Meet Virginia Vaughn, author of Risky Return

by Patricia Bradley

Wednesday I featured Virginia Vaughn's newest Love Inspired Suspense on What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense and now I'm interviewing her on the Suspense Sisters.

I've known Virginia for...hmmm...at least five years and probably longer. Time just seems to get away from me.  Anyhoo, here's my interview...Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for Risky Return!

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

It’s not hordering if its books. Sorry, I can’t help myself. I love everything about books—the touch, the smell, and especially the story waiting to open my imagination and draw me inside.

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

When I’m not writing, I can usually be found reading, of course! But I also enjoy movies and finding a good show to binge watch on Netflix or Amazon Prime. I’m also a fan of disco music—I even taught my 8 y/o nephew to shake shake shake his booty, lol—and I adore true crime podcasts. I’m definitely what you would call an inside girl, but I’m raising two rambunctious boys who love to swim so, these days, you can often find me at the pool when I’m not writing.  

What was your favorite book as a teen or child?

My teacher read the class Where the Red Fern Grows when I was in fourth grade and that book cemented my love for reading. I still remember the laughter and the tears that story evoked in me. So much so that I recently bought it to read to my nephews at night only to discover it's on the 10 y/o’s summer reading list.

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

1. Murder runs in my family. Just kidding…but my family is always helpful when it comes to brainstorming plot holes in my stories. My mother once pointed out an interesting place I could dump a body and neither of us even blinked at having that conversation. We may, however, have frightened the neighbors and got put on some kind of community watch program.

2. I have an ever expanding list of ways to kill you and I’m not afraid to use it…in my books, of course. Insert evil suspense writer laugh here. 

3. I’ve been known to talk about how I’m going to murder a character and then quote scripture all in one conversation, a paradox my son finds hilarious.

How did you come to be a writer?

I had my first creative writing class in fourth grade. I wrote a story about a purple people eater and my teacher and classmates raved about it. On the swings at recess that day, I decided I wanted to be a writer. But it wasn’t until many, many years later that I looked around at all the books I loved and thought if those authors could write and publish their stories, so could I. It took a lot of years of learning the craft, along with a lot of determination and persistence, but it finally paid off.

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

A few years back, I read a secular romantic suspense book and, having spent the previous years exclusively reading Christian works, something about it nagged at me. It wasn’t the language or the sex scenes, but the utter lack of hope that struck me about that story. The heroine was determined that if she could just reinvent herself or do this or that better then her life would matter and the hero would love her. All I could think was Girl, you need Jesus. If readers take away nothing else from my stories, I pray its that we don’t have to do this life alone. Our hope is found not in ourselves but in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I so agree about some of the general market's lack of hope in their books. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?

The best advice I ever received is the same advice I always give to unpublished writers. Target a genre and READ, READ, READ in it before submitting.

 Thanks so much for visiting with us today. 

Back cover copy for  RISKY RETURN

“Stop investigating or you will die.”

A Covert Operatives story

Searching for a missing pregnant foster teen, Rebecca Mason stumbles across a human trafficking ring. Now with criminals determined to silence Rebecca, security specialist Collin Walsh appoints himself her protector. But how can the secret husband who once abandoned her to join the military regain her trust? Collin will do anything to make up for the past…but first he must ensure they survive.



Risky Return deals with human trafficking. Do you think books like this help inform the public about the dangers of this terrible crime? Leave a comment and I'll enter you in a drawing for a copy of Risky Return. (US addresses only for paper back. All other digital)

Award winning author Virginia Vaughan lives by the motto ‘It’s not hoarding if its books’. Always the kid with her nose stuck in a book, becoming a multi-published author of inspirational romantic suspense hasn’t stopped Virginia from continuing to grow her own collection of favorite reads. Her family has refused to help her move anymore because of the sheer number of boxes of books, but she’s no quitter. She’ll keep buying books and, the next time she moves, hire a moving van.

Oh! I almost forgot!! You can hop over to my blog and read my review of Risky Return and leave a comment, and I'll enter you in another drawing for Virginia's book! Click here!

If you love stories where romance intersects danger and faith, subscribe to Virginia’s email list at http://eepurl.com/dtFeVP  and be the first to know when a new story arrives.

Connect with Virginia:

Email Newsletter:   http://eepurl.com/dtFeVP

Website:  www.virginiavaughanonline.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ginvaughanbooks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gin_vaughan

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/virginiavaughan

Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/profile/virginia-vaughan

Instagram: www.instagram.com/virginiavaughanauthor

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7833357.Virginia_Vaughan