WHAT'S HOT IN INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE?

 Wondering what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense this week? Dark Water by Betty Thomason Owens.

Revelations Can Kill . . .

Lisa Oliver has spent her entire life hiding, on the run. She didn’t know anything different until Jake Bradley entered the picture. Now, he and his family give her a yearning for . . . home. Something she would never have because of the secrets she’d only recently learned about.

Jake is convinced that learning the truth about Lisa’s parents will release her to a new life. A life with him. But when he finds a body near his office - a man that he knows and has fought with before - Jake himself is on the run. From the authorities.

No place is safe. Lisa travels across the country, but she is still certain that she’s being followed, hunted. Even changing her name doesn’t seem to make a difference. And the closer Jake gets to finding answers to Lisa's past, the more danger he thrusts upon them both.

Will the answers come at a price too high to pay in this thrilling conclusion to the Home Found Suspense series?

Book 1: Still Water
Book 2: Open Water
Book 3: Dark Water

DARK WATER is book 3 in the The Home Found Suspense series. Learn more about the entire series at THIS LINK! 

I hope you LOVE it! ~ Marji Laine

OCTOBER GIVEAWAY

 

Suspense Sisters: October Giveaway

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 from Marji again. Here’s something about her latest book, A WOLF’S DEMISE.

"You’ve met the wolf, huh?"

Dallas, Texas, 1949

Ruby Stedman expects her first few days in the secretarial pool of a large business to be challenging, especially with her lack of training. But she's determined to prove to the boss who doesn't want her there that she can learn quickly and excel in whatever task she's given. Even if it means working for some of the less than gentlemanly executives on the upper floors.

But dealing with her difficult boss becomes the least of her troubles. She doesn't expect to be literally chased around an office. Nor does she realize she's being set up for a rendezvous on the top floor of the building - an empty, after-hours building.

When she finds the leader of the wolf pack lying in a pool of blood, not only is she implicated in the man's murder, she suddenly becomes a target herself. Even her favorite Dallas detective, Chris Wilson, can't seem to keep her safe.

Can they figure out all that is going on before a killer strikes again?

ORDER IT HERE 

Friday, we interview author Nancy Mehl about her upcoming release, DARK DESIGN.

As she began to lose consciousness, she realized that she'd just made a very serious mistake. She tried to call out for help, but she couldn't see anyone on the shore. There was no one to save her.

When Erin Delaney learns that a serial killer has mimicked the murder portrayed in her bestselling novel, she joins her friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter, a former FBI profiler, in Virginia. Their reunion, only a few months after fending off an eerie killer in the woods of Tennessee, is bittersweet, as Kaely has been tasked by the FBI to recruit Erin's help to identify a suspect. The FBI's team is stumped by the murderer who re-creates killings from the books of multiple authors, with only ominous notes left behind. As Erin is drawn further into the web of fear and chaos, Kaely begins to fear for Erin's safety.

On top of tracking down a murderer, Erin must shoulder the weight of a haunted past and claims that she stole the plot of her novel from one of her sources. As she struggles on multiple fronts, the enemy looms closer than ever--and Erin's life hangs in the balance.

PREORDER IT HERE 

Check out our interview to find out how you could win a copy of DARK DESIGN!

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

Reader Survey!

Hello! Melissa here. I was thinking about what to write, and I read someone else’s post about small town settings. It got me to thinking about reader preferences, specifically suspense readers. I know what I like, but is that indicative of most suspense readers? I’m curious.

So, here is a reader preference survey of sorts. I’d love to hear what you think!

Location:

-        Small town

-        Backwoods/country

-         Big city

-         Globetrotting

Threat/problem:

-          Terrorism

-          Personal threat

-          Global pandemonium

Christian content:

-          Full-on evangelizing, borderline sermons

-          Hints only

-          Strong faith sprinkled in

I personally feel any of these is great. It just depends on the story. I want faith in my stories (I think faith should be throughout our lives), but some stories call for a more subtle approach, and others call for stronger.

Character personality – female:

-          Damsel in distress

-          Tough/aggressive

-          Quirky

-          Girl next door

Character personality – male:

-          Playboy

-          Wounded recluse

-          Anti-hero

-          Smooth/charming

-          Goofy/funny

-          Boy next door

I admit I’m a sucker for the wounded soul.

Character appearance – female:

-          Stunning but not showy

-          Dolled up/fashionable

-          Regular gal

-          homely

Character appearance – male:

-          Gorgeous but prickly

-          Gorgeous and charming (and knows it)

-          Formerly beautiful but now scarred

-          Regular guy

-          Awkward

Or is there a description I didn’t capture? I’m so interested to see your comments!

 

My latest book! It’s globetrotting and kind of a hidden global pandemonium that the average person isn’t aware of.

Descended by Melissa Koslin

Ancient bloodlines, secret societies, an attempt in her life, and a familiar yet enigmatic stranger…

Thousands of miles from home, Isa sees a man who looks intensely familiar. After she thwarts an attempt on her life, she escapes down the mountain with the familiar man, Xander, and he explains about four ancient bloodlines, each with its own unique set of skills: Cicero, Solomon, Sun Tzu, and Lilith. He belongs to a secret society devoted to observing and recording, but never interfering. Until now.

As Isa fights to survive, she grows close to Xander. She learns of her abilities passed down through blood and struggles to uncover the truths of her past. She decides she has to put a stop to the killing of the bloodlines and protect Xander from any further harm…even if it kills her. But will the truth of the killer’s motivations and identity be too much to handle?

Amazon  |  Apple  |   B&N

 

PAYING IT FORWARD

 by Patricia Bradley

When I got really serious about writing, I didn't know what I didn't know. All I did know is that I wanted to be a published author. I had a book I'd been working on for five years. When it won first place in a contest sponsored by a writing conference I attended, it also offered an opportunity to submit my completed manuscript to a Love Inspired Suspense editor. I was certain I would land a book contract before the year was out.

Not. Like I said, I didn't know what I didn't know. That manuscript, which included an SASE (Self-addressed-stamped envelope for those who don't know what that means) practically came back by return mail. It was that bad. The only reason I won the Inspirational division of the contest is the other entries must have been really bad. Or maybe it was because I'd worked on that first chapter for five years, perfecting it while neglecting the other chapters.

Every author begins writing at the starting line not the finish line, and someone coaches them along the way. I knew I had a good story line, I just didn't know how to execute it. Enter two authors who poured their knowledge and experience into me and my writing during four retreats over four years. 

Each year I built on what I leaned, and by the third year, I had a publishing contract--on that book that the previous editor had rejected. BUT, it was a much different book than I submitted to her, thanks to what I learned at the retreats. Which brings me to the title of the post. Someone had helped both authors when they first started out, and now they were paying it forward by helping other writers. 

Paying it forward is something we all should do, not just authors. We all have talent and there is probably someone who would like to engage in your particular talent, only they may not know how to go about it. I've mentored people in pottery and knitting, and writing. 

One of the ways I pay it forward with writers is to offer constructive critiques and judge contests that offer feedback. Not only is it fun for me, any time I help someone, I always learn something so that's a win-win! 

So, who have you helped lately? Leave a comment and I'll enter you in a drawing for a $10 Amazon e-gift card. 

 

 

 

WHAT'S HOT IN INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE?

 Wondering what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense this week? Be Quick or Be Dead by Vikki Kestell.

When three young men go missing from different points around Tahoe, Miss Finch catches the scent of a killer, and enlists the help of her friend, Simon Fletcher.

Fletcher, however, is skeptical. “Tell me why you think it’s murder.”

“They found the first victim.”

“Whereabouts?”

“Lake Tahoe. A particularly deep part of the lake.”

“But wasn’t that guy hiking thirty miles north of the lake when he disappeared? How did he end up in the Big Blue?”

“Ah. It seems that a person or persons unknown gifted the young man with an ankle bracelet attached to three cinder blocks.”

Simon stills. “So it is murder.”

“Undeniably. And until the next victim surfaces—pardon my tasteless turn of a phrase—I doubt the authorities will connect him to the other instances of missing persons.”

“Why do you feel the disappearances are connected? Do we know the cause of death on this guy?”

“We do not; however, the medical examiner does.”

“And . . . you know the medical examiner?”

“No, but quite fortuitously, I have a friend who—”

“Owes you a favor?”

“Why, whatever would make you think that?”

He waved his hand in the air. “Only being around you since the day we met. So let me have it. Cause of death?”

“The particulars? Still very hush-hush. However, the coroner’s ruling? Homicide.”

When a second victim is found and a fourth individual disappears, the danger becomes clear to Simon and Miss Finch: Lake Tahoe solo adventurers had best be quick . . . or be dead.

Prepare yourself for . . . The Tahoe Mysteries.

Book 1: Number 1 with a Bullet
Book 2: Be Quick or Be Dead
Book 3: Death on the Big Blue, 2026
Murder by Accident, A Miss Finch Prequel

BE QUICK OR BE DEAD is book 2 in the The Tahoe Mysteries series. And you can get your Miss Finch Mystery at THIS LINK! 

I hope you LOVE it! ~ Marji Laine