Monday, August 31, 2026
THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS
We have exciting things planned for you this week on the Suspense Sisters!
Wednesday, Suspense Sister Sharon Dunn will talk about Job and what it’s like when we go through trials. She’s also giving away a few copies of her wonderful book, DEFENDING THE CHILD.
Caught in a mountain blizzard with a child to protect.
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
ORDER IT HERE
On Friday, Suspense Sister Mary Alford will share how reading classic gothic suspense authors such as Phyllis A. Whitney, Victoria Holt, and Mary Stewart inspired her love of atmospheric stories filled with mysterious houses, buried family secrets, and heroines who aren’t sure whom to trust. She’ll also talk about what it was like to step beyond her usual romantic suspense genre and write THE MEMORY HOUSE, a psychological thriller with gothic undertones that explores memory, identity, and family secrets. She’ll also give away an eBook copy to one reader.
THE MEMORY HOUSE
Some truths aren't buried.
They're hidden inside us.
Instead, she finds hidden journals, secret recordings, and evidence that her father’s controversial psychological treatments may have harmed more than they healed.
As Elise digs deeper, fragments of her childhood begin surfacing—memories of a frightened girl named Ivy, whispered warnings from her long-missing mother, and a darkness lurking beneath the house itself.
But the more Elise uncovers, the less she trusts her own mind.
Someone has been inside Coldwater Hollow.
Someone is watching her search for answers.
And someone desperately wants one missing piece of evidence to stay buried. Because if Elise remembers what really happened twenty years ago, she may discover that the greatest mystery was never what happened to Ivy.
It's who Ivy was.
And the truth could destroy everything she believes about herself.
THE MEMORY HOUSE is a gripping psychological suspense novel about memory, identity, and the dangerous secrets families bury in the name of protection.
PREORDER IT HERE
Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!
THE SUSPENSE SISTERS
WE LOVE BOOKS
Thursday, August 27, 2026
BOOK REVIEW: When the Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard
Marji Laine here.
Second, this book has the perfect mix of intensity, mystery, and
romance.
Even the book’s first page twisted up my insides. I have
driven mountain roads before. The tension wrapped around my middle and kept tightening
with every turn. Then on Sarah Ellison’s brief hike, I felt like the rug was
ripped out from under me. To say I wasn’t expecting what happened is putting it
lightly. And that was all in just the first chapters.
I love the fact that the author uses not only a criminal
element to build suspense, but a natural one to deepen it and send it out of
control. And I love the fact, probably because of the natural element, that the
Lord is the reasonable call.
Elizabeth Goddard gives a clever mastery of the suspense
element. In addition, she has an excellent rhythm for the breaths that a reader
needs before the next intensity begins. That’s crucial. Readers need to breathe
and have a chance to let down their guard for a bit. Goddard’s timing is
perfect!
As for the mystery, that is another stroke of genius that
develops seamlessly. The fact that family members would want to protect each other from a volatile truth is completely believable, as is the
guilt they might very well have felt. This intrigue stunned me with how real it
felt.
And then there is the romance. Sarah seeks out Ryder Goodwin
because of his knowledge of the mountain and expertise in guiding people in the
area. That and the intel she is able to dig up on him. She doesn’t expect the
man to have such deep compassion. I got the feeling early on that his kindness,
like with his mom, sort of broke away the callouses on Sarah’s heart.
The fact that he saves lives and is drop-dead gorgeous doesn’t
hurt.
And I think he certainly notices her beauty. But he has walls
up, a past that still haunts him, and no room for someone else who can cause
him pain. Her surprising personality starts carving away the stone. And
the life-threatening issues just amplify every emotion.
All of the elements come together like the painting of a master. The story has stayed with me even now, over a week since I finished the book. I’ve even started a few other books, but had to stop them. What can I say? They just didn’t measure up! You have to read this book!
Here’s a little more about the story:
When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather's deathbed confession connected to her brother's murder, she's determined to protect her remaining family. After further investigation, she discovers the disclosed information points to a decades-old government secret buried deep in the Cascade Mountains. With this knowledge, she looks for a guide who knows the terrain like the back of their hand.
After his father's death in a tragic mountain accident, former Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin no longer guides for the family business. At first, Ryder refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her and can't stand by while someone brings danger to his small-town mountain community.
Ryder and Sarah gear up to climb the mountain in a race against time and a looming storm. When the danger escalates, their search for answers shifts to a survival mission. Their only chance to make it through involves trusting each other and confronting the truth no one wants them to find.
This gripping romantic-suspense thriller set in the Pacific Northwest from USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard is a series opener that will sweep you away in a rush of adrenaline.
Get your own copy HERE!
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
AI. How much is too much?
AI. How much is too much? That’s the big question.
Is any AI acceptable in writing? My kneejerk is ABSOLUTELY
NOT. But I’m finding there is some nuance in the debate (as there is in pretty
much any debate).
The actual writing of the book:
When it comes to actually writing the book, I believe NO AI
is acceptable. I’m too much of a control freak anyway. I don’t even let it
refine my emails at work—though I have some coworkers who are greatly
benefiting from that feature. I want my work to be my voice, even if it can be
outside the norm a bit. I think that’s a benefit, not a bug. I purposefully do
not want to sound like everyone else. And I want my stories to be my stories. I
want to convey the emotion to the reader myself. I want to create interesting
and complex characters. If you don’t like to do those things, get out of the
writing game.
Editing
I lump this into the same category as above. Maybe it makes
me a snob, but I believe writers should know the ins and outs of writing. We
should understand grammar, punctuation, story-telling techniques, how to pull
emotion out of the reader. But some may say, “We use editors—isn’t that the
same thing?” No, I don’t think it is. A good editor helps a writer see certain
things from a different angle and asks questions that make the writer
think—it’s all human-based. A machine cannot understand that. I guess you could
drop your work into AI and tell it to find typos, but that still just doesn’t
set right with me. For one thing, Word already makes grammatical suggestions
(which are very often wrong) so I doubt AI would be much more help, and
secondly, as a writer, I cringe at the idea of dropping my whole work into AI.
“Tests” to confirm if a work is AI
Some claim that you can drop text into AI and have it
confirm if it was written by AI. However, I’ve seen more than one story about
how past works (much, much older than AI) have been dropped in and come back
over 90% AI. For that reason, I caution anyone to judge any contemporary
authors.
Em dashes
I’ve heard from several sources that use of em dashes in a work is a sign of AI.
Um, no. It’s a sign that a writer knows how to use various forms of
punctuation. Most writers do use em dashes.
Google substitute
Where I do think it can be okay to use AI is as a Google
substitute during research. Writing requires a lot of research, so having that
bit of help organizing information from across the internet is great. Of
course, it’s still our job as authors to confirm the accuracy of the
information by going to the source material and diving deeper as needed.
Cover art
The cover artist I’m currently working with is hardcore NO
AI. I respect her for that. But I don’t know if I would judge anyone too
harshly for using AI to some degree on cover art, especially if it’s creating a
single element to be encompassed within a larger design, when that larger
design was envisioned by the cover artist his/herself. A lot of cover artists
use only images they can buy, but you can’t always find exactly the thing you
have in your head (though I find AI is not always good at that either).
Illustrations
I do not like the idea of illustrations being AI-generated.
I buy a lot of picture books for my 4-year-old and love looking at the
illustrations that some artist painstakingly created. Perhaps AI illustrations feel
too much like the story itself being written by AI. In picture books, the
illustrations are just as important as the words.
Marketing art/memes
This is probably the one semi-artistic area where I don’t care that much.
Maybe I should. Afterall, artists put a lot of work into marketing materials
too, and I respect that. I guess it doesn’t bother me that much since it’s a
supporting aspect of the main work (i.e. the book). Writers were already making
their own marketing materials much of the time; AI just helps them do it
better.
Those are my brief thoughts. What do you think? Both as
readers and/or writers.
~~~
Melissa Koslin is a fourth-degree black belt and certified instructor, with a background in multiple disciplines, including Taekwondo and Krav Maga. 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, her husband, their young daughter, and two feisty cats live in Yulee, Florida, where they do their best not to melt in the sun. Find more information on her books at MelissaKoslin.com.
Coming 9/15/26: Endless as the Rain
If you loved Dangerous Beauty, you'll love Endless as the Rain.
Monday, August 24, 2026
WHAT'S NEW in Christian Mystery and Suspense
Marji Laine here.
I'm reviewing this book on Friday. Come back and get my take on this new series.
When the Silence Breaks
by Elizabeth Goddard
A decades-old secret.
A mountain that holds the answers--and danger closing in.
When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather's deathbed confession connected to her brother's murder, she's determined to protect her remaining family. After further investigation, she discovers the disclosed information points to a decades-old government secret buried deep in the Cascade Mountains. With this knowledge, she looks for a guide who knows the terrain like the back of their hand.
After his father's death in a tragic mountain accident, former Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin no longer guides for the family business. At first, Ryder refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her and can't stand by while someone brings danger to his small-town mountain community.
Ryder and Sarah gear up to climb the mountain in a race against time and a looming storm. When the danger escalates, their search for answers shifts to a survival mission. Their only chance to make it through involves trusting each other and confronting the truth no one wants them to find.
This gripping romantic-suspense thriller set in the Pacific Northwest from USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard is a series opener that will sweep you away in a rush of adrenaline.
THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS
Wednesday, Suspense Sister Melissa Koslin asks: “A.I. How much is too much?” How do you feel about the use of A.I. in regards to books? Let us know your thoughts. She’s also introducing her upcoming book, ENDLESS AS THE RAIN.
ENDLESS AS THE RAIN releases on September 15th.
On Friday, Suspense Sister Marji reviews author Beth Goddard's new book, WHEN THE SILENCE BREAKS. She’ll also give away a copy of her own book, GRIME BEAT.
WHEN THE SILENCE BREAKS
A deathbed confession. A decades-old secret. A mountain that holds the answers--and danger closing in.
After his father's death in a tragic mountain accident, former Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin no longer guides for the family business. At first, Ryder refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her and can't stand by while someone brings danger to his small-town mountain community.
Ryder and Sarah gear up to climb the mountain in a race against time and a looming storm. When the danger escalates, their search for answers shifts to a survival mission. Their only chance to make it through involves trusting each other and confronting the truth no one wants them to find.
This gripping romantic-suspense thriller set in the Pacific Northwest from USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard is a series opener that will sweep you away in a rush of adrenaline.
ORDER IT HERE
Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!
THE SUSPENSE SISTERS
WE LOVE BOOKS
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