Sit Down with Jessica R. Patch

by Patricia Bradley

Today we're going to sit down with Jessica Patch and talk about writing. I met Jessica in 2013 when we rode together to Cincinnati to an American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. For some odd reason, I called her Robin...I guess like Batman and Robin? And I've called her that ever since. Here's a short bio:

Jessica R. Patch is a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than thirty novels. Known for her pulse-pounding plots, emotionally charged characters, and signature twists, Jessica’s stories explore themes of justice, resilience, and the unshakable power of hope.

Whether weaving inspirational stories of danger edged with romance or crafting chilling thrillers that probe the shadows of the human heart, Jessica delivers fiction that thrills while shining light in the darkest places.

She makes her home in Northwest Mississippi, where she enjoys life with her family, a good cup of tea, and dreaming up her next edge-of-your-seat story usually over tacos and queso.

Leave a comment with your email address, and Jessica will randomly pick a winner to receive a copy of The Other Sister!

Patricia: When did you start writing?

Jessica: I started writing for publication in 2008.

Patricia Bradley: Oh, wow! That's when I returned to writing after working in the abstinence program in our state for 8 years! Okay, why romantic suspense novels? 

Jessica: I’ve always loved suspense and mystery and romance, so it made sense.

Patricia: Same here! What’s the hardest part of writing romantic suspense? 

Jessica: The words. LOL 

Patricia: Oh, my goodness, yes! So how long does it generally take you to write a novel? 

Jessica: I’ve written an LIS in 8 days but I don’t recommend it. Usually I like to write one in 30 days and revise in 10. For a trade? I write the first draft in 3 months and take a month or so to revise.

Patricia: I may want to put you in a book and...it takes me months to write a book! Are you a panster or plotter or somewhere in between? 

Jessica: I’m an outliner and a meticulous brainstormer. I know I need ABC but how I get from A to B to C, I’m not sure. I do know my cast and their GMC and the twists and villain.

Patricia: Oh, how I wish I could do that! I do have to know my cast and their goals, motivation and conflict, but I don't always know who the villain is... What would you fear the most if Homeland Security went through your computer? 

Jessica: Fear? Nothing. But I’d squirm. ;-)

Patricia: Yeah, me, too. What is the most rewarding or frustrating thing about writing? 

Jessica: Rewarding: Reader letters when the story has moved them in some way. Frustrating? Having to do it on days I don’t want to. LOL

Patricia: Absolutely about reader letters! And I've been there, have the headaches to prove it about writing when I don't want to! What are you working on now? 

Jessica: I’m working on revising my 2027 thriller: Long After We Left Her. 

Patricia: I can't wait! Tell us about your current book. It is amazing!

Jessica: The Girl Upstairs is a story about a former homicide detective who’s going through a rough patch in her marriage as they move into an idyllic small town in Maine, right into a fixer-upper. But the moment Gwen arrives, weird things happen and a bone is found by a hunter’s dog on her property. So naturally, she investigates to uncover a house with a dark history and secrets buried in her backyard.

Patricia: The Girl Upstairs completely captured me! Talk about twists that I didn't see coming! You can read my Suspense Sisters review of it here. Anything you want to add?

Jessica: I’d love for you to join me through my monthly newsletter and get Patched In. You’ll receive a free short thriller. https://jessicarpatch.com/subscribe/ And come hang out at my unhinged corner of the world: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessicarpatch/

Here's the back cover copy of The Girl Upstairs. You can purchase it here.

“Jessica R. Patch weaves a dark, twisty tapestry that’s both unsettling and unexpectedly hopeful. Masterful.” –New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan

She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s old carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…

Here's a little more about Jessica:

You’re invited to join the Patched In community at her website: www.jessicarpatch.com and receive a FREE short thriller, Nobody Has to Know.

Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.

BUY LINK: Purchase from your favorite retailer https://jessicarpatch.com/book/the-girl-upstairs/

Leave a comment with your contact info for a chance to win an ebook copy of The Other Sister, "A twisty tale packed with juicy surprises.” –Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Paris Widow

She thought she was the only one lying about her identity. Until she stepped into her sister’s life.

 

 

Interview with Tara Grace Ericson

Hi readers, I am so excited to introduce you to my new author friend, Tara Grace Ericson. I first met Tara at the Read Write Rendezvous in Saint Louis last November, then we reconnected at the Nebraska Writer's Guild conference this past April. 

Tara is a stay-at-home mom, just like me, and writes clean, contemporary romance and suspense with an emphasis on Christian faith and living. Her stories of faith, hope, and happily ever after encourage readers from all walks of life with their memorable characters and uplifting plots. Tara lives in Missouri with her husband and three sons. She studied engineering and worked as an engineer for many years before embracing her creative side to become a full-time author and mom.

You can connect w/Tara at:
Website: www.taragraceericson.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/taraericsonauthor
Instagram: @taraericsonauthor

Interview with Tara

 

Is writing your full-time career? Or would you like it to be?

I’m actually a full time stay-at-home/homeschool mom. Writing is my main (paying) gig though! I gave up a career in engineering to be a writer, and God has been so faithful to our family for my (reluctant) obedience. I never wanted to be an author, and I loved my job as an engineer – but God started giving me stories to write. I guess as long as he keeps doing that, I’ll keep writing them down and publishing them!

 

What has been your favorite part of the publishing journey?

My favorite part of the journey is seeing God show up and do far more than I ever expected. He’s constantly surprising me. He especially has a way of sending me encouragement and affirmation at exactly the time I need it most. Whenever I struggle with doubt or perseverance, the Lord sends me a sweet message from a reader or some other nudge that says “keep going. I’ve got this. I’ve got you.”

 

What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

The plot for me comes first, and then I love deciding what kind of characters would be fun to drop into that situation. I love complex plots and villains that drive the story. In my suspense especially, I love intrigue and all the pieces moving in the background! 

 

Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

In Calculated Risk, I loved writing Norah. She’s a challenging nut to crack, but that’s because she finds comfort in numbers more than people — something I relate to as an engineer. She is incredibly intelligent and self-sufficient, so bringing her to a point of having her lean on Marshall was fun to write.

 

What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?

This is book 5 in the Black Tower Security Series. As the series has gone on, the over-arcing plot has grown more complex. There are a lot of moving pieces to an international crime organization, and the biggest challenge is making sure that the plot stays exciting but realistic and consistent. There were things I knew about the Syndicate when writing book 1 that didn’t come to light until this book! 

 

What is the key theme and/or message in the book?

The key theme of this book was both characters learning to trust God and trust each other. Both of them see organizations and people they trusted land on the wrong side of things. They have to come to terms with the idea that any foundation other than the Lord is going to be one that can be shaken.

 

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

The best place for information is on my website - www.taragraceericson.com and by signing up for my newsletter.

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

I’ll be publishing the final books (#6 and 7) in Black Tower Security in the next 6-9 months, so I hope you’ll read the series and then finish it out with me! After that… I have some plans, but I’ll keep them close to the vest for now!

Calculated Risk, Black Tower Security #5, Tara Grace Ericson

She trusts the numbers. He trusts no one. Now their second chance could cost them everything.

Norah Winslow built her life on precision and loyalty. As a senior analyst at Summit Capital, she believes numbers never lie—until her findings point to corruption tied to the highest levels of power. Determined to protect the mentor who gave her a career, Norah refuses to walk away… even when it makes her a target.

Marshall Kelley hasn’t forgiven the woman who broke his heart. As a Black Tower Security operative, he lives by one rule: keep control. But when Norah’s digging puts her in the Syndicate’s crosshairs, Marshall can’t let her face the danger alone.

Drawn into a web of betrayal, war profiteering, and deadly secrets, Norah and Marshall must work together to expose the truth. But old wounds, unhealed faith, and an unseen enemy threaten to tear them apart.

Can they risk trusting each other—and God—for a love strong enough to survive the fight?

Giveaway: I'm giving away an eBook copy of Calculated Risk to one commenter. Please remember to leave your email so you can be contacted.

Gina Holder is a Christian award-winning author of romantic suspense and cozy mysteries filled with faith, intrigue, danger, romance, and epic twists you'll never see coming.
She’s had an infatuation with books for as long as she can remember. She loves sharing uplifting messages from God’s Word and introducing readers to new and new-to-them authors on her blog. When she’s not writing, Gina enjoys playing the piano, cooking, reading, watching Hallmark mysteries, and solving “escape room” puzzles. She loves growing in her craft as an author. She published her debut novel in 2017. Gina lives in Wyoming with her husband and daughter.       

https://linktr.ee/storiesbygina

WHAT'S HOT in Inspirational Mystery and Suspense

Marji Laine here. 

I'm always interested when Christy Barritt has a new release! She is definitely one of my faves and this one looks amazing (and it has a beautiful dog involved! 

Trailing Justice 
by Christy Barritt

---

She hiked into the remote forest . . . and hasn’t been seen since.

Prosecutor Kori Hutchins has spent her career making sure justice is served. But when her sister vanishes in the mountains of Blue Ridge Hollow, her courtroom skills mean nothing. There’s no evidence, no witnesses, and no one willing to listen . . . until park ranger Wyatt King and his search and rescue dog, Thunder, step in.

Wyatt knows these mountains—and their dangers. But what begins as a search for a missing hiker quickly turns into something far more sinister. The clues don’t add up, and the trail twists in ways it shouldn’t. As a brutal blizzard barrels toward the hollow, time is running out.

Out in the wilderness, justice is hard to find—and far more dangerous to chase. Because Mackenzie’s disappearance isn’t just a mystery. It’s a warning.

And someone will do anything to make sure the truth stays hidden.

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, we’ll hear from Suspense Sister Gina Holder. She’s interviewing author Tara Grace Erikson and giving away an eBook copy of her book, CALCULATED RISK.

She trusts the numbers. He trusts no one. Now their second chance could cost them everything.

Norah Winslow built her life on precision and loyalty. As a senior analyst at Summit Capital, she believes numbers never lie—until her findings point to corruption tied to the highest levels of power. Determined to protect the mentor who gave her a career, Norah refuses to walk away… even when it makes her a target.

Marshall Kelley hasn’t forgiven the woman who broke his heart. As a Black Tower Security operative, he lives by one rule: keep control. But when Norah’s digging puts her in the Syndicate’s crosshairs, Marshall can’t let her face the danger alone.

Drawn into a web of betrayal, war profiteering, and deadly secrets, Norah and Marshall must work together to expose the truth. But old wounds, unhealed faith, and an unseen enemy threaten to tear them apart.

Can they risk trusting each other—and God—for a love strong enough to survive the fight?

BUY IT HERE 

Friday, Patricia Bradley will interview author Jessica R. Patch. They’ll talk about her new book, THE GIRL UPSTAIRS. Patricia will also give away one of Jessica’s exciting books!

A chilling domestic thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jessica R. Patch, where a house in small-town Maine hides deep, dark secrets...

She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…

BUY IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

The Secrets Buried Inside Every Cold Case

 

There’s something uniquely haunting about a cold case for writers as well as readers.

Maybe it’s because the crime itself isn’t truly over.

Time has passed. Lives have moved on. People have changed. But somewhere beneath the surface, the unanswered questions remain waiting like ghosts.

As a suspense writer, I think that’s one of the reasons cold cases are so compelling to write. They come with built-in emotional weight. The mystery didn’t happen yesterday. The damage has had years to spread through families, friendships, and entire communities.

In many ways, a cold case story is really about the collision between past and present.

One phone call.
One anonymous letter.
One box of forgotten evidence.

And suddenly, a character who thought they’d escaped the past is forced to face it again.

That tension creates such a rich foundation for suspense fiction because the characters aren’t just hunting a killer or searching for answers. They’re confronting old grief, buried secrets, guilt, regret, fear, and sometimes even the lies they’ve told themselves in order to survive.

As a writer, that opens the door to deeper emotional storytelling.

Cold cases also naturally create atmosphere. There’s an eerie quality to abandoned evidence rooms, faded photographs, missing-person flyers curled with age, old newspaper clippings, and witnesses whose memories may no longer be reliable. Even settings themselves begin to feel haunted by what happened there.

I think that’s why I find myself drawn to these stories over and over again in my own books.

In Unsolved Amish Abduction, the past resurfaces ten years after Anna escaped her kidnapper when she receives her missing sister’s bracelet in the mail. What fascinated me while writing the story wasn’t only the mystery itself, but the emotional fallout of surviving something horrific while never truly knowing what happened to the person left behind.

That’s the heart of many cold case stories.

The unanswered question.
The thing left unresolved.

And from a writer’s perspective, those unresolved pieces create incredible suspense because the truth is often tangled beneath years of silence and carefully buried secrets. Every character may remember events differently. Some may be protecting others. Some may fear what the truth could destroy if it finally comes to light.

Cold cases also allow suspense writers to explore something else. I think readers deeply connect with hope.

Hope that the forgotten aren’t truly forgotten.
Hope that truth matters, even decades later.
Hope that justice, though delayed, is still possible.

Maybe that’s why these stories stay with us long after the final page.

Because deep down, we all want to believe that even the coldest cases can still be solved.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Cold Case Fiction. What is it about cold cases that fascinates you most?

I’ll be giving away one eBook copy of Unsolved Amish Abduction to one commenter. Please remember to give your email address in your comments.

Bible Reading Plan

 

Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash

When I first became a Christian forty years ago, I read the New Testament Matthew to Revelations several times. I did not do as well when attempting the whole Old Testament. Through the years, I did studies with other women that were topical or focused on one book of the Bible. When my husband got sick with cancer and then died, I think I mostly sought out comfort verses and did not have the deep study I used to have. Through all the struggle before and after his death, my "quiet time" was really random. 

For some time now, I have felt like I could handle a more cohesive study of the Bible. I have the time. What I find though that in doing a topical study where I'm flipping through the Bible looking up tons of verses, I tend to walk away not remembering much of anything. My brain just doesn't hold onto things like it used to. 

I wanted to read the Bible as a cohesive whole and I want to be able remember the things I have read, to carry the truth with me through the day. In the past, the Bible in a Year plan just didn't work for me. Nothing really sunk in. I was just kind of checking off that I had read the assigned verses. 

I stumbled across a plan devised by John MacArthur that seems to be working for me. The plan will take three years to complete. It involves reading a section of the New Testament that takes about twenty minutes and reading that section for thirty days. Twenty minutes is about 7 or 8 Chapters. I started with reading 1 John for thirty days and then divided the book of John into three sections which took three months. I take notes and try to find verses to memorize. Sometimes I only read a couple of chapters in the chosen section, but the point is to stay with the material for 30 days. I am now in the book of Matthew.  Every once in awhile I need a break and spend my time meditating on a Psalm and reading it out loud. It seems to be working for me. I'll let you know in three years if I got through the whole New Testament. Now I just need to come up with a plan for the Old Testament. 

How about you? What does your Bible study and/or quiet time look like? What works for you? Let me know in the comments and leave your email address. I will choose five people to give a copy of Tracking the Taken Child to or a different older book if you have already read that one.  

Sharon Dunn