series, boasting a small-town, clean romantic suspense story.

This book sounds amazing! Here's a little more about it.

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?

The children and their more unusual pets make life 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.

Get your copy HERE! 

I hope you LOVE it! ~Marji Laine

WHAT'S HOT IN INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE

 Wondering what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense this week? Actually, it's one I missed last month! Our very own Roxanne Rustand 

Janna McAllister figures she has everything under control. But maybe not…

She can handle raising her daughter alone. The refurbishing of a remote mountain lodge and derelict cabins in time for tourist season income. Caring for her increasingly confused mom.

But when her ragamuffin dog digs up human remains behind a cabin and she starts seeing a shadowy figure lurking in the surrounding forest, danger mounts.

Will her intriguing new boarder and his troubled son prove helpful, or is she totally on her own?

DOWNLOAD TODAY, and stay up all night!

Another suspense-filled inspirational romance by USA Today Bestselling author Roxanne Rustand.

You can find buy links here.

We love 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!

THIS WEEK:

On Tuesday Patricia Bradley will tell us What’s Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.

On Wednesday, Roxanne Rustand will tell us about her newest release, One More Kiss. (And the one to come!)

A disillusioned lawyer searching for a quiet life in a small town inadvertently ends up sharing his elderly aunt’s vacant house with a woman who has secrets to hide from her troubled past, a young daughter, and a menagerie of epic proportions. What could possibly go wrong?

Humor, romance...and a mystery!

Roxanne Rustand is the USA Today Bestselling author of forty romance and romantic suspense novels—inspirational, and Clean & Wholesome. Her books have sold over 2.75 million copies. You can purchase it here.

On Friday, Mary Alford will be introducing Gina Holder, Lenora Worth, Ann Malley, Loree Lough, authors in the Dangerous Pursuits Anthology, and she will be giving away a copy of one of their books along with a copy of Dangerous Pursuits!

Crisp Days. Cold Nights. Dangerous Pursuits.

The chill of fall brings with it a hint of peril in Dangerous Pursuits, a clean and Christian suspense anthology featuring some of today’s most popular female authors.

Start your fall off right with 15 gripping tales of Clean and Christian suspense from today's most popular ladies of mystery and suspense. Join Mary Alford, Lisa Harris, Therese Heckenkamp, Cynthia Hickey, Gina Holder, Ronie Kendig, Loree Lough, Dana R Lynn, Shirlee McCoy, Dana Mentink, J. Carol Nemeth, Cara Putman, Sharee Stover, Terri Reed, Lenora Worth, and featuring a special bonus book by author Ann Malley, as we take you on a dangerous journey filled with mystery and suspense that will keep you turning pages until the very. Last. One.

Just .99 cents until October 12th.

THIS WEEK

                                     

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

THIS WEEK:

On Tuesday Patricia Bradley will tell us What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery









Then on Wednesday, Patricia will be back to talk about virtual conferences and her workshop at the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference. She'll be asking your opinion on which hero/heroine she should use as an example for her workshop! If you leave a comment you'll be entered in a drawing for a $10 gift card! 

And on Friday, Roxanne Rustand will talk about levels of suspense in fiction...she will give away an e-copy of HIGH COUNTRY HOMECOMING.

He left a soldier…and returned a cowboy. Can Rocky Mountain Ranch make him a husband?

After a medical discharge from the marines, all Devin Langford wants is peace and solitude on his Montana ranch. Instead, he finds his childhood nemesis, Chloe Kenner, in his rental cabin. 

The cheerful cookbook writer can’t forget how she once pestered him—and crushed on him. Is her sunny smile just what he needs to begin healing?

You can find purchase links for HIGH COUNTRY HOMECOMING here.

The Suspense Sisters

                                            

We love books!

What's Happening

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

THIS WEEK:

Patricia Bradley will be telling you what's hot in Inspirational fiction on Tuesday and on Wednesday she's be asking for your favorite first line. 

On Friday Roxxane will be coming to us from Paris...that's Paris, France, in case you're wondering. 

So be sure to check back each day!

The Suspense Sisters! We love books!

Roadblocks and challenges...

The person who coined the phrase "it's like remembering how to ride a bicycle" was not referring to the writing process.  At least, not mine.

After some thirty-five traditionally published books, writing was not just what I did, it was who I was.  And after writing those books, the rhythm of story, the flow of writing a book, was part of me for good.  Or so I thought.

Not that my muse faithfully remained at my side...or that every book was easy to write.  But, I was able to make good progress and judge my timing of the writing process in relation to a given deadline.  And then, I hit a brick wall.

My mom passed away, and that took the wind out of my sails--even though I still had several books to finish on deadlines, which I did do.  But after that, I think I fell into a serious case of burn-out and didn't submit new proposals or write for over a year, or even find the motivation to keep up with my online groups--like this one.  I  finally did self publish three novels (out in 2014) and complete a couple of novellas--one for the Sweet Christmas Kisses  anthology last year, and one for the Sweet Christmas Kisses Vol II  anthology coming out this fall, and I'm now very happy to also be back under a three-book contract.   But the first book of this contract was a challenge!  I did lose a lot of weeks due to health problems.  Plus, had unexpected travel, and managed to break my hand...and just after getting the cast off, one of our mares kicked that very spot while I was doing chores.  More weeks of one-handed typing! But those things aside, it was also more challenging to simply "get back in the groove." I am so thankful to have a wonderful editor with a sharp eye for detail, so I can make the book stronger through revisions.  And now, I feel a bit like a race horse at a starting gate--really excited about starting the next one!

How about you?  Have you ever hit a roadblock that sent you off course--and how did you handle it?  Have you found yourself at a point in your career (writing or otherwise) where you ended up heading in a totally different direction?

Roxanne's "An Irish Christmas Blessing" novella is part of the Sweet Christmas Kisses Anthology, Vol II, which will be released digitally in all formats  9/30/15.

Roxanne Rustand

@roxannerustand  (Twitter)

www.roxannerrustand.com

www.facebook.com/roxanne.rustand

Details....

Writing is such an interesting business!   I loved being in school.   I spent many years in college, changing majors several times along the road to a Master's Degree in nutrition.  Ahhh, you say.  Nutrition---an ideal background for a inspirational romance writer.  <g>

But it was, in a way.   All that studying was helpful for becoming a writer, because with each book I write, there's a whole new world to research while I try for accurate, evocative settings.  Ranch settings, the Rocky Mountains and the Northwoods of the upper Midwest are some of my favorites, and our travels often end up as settings for my books.

I’m looking forward to the Romantic Times Convention in New Orleans this May, not only for the chance to be a speaker, and to schmooze with old friends, but because the French Quarter and tours through the lovely bayous will provide such a great opportunity for research.

Writers  not only strive to get their settings right; there are also the details and vernaculars of different professions and hobbies to consider.  Believable behaviors of ranchers, or cops, or children, or even someone slipping into the murky mental depths of Alzheimer's all take either personal experiences or careful research.

I love using a variety of pets and other animals in my books--but that "research" often comes from our family menagerie.  In fact, our son's favorite slithery pet had a key role in my very first SuperRomance back in 1999.   I still wish I'd gone to vet school (a lesson in “following one's heart”  that I've reiterated to our children many times over!)    But now, I can slip into that world, sometimes for months at a time if writing about characters who are veterinarians and vet techs. 

When you browse through books at your favorite bookstore, or online, what do you zero in on first? 

Author names, eye-catching titles, back cover blurbs or cover art?  The type of story?  Do any particular story settings intrigue you--or conversely, make you put the book back on the shelf?   Let's talk!  

 One of the people who comment here will win an e-book copy of my  Summer at Briar Lake.

Blessings,

Roxanne Rustand
www.roxannerustand.com

STRONG WOMEN

What a beautiful day!  Brilliant September sunshine, bright blue skies, and 80 degrees—after days of blistering heat, this is wonderful! Eastern Iowa is one of the best-kept secrets in the US, with its quiet back roads, deeply rolling hills, timber and sparkling creeks.  People mix up Iowa, Ohio, and Idaho all the time when I say where I'm from, and even when they know its Iowa, they think of flat farm fields and livestock.  But that's okay…being a secret keeps life more peaceful here! :)

We live out in the country, and my office windows look out on our wood-fenced corrals and the pastures beyond, where the three horses are grazing, their summer-slick coats gleaming in the sunshine.  Across the fence, a dozen beautiful, wildly marked paint weanlings are romping in the neighbor's pastures--providing no end of amusement to our border collie, who is always safely contained in our yard or on our deck. 

The moment he sees them, Elmo is a study in total concentration.  Head low, ears pricked, body crouched, he stares at them for hours on end, his intensity deepening when they scatter. Our son Brian says we need to buy two sheep, so Elmo can spend his days keeping them together.  He is a dog with a mission--but one without a job.  Which got me thinking, this morning.  Elmo knows what he is and what he needs to do.  He never loses sight of that, even though he can't get close to anything he can herd.

What about the rest of us...are we blessed with direction and determination from the beginning?  Have we followed through?  Or have some of us found our true desires later in life?  My daughter is already determined to be a writer.  She is now midway through writing her second full manuscript while in the midst of graduate school studies, so I have no doubt that she has the drive, and that she can reach her goal if she stays on course.  I didn't start writing until we had grade-school aged children...and wish I'd started much, much sooner.   

The heroines in our books, here at suspensesisters, are all (or become, in the course of their story) strong women determined to pursue their goals.  How about you?  What would you love to do?  Have you followed your heart?  Become what you want to be?  Is there something you could do toward that goal now, even if it can't be achieved any time soon? I think real-life stories about strong, determined women are so empowering.  And now, I'd love to hear about you! 

Roxanne

www.roxannerustand.com

Jellyfish and other revelations....

We’ve been traveling a lot this year...fun, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity for researching unfamiliar locales.  Some places are such a surprise, revealing unexpected aspects that I'd never imagined.  And everywhere, I see opportunities for adding rich details to story settings that I might want to use someday.   

When you travel, do you begin to imagine plot twists and sneaky characters at every turn?

We just returned from a week at a lovely resort on Chesapeake Bay, not far from Cambridge, Maryland.  My husband’s company held its annual meeting there, but while the employees were busy in meetings all day I spent some time exploring the small town and the surrounding area.  

My biggest surprise—jellyfish!  Unbelievable numbers of them—floating like wispy, gelatinous little clouds at the surface of the water every evening and very visible along the long pier leading out into the water in front of the resort.  They brought back some very unpleasant memories of jellyfish encounters in the ocean in Mexico, believe me…but also, got me thinking.  Being a Midwestern gal, I’d never dreamed that there could be jellyfish that far north…and not that far from Washington DC.  What a twist that could be in a romantic suspense plot, if someone planned an escape across those waters!

The language, vernacular, and local culture of an area always fascinate me wherever we go.  Today, with the world at our fingertips via the Internet, we can research facts in seconds. But there’s nothing quite like being there—talking to the locals, seeing how friendly a community is, picking up literature on their regional festivities and other events.  The vegetation, the hidden creatures, the different sounds of the bullfrogs and the birds, all can add such verisimilitude to the small details that make a story seem real.

I would love to hear about where you live!  Can you imagine a great mystery or suspense novel unfolding in your community? What are some of the unique and interesting details about life where you are?

Blessings to you all!

Roxanne Rustand