Friday, September 4, 2026
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Returning to My Roots and The Stories That First Captivated Me!
Long before I began writing suspense novels of my own, I loved stories filled with shadowy houses, buried family secrets, and heroines who could never be certain whom or what to trust.
Authors such as Phyllis A. Whitney, Victoria Holt, and Mary Stewart were
masters at creating that atmosphere. Their books drew readers into unfamiliar
places where danger seemed to hide behind every locked door. The setting became
almost as important as the characters, and the past was never truly finished
with the present.
Those novels taught me that suspense doesn’t always arrive with an
explosion or a gunshot. Sometimes it begins with a sound in an empty room. A
door that should be locked but isn’t. A photograph that raises more questions
than it answers. Or a memory that returns in fragments—and may not mean what
you think it does.
I’ve always wanted to write one of those stories and so when I began
writing The Memory House, I had the opportunity to step beyond the kind
of romantic suspense I usually write and explore something different: a
psychological thriller with gothic undertones.
It was both exciting and a little intimidating.
Coldwater Hollow is a crumbling Victorian estate in rural Oregon filled
with locked rooms, hidden passages, old journals, and disturbing recordings.
But the true darkness in the story doesn’t come from anything supernatural. It
comes from the secrets people keep, the damage families inflict in the name of
protection, and the frightening realization that our own memories may not
always be trustworthy.
At the center of the story is Elise Warren, a grief counselor who has
spent her life helping others confront painful losses while avoiding the
unanswered questions from her own childhood. Returning to Coldwater Hollow
forces her to face those questions—and to uncover the truth about a mysterious
little girl named Ivy.
Writing Elise’s story allowed me to explore memory, identity, trauma, and
the ways our minds sometimes protect us from truths we aren’t ready to face. It
also let me return to the kind of atmospheric suspense I loved as a reader,
while giving it my own contemporary psychological twist.
Here’s more about The Memory House:
Some truths aren’t buried.
They’re hidden inside us.
When grief counselor Elise Warren inherits Coldwater Hollow, the
crumbling Victorian estate of her estranged father, she expects to settle his
affairs and finally leave the past behind.
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.
I’m giving away an eBook copy of The Memory House to one reader!
To enter, leave a comment answering this question:
Do you enjoy suspense novels featuring old houses and long-buried family
secrets? If so, who is your favorite book in this genre that has stayed with
you?
Be sure to include your email when you respond. I can’t wait to hear your
answers, and perhaps discover a few new books to add to my own reading list.
Mary
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Come Forth as Gold
"But He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
Job 23:10
I don't know how to describe what I am going through right now, a desert time, a season of solitude, a time of waiting and wondering where God is in all this. For some time now, I have felt that something should change in my life with my writing and yet, I feel stuck and not sure what I should do. Also, as a widow, I experience a lot of loneliness and I have felt it more deeply in the past few months. It feels like I'm always having to drum up social interaction texting friends all the time to see if they want to get together. Often, they are busy with spouses or grandchildren. I am longing for a more connected life and for a community of people who are more available. I've been praying for that. And so, I wait and I pray.
I'm sure that verse in James where it says we should rejoice in our trials came into your mind. I know it always does for me. While I know no one ever does a cheer and yells "Hip hip hooray another trial" I have been trying to practice gratitude in the midst of this feeling stuck. I ask God for the baby steps to do each day to change what my life looks like. And I wait and I pray and I pray some more. And sometimes I grow impatient. This is a trust exercise between me and God and sometimes I don't pass the trust test.
I love the visual that that verse in Job gives of coming forth as gold. Such a beautiful picture of how trials shape us into something of value. And I am holding on to that. It gives me hope. How about you? Do you recall a desert time or a time of waiting? How did it turn out? Maybe you are in the midst of a trial right now or wondering if God has lost your number. I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment with your email address. I will choose three people to receive a copy of my Love Inspired Suspense title Defending the Child (USA only).
Sharon Dunn
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Monday, August 31, 2026
WHAT'S NEW in Christian Mystery and Suspense
Marji Laine here.
Camy Tang's mysteries always hold unexpected turns and a chance to laugh. I can't wait to read this one.
Sushi and Suspicions
by Camy Tang
Liv
Whelan's world ignites into chaos when her California tactical training center
is ravaged by wildfires, but suspicions arise that the fire was no accident.
Amidst the ruins, Liv’s old college roommate offers an escape to the lush
tranquility of Hawaii.
Yet the
islands hold their own secrets, and a lucrative job opportunity morphs into a
sinister plot framing Liv for the theft of an antique rifle that belonged to
one of the Hawaiian princes. Determined to prove her innocence, she hires
private investigator Lennox Chang, who is reluctantly impressed by Liv’s gun
expertise and help in the investigation.
But as
romance blossoms under the Hawaiian sun, so do threats from unexpected
quarters. Together, they must trust in God to help them expose the truth
connected to the calamity back in California and the perils in paradise.
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
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