Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
You might be aware of my *slight!* addiction to reading #LoveINSPIRED Suspense novels?!
I generally gush over this imprint & the authors who pen the stories being published by Love Inspired during the Summer – specifically during *July!* as there is an INSPY readathon I’ve found I love to join which is a celebration of INSPY Lit wherein it is the kind of readathon where you can read at your own pace whilst marking off certain goals which allow you to put your hat into the giveaways which run all month long enabling you to potentially win a few new books by INSPY authors you might not have read as of yet! For me, its a win-win – as I love celebrating INSPY authors and I love reading Love Inspired! (big smiles)
Only a few times as a book blogger I’ve had the proper chance to champion the authors of this imprint by hosting one of their lovely blog tours. One in particular I was able to read & review – which was “No Safe Place” by Sherri Shackelford for Prism Book Tours. Thus, when I saw the “Border Breach” tour was accepting bloggers who wanted to interview the author – I knew I had to sign on as a potential host as next to reading the books, I love being able to interact with the authors directly!
I was happily selected to be a featured stop on the Border Breach blog tour! You might have previously seen an announcement of this new partnership during one of my Sunday Posts wherein I was sharing updates about new blogging and influencer opportunities I am undertaking this New Year, 2020.
Let’s talk moment about why I *love!* Love Inspired Suspense and the kinds of stories and/or series I’ve had the joy of discovering as I read my way through their backlist and frontlist titles! As this has become a bit of a passion project of joy between Mum and I – we love gathering new books by Love Inspired Suspense authors we’ve previously read or are curiously wanting to be reading next – and by ‘new’ books, I’m referring to us giving the books a bit more love themselves as the books are gently used and/or previously loved copies we’ve found via our local used book resources. These books sometimes have their spines damaged but the pages inside are clean and crisp and/or they are lovingly read so many times the pages feel textually touched by the many different readers who’ve found them before us!
Originally, I wanted to find a way for Mum to have a small break on her 12 hours shifts – as she’s in Home Health working with seniors and during the early years of my Dad’s stroke recovery she was working round the clock and on a seven day cycle whilst I was Dad’s caregiver helping him with his needs post-stroke (this was throughout 2017). I knew she loved reading the short novellas and novels from the previous publisher we both enjoyed for INSPY Fiction – which was known as Heartsong Presents – this predates the Love Inspired imprints by Harlequin! Knowing this – I thought maybe she might like a break from reading Contemporary & Historical traditional INSPY narratives and suggested she give Love Inspired Suspense a bit of a go!
The result was smashing as we both found a new imprint to LOVE reading together whilst we were discovering authors like Elizabeth Goddard (Mum’s top favourite), Laura Scott, Susan Sleeman (Mum enjoys her stories a bit more than I do), Lisa Harris, Lenora Worth and several others as we move in and out of their mini-series for Love Inspired Suspense and read their one-offs as well which are not serialised. Each time we find a new story or a new series – we get wicked giddy – wondering if it will be a new beloved author! For a good example – it is the Callahan Confidential series we both gush over the most (writ by Laura Scott) when it comes to getting the chance to tag team reading one of the series!
So you can understand why I was wicked thankful to be selected for this lovely blog tour! I was delighted having the chance to interview one of the authors and I am hoping to find a copy of her novel “Border Breach” at some point in the near future as it would be a delight of joy to read the book after hosting her interview! For now, I hope I’ve tempted you with a bit of curiosity about these Romantic Suspense novelists and their stories which are giving us more wicked good reads as a Mum and daughter reading team!
And, don’t forget this blog book tour is hosting a giveaway if you’re following the tour route!
Border Breach
by Darlene L. Turner
When drugs are smuggled across the border it’s their duty to stop the culprits…at any cost.
Forming a joint task force, Canada border officer Kaylin Poirier and police constable Hudson Steeves have one objective: take down a drug-smuggling ring trying to sell a new lethal product. But when the smugglers come after Kaylin and Hudson, this mission becomes more than just a job. Can they live long enough to solve the case?
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9781335402776
Published by Love INSPIRED
on 1st April, 2020
Available formats: Ebook, Trade Paperback and Large Print
Converse via: #LoveINSPIREDSuspense, #LoveINSPIRED and #Suspense
as well as #INSPYRomance, #RomanticSuspense and #ChristianFiction
I share my passion for reading Love Inspired Suspense novels with my Mum. We both have an appreciation for the riveting and compelling stories of Suspense which we know we can ‘handle’ seeing to their conclusions due to the interlacing of how these stories are told from an INSPY perspective. How did you discover Love Inspired Suspense and what was your journey towards having your novel “Border Breach” being published by this imprint?
Turner responds: I’ve always known about LIS and actually pitched a story to them a few years ago which they rejected. When I signed with my agent, she suggested I write a book for LIS, so I did. That is how Deadly Bouquet (my original title) was born. We pitched it and they came back with some suggestions for revisions. I did those and then a few weeks later my agent got the call! So exciting!
I share your love of Nancy Drew as I also read her stories along with Agatha Christie whilst growing up alongside watching series like “Murder She Wrote”. It has developed a lifelong appreciation of the genre by book, tv series and films – what do you think first attracted you to reading and writing stories of Mystery and Suspense? What do you love most about this genre of interest?
Turner responds: Ever since I was a little girl, I loved mysteries. Whether it was a Nancy Drew book, a game of Clue, or Charlie’s Angels. I wanted to be a cop. Little did I know back then that cops don’t run around in high heels. Haha. This started my love of trying to figure the mystery out. That’s why I love this genre.
As your novel “Border Breach” takes place on the US Canadian border involving border officers and guards – how did you undertake your research to understand the kind of job your characters would be undertaking in real life?
Turner responds: I did a few things: read articles on their websites, asked them questions, and researched different aspects of my story.
It is quite publicised about how the border between the US and Canada is a smuggling trade route – what inspired choosing to highlight this route and the officers hired to enforce the law?
Turner responds: I’ve crossed different borders into the States many times (especially this one) and I’ve often thought it would be fun to put a female border patrol agent together with a police officer to solve a smuggling ring. When I started googling some ideas, the doda drug came up and that’s when the storyline came to me.
What was the most challenging aspect of knitting together the layers of Suspense but also developing the connection between Kaylin and Hudson? As LIS novels are known for how despite the high stakes dangers, the characters who are thrust together in these high octane situations also find time to develop their personal lives.
Turner responds: It was challenging keeping their relationship as believable as possible in such a short period of time. I couldn’t put them together too quickly, but had to give them that spark mixed with angst along the way as they faced danger upon danger.
What can you share about the setting and the background of where “Border Breach” is set and how did you want elements of its location to resonate with your readers?
Turner responds: I picked this border because it’s the one I’ve probably crossed the most, so I’m familiar with the area and wanted readers to see a bit of Ontario. It’s a beautiful province and has many amazing spots to visit. There’s a little town near Windsor called Amherstburg that is so quaint!
Is this meant to be a one-off or is it the first of a series? After this release do you have future LIS releases projected to be published or is that co-dependent on reader response for this first one?
Turner responds: It is a part of a series, but the books are meant to be standalones too. Separate stories with different characters, but the next characters are introduced in the previous book. My agent has pitched the next book to LIS, so we’ll see what happens!
When you’re not researching and writing your stories what uplifts your spirits the most?
Turner responds: I love to read, watch movies, knit, and tole paint (painting on wood surfaces). These all relax me and give me an escape from our crazy world.
Questions for my Readers:
What do you love most about reading INSPY Romantic Suspense novels?
What draws your eye into seeking out Love Inspired Suspense authors?
Who are your favourite authors from Love Inspired Suspense?
This blog blitz is courtesy of: JustRead Publicity Tours
This blog tour is hosting a giveaway – click the banner to find out the tour route for the blog tour to visit with my fellow book bloggers who are hosting the Border Breach blog tour whilst also finding out information on behalf of the giveaway itself.
NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Border Breach”, synopsis, the author’s photo (for Darlene L. Turner) and biography as well as the blog tour banner and JustRead Publicity Tours badge were all provided by JustRead Publicity Tours and used with permission. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Stories in the Spotlight banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.
Thank you for sharing!