Thank you ladies for hosting me today, it’s such an honor to
be here. I write romantic suspense and romance novels from a Christian
worldview for publication by Christian publishers. What that means is-- the books
I write are infused with my Christian faith, but I work hard not to let my
stories become preachy or overly doctrinal so that the books will appeal to a
broad range of readers.
My books are sweet in the context of sexuality, however,
there is sexual tension and attraction but the emotions of the characters are
the priority. Falling in love is more about the character traits of the other
person rather than their physical prowess. My stories are free of vulgar
language, and in my romantic suspense stories I try to keep the violence as
non-graphic as possible while still keeping the edge of suspense and action
sharp.
I
started out writing Christian historical romances. My first ever published
story was a novella for Barbour Publishing as part of the Romance on the Rails
collection, set in 1800’s California on train running from the Sierra Nevada
mountains to San Francisco. It was such
a fun story to write because I was able to infuse my hometown and home state
into the story. However, I had little kids at the time and found researching
historical facts (this was before the Internet) was problematic.
After this story, I wrote a contemporary book also set in my
hometown in my home state. That book eventually sold to Harlequin’s Love
Inspired line. My second book for Love Inspired had a touch of suspense and I
found I enjoyed incorporating the action and tension of a mystery into my
stories. This book also finaled in Romance Writers of America’s RITA contest
(the Oscars of the Romance world).
I wrote five Love Inspired romances before switching to Love
Inspired Suspense. My thirty-sixth book with the Love Inspired lines came out
in April.
Protect and Serve is book one of the Rookie K-9 Unit
continuity from Love Inspired Suspense.
I have two more books coming out this fall. A Love Inspired
Suspense titled Identity Unknown
And from Howard Books titled A Family Under the Christmas
Tree.
I’m working on three stories now for the 2017 Love Inspired
Suspense continuity series. I don’t have titles or covers for these yet but I’m
enjoying the stories. This is another K-9 Unit only this time with FBI agents
rather than police officers.
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| Aubrey |
So many of the books I write have dogs in them. Are you a dog lover or a cat person?
We
have a new puppy in our house. Miss Aubrey, an Australian Shepherd.
Thanks for joining us, Terri. You are one Busy Author!!! When you said you are working on three stories for the 2017 Love Inspired Suspense series are you really writing on each story at the same time or plotting them out now? I'm so linear in my writing I have to have at least the first draft and read through completed before I can even think about the next story.
ReplyDeleteAubrey is the cutest puppy ever! Australian shepherds are so smart and loyal, I've always admired them.
ReplyDeleteI love both dogs and cats. I've always been interested in animals of all kinds. We have a cat and two dogs at this time.
I love your books. I don't belong to your faith, but as a person of faith I appreciate that your characters have a spiritual life. That is missing from too many books.
Terri, Your books are always a good read. I like that you give just enough faith to make the people believable. Thank you for joining us today. Your puppy is cute!
ReplyDeleteTerri, as you know I've loved your books for a long time. The thing I like most about the faith element is that it is presented as a natural part of your characters lives--not something that happens suddenly or that someone is converted during the story.
ReplyDeleteI'm also an admirer of you as a person. You've always been kind to others, are willing to share your knowledge, and you work hard putting out all those books for your fans.
Like others have said, I love animals too. I've had both dogs and cats. We are now petless, but do plan to get cats again after we've decided about our move.
Thank you ladies for having me here.
ReplyDeleteJudith, the first book for the 2017 series is plotted and the first chapter done and due to editor on Aug 15th. Its a prequel to the series so its only 10k. The full novel that is due today is now done. One more read through of the last five chapters and then off to the editor. The third book isn't due until February so I haven't started it but I've been thinking about it and working out the characters in my head.
Sarah, I can't do cats. I'm allergic. But I do love having two dogs though our older one recently had surgery and that's been very hard because we have to keep the puppy from him. They both want to play so badly.
Paty, thanks for your kind words. I want my characters to be believable and flawed and human. LOL
Maggie, you are so sweet. Thank you for the lovely things you said. I enjoy your books as well and enjoy spending time with you.