Interview with Lori DeJong

 Dear Readers,

I am thrilled to introduce author, Lori DeJong to you. She has recently dipped her toe in the suspense/thriller world, but is no stranger to writing great stories. Her novel, Mistletoe and Malice, was a 2026 Carol Award finalist, and its sequel, Sanctuary and Sabotage released September 15th.

Lori DeJong (pronounced DeeYung) is a contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of thirty-plus years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter and son-in-law are settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Lori loves to write about love and romance and all that fun stuff, with a firm foundation of faith. Clean but sassy, sparkly, and even goose-bumpy romance, with God in the middle and characters seeking and learning and changing, couldn’t be more heartwarming or spine-tingly.

Lori is an ACFW Genesis Award winner, a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist, four-time Selah Award finalist, Angel Award winner, and runner-up in the Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers Reader's Choice Awards.

Welcome, Lori, to the Suspense Sisters.

Tell us about your new release.

·        Sanctuary and Sabotage is Book 2 of my Guarded Hearts Series featuring bodyguards with an international security company based in Houston. Trevor, my male protagonist, appeared in Book 1, Mistletoe and Malice, and I knew immediately I wanted to write his story. For some reason, I felt he would be perfect for a brother’s best friend trope. So I took him out of the big city, plopped him down at his family’s ranch, and back into the life of Kinsley, the little sister of his boyhood best friend. Sparks fly but they’re both hiding secrets that could send everything toppling. 

What sparked or inspired this story?

·         I honestly don’t know. When I “met” Trevor, I saw an ex-Army special ops soldier now working as a security specialist with an impressive skill set. One who now questions his place in the world due to some personal tragedies for which he blames himself. I felt his story was of a man in a crisis of faith. Not such that he doesn’t trust God, but that he doesn’t feel worthy of God’s attention.

Do you have a favorite character in this book?

·         I would have to say Trevor. There’s just something about a cowboy who’s also a bodyguard. Especially one with a soft heart and fierce protective instincts.

Who was the most difficult character to write?

·         Kinsley took the most research because of her vocation as a large-animal veterinarian. And there were times when she proved a bit stoic and it could be a challenge to get a read on her emotions. But she’s definitely someone I’d want to be friends with.

What is your favorite setting?

·         Sanctuary and Sabotage is set in the Piney Woods of Texas, northeast of Houston. Trevor’s family ranch and the land where Kinsley’s practice sits are right next to each other. I really enjoyed creating Kinsley’s veterinary practice with its various buildings and outdoor spaces.

Did this book require you to do any interesting research?

·         Definitely. First, I have no idea about Delta Force or Army special ops, which is where Trevor served while in the military. That was some impressive information, and while I’m sure I took some dramatic license, I hope I represented it well in Trevor’s story. And, of course, all of the veterinary processes, equipment, and even the educational track Kinsley would’ve had to take to become a surgical specialist.

How long have you been writing?

·         You’d think that would be an easy question to answer, but I had an eleven-year hiatus from 2009 to 2020. I joined my first writers’ organization in 2002 and started writing in earnest until our lives were turned upside down in early 2009. I had to go back to work, we had to sell our house, and I pretty much put my manuscripts away for eleven years. I came back to it in January of 2020, so I guess the true answer would be actively writing for thirteen years – seven years the first time and the past six.

Did you always want to be an author?

·         In high school, I really enjoyed writing and thought it would be cool to be an author. But I had a teacher who discouraged me from that track, and it took almost another twenty years to get back in touch with that dream. But once I joined a writers’ group and started learning the craft, I was all in.

You have written in multiple genres, what has been your favorite?

·         My first series was straight-up contemporary romance, while my current series (Book 3 releases next September) is romantic suspense. I find it a bit easier to write contemporary romance because a suspense thread adds another layer to the story that I never had to before. But my romantic suspense novels lean hard into the romance with the suspense thread being the catalyst for bringing the characters together. It’s actually been a lot of fun, even if more of a challenge.

If you could be a character inside any one of your romantic suspense books, which one would you choose?

·         Wow, that’s a great question. I love both of my female protagonists so much, they feel like friends. But I think I’d choose Kinsley. I would love to have red hair, live on a ranch, be super smart, and end up with Trevor. If I was thirty years younger. Haha!

Which of your villains is your favorite?

·         Hmm. A favorite villain. That’s interesting because you think of ‘favorite’ being something you like, and I don’t like the villains in my stories. If I had to pick one, though, I think it would be the bad guy from Mistletoe and Malice. He was despicable, but he was interesting to write because he was a man of many disguises. Someone talented enough to have lived a good life but who let jealousy and bitterness turn him into something evil.

Which do you enjoy more, creating villains or heroes?

·         Definitely heroes. No question. I find it difficult to get into the head of a villain, but I can imagine all sorts of heroes.

The greatest threat isn’t the enemy outside—it’s the secrets between them.

Security Specialist Trevor Paxton returns to his Texas hometown searching for sanctuary after the death of a colleague under his leadership. The family ranch should be a place to regroup, recover, and make peace with the past.

Instead, it leads him straight back to Kinsley Talbot.

The freckle-faced tomboy he remembers is now a beautiful, determined veterinarian fighting to protect her clinic, her family’s land, and a future built on faith and grit. Trevor never expected to fall for the sister of his boyhood best friend, but the more time he spends with Kinsley, the harder it is to walk away.

When her clinic is sabotaged and danger closes in, Trevor’s instincts tell him the attack is no accident. Kinsley is holding something back, and though she refuses his offer to involve his security agency, Trevor knows the threat is too serious to ignore.

As Kinsley begins to trust him with her heart, Trevor makes a choice that could shatter that trust. Working behind the scenes may be the only way to keep her safe, but Kinsley has a secret of her own, and the truth between them may be as dangerous as the enemy closing in.

Perfect for fans of Robin Patchen, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Dee Henderson, Sanctuary and Sabotage is a Christian romantic suspense novel filled with small-town danger, buried secrets, and a Texas mystery where love and trust are tested under fire.

Start reading Sanctuary and Sabotage today and uncover a Texas mystery where every secret comes with a price.

https://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Sabotage-Christian-Suspense-Collide-ebook/dp/B0HC86XLFV/

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