REVIEW: One Award Finalist!

I believe this book was reviewed on this blog when it first released, but upon learning that it was a finalist for the esteemed Selah Award, I had to look into it for myself! I'm so glad I did. 

COLD PURSUIT is a story that left me with little tingles crawling up my back. Seriously, Nancy Mehl has a deviously clever mind! I was hooked from the first moment, when the main character was shot! Yes, shot! And then the other main character was locked in a box and thrown into the river. 

You know, I always go into books expecting that the main characters will at least live through the first chapter. I wasn't sure this time! 

Hard to believe, but the suspense actually gets even more intense. I was intrigued by the explanation of synesthesia and then the experience of it manifested through the mind and point of view of the antagonist. Mrs. Mehl drew him as a tragic character that sparked my empathy, along with disgust and a big dose of dread/fear. I consider her an absolute master at drawing creative characters that are way too real - especially when they are killing people!  

Along with the empathetic character of the antagonist, the series has a great chemistry between the hero, Tony St. Clair, and the heroine, River Ryland. They are attempting to stick to the best friends monikers, but I don't expect their relationship to remain there for long. 

I was drawn to River's character in particular. Her frustration with her mother's condition gave me flashbacks of my own encounter with Alzheimer's. It is a cruel disease for those watching its affects. But in my experience with my mom, it became truly merciful, allowing her to dwell into situations that brought her joy and made her feel needed even if they'd happened decades before. And I loved how she could remember every word of a dozen or more hymns - all the verses - up until the end. I could see similar effects in River's mom - her unwarranted anger and the hurtful words that were quickly forgotten. River has her hands and her heart full with this situation and that makes her all the more real... and vulnerable. 

The ending was satisfying, spooky even. But though this situation was resolved, a bigger-picture issue
was revealed to bleed into the next book. COLD THREAT, book 2 of the Ryland & St. Clair series, released in January (Get it HERE!), and book 3, COLD VENGEANCE will launch in July. Can't wait! 

I can certainly see why this book was targeted as a finalist for the distinguished Selah Award. You're going to want to read it! Here's the LINK and here's a bit more about the book: 

Ex-FBI profiler River Ryland still suffers from PTSD after a case went horribly wrong. Needing a fresh start, she moves to St. Louis to be near her ailing mother and opens a private investigation firm with her friend and former FBI partner, Tony St. Clair. They're soon approached by a grieving mother who wants them to find out what happened to her teenaged son, who disappeared four years ago. River knows there's almost no hope the boy is still alive, but his mother needs closure, and River and Tony need a case, no matter how cold it might be.

But as they follow the boy's trail, which gets more complicated at every turn, they find themselves in the path of a murderer determined to punish anyone who gets in his way. As River and Tony race to stop him before he kills again, an even more dangerous threat emerges, stirring up the past that haunts River and plotting an end to her future.

And don't miss what other best-selling and award-winning suspense authors are saying about this book!

 "Guaranteed to captivate with plot twists you won't see coming."--Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author

"This story is sure to leave you breathless from the thrill of the ride. Hold on tight, it's about to get exhilarating!"--Lynette Eason, bestselling and award-winning author of the Extreme Measures series

"Cold Pursuit sucked me in from the first riveting page and pulled me deeper into an intricate, danger-filled plot."--Elizabeth Goddard, bestselling author of Cold Light of Day

INTERVIEW with Author Jodie Bailey

Jodie Bailey is the author of the CBA bestseller and Selah Award winner Quilted by Christmas from Abingdon Press.  Her second novel, Crossfire, from Love Inspired Suspense won a 2014 RT Reviewers Choice Award and was an RT Book Reviews Top Pick. She is passionate about telling a great romance while sharing with readers how faith in Christ can lead to freedom.  She is a (retired) Army wife, a mom, and a former schoolteacher who loves the Outer Banks of North Carolina and long cruises on the Harley.

I'm so glad you're able to join us. Sort of like a coffee chat (only I don't drink coffee.) You don’t drink coffee?!? What is wrong with you?!?

I've often wondered the same thing! LOL! I haven’t read Compromised Identity yet, though it’s on my to-read list. Is it connected to your earlier book,  Smokescreen?

Smokescreen and Compromised Identity are part of a three-book series about a covert military unit that hunts down terrorists who are using the internet to fuel missions in the real world. The third book, Breach of Trust, comes out in September and, interestingly enough, it was born when readers started asking for the story of Tate Walker, a minor character from the first two books. Apparently, people were interested!

I don't blame them. I love it when we get to hear more of the story about other characters! You’ve gotten some glowing reviews from RT Book Reviewers and Best Reads. In fact, Best Reads added, “She should be reported for cruelty to her characters.” Ha! I had to laugh at that! But I’ve always heard that authors are supposed to chase their characters up a tree and then throw rocks at them. So how do you decide what “rocks” to throw at your characters?

It all depends on what that character’s weaknesses are. I tend to be a character-first writer, who knows the characters before the plot. All of us have something we fear, deep down inside. The trick is to find that fear, that weakness, in a character and then exploit it as much as I can. Come to think of it, that makes me sound like you should never want to have coffee with me.

Hahahaha! I'll be careful! Do your characters ever “favor” someone you’ve actually met?

I never purposely use people I know as characters, but traits do come in. My husband is a soldier, and one of his expressions or mannerisms will pop up every once in a while. Things people have said or done occasionally creep in. When I wrote Quilted by Christmas, it was shortly after my grandmother died and the grandmother in that book, Jemma… Well, the more I wrote, the more pieces of my grandmother showed up in her, and the more I wrote Jemma’s best friend, the more she became like my other grandmother. It was never on purpose, but it just kept happening. I grieved and celebrated through that book.

What a wonderful memory, though. I’ve read that the heroes or heroines of a book have some part of the author within them. Do Jessica and Sean have anything about them that is definitely you?

This is true! If we’re doing it right, there is some part of us that bleeds onto the page. When I was younger, I suffered from panic attacks. I got to be well acquainted with fear until God delivered me from that. Sean is battling fear that he is trying to hide from others, and I drew on my own experiences for some of his. Jessica has some insecurity that digs at her, and she loves to cook, which I love to do when I have the time! She makes bruschetta chicken for Sean in the book, which is something I really enjoy.

That sounds delicious! Since your setting and characters are all military, how did you research? Do your military connections share any stories that you pass on?

My husband retired from the Army after 22 years, and I spent 15 years volunteering with the military, teaching and working as an FRG leader. I got to know a lot of soldiers and their families, and I got to experience all of the things the Army throws at a family. So, so much of those experiences come into play. The military really is a whole other world with its own vocabulary, and those things come out in the stories. And yes, stories I’ve heard and things I’ve seen have made their way into books here and there. For one story, I knew no one who did the job my character did, so I put out plea for help and a friend hooked me up with a friend who called another friend who got me a visit with the one person in a 300-mile radius who did this job. Not only did they give me insight into the job, but they brought in some friends to help me plan the crime that the book centered around. THAT was a lot of fun.

What a blast! Good to have those connections! What does your day look like? Do you have children, pets, hubby at home, an office, or another job? How long do you write, roughly, each day, and then what do you like to do?

My husband, my daughter and I share our home with two dogs, one of whom is quite… vocal. Quite. Vocal. I spend anywhere from four to six hours writing each day, depending on the day and the scene. I spend my mornings first with Jesus, then with my treadmill, and then with my computer. Four afternoons a week, I advise the yearbook staff at my daughter’s school. The staff is made up of some of my former students, and it gets me out of the house to hang out with some amazing kids who challenge me and keep me from getting too deep in my head.

You just gotta love teenagers! Don't you? What else do you love, or should I say, which do you prefer?

• Beach or mountains                           Beach!!!!!
• Coffee, tea, (hot or cold) or soda       Sweet tea, though I try not to drink it often.
• Movie theater or DVD at home         DVD at home. My couch is my friend
• Dogs or cats                                        I love my dogs! But I’ve loved the cats we’ve had too.                                                                           But I think dogs edge out cats.
• Scrapbooking or gardening               I used to be an avid scrapbooker. Then I ran out of time!

Jodie, thanks so much for "swinging by and saying Hi!" I so enjoyed getting to know you and hope that Compromised Identity has an outstanding month! Can't wait to read it! Jodie is giving away a copy of Compromised Identity AND Smokescreen. Enter to win by leaving a comment with your email address!

Here's the short version of Jodie's newest, Compromised Identity.

Staff sergeant Jessica Dylan confronts a female soldier in the act of stealing her laptop—and almost pays with her life. But a blue-eyed mystery man rushes to her aid just in time, and Jessica learns the handsome army staff sergeant has been investigating her. Sean Turner believes a ring of cyberterrorists who’ve been attacking military bases are now specifically targeting Jessica. And he’s determined to figure out why they are tracking her every move. As the threats against Jessica escalate and attempts are made on her life, Sean vows to stop the hackers. Yet the heart-scarred soldier is set on keeping an emotional distance…especially when they discover what the terrorists are really after.

Learn more about Jodie and her books at www.JodieBailey.com