Welcome to Christian Bookshelf Reviews, Susan! Will you share a little about yourself and your latest book?
I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, and Christian. I have lived in nine states, two of them twice, and I currently live in the beautiful state of Oregon. I write romantic suspense and mystery books for both the Christian market and the general market. I am a computer nerd at heart. I love to work on my websites, and I host the Christian/clean read mystery and suspense book review site, www.thesuspensezone.com. And I love to garden.
My latest book is High-Caliber Holiday, which is book three in my First Responder series. First Responders is a six book series about a fictional elite First Response Squad in Portland, Oregon. The team includes two hostage negotiators, a sniper, a bomb technician, an EMT, and a commanding officer. The team members not only work together, but they also live together in a remodeled historic firehouse donated to the county.
High-Caliber Holiday features team sniper Brady Owens. When ex-lawyer Morgan Thorsby is held hostage on a train, she finds her powers of persuasion failing her for the first time. Former marine sniper Brady Owens is her only hope—but his split-second hesitation on the trigger leaves her wounded. Yet when an obsessed stalker threatens Morgan, Brady steps up and hopes to catch the culprit in time for Christmas.
What do you hope readers come away with after reading your newest story?
The entire First Responders series is about finding peace in the midst of struggles. So often, when hardship sets in, we lose our peace. To be on such a high-pressure first response team, member must have great self-control and not get flustered or react to events in a highly emotional way, which means they bury their personal turmoil and conflict and are in need of peace in their lives. I hope their search for peace helps readers find that they can be peaceful in times of need, too.
Do you find it more fun to write stand-alones or series?
I love to write series. In fact, I have never written a stand-alone book. I love to write families, or characters who are part of a pseudo family, like in my First Responders series. I love the interaction between the characters connected in a series. I think it adds depth to the books and to the characterization of the characters.
Who are some of your favorite authors whose books have never disappointed you?
Great question, but asking me to list my favorite authors is like asking me to choose between my children. I have so many favorites, I just can’t do it. J
What's the last thing you celebrated, not including birthdays or holidays?
That would have to be contracting a new series with FaithWords, an imprint of Hachette publishing. This is a series about another special team, an FBI Critical Incident Response Team. All team members are former military and they stand ready to deploy within four hours, anytime and anywhere, to mitigate the highest-priority threats facing our nation. Book 1 is tentatively titled Fatal Mistake and is scheduled to release in April 2016. Here’s a description of the book.
Each day could be her last…
Tara Parrish is the only person ever to survive an attack by the Lone Wolf Bomber. Scared and emotionally scarred by her near death, she goes into hiding with only one plan. To stay alive for another day, because she knows he’s coming after her, and if he finds her, he will finish what he started.
But not if he can help it.
Special Agent Cal Riggins has had only one goal for the past six months—to save lives by ending the Lone Wolf’s bombing spree. To succeed, he needs the help of Tara Parrish, the one person whose unforgettable memory can lead them to the bomber. Cal puts his all into finding Tara, but once he locates her, he realizes if he can find her, the Lone Wolf can, too. Now Cal’s goal changes. Protect Tara at all costs and make no mistakes while hunting down the bomber, as one wrong move could be fatal.
Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what was your favorite book growing up?
Welcome to Christian Bookshelf Reviews, Ann!! Will you tell us a little about yourself? 
I like to write with my dog Happy sitting in my lap.
Why thank you, Melanie! And congratulations on your Blogoversary!! *squeal* I can shower you in confetti or cookies…your choice. ;-)
What do you hope readers come away with after reading your newest story?
Who are some of your favorite authors whose books have never disappointed you?
Thanks for having me! I love stories with heart, humor, and happily ever afters. By day I’m a marketing manager for a nonfiction team at a Christian publisher in Nashville. I find time to write late at night and always have stories to tell.
Have you visited Prince Edward Island, the setting for your new series?
I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, and Christian. I have lived in nine states, two of them twice, and I currently live in the beautiful state of Oregon. I write romantic suspense and mystery books for both the Christian market and the general market. I am a computer nerd at heart. I love to work on my websites, and I host the Christian/clean read mystery and suspense book review site, www.thesuspensezone.com. And I love to garden.
Thanks
for the warm welcome, Melanie! I’m the author of more than 30 sweet
historical romances and a major history geek in general. When I’m not
reading or writing, you’ll find me in museums or with reenactors
learning more about what life was like in the past. Although most of my
books have been set in the Regency period of England (think Jane Austen
and Napoleon), my last few books have been set much closer to home—in
pioneer Seattle. The fourth book in my Frontier Bachelors series was out
in January. Instant Frontier Family tells the story of a
young Irishwoman determined to make a prosperous life for herself and
her orphaned half sister and brother by starting a new bakery. Love is
not part of Maddie O’Rourke’s plan, until her siblings start
matchmaking.
Do you find it more fun to write stand-alones or series? 
