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REVIEW and GIVEAWAY!

Marji Laine here! I just had the most wonderful day, enjoying a brand new book! 

Elizabeth Goddard’s new release, STORM  WARNING, is a masterfully written suspense full of expansive twists and unexpected curves. To use the water theme that runs throughout the story, think about a flash flood that diverts suddenly against debris. Then the sheer force of the water shoves through all barriers.

That was the plot of this story. It didn’t just trickle in. It started in the prologue with a violence that grabbed me. Then it gripped again in chapter one. (Seriously, I kept having to remind myself to breath during that scene!) And after several hours, when the intensity grew even more, I could sense that the end was near, a huge apex was growing. But I was wrong – I was only in chapter 10 of 40-something. The author kept the tension amped up and growing throughout the entire story. Every high point was perfectly calculated and lasted just long enough before giving the characters a breath and allowing me to take one as well.

Speaking of the characters, plainly, there is target on the back of Remi Grant, the manager of an isolated lodge on the coast of Washington. While storm watching is the main pastime at this retreat, the storm that’s brewing outside the windows of the lodge doesn’t hold a candle to the internal storm within Remi that is poised to overwhelm her.

Her forgotten past is the problem for her. And it has someone trying to kill her. Her goal, as it should be, is to remember what her mind has blocked in order to identify the who and why of the attacks against her. But she’s not even scratching the surface on the issue.

Her new acquaintance, the “lumberjack,” just happens to arrive on the scene in the nick of time to save her life. Could he have something to do with mounting attacks against her?

Her “lumberjack,” Hawk Beckett, has issues of his own that need resolution. His friend suggested this place, as its very isolation could give him a chance to find what he’s searching for. And in truth, the stormy waves crashing against the rocks below him and the wind threatening to knock him over vie against the torrent of deep regret and shame that roils through him over and over again. But when he finds a girl about to fall to her death, instinct and training kick in. Besides, there’s something about this girl. Something more than the fact that someone had tried to kill her.

These two characters are great together. They alternate between trust and suspicion, secrets and openness, confidence and vulnerability. They are presented with such an authenticity; as real as people I actually know. Having finished the book, I want to know more about them and the others at the lodge!

And speaking of the lodge, that is just one of the intriguing settings from this book. I am convinced that Elizabeth Goddard has visited the Washington cliffs during storm season. Her descriptions are so intense and have such depth that I bet she has also climbed a hanging ladder, taken a pre-storm helicopter ride, and maybe even visited a “SquatchCon” event. (That setting was a particular favorite of mine! LOL!)

I can’t recommend this book enough! If you are a fan of the tingling that tightens your shoulders during a good suspense, you’re going to LOVE this book! There’s even a tricky little mystery here (well a tricky big one) that can take you one direction before shooting you the other way. I LOVE a good mystery, and this one is just right!

STORM WARNING is available in e-book, paperback, a library hardback, and an audiobook. I enjoyed it as I crocheted my coming grandbaby’s blanket on audiobook. (My favorite way to enjoy a book.)

Get your copy HERE! I hope you LOVE it!

And speaking of loving great suspense. What book would you recommend right now? Or maybe you have one on your bedside table just waiting for you? Share the title and author in the comments and why you’re excited about it. You just might win a free e-copy of another favorite of mine from Elizabeth Goddard, BURIED. It was the first one of hers that I read and had me hooked on her books ever after!

INTERVIEW WITH KATHY MARESCA

 I’m welcoming Kathy Maresca, Christy Award Finalist author of Porch Music, to the Suspense Sisters!

Kathy, please tell us about your writing journey. How did you get started?

Like so many authors, I started writing stories in elementary school. Later I became a teacher of English, journalism, and drama. Although I had written short fiction, I didn’t begin to write novels until my fifties. It’s never too late.

Please tell us a little about Porch Music (short blurb).

All sixteen-year-old Rose has is what she carries: a pillowcase of clothes, her boyfriend’s unborn child, and a heart full of shame. In the face of 1952’s strict moral code, Seminole matriarch Ma-Ki Ebbing embraces Rose. Ma-Ki, on the fringe of society, clings to her Native American traditions and secrets surrounding her husband’s murder while her adult children are unraveling. The Ebbing women band together, marching through a chorus of grit and grind to unite a family once rendered powerless by a people who invaded their land. Will the tragic death of one of her daughters cause Ma-Ki to identify the villain and embrace Rose’s newfound faith?

 How did you come up with the idea for Porch Music?

I miss the days when life’s demands were simpler. Families and their friends gathered in the evenings to play music and sing. On the porch were guitars, harmonicas, base fiddles, and other instruments. Neighbors would come by to enjoy the singing. I took some of my mother’s memories from that era and incorporated them into the plot.

What do you hope readers take away from Porch Music?

Sometimes uneducated people have incredible gifts. Christianity is about using these gifts to help further the kingdom of God, not about status in a church. Loving God means following the words of Jesus, about loving others and practicing forgiveness.

You include your Seminole heritage in the book. Please tell us more about that, what it means to you, how it’s shaped you.

Growing up, I was aware of my grandmother’s copper-colored skin. My great-grandmother’s skin was brown too. She was a powerhouse, and I painted her strength onto Ma-K’s character. Over the years, I learned how, in their day, they had been bullied and ostracized because of their heritage. My grandmother practiced some Native American folkways, and my mother remembers them well. In her school years, my mother, who is fair-skinned like me, did all she could to protect her younger sister who had bronze skin. Until a few years back, I didn’t know about the prejudice against my mother’s family.

When I was a teenager, I had the opportunity to befriend some members of the Seminole Tribe. I loved watching their ceremonial dances. If I had not had that opportunity, I wouldn’t have been able to write the scene where Ma-Ki dances around the fire. My Seminole friends saw me as white, but I saw them as kin. I was too young to understand the duality, but it is clear to me now.

Your website states you served in the Air Force, at the Academy cadet chapel, and then at a special operations command. Tell us a little about each of these roles in the military.

I was the first woman invited to work at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. I quickly learned that being the first woman to do anything in the military would present significant challenges. Misquoting someone famous, I’ll say that it was the best and worst of times. I loved working with the cadets, and I gained a great appreciation for various Protestant denominations as well as the Catholic Church. However, I experienced a lot of harassment from my superiors there. If you have watched the movie “The Six Triple Eight,” then you know a chaplain in the movie wrote an awful letter full of lies and accusations against a woman. I know exactly how she felt, but I was a young enlisted girl and not an officer when a similar letter was written about me. I had no power, and my voice did not count.

When I was transferred to a special ops command, women were not new to my new duty station, Hurlburt Field. Every day had a touch of adventure. Women were not allowed in combat at that time and the Special Operations Command was still a man’s world. We were always “on,” having an awareness of events brewing around the globe that most people knew nothing about. Always ready to deploy, The 1st Special Operations Wing is first on the scene for real world situations. My experience at both The Academy and Hurlburt Field fuels the trilogy I am working on.

How does your military background shape your books?

It affects my books the same way it affects my everyday life. It’s a greater awareness of what lies beneath and beyond news headlines. At every moment, unrest exists, situations that can lead to war. On the battlefield, survivors learn how much inner strength they have. I like to write characters who seem to be weak but gain extraordinary strength when they rely on God for help.

I love it when a book can make the setting almost another character of its own. Tell us how you were able to do that in Porch Music.

The music of the time creates the setting. People often think that the 1950‘s was a time of innocence, but passions ran deep and boundaries were challenged, filtering into the music. Songs like “Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way” and “Slippin’ Around” suggest that innocence was lost. Elvis became popular in the sixties. Teens loved him while adults tried to censor him. Whether in the secular world or in church, music is a coping mechanism for the fictional Ebbing family.

I remember the early 1960’s in Florida. No air-conditioning. Colossal oak trees. Pristine beaches hosted few visitors. Dirt roads. Orange trees were everywhere. I saw cracker-style houses that leaned. Sometimes their wooden exteriors were separating. Often the elevated foundations gave shelter to critters. These houses with both front and back porches have been gone a long time now, making way for stucco and concrete. The houses in my novel are actually metaphors representing the family as well as the community in which they live.

How did becoming a Christy Award finalist affect your writing career?

My debut novel has gained attention, more readers, and I have met wonderful authors and other professionals in the publishing industry. The ECPA is a fabulous organization that offers great opportunities for writers. I am hoping the Christy nomination will open doors when my agent markets my work.

What other awards have you earned?

2023 Pencraft Awards, 1st place, Historical Christian Fiction
2023 Military Writers Society of America, Gold Ribbon, Literary Fiction
2023 Christy Awards, Finalist, Debut Novel
2023 Carol Awards, Semifinalist, American Christian Fiction Writers, Debut Novel
2022 Southern Christian Writers’ Notable Book Award, 1st place, Traditionally published fiction

 Tell us about your upcoming books.

My second novel, Sky Kiss, is waiting for me to tweak it a bit. It is a second chance romance trope, the first book in a trilogy that features a strong special operations woman as the main character. The first book features a fictional character who serves at the Air Force Academy and then Hurlburt Field. Sound familiar? I wove plenty of truth into the fictional story about an enlisted woman. The second book in the trilogy features a woman who is a special ops pilot. As a counselor, I like to delve into a character’s psyche, and this technique incorporates elements of women’s fiction. I am not writing action novels, but I am creating characters who are involved in the machinations of the Air Force and it mission.

How do we get a copy of Porch Music?

Did I mention that my publisher went under? I could see the writing on the wall last spring, so I ordered a supply of paperbacks. Signed copies can be purchased on my website, KathyMaresca.com. The audiobook is also available where e-books are sold. It has three talented narrators. One is a Native American playwright and actor. Another lady is sassy and Southern. The gentleman is from South Florida, and he also grew up with members of the Seminole Tribe. If someone is going to listen to Porch Music, though, I recommend getting the family tree from my website. It’s a big family.

About Kathy:

A native Floridian, Kathy Gilbert Maresca grew up with a grandmother of Seminole heritage. Kathy served in the Air Force, at the Academy cadet chapel and then at a special operations command. She edited for the University of Florida and taught English, journalism, and drama. Kathy later earned a master’s degree and became credentialed as a rehabilitation counselor, helping people who have cranial nerve disorders. Kathy has been a Guardian ad Litem and a volunteer for a prison fellowship ministry. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Keith. They enjoy traveling and rescuing little dogs.

What's HOT in Inspirational Suspense

Wondering what's new in inspirational suspense and mystery? Robert Whitlow has a brand new suspense, Guilty Until Innocent: A Novel, recently released from Thomas Nelson. Here's a little bit about the story:

Twenty-five years after a drug-induced tragedy, Joe is serving life in prison---and thriving. Leading a ministry behind bars, he's content with his life, until new evidence suggests he might have been wrongly incarcerated. When aspiring lawyer Ryan takes the reopened case, death threats pour in. Is it wise to pursue justice with innocent lives at stake?

You can buy Guilty Until Innocent: A Novel HERE from Christianbook.com

Have a great week of reading, lovers of inspirational suspense and mystery!

Mary Ellis ~ Suspense Sisters

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

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

On Tuesday, Mary Ellis shares what’s hot in inspirational suspense.

Wednesday, Suspense Sister Melissa Koslin welcomes author Kathy Maresca to the Suspense Sisters. They’ll be talking about her book, PORCH MUSIC. Leave a comment, along with your contact information, and you could win a $10 Amazon gift card!

All sixteen-year-old Rose has is what she carries: a pillowcase of clothes, her boyfriend’s unborn child, and a heart full of shame. In the face of 1952’s strict moral code, Seminole matriarch Ma-Ki Ebbing embraces Rose. Ma-Ki, on the fringe of society, clings to her Native American traditions and secrets surrounding her husband’s murder while her adult children are unraveling. The Ebbing women band together, marching through a chorus of grit and grind to unite a family once rendered powerless by a people who invaded their land. Will the tragic death of one of her daughters cause Ma-Ki to identify the villain and embrace Rose’s newfound faith?

ORDER IT HERE 

Friday, author Marji Laine reviews Elizabeth Goddard's new release STORM WARNING. Answer Marji's questions in the comments, leaving your contact information, and you could win a free book!

"Amnesia, a hero with dangerous ties, and a deadly storm all combine to create a thrilling ride, perfect for devouring in one sitting."--Lynette Eason, bestselling, award-winning author of the Lake City Heroes series

Haunted by a half-forgotten past, former army photographer Remi Grant is working at an isolated storm-watching lodge on the rocky Washington coast when she receives a mysterious puzzle piece. The piece may be the catalyst to unlock a disturbing incident she struggles to remember--the event that sent her into hiding. But with heavy storms rolling in, she must focus on the present, not get caught up in the past.When a mysterious man at the lodge saves her life--more than once--Remi becomes suspicious and confronts him. After a catastrophic event in his own life, former military pilot Hawk Beckett is trying to get some perspective at the suggestion of his former commanding officer. Faced with the fiercest storm to hit the coast in a decade, Remi and Hawk are forced into survival mode.

But they're not alone at the lodge. Someone doesn't want Remi to remember what happened--and they will stop at nothing to see her dead.

"Elizabeth Goddard's Storm Warning is perfectly named. This book takes readers by storm as her characters face danger not only from outside forces but also from the deadly secrets that rage inside their souls. Secrets that could cost them . . . everything. Highly recommended."--Nancy Mehl, author of the Ryland and St. Clair series

ORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

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LET'S VISIT WITH ELIZABETH GODDARD

Patricia Bradley here, and today I'm talking about writing with the author of some fabulous romantic suspense stories, Elizabeth Goddard, a former member of the Suspense Sisters...And you know the old saying, once a Sister, always a Sister! She's giving away a copy of Hidden In The Night to someone who leaves a comment.

So, Elizabeth, when did you start writing? 

I started actively pursuing writing for publication in 2001 when I joined the ACFW writer’s group. I was put in a critique group with Lisa Harris, Tamera Alexander and others—a great group. None of us had been published but we all are now! That’s been a minute too. Ha! 

Oh, man, what a group to be put with!  Why romantic suspense novels? 

I think we all end up writing what we love to read. I started out trying to get published with historical romance novels. At the time—early 2000’s—I called myself a historical romantic suspense writer. I kept submitting proposals and finally got published—first—with sweet contemporary romance. 

I hadn’t considered that my genre at but the door opened and I walked through it. But that sweet contemporary romance turned out to be filled with suspense and mystery elements, and that’s when I really started leaning into romantic suspense. I think that sometimes it can take a lot of writing and a few books published before an author finds their niche. At least that’s how it worked for me!

So true! I wrote two that will NEVER see the light of day because they've been shredded. What’s the hardest part of writing romantic suspense? 

The hardest part of writing any novel for me is starting. That first line, paragraph and chapter has to include just the right amount of all the necessary information to anchor the reader and also leave them wanting more. In romantic suspense, I think it’s even harder because you have to set up so much, including the mystery suspense thread. 

In general, though, romantic suspense is the hardest genre to write—in my opinion—because you have to balance the suspense with the romance. Readers have their preferred level of suspense or romance. You can’t please everyone. Then throw in the spiritual element and you have three threads to create—romance, suspense, and spiritual—into one novel. It’s a tough genre but I love it!

I agree that romantic suspense is the hardest genre to write. You have to keep up with all the clues and suspects...How long does it generally take you to write a novel. 

I love this question. It takes me as long as the time I’m given. Give me nine months and it will take me all that time to write. Give me six (which is my current time structure) and it takes me the full six months. That time is filled with edits, galleys and page proofs of previous novels. But let’s say I only had two months to write 80,000 words. Could I do it? If I put everything else aside—and I do mean everything—I could probably pump out those words. 

I do need time to polish and usually by the time I turn a book into my editor, I have gone through it about five times. The first draft is a horrible mess, and then I just keep going through and fleshing out and building up to the deadline. 

I love seeing how you create! And your answer leads up to the next question. Are you a panster or plotter or somewhere in between? 

I know how to plot. I have to do that for Love Inspired Suspense for the proposal. But for Revell I end up pantsing a lot of the novel. Yes, I have a loose plot idea in my head, but for me I can’t truly know the characters or where the story needs to go until I’m living in that world. I think that makes for a better naturally flowing story. If I were to plot, I would constantly be forcing my characters to fit into the story I’ve created. Pantsing is harder but at the same time, it’s a lot of fun. 

I totally agree that pansting is harder but more fun. And the research--I know you do a lot of that. Do you ever worry about what Homeland Security would think if they went through your computer? 

Ha ha! Well if writing research is considered criminal I think a lot of us would be looking at 25 years to life! Funny story—the other night our doorbell ring camera went off. We had just gone to bed. My husband looked to see who could be here so late and it was the police! And we both jumped up. He went to the door while I got ready, and I kept thinking, oh my gosh. Why would they come to our house? Did I do something in the Walmart parking lot that I didn’t see—i.e. back into someone. I don’t know. I was thinking about every possibility but coming up empty. Still I was totally panicked. Sometimes they come to deliver bad news, right?  

As it turned out, my son had called the fire department—he’d seen a blaze in the distance and that turned out to be nothing to worry about, and it wasn’t the police that showed up but the fire department to simply inform him all was good. Honestly, my mind never went to my browsing history.   

Your story is so funny! Although I'm sure it wasn't at the time. Tell, me what’s the most rewarding or frustrating thing about writing? 

I think it’s rewarding to have this dream for so many years and to actually have the dream come true, and when I complete a novel, I have such a sense of accomplishment. What’s frustrating is that I pour out my soul along with all the blood, sweat and tears that goes into a book and sometimes it feels like readers stomp on a book over the silliest things in their reviews without appreciating all the hard work and the art of it all.  

And that's why I don't read reviews. LOL What are you working on now? 

I just turned in book three in Hidden Bay and I’ll be reading through edits for PERILOUS TIDES (book 2) which releases in July. I am about to start on book one in a brand new series called MERCY RIDGE set in the Cascade Mountains! 

Oh, my goodness, you are busy! I can't wait to read them. And the Cascade Mountains are beautiful! Tell us about your current book. 

STORM WARNING is the first book in my Hidden Bay series. I’m so excited for readers to get their hands on this book. It’s set on the stunning Washington Coast and a storm-watching lodge. People come to the coast to watch the storms in the winter—the waves crashing on rocks and the glory of God’s creation. 

Here’s the press release info: In Storm Warning, Remi Grant, a former army photographer, is haunted by a half-forgotten past. Now working at an isolated storm-watching lodge on Washington's rugged coast, Remi's life takes a dramatic turn when she receives a mysterious puzzle piece that may unlock her suppressed memories. As Remi grapples with her fragmented memories, she encounters Hawk Beckett, an enigmatic former military pilot seeking solitude after a catastrophic event in his own life. 

Their paths intertwine as they face the most ferocious storm to hit the coast in a decade, forcing them into a fight for survival.But nature isn't their only adversary. A sinister presence at the lodge is determined to keep Remi's past buried, even if it means silencing her permanently.

I can't wait to read Storm Warning. Anything you want to add. 

Yes!! Readers can get a COLLISION COURSE—a free ebook—by subscribing to my newsletter. I offer book deals, free e books and more! Just hop over to my website elizabethgoddard.com or click here to sign up. While there, please click on the social media icons and follow me around social media town. Thank you so much for having me!

It was so much fun talking with you today! Readers, be sure to leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for Hidden in the Night!

The winner of the Spring flag is...Dreaa Drake!