Shows / The Romantic Side of Suspense
The Romantic Side of Suspense
Episodes
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
Taking Liberties With the Facts With Patricia Bradley and Lynn Blackburn (Episode 60)
“Some things can be fiction,” Patricia said. “In my very first series, I moved the Tennessee River down close to Memphis.” “With the Secret Service, I have…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
How DiAnn Mills Uses Danger to Show Caring (Episode 59)
“It’s because we live in a dangerous and unpredictable world, and there’s a lot of people out there who are afraid,” DiAnn says. “And they often turn to…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
The Serialization of Lynette Eason and Susan May Warren (Episode 58)
“I used to do collections, where I based the books around the same town,” Susan said. “But then I thought … I should think more like a TV show like Dr. Who…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
How Carrie Fancett Pagels Brainstorms Her Stories (Episode 57)
“This is the hardest book that I have ever written,” Carrie says about Behind Love’s Wall. “I do normally plot my novels, and with this one I did also…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow the Setting Got Kellie VanHorn Into Writing (Episode 56)
“My first book, Fatal Flashback, was inspired by the setting,” Kellie says. “For example, my husband and I were living in Texas, and we went on a camping trip…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseKimberly Woodhouse’s Discipline of Writing (Episode 55)
“It’s definitely a discipline to write,” Kimberly says. “I do teach a lot about writing … and people ask [how do I write when I get writer’s block] all the…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Natalie Walters Stays Connected (Episode 54)
“Our lives revolved around electronic devices, Zoom and FaceTime, during the pandemic in 2020, but I think that was one of the pluses to staying connected with…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Traci Hunter Abramson’s Travels Authenticates Her Books (Episode 53)
“I tend to write a lot of Navy SEALs, CIA type books, so basing them in DC, Virginia Beach, Virginia is often a favorite for me, but the characters being in…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseThe Archeology of Writing With Sally Jo Pitts (Episode 52)
“What I wanted to do as a career as a child was archeology,” Sally Jo says. “Writing also has got that concept of digging, you have to dig into your subject…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseThe Gothic World Melanie Jeschke Loves (Episode 51)
“I was inspired by author Deborah White Smith, who did some updated versions or modern-day tellings of some Jane Austen books,” Melanie says. “I loved her…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseWhy Mindy Allows Crayons on Her Walls (Episode 50)
“I don’t write in crayon anymore but I do have a closet door with a map going up on the wall that some artist family members are building a mural of Miller’s…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Andrew Huff Visualizes Writing (Episode 49)
“As a younger man, I was really interested in filmmaking,” Andy says. “When I’m writing a scene, I may [visualize it as a movie]. In my Shepherd suspense…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseTake a Divine Detour With Kathy Harris (Episode 48)
“When I started blogging over 10 years ago, I decided that divine detour sums up my writing and life in general,” Kathy says. “Sometimes God takes us on a…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseLiz Tolsma Infuses Hope in her Books (Episode 47)
“It seems in these days, many people feel so hopeless and so helpless,” Liz says. “That's why I do what I do very intentionally to show that even in the most…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
Jerusha Agen’s Suspenseful Tendencies (Episode 46)
“Sometimes our writing kind of tells us what to write,” says Jerusha Agen. “Writing suspense fits tendencies of my personality because I do tend to be a…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
Jennifer Crosswhite’s Believability Ride (Episode 45)
“You’re always sort of riding that fine line of believable, but pushing the edge of it,” Jennifer says. “You want to put people in really strange and difficult…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
A Marriage Made for Melissa Koslin (Episode 44)
“I have written other genres, but romantic suspense is the one that I keep going back to,” Melissa says. “I think it really comes down to my two favorite…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
The Biblical Inspiration of Michele Chynoweth (Episode 43)
“The Bible has everything in it because we're all human beings,” Michele says. “There's stories about human beings and all of the trials and tribulations we go…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
How Lori Altebaumer Experiences the World (Episode 42)
“I think that there's a spiritual aspect to nature because I see God's creativity,” Lori says. “Nature is one of the things that really speaks to my heart. I…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
The General James R. Hannibal Follows (Episode 41)
“I’ve got so many demands currently that’s it’s hard to find time to write,” James says. “What I finally realized was that my wife is so much better at…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
Terri Reed Flips Reality on its Head (Episode 40)
“I find inspiration everywhere I can,” Terri says. “When I'm watching TV, I think, ‘Oh, that's kind of an interesting thing that they did, but what if I did…
- The Romantic Side of Suspense
Lisa Carter’s Writing Dance (Episode 39)
“When you write romantic suspense, there are three story threads that you've got to weave together,” Lisa says. “There’s the romantic tension between your…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseElizabeth Goddard’s Writing Dream (Episode 38)
“I actually worked in corporate America in my twenties, and I traveled all over the country,” Elizabeth, adding that she quit to stay home with her first…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Mary Alford’s Preteen Writing Fuels Her Today (Episode 37)
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always liked to read,” Mary said. “I started reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I loved the mystery and suspense of…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Joanna White Writes So Much (Episode 36)
“I’m a full-time author and I write all the time,” Joanna said. “My goal for 2020 was to write a million words just with my novels that hit at least 50,000…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseDebby Giusti’s Care & Treatment of Villains (Episode 35)
“I don’t know if I could write a book if I couldn’t kill somebody,” Debby said. “There’s a lot of elements to a suspense story that need to be woven together…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseLynn Blackburn’s Room of Her Own (Episode 34)
“A few years ago, we turned an attic storage area off of our bonus room into an office for me,” Lynn said. “Half of the ceiling is angled to the floor because…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Dana Mentink Fills Her Closet (Episode 33)
“I think time is like a closet,” Dana said. “If you have a small closet, you fill it up. If you suddenly gotten yourself a big closet, you fill it up. No…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseLenora Worth’s Lifelong Desire to Write (Episode 32)
“I don’t know how I’ve written 80 books,” Lenora said. “I’ve always wanted to write from a young age, and when I finally had the opportunity, it took a few…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseSara Blackard’s Early Morning Inspiration (Episode 31)
“It was kind of difficult finding a balance to write at first,” Sara said. “I primarily get up early—and it’s hopefully before anyone else is up—between five…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseMovies Provide Inspiration For Gina Holder (Episode 30)
“When watching movies, I use them to draw inspiration as far as character ideas, flaws for the characters, plot engines, and how other writers have put…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseDeena Alexander on Balancing Romance, Suspense & Faith (Episode 29)
“For me, I think there are a few things hard about writing romantic suspense,” Deena said. “One is keeping up that level of suspense through the whole story…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseWhat Cara Putman Gave Up to Write (Episode 28)
“One of my secrets is that when I decided to start writing, I gave up TV,” Cara said. “I figured out what was that thing in my life that I could cut out and…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseLynette Eason on Why She Writes Romantic Suspense (Episode 27)
“When I decided to write a book, it was natural for me to segue into romantic suspense,” Lynette said. “I was a suspense fan and a romance fan, so combining…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Wendy Wilson Spooner Tracks Down Her Characters (Episode 26)
“If somebody tells me the end of a book or a movie, it doesn’t ruin it for me,” Wendy said. “I still want to go back and read or watch it because I want to…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Kelly Irvin Turned a Side Job Into a Novel (Episode 25)
“I’ve never seen a story where a court reporter was the main character,” Kelly said. “It fit so well into the crime genre because they’re responsible for the…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseJodie Bailey’s Glimpse Into Military Life (Episode 24)
“My whole writing journey is this God-given thing,” Jodie said. “I was in contemporary women’s fiction, when my agent asked if I thought about writing military…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseStephanie M. Gammon on Her Early Writing Influences (Episode 23)
“It is really cool for me that my husband is a police lieutenant,” Sherri said. “It makes it a lot less awkward for me because I don’t have to hunt down…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseRobin Patchen on Interviewing Her Characters (Episode 22)
“The hardest part for me in writing romantic suspense is coming up with good plots,” Robin said. “I really write small town romantic suspense, and I like my…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseMichèle Olson on the Beauty of Mackinac Island (Episode 21)
“Mackinaw Island, Michigan, is one of my favorite places on earth,” Michele said. “I live about five hours away, so I’ve been going there about 35 years, so I…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseLaurie Wood on Writing With Purpose (Episode 20)
On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” I’m chatting Laurie Wood, a military wife who’s lived across Canada and visited six of its 10 provinces…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseTapping Into Susan May Warren’s Creativity (Episode 19)
“In my romantic suspense, I don’t like to kill people,” Susan said. “My books are more adventure-oriented, so I don’t have to have a villain come in and do…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseIrene Hannon’s Writing Journey (Episode 18)
“The contemporary romance that I write have a lot of drama in them, but it’s more of an interpersonal variety and those very rarely have any cliffhanger…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseLynn Shannon on Tying the Threads of Romantic Suspense Together (Episode 17)
“In romantic suspense, there’s always something happening,” Lynn said. “One of the challenges of writing romantic suspense is that you have many threads that…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Jessica R. Patch Makes Her Stories Realistic (Episode 16)
“It’s easy and it’s not easy to write,” Jessica said. “If you’re a seat-of-the-pants writer—if you just make it up as you go, and that’s how I was…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseVirginia Vaughn’s Tailor-Made Background for Writing
“One thing I love about writing inspirational romantic suspense is that I love romantic suspense,” Virginia said. “I’ve been a fan of romantic suspense…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Lisa Harris Works Through Stress (Episode 14)
“I’ve always looked at writing as a kind of therapy,” Lisa said. “But I also learned that you can’t wait to write until you feel creative. I think that’s been…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseWhy Margaret Daley Writes Happy Endings (Episode 13)
“I like to take what’s happening in and around me in our country and use those as ways to make people aware of them,” Margaret said. “In my books, the…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseDana R. Lynn on Writing Amish Adjacent (Episode 12)
“When I first started, I started writing regular romantic suspense,” Dana said. “In my third book, I started to veer off into Amish adjacent, and what that is…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseWhere Darlene Turner Searches for Plot Inspiration (Episode 11)
“Every since I was a little girl, I loved mysteries—whether it was a Nancy Drew book, a game of Clue or Charlie’s Angels TV show,” Darlene said. “This is what…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Dani Pettrey Avoids Writing Distractions (Episode 10)
“For motivation for writing in general, the biggest thing is writing first thing in the morning,” Dani said. “If I do that, it’s really helpful because nothing…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseWhy David L. Winters Writes About Cars (Episode 9)
“I’ve always loved suspense. My babysitter when I was probably five years old started me out on Edgar Allen Poe,” David said. “I’ve always thought it really a…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Sharon K Connell Stays in Touch With Readers (Episode 8)
“I connect with my readers mostly on social media,” Sharon said. “I’m on Facebook a lot on a group forum and author and book page, and also on Twitter to…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseTanya Stowe On Killing Characters (Episode 7)
“I like to explore the unusual,” Tanya said. “And that tends to come out in my books. … We’ve visited some fascinating places, and … I’ve incorporated that…
The Romantic Side of SuspensePatricia Bradley on Cats, Life Happens and BIC (Episode 6)
“When I started out, I had an outline for writing my books,” Patricia said. “But about three books ago, I couldn’t figure out the outline and had to start…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseWhere Kimberly Rose Johnson Finds Inspiration (Episode 5)
“The more I write, the more I get to know my characters,” Kimberly said. “As I get to know my characters more, I often will go back and write more things into…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Sherri Shackleford Gets to Know Her Characters (Episode 4)
“For me, I’m very much a character-drive plotter,” Sherri said. “If I know my character’s conflict at the beginning, that helps keep the romantic and personal…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseHow Denise Weimer Stumbled Into Romantic Suspense (Episode 3)
“My favorite thing is to name a book based on a theme, an underlying inspirational theme or character development theme in my books,” Denise said. “I also…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseLinda Shenton Matchett’s Strategy for Writing (Episode 2)
“We recently downsized and relocated to a tiny house that backs up to woods and forest,” Linda said. “There’s a chair that looks out over the woods. In the…
The Romantic Side of SuspenseThe World of Julie B Cosgrove (Episode 1)
“I would advise someone who wanted to write a book to do it—just sit down and write and get it out,” Julie said. “Don’t worry about grammar, don’t worry about…