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Friday, July 28, 2017

INTERVIEW WITH LARRY W. TIMM



Larry W. Timm is a husband, father, preaching minister with the
Morton Christian Church (Morton, Illinois), and writer who loves creating stories with heart, soul, and high doses of adrenaline. For more information about Larry, visit his website.



INTERVIEW

If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say? 

I’m torn between which of the following sentences best describes me (perhaps readers might weigh-in on this): 1)I’m a husband, father, preacher, and writer who loves to use the power of words to draw people closer to a loving heavenly Father who desires to redeem and embrace them. 2)I’m a harmless, yet slightly warped individual who hears voices and writes stuff down while eating cheese crackers and drinking Dr. Pepper. 3)I’m an obsessive worry-wart and control freak who knows it’s just a matter of time before the writing police arrest him for impersonating a writer.4) I’m a guy who frequently has people come up and say, “Do you know you look like Chevy Chase?” 5) I love to laugh and make others laugh too, as a way of enjoying and enduring the daily challenges of life. 6) All of the above.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Any interesting hobbies? 

Well, my “day job” is being the preaching minister at the Morton Christian Church in Morton, Illinois. I also love spending time with my wife and children, whether we’re going on little trips, watching The Andy Griffith Show, or enjoying a Tim Hawkins concert or video. And I blame my eight-year-old son, Josiah, for getting me addicted to playing numerous lego-themed video games while mumbling, “Where’s the stinkin’ bonus brick?” Another thing I do is wander around the house turning off lights, closing doors, and mumbling, “What’s that smell?” One of my favorite “hobbies” is metal detecting (although the neighbors keep getting grumpy when I’m digging in their flower beds because “there’s something special down there.”).

What was your favorite book as a teen or child? 

Great question. Way back in grade school, a teacher read a book a dog named “Prince.” I can’t remember the title, but I liked it so much, when I got a dog I named him “Prince.” (Yep, I was a deep kid). One of my favorite books as a teenager was PILGRIM’S PROGRESS.

Tell us three things about yourself that might surprise your readers?

1)I’m terrified of snakes. 2)I want to be a full-time RVer someday. 3)While in college, a few friends and I put together a boy band called “S.S.Nichols & The Dipstix” and performed at two Youth Conventions. I was one of the Dipstix (oh, just hush up right now!).The kids loved it. The administration worried about the future of America.

What genre did you start out writing? Have you changed course? Why or why not? 

Suspense has always been my genre of choice. It’s what I like to read, so it’s what I like to write.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment? 

Early on in the process of submitting stories for contests or for critique, someone told me my characters were uninteresting and underdeveloped and my scene descriptions were weak. It was a big wake-up call. I’ve worked hard to improve in those areas. Another time, a friend was reading over something I was going to submit to a contest, and commented that one particular section was so poorly written that she wanted to stop reading (I think she meant my story specifically, not all reading in general). Basically, the descriptions were not vivid enough, the pacing was sluggish, and the scene was bloated with too many words. Other than that, it was just fine. Ha! But those great observations helped me to focus in on some glaring weaknesses. It made me work to be a better writer. That is, of course, an ongoing process.

As far as the best compliment goes, it has been encouraging and refreshing to have readers tell me that, regarding MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE, they loved the characters, appreciated the descriptions, and found the pacing to be strong. And to have other writers think I did a good job with my debut book means more to me than I can say. Seven different writers, all of whom I admire greatly (Nancy Mehl included), wrote endorsements for MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE. That just blesses me beyond measure.

Any other genres you’d like to try? If yes, what and why? 

I have a story idea for a series that, while still being “mystery/suspense/thriller”, has a “speculative fiction” feel. I’m not sure what genre it would fall in to. Most likely whatever I write will have some suspense connections.

If you could go back in time and do something differently at the start of your career, what would it be? 

First of all, I wish I would have started earlier. But if I could go back in time to the moment I decided to get serious about chasing this dream, I think I’d start with a better grasp on what to do to make writing a career.

What is the most important thing you’d like readers to take away from your books? 

In the words of Michael Ehret (found in the endorsement section of my book), I’d like readers to come to the end of each book with a “deep soul satisfaction that comes from experiencing a story well told.” I want readers to feel like they just finished a thrill-ride and can’t wait to get back in line and do it again. I want readers to miss the characters and places the story introduced them too. And, most importantly, I want them to have had their hope in God renewed, their commitment to truth strengthened, and their journey of faith enlightened.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors

I want to tell every unpublished writer that WRITING is what makes them a writer, NOT PUBLICATION. So write. Don’t stop writing. Getting published may put your writing into the hands of more readers—which is a great goal to have—but it doesn’t suddenly make you more important or more talented. Write as much as you can as often as you can. Accept the fact that crafting words into an engaging story is hard work, but you won’t get better at it just by reading books about writing or attending conferences and groups. Those tools and opportunities are wonderful—some would say even essential—but there is no substitute for writing. Write. Write. Write. Yes, there are other valuable pieces of advice that I’ve learned from people a whole lot smarter than me, but since you asked for one, I’ll stop at one.

On a moonlit night in Wichita, Kansas, a tormented father stands by the grave of his teenage daughter, Emily, and makes a chilling vow to avenge her death. Once he gets his hands on the three
women he holds responsible for his daughter's death, they will regret the day they met Emily outside the abortion clinic. He will expose a dark secret. He will bury them, as he buried Emily. Bury them alive. And after their caskets are in the ground, they will die ... for Emily's sake.

  








For your chance to win a copy of MURDER FOR EMILY'S SAKE, leave a comment, along with your contact information. U.S. only, please.

You can also visit Goodreads for another chance to win a copy of this exciting new book! 

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

New Publishing Adventures by Elizabeth Goddard



My first book, Seasons of Love, released in December 2007. That means I've been writing novels for publication for ten years, well in December it will be ten years, that is! Of course, I started the journey to publication much earlier than that--2001 or so when I attended my first conference, American Christian Writers (ACW) in Austin, Texas. I remember buying a set of cassettes--"Ten Mistakes Novelists Make," by Steve Laube. That wasn't the exact title, but I can't remember it's been so long. I had no idea that years later Steve would become my agent.

The publishing industry has changed so much in ten years. Wouldn't you agree?

My first books released with Heartsong Presents, an imprint of Barbour Publishing. A few books and years later, Barbour sold the line to Harlequin and I wrote for Heartsong Harlequin. You can read more about that at my agent Steve Laube's blog if your'e interested. While writing for Heartsong, I also wrote for Barbour's novella collections, and I was able get my foot in the door at Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense line. I've since been able to write four books a year for Love Inspired Suspense, and in the meantime I recently sold a trade book series to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing.

Where am I going with this? As I've already said, today I was just thinking that in December it will be ten years since I held my first book in my hands, but I also thought about how long it took for an editor to buy that first book. Now publishing has shifted so dramatically that traditionally published authors are also self-publishing or what we call "indie" or independent publishing, and many others are publishing on their own never giving traditional publishing a second thought.

With all the writing and deadlines I haven't had time to consider indie publishing until last year when I was invited to join a group of romantic suspense authors in a collection. I'm thrilled and honored to be part of this fabulous line-up from some big names in Christian fiction.



Is this awesome or what?

You definitely don't want to miss getting your hands on this collection! Targeted for Danger releases in September. For a limited time you can pre-order at a greatly discounted price of $2.99. Once it releases, the price goes up to $5.99.

Pre-order Targeted for Danger: Amazon, iBooks, Barnes&Noble, KOBO 

To read an excerpt of Double Exposure--my brand new romantic suspense novella in Targeted for Danger Click Here. 

Happy Reading!!!






Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Hot new inspy suspense!





An Intriguing Woman Draws a Former Marine into a Deadly Game

Colton Neeley left the Marines to take care of his four-year old daughter. Although he’s firm in his faith now, the repercussions of his former life are still evident—namely debilitating flashbacks from combat-related trauma. But his position with the Nightshade team give him a new lease on life.

Piper Blum is hiding—from life and the assassins bent on destroying her family. Although smitten by Colton, she fears the day he discovers her secrets. Because those secrets could very well put his life and family in danger, too. And no relationship has a chance when it’s built on lies.

Colton must find a way to forgive Piper’s lies, even when her justifications catapult the team into another near-death mission. They’ll find out the hard way if love covers a multitude of sins.

Friday, July 21, 2017

An interview and a giveaway with Roxanne Rustand!







We're excited to welcome Roxanne Rustand today! She will be giving away an ebook version of her book, Falling for the Rancher, to one lucky commenter! 


Tell us a little about yourself 
I’ve been published since 1999I started out writing secular light romantic suspense, then switched to writing inspirational romance and romantic suspense for Love Inspired in 2007.  I’ve also been writing for the indie marketfull length novels and also some novellas that were part of multi-author anthologies.  It’s been fun to see the huge change in publishing opportunities over the last few years!

And your newest book?
My June, 2017 Love Inspired novel, Falling for the Rancher, is the last title in my Aspen Creek Crossroads series for Love Inspired. All five novels in the series are set in the scenic St. Croix River Valley area of Wisconsin. Some readers like to own an entire series before they start reading any them, but the Aspen Creek books are loosely connected, and each is a stand-alone story.

Falling for the Rancher was such fun to write!  We live on an acreage in the country, where we have three horses, two rescue dogs, and five cats.  I love animals, and could never say “no” to any pets our kids wanted while they were growing up.  So this novel, about two veterinarians who couldn’t be more wrong—or more right—for each other meant I could incorporate subplots involving animals.  The story also involves loss and betrayal, and the challenges of moving beyond past wounds to finally reach the joy of an abundant life.

What are you working on at the moment?
Our daughter and her husband lived along the Gulf for the past three years, but sold their house in May and are living with us while house hunting.  It is such a delight having them back with us.I know that all too soon, they will be moving to their next home, and then we won’t get to see them nearly enough! So this summer has really been all about “family time,” though I also need to finish a novella during the next week.

What is the hardest thing about writing?
Juggling time for family, a day job, other interests and writing has always been a challenge, as it is for every writer. I did quit my day job a few years ago (as a clinical dietitian) which helped a lot!

What is the easiest thing about writing?
Coming up with new ideas is the easy part. Implementing them is the challenge!

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Writing despite...everything

Hi everyone!

Deepest apologies to our blog followers, who come to suspensesisters expecting timely content...yet here I am, posting near the end of the day.

I'd intended to blog about writing (and being timely despite all of the things in life that get in the way), and I guess my post is a prime example when things don't  get done!  Have you every had one of those days?  :)

We're remodeling our kitchen, and does that ever throw an iron in the works!  Everything is in complete disarray--the contents of cupboards resembling mountains on our dining room table and our guest bedroom.  Stuff piled everywhere--and good luck to anyone needing a particular item! Our daughter and her husband are living with us while they search for a house to buy in a town an hour away, and she is a wonderful cook.  Last night we were all searching for the instant read thermometer so she could finish her entree...and heaven only knows when or where it might turn up.  And, between joining them on their trips north for open houses and private showings, and running errands in town for whatever I need to buy for our remodel, it seems like the car is my second home.  :)

Which means that quality time on the computer for a book I need to finish is hard to come by!  How about you? Have you had times in your life where everything seemed to happen all at once? Where you seemed to meet your self coming and going?  And how did you maintain your productivity and also deal with stress?  I would love some ideas!



Best wishes to you all for a wonderful summer!

Roxanne Rustand



USA Today Bestselling Author
Falling for the Rancher, LI 6/2017
An Aspen Creek Christmas, LI 11/2016
The Single Dad's Redemption, Love Inspired 7/2016
www.roxannerustand.com
www.facebook.com/Roxanne.Rustand
http://www.SweetRomanceReads.com
https://www.pinterest.com/roxannerustand

Monday, July 17, 2017

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS



We’re planning another great week on the Suspense Sisters. Check out our posts, our interviews, and our awesome giveaways!

THIS WEEK:

On our review page, senior reviewer Iola Goulton reviews BENEATH COPPER FALLS by Colleen Coble. Iola says: 
“Recommended for thriller fans. Best read the day before your manicure appointment, not the day after.”   

You can find her complete review HERE.





On Tuesday Dana Mentink will share What’s Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.




On Wednesday Suspense Sister Roxanne Rustand will share something special with us.  

Friday, we’ll visit with Roxanne again as we interview her about her new book, FALLING FOR THE RANCHER. You could win a copy of this great book!      
Darcy Leighton hopes to someday inherit the veterinarian practice she works for. Before she gets the chance, Logan Maxwell buys it and now she may even lose her job. She’ll do anything to convince Logan to let her stay on. 













The Suspense Sisters! We love books!