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These are the Days to be Thankful

Kristen here. This fall, I had the opportunity to attend the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference for a day. It was the first time since my young son was eleven months old that I’d been away from him for a whole day. Getting to spend time with fellow writer friends, talk with my agent, and learn from workshops was energizing and refreshing, but one of my biggest takeaways from the day came from a small craft sign in the dining room. It read, “I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now.”

Wow, I sure do. I remember attending my first writer’s conference not knowing anyone or much of anything. I remember navigating rejections on the path to publication and wondering when God would lead me to the right agent who could represent me. How He did all those things was not how I imagined.

In my personal life, I remember the years I prayed for a godly husband, and then later, how long I prayed for God to give us a child. Those were lonely days, and I didn’t know when or how God would provide. Once again, He showed up in ways I least expected. I met my husband at a church event washing cars for single moms, and three years after we married, God surprised us with a positive pregnancy test just weeks before Christmas (best Christmas present ever)!

As a writer, I find myself too often wanting to control the plot line of my own story, not just my fiction ones. I tell God, "I’d like to do it this way, please." Experience has taught me that God rarely works the way we expect or understand. Sometimes, His ways seem harder, but I trust that they are always better. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts'" (NKJV).

Next March, my ninth novel Watch Your Back releases, and it was the hardest story for me to write because I was also working online while taking care of my young son. But God showed up and helped me persevere, and I am so excited for how He is going to use Avery’s and Ethan’s story to bless and encourage my readers. (You’re welcome to join my newsletter to learn more about this story as its release approaches.)

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, what are some things you have now that were once but prayers, or what is something you’re trusting God to provide in His best way? Leave a comment along with your email address and let me know! I’ll enter you into a drawing for a Kindle copy of Take My Hand, the first book in my Crossroads Suspense series.

What's HOT in Inspirational Mystery & Suspense?!

Marji Laine here, and I have cozy mystery by Shaen Layle, that I'd like to share with you. I LOVE cozies! And Christmas vacay is the perfect time to wrap up in a blanket and enjoy this one!  You can get it HERE! 

Harriet Bailey gets a wonderful surprise when Ashley Fiske, her friend from the States, brings her young son, Trevor, to White Church Bay for a visit. Harriet cannot wait to share the village’s charms with her friend, but she never predicted they would end up solving a mystery together! An unpublished manuscript by a famous British children’s author named Adelaide Evergreen has turned up in Harriet’s aunt Jinny’s cottage. The book claims to tell the truth behind an infamous and mysterious railway crash that happened in White Church Bay in 1917, on the fringes of the Great War.

As Harriet delves deeper into the mystery, it’s difficult to tell where literary license ends, and reality begins. And when it is revealed that Harriet’s relative may have had a hand in causing the train tragedy, the stakes become personal. Will she find the truth at the end of the line?

I hope you LOVE it! ~ Marji Laine

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

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

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

Wednesday, author Kristin Hogrefe Parnell talks about the early days of her writing career and how she’s grateful for what God has done in her life, not only with her books, but also the personal prayers He has answered. She’s giving away a copy of her book, TAKE MY HAND.

Don’t find us. We’ll find you.

Trauma therapist Kaley Colbert needs a vacation from her job, and a ski trip with her church singles’ group seems like the perfect way to unplug. But while in the mountains, she learns that her last client was murdered hours after their meeting, and she wonders if the notes she’s receiving from a possible stalker hold a more sinister warning.

On the trip, ex-boyfriend and entrepreneur Reef Mitchell wants to give their relationship another chance, but Kaley questions if his past and priorities could ever mesh with her life. When her client’s underworld connections catch up with her, she has no choice but trust Reef to help her stay alive, solve her client’s mystery, and bring the killers to justice.


ORDER HERE 

Friday, we’ll hear from Suspense Sister Sharon Dunn. She’ll be sharing about gratitude and giving away a copy of her book, THANKSGIVING PROTECTOR.

PROTECTING THE BABY

When border patrol agent Kylie Perry’s informant is murdered, she makes good on her promise to raise the woman’s baby girl…but soon becomes the target of a killer. Now Kylie must find a way to juggle motherhood and her work on a joint task force aiming to capture a notorious drug kingpin—and somehow stay alive. Texas Ranger Austin Rivers, who’s partnering with Kylie on the case, is a lone wolf dedicated to his job. Yet as the criminal’s henchmen come after Kylie and her baby, Austin vows to protect them. And as Thanksgiving approaches, the man who never thought he was father material risks everything to save a woman and child who feel like family.

ORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

BOOK REVIEW: DEADLY REVENGE by Suspense Sister Patricia Bradly

Marji Laine here, and I’m delighted to review DEADLY REVENGE by Suspense Sister Patricia Bradley. I’m even more delighted to have read it, by the way!

Patricia Bradley’s third book in her Pearl River series has the same intensity as books one and two! All are stand-alone stories with the characters and the setting of Pearl River being the connection between them all. Being “stand-alone” means there’s no over-arching story that would require the books to be read in order, so you can read book three even if you haven’t read the others. However, if you want to get full enjoyment from the series, start with book one, COUNTER ATTACK. You can get a copy HERE!

I have to say, I liked Deputy Jenna Hart right away when I met her in the earlier books. I’m so glad we get to enjoy her story! And I love the way that Patricia Bradley wrapped the series up. You’ll have to read it to feel the satisfaction there!

The tension in this book starts on page one. (I kept having to remind myself that the main character wasn’t going to get killed off in the prologue.) The author certainly has the gift of setting a hook for a reader! And like with COUNTER ATTACK and FATAL WITNESS the suspense comes in hills and valleys with just enough time to catch a breath before another attack or surprise shocks the main characters.

They are outstanding by the way. The unexpected feelings between them are palpable, fueled from years of working together in a relationship that didn’t allow for romance. It is like a dance between them. But even more than that, I really enjoy how they personally develop. Particularly in the area of trust. I can't imagine going through the betrayal that Jenna went through, but to come out on the other side, actually able to build trust again is remarkable. And Maxwell is attentive to her with such compassion. I like that the attraction between them is more than chemistry! 

I don’t want to give anything away, so here’s the basic description:

Deputy Jenna Hart has only been working in her sleepy hometown of Pearl Springs for seven months when city officials begin to be targeted by a killer. Twenty years ago, the construction of a dam caused people to lose their land to eminent domain. That wound has not healed with time, and someone bearing a grudge is clearly set on revenge. With the former mayor of Pearl Springs now running for the US Senate, Jenna will have to call in backup to ensure his protection.

That's where Agent Maxwell Anderson comes in. He and Jenna used to work together in the Chattanooga Police Department, and there was even a smoldering fire of attraction. Now they team up to track down the killer before a big political rally that promises to bring not only the former mayor into the crosshairs but hundreds of civilians as well.

As the sparks of romance reignite and the threads of the investigation get tangled when another suspect comes into play, Jenna and Max will have to draw on all of their skills to stay alive and prevent the wave of disaster poised to hit the community of Pearl Springs. The question is, can either of them fully trust that the other has their back?

Get your copy HERE! I hope you LOVE it! ~ Marji

No Wimps Allowed

 Writing romantic suspense means balancing.

The romance angle usually does best when the male lead is strong. Let’s be honest, women read romance, and women like strong men. What a strong man looks like can vary (leadership, fight skills, intelligence), but I’ll stick with that general term. But I have read (or attempted to read) way too many books where the male is strong, and it seems the writer deems that the female must then be a simpering wimp. She gets overwhelmed and cries constantly, she can’t take the lead, and she’s often rather stupid.

Or occasionally, the opposite—the female is a ball-buster, and the male is a wimp. These books are usually dubbed female-empowering. But if the woman can be balanced only by a wimp man, how empowered is she really? And the female is often written with exaggerated characteristics. She can fight better than any man, including when mass and strength are at play. She can command authority from anyone. She knows everything. And if I’m being honest, she’s often written to be a bit masculine—she’s strong in the exact ways men are strong. Not that women can’t be fighters or aggressive, but why isn’t it okay for women to be strong in ways that men typically aren’t?

I’ve always loved that line in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where the mother tells her daughter, “The man is the head [of the house], but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head any way she wants.” Men tend to be direct, and that can be good. But women often have the amazing skill of nudging things along more subtly. Maybe this skillset isn’t often incorporated in books because it’s harder to write. I don’t know.

In my opinion, the best romantic suspense books are the ones where the male and female leads are strong in their own ways. They lean on each other. For Example, in The Lost Library, Asher (former SEAL and billionaire) takes the lead when his resources or skills are needed, and when Cali's relationships or talents (master cryptologist) are needed, she takes the lead and Asher supports her. They don’t become passive or wimpy, but they become the supporting role in certain situations.

When balance is achieved in these relationships, when each person is able to shine, it can be very fulfilling. Not just in books but in life.

Melissa Koslin is a fourth-degree black belt in and certified instructor of Taekwondo and author of Dangerous Beauty and Never Miss. 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-five years, and their young daughter live in Yulee, Florida, where they do their best not to melt in the sun. Find more information on her books at MelissaKoslin.com.

THE LOST LIBRARY

Her past has caught up with her. Again.

Cali Lebeau has been aiding hackers with her cryptology skills to track an apparent terrorist organization. When they discover what she’s been doing, they target her. Asher Cross, billionaire recluse, insists on aiding her, though she doesn’t understand why.

Asher Cross has secrets. He must help Cali, keep her alive, but he cannot let her understand his past or his motivations—in order to protect her.

They discover that the terrorist organization is searching for the Golden Library of Moscow, which was first assembled by Ivan the Great and had grown over time to include the oldest and most valuable texts in the world, including missing masterpieces. They believe the library holds black magic and the secret to everlasting life. It was stolen from them by Cali’s ancestor, and Cali holds a clue to its location handed down by her mother. In order to free herself and Asher, Cali must race against the terrorists, find the library, and share it with the world.

Will they be able to solve the mystery surrounding the Lost Library or risk losing their lives?

AMAZON- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9SX5548

KOBO- https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-lost-library-12

BN- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-library-melissa-koslin/1146033622

APPLE- https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-lost-library/id6562107275