Welcome to the Blog Tour for Alaskan Avalanche Escape by Darlene L. Turner, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Alaskan Avalanche Escape Sabotage in the mountains…
Can this K-9 sniff out the truth?Also Available
About the Author
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message.
Connect with Darlene by visiting darlenelturner.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.Author Guest Post
Writing Romantic SuspenseBy Darlene L. Turner
Recognize these titles? The Hidden Staircase, The Secret of the Old Clock, The Sign of the Twisted Candles—Yup, you got it. From the moment I picked up my first Nancy Drew book, I’ve always loved a good mystery. I went into all of those “haunted” houses with Nancy and studied the clues to determine the who, what, where, why, and how.
My love of all things mysteries started as a child and grew into adulthood, so creating stories in the romantic suspense genre was a natural progression for me. I’m going to age myself here, but I always wanted to be a policewoman after watching Charlie’s Angels (hey, they kicked butt while wearing high heels…what could be better than that?!). Cagney and Lacey, Police Woman, Murder She Wrote, etc. Who doesn’t love Sydney Bristow and Kate Beckett?
I always love trying to figure out the mystery. Who’s the villain, how will the writer spin this, how would I have written this story? Then, adding Canadian into the mix gave it a unique spin. Yes, at first…publishers didn’t seem to want international settings, but they’re more popular now. That’s why I created my tagline of “Suspense Beyond Borders.” Suspense is all around us!
Even though I enjoy writing romantic suspense, it comes with challenges. Some of these include:
Finding the information you need to write an authentic story
My search engine has an interesting browsing history. Topics such as fast-acting poisons, bomb-making materials, serial killers, forensics—to name a few. Eeekkk! However, it’s amazing what you can find. I recently discovered a Canadian forensic anthropologist working in the very setting I needed—Newfoundland! I was able to interview my real-life Dr. Temperance Brennan. So cool. Gathering details for our suspense stories can be a challenge, but necessary to make it come to life!
Balancing the romance and suspense in a believable way
With Love Inspired Suspense, authors need to jump right into the action and build on the romance quickly. The stories are short, so it can be difficult having the hero and heroine fall in love without readers rolling their eyes. A great way to do this is through reunion-type romances—high school sweethearts, broken engagements, second chance loves, past acquaintances, etc. Giving subtle clues of the attraction at the beginning then gradually increasing it helps give the reader a more believable feel. Also, falling in love while running for your life can present its own issues. Really! How can the handsome hero fall in love while trying to save the heroine from a killer? Well, it’s fun to figure out how to do just that!
Planting clues without giving away the culprit
Readers (including me) love to figure out the villain by the end of the book. They long to be like Nancy Drew and sleuth out the story! They search for the clues and red herrings to unravel the mystery in the book. To make it believable, authors need to put the right amount of clues and suspects without overloading the reader with too many characters and hints. Adding just the right amount and inserting them into the perfectspot in the story can make the game of clue fun!
Writing romantic suspense is my sweet spot. I love to brainstorm a new story with a unique twist, loveable characters, and a powerful message with each novel. I hope you enjoy reading them. Thank you readers for supporting and encouraging authors. We appreciate you!
Tour Giveaway
(4) winners will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 13, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 14, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Sounds like a book I will enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an amazing read.
ReplyDeletegreat post! thanks for sharing it, Darlene & Randi!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome book & great cover! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review.
ReplyDeleteMarion
thank you for the review!!
ReplyDeletenice covers
ReplyDeleteI love Nancy Drew books! I prefer the vintage ones but I enjoyed some of the contemporary ones too.
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