Suspense Sisters: November Giveaway

You Can Be a Character in a Novel!

I’m attending the JustRead Rendezvous in St Louis tomorrow! If you’re going to be there too, please come by and say “Hello!” If you’re not coming, I hope you go next year. It’s such a great event.

The writing journey I’ve traveled for my next book, FATAL FINALE, has been an experience I never want to face again. The “file corruption demons” destroyed my first manuscript. I had to rewrite my entire story and then do edits to get it ready for readers. FATAL FINALE will finally be available on August 18th, 2026. No matter what bit of advice you want to give me, in the end, I’m emailing my daily work to myself. It’s the only way I feel completely safe. (Almost sounds like a suspense novel, huh? LOL!)

Here's a little about FATAL FINALE.

When bestselling author Erin Delaney's novel gets picked up for a movie deal, she eagerly awaits her friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter's arrival in Tennessee before they head to California to observe the film's production. However, when Kaely does not arrive at the scheduled time and Erin can't reach her by phone, her concern grows.

A cryptic phone call from Kaely's kidnapper confirms her worst fears--Erin has exactly six days to save her friend's life by solving his twisted clues. The man's message comes with a warning: Contact the police or FBI and Kaely dies. But Erin works for the Sanctuary Police Department and Kaely's husband is with the FBI, putting her in an impossible situation. As Erin races against time, she's forced to crack the kidnapper's chilling puzzle before it's too late.

Since FATAL FINALE won’t be available for a while, instead of giving away a book, how about a different kind of contest? Leave a comment and tell me why I should use your name in my next series. I don’t have a title yet for the first book, but it’s a series about police detectives in St. Louis. I’ve always wanted to write about detectives and am very excited to see this dream come to life.

Remember that the character won’t be YOU. I’m just using your name, although I may ask you to describe yourself so I can fold some truth into a character that might be very different from who you really are. However, you can be sure that you won’t be a villain. I don’t do that when I use the names of real people.

If I get time, I’ll check in from the conference, maybe with pictures of some of your favorite authors. That’s it for now! Be blessed!

ON THE EDGE OF TRUST

by Patricia Bradley 

Yesterday my eighteenth book, On the Edge of Trust, was released. It was surreal and exciting, and seeing your book in print never gets old. 

When I first started writing many years ago, I felt deep in my heart that one day I would be published, and actually, the very first thing I ever wrote was published by Woman’s World. I thought surely I would have a book out within two years. Imagine a long pause as in…. Yep ,it was 34 years from the time I started writing until I had a three-book contract. Which was unheard of for a brand-spanking-new writer.

Since 2012 I’ve written 18 books. I count the first one, Shadows of the Past, in that 18 because I had to completely rewrite it. That means in the last 13 years, I have written 18 books. That’s one a year plus some. (I’ll let you do the math – numbers are not my game.)

I was living my dream, but what did that mean in my personal life? It means that I missed a lot of lunches with friends, a lot of family time because none of my family lives close to me, so I couldn’t just drop in for an hour, and I missed traveling. I love to travel.

But it was worth it. I had a long dreamed of being a published author. But it was a long time coming. Thirty-four years. In that time I wrote two books that will never see the light of day because I shredded them and then burned the shreds. They were that bad. I did take some of the characters and put them in the later books.

I also took off eight years to work in the abstinence program in my community, going into the schools, teaching students how to make better decisions and how the decisions they made in high school would follow them for the rest of their lives. During that time, I did not have one fiction thought. Not one. I was too busy writing curriculum and workbooks and doing the actual programs. I loved it. You haven’t lived until you’ve been in Walmart and had a kid run up to you and say, Hey Dad, come meet the sex lady." And I would always respond. "I am the abstinence lady." At least that experience allowed me to talk to anyone about anything.

I went part-time in 2008, and one morning as I was doing my devotional on my sofa, suddenly in my mind's eye, a woman is sitting on the arm of the sofa. She has dark hair, blue eyes, and she turned, looked at me and said, “Someone is trying to kill me.”

I was ecstatic. God had given my mysteries back! I started to work on Shadows of the Past by taking workshops, studying craft books, and attending four retreats with the fabulous Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck— each year was like a crash course in writing. By the third year, I had a three-book contract with Revel.

~

While she's stalking the truth . . . someone is stalking her. Psychology professor and criminal profiler Taylor Martin prides herself on being able to solve any crime, except the one she wants most desperately to solve--the disappearance of her father twenty years ago. When she finally has a lead on his whereabouts, Taylor returns home to Logan Point, Mississippi, to investigate. But as she works to uncover the truth, someone else will do almost anything to keep her from it. 

Nick Sinclair pens mystery novels for a living, but the biggest mystery to him is how he can ever get over the death of his wife--a tragedy he believes he could have prevented. Now that his estranged brother is the only family he has left, Nick sets out to find him. But when he crosses paths with Taylor, all he seems to find is trouble.

~

Thirty-four years is a long time to wait. What if I had given up? I almost did in the 2010s because I wondered if I was wasting my time. I told God that if writing was not what he wanted me to spend my time doing, would he please take away the desire? He didn't and I kept writing. And the rest is history.

So, if there's something you've always wanted to do, don't let anyone hold you back. And if it takes a long time for it to come true, ask God if it's what He wants you to do. He will tell you.

I'll be giving away a digital copy of  Shadows of the Past because Scott Sinclair, the hero in On the Edge of Trust, figures prominently in that first book. You can learn his backstory! 

Leave me a comment and I'll enter you in a drawing for a digital copy of Shadows of the Past.

You can find links to On the Edge of Trust on my website. Click here.

WHAT'S HOT IN INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE?

 Wondering what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense this week? ON THE EDGE OF TRUST by USA Today Bestselling Author Patricia Bradley!!

Sometimes the closer you get to justice, the deadlier it becomes

When decorated FBI undercover agent Scott Sinclair suffers a gunshot wound in his right arm, the injury threatens his future career in the field. He is determined to regain his former job by training himself to use his left hand, and failure is not an option--especially when he's unofficially pulled into an investigation.

Tori Mitchell is a passionate crime reporter and podcaster who has dedicated her life to seeking justice. Her relentless pursuit of the truth has freed a wrongfully convicted man from prison, making Tori an enemy of the true killer. When her nephew is accused of a different murder, nothing can stop her from getting involved and clearing his name.

Soon after Tori and Scott reconnect on the case, shots are fired, leaving them to wonder which of them has been targeted. As the investigation intensifies, so do the threats and the sparks between them, but Tori's doubtful if she can extend grace and trust to Scott. They'll have to combine their skills and rely on their growing relationship to outsmart the killer.

Perfect for fans of Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, Elizabeth Goddard, and readers who love faith-based fiction and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, this riveting, clean romantic suspense delivers heart-pounding danger and forced-proximity romance.

ON THE EDGE OF TRUST is a Logan Point Novel, and you can get your copy at THIS LINK! 

I hope you LOVE it! ~ Marji Laine

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, author Patricia Bradley talks about the writing journey for her novel, ON THE EDGE OF TRUST.

Their pursuit of justice brings them together until they become the targets...

Scott Sinclair is a decorated FBI agent until a gunshot wound threatens the future of his career. When crime podcaster Tori Mitchell's nephew is accused of murder, nothing can stop her from clearing his name. Tori and Scott's pursuits bring them together, but once they become targets, they must now outsmart a killer.

Leave a comment and you could win an eBook copy of Patricia's book, SHADOWS OF THE PAST.

ORDER ON THE EDGE OF TRUST HERE 

Friday, Nancy Mehl talks about the final book in her Erin Delaney Mysteries, FATAL FINALE! Leave a comment, and your name might appear in her next series!

FATAL FINALE

When bestselling author Erin Delaney's novel gets picked up for a movie deal, she eagerly awaits her friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter's arrival in Tennessee before they head to California to observe the film's production. However, when Kaely does not arrive at the scheduled time and Erin can't reach her by phone, her concern grows.

A cryptic phone call from Kaely's kidnapper confirms her worst fears--Erin has exactly six days to save her friend's life by solving his twisted clues. The man's message comes with a warning: Contact the police or FBI and Kaely dies. But Erin works for the Sanctuary Police Department and Kaely's husband is with the FBI, putting her in an impossible situation. As Erin races against time, she's forced to crack the kidnapper's chilling puzzle before it's too late.

Bestselling author Nancy Mehl delivers thrills like no one else in the closure of her high-stakes romantic suspense series.

PREORDER HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

Faith Over Fear: The Thread that Makes Our Suspense “Christian”

 

Faith Over Fear: The Thread that Makes Our Suspense “Christian”

by Gina Holder

We’ve all faced fear—that moment when circumstances slip out of our control. Did you know that’s the source of all fear? If we could control it, we wouldn’t be afraid.

We fear when others make decisions that could harm us and we can’t make them change. We fear when we feel powerless to right a wrong—or afraid we’ll make the wrong choice trying to avoid tragedy.

Suspense novels feed on these fears. As authors, we put our characters into situations many would call life’s worst moments—a kidnapping, the death of a loved one, being hunted by a killer, or facing a natural disaster.

But in Christian suspense, fear is never the end of the story.

General market and Christian suspense share many of the same elements—danger, secrets, romance, high stakes, and characters in law enforcement.

But what makes Christian suspense different is that our characters never face these trials alone. A single thread runs through every story—faith in a God who knows all, sees all, and is in control of it all. He brings us through the darkest days—safe on the other side. Even if that “other side” is our home with Him in Heaven.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
—2 Timothy 1:7

In every dangerous decision our characters face, they must choose: will they trust in their own abilities, or will they have faith in the God who holds the unknown?

These trials either grow a believer’s faith or lead an unbeliever to discover God for the first time. Amid danger, love becomes an act of courage—not just trusting another person but trusting God’s plan through them.

Christian suspense isn’t just about who survives the deadly and the dangerous. It’s about discovering Who holds your life in His hands when fear closes in and the world falls apart.

What’s your favorite Christian suspense novel that turned fear into faith? Share it in the comments below—I’d love to hear your recommendations!