"Best Seller" by Christina Rost -- Author Interview

 

About the Book

Book: Best Seller

Author: Christina Rost

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Mystery

Release Date: August 6, 2024

When crime fiction novelist Kelly Landon agrees to write a memoir for an eccentric, elderly gentleman, her quiet life turns upside-down.

Unbeknownst to her, the memoir is peppered with clues leading to a rare collection of stolen jewels from World War II. After the memoir makes the best-seller list, Kelly finds herself in the crosshairs of a decades-old vendetta.

Now, instead of enjoying her rise to literary fame, she’s thrust into the dangerous world of treasure hunting.

While Kelly struggles to win the game of cat-and-mouse, a secret family legacy is unearthed, forcing her to choose between trusting her charming literary agent or her vigilant bodyguard to keep her safe.

As the three of them become entangled in a web of deceit, it’s a race to see who’s the villain, who’s the hero, and who holds all the pieces to solve the mystery of the best seller.

 

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview 

1. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser (or a hybrid)?
Pantser! I usually write a lot before I start really trying to make a timeline.

2. What is your favorite part about writing?
Meeting the characters and learning what quirks and layers to their personality they’ll
have. It’s fun to learn their favorite drinks, favorite foods, sleep habits, or choice
vacation destinations, even if I don’t use all of that info in the story.

3. What is your least favorite part about writing?
Editing. I’m a terrible editor. I love to mood read, so I get lost in the story and miss
mistakes.

4. Do you have a way to keep track of your story ideas?
When a story idea strikes, I use my notes on my phone, or I open a Word doc and free
write for a few minutes. After that I make a new folder—usually I have a title in mind that
I save it as and add it in my “book ideas” folder. Currently I have over twenty folders
saved, some with a paragraph written or a whole page and a few have over 10K words.

5. What is your writing space like?
We have an office at home, and my husband built us matching desks on opposite walls.
Well, they were matching until this winter when he built bookcases on mine up to the
ceiling! A girl needs a place for her books, right? I have a space for my Bible study
notebooks and journals and a space for work (I work online as a VA). I have my laptop
and two additional monitors, (hubby’s idea) so I can easily go between docs when I’m
editing or researching. I love Nutcrackers, so I have one year-round on my desk, and an
essential oil diffuser. My kitty has her perch right to me so she can lounge around and
keep on an eye on what I’m doing while watching squirrels out the window.

6. How long does it usually take you to write a book?
Usually about a year, if I’m under contract. Otherwise, I just write and let the story unfold
on its own time.

7. Where do you get your ideas for your books?
Everywhere. It could be a location, smell, or a song. I’m always collecting “things” for
stories—old post cards, one-liners, quotes, poetry, or playlists. I was at a baseball game
last year and an idea hit—Baseball, love-at-first-sight, political intrigue, food truck and
maybe an art heist. I’m not sure how all that would go together, but that’s how the spark
hits!

About the Author

Christina Rost is an award-winning author, mother to three amazing children, and is married to her high school sweetheart. While she currently resides in Oklahoma City, she’s lived all over the US, a few years in the UK, and loves to travel. When she isn’t spending time with her family or writing you’ll find her chatting over coffee and perusing antique stores for tattered books.

 

 

 

 

More from Christina

There is a certain in-between place where creatives tend to linger — a space where reality meets imagination and stories quietly begin. It’s where we observe the world as it is, then wonder how it might unfold just a little differently. That space is where my writing lives, and it’s where Best Seller was born.

Before novels, though, there was coffee. My very first “real” job as a teen was working as a barista, and I loved it. I wasn’t just making drinks — I was mixing flavors and letting my imagination wander between orders. There’s something comforting about coffee, something that invites reflection and creativity. Looking back, it makes perfect sense that it found its way into my stories.

In Best Seller, my main character Kelly Landon is a crime fiction writer with a carefully guarded heart. She’s shy, introverted, and far more comfortable with quiet moments than crowded rooms. Her love of seasonal coffee blends mirrors her inner world — thoughtful, layered, and hopeful beneath the surface. But Kelly’s heart is fragile, and without being anchored in God’s love and truth, it can be easily swayed by the promise of earthly acceptance.

Enter Declan — her outgoing literary agent with unassuming Irish charm and a way with words. Can you blame Kelly for daydreaming? For wondering if love might be possible after all?

To celebrate Best Seller, I created the Writer Girl Latte, inspired by my barista days and Kelly’s story. Cozy, creative, sweet, and just a little indulgent — because sometimes the best stories begin with a warm cup and a willing heart.

So, pour yourself something warm, settle in, and step into the mystery of Best Seller — it’s only the beginning.

And remember, Love is a Mystery!

­-Christina

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 29

Stories By Gina, April 30 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, May 1 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 1

Pause for Tales, May 2

Artistic Nobody, May 3 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 4

Guild Master, May 5 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 6

Fiction Book Lover, May 7 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, May 8

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 9 (Author Interview)

Lily’s Corner, May 10

Blossoms and Blessings, May 11 (Author Interview)

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 12 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, May 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Christina is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/V74x6/best-seller-celebration-tour-giveaway

"Meet Me in the Yorkshire Dales" by Valerie Massey Goree -- Author Interview

 

About the Book

Book: Meet Me in the Yorkshire Dales

Author: Valerie Massey Goree

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: February, 2025

To inherit her grandfather’s estate, Roxanne Clarke has to prove the identity of her birth mother. Considering all the ancestry help online, that shouldn’t be a problem. However, the only clues Roxanne has are an old photograph and hints provided by a member of her grandfather’s household that her mother was born in Yorkshire.

Accompanied by her best friend, Avery, and Avery’s twin brother, Lucas, Roxanne travels to England. Their attempts to identify Roxanne’s mother send them from one village to another. To add to their frustration, a fellow Texan is following them, threatening them, trying to locate the woman first.

Lucas has been in love with Roxanne since high school, but botched their relationship two years ago. While helping her find her mother, can he salvage their once-blossoming romance, build a new beginning, and keep her safe when the Texan’s actions intensify?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 Author Interview

1.Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser (or a hybrid)?

I’m a hybrid. I create a tentative plot that includes major events to enhance the romance and the
suspense. However, as I write, the characters sometimes determine what will happen next, or
what important events I need to add or revise. I’ve learned to ‘listen’ to my characters.

2.Do you have a way to keep track of your story ideas?

I’m old-fashioned and use paper and pen instead of a computer program to keep track of my
story ideas. Recently, I plotted a series about three sisters, and jotted down their careers,
incidents that might occur, and how they relate to each other. For Meet Me In the Yorkshire
Dales, book two in my series From England with Love and…Treachery, I plotted a basic outline,
developed my hero and heroine, but had to wait until I visited villages in the Yorkshire Dales to
be able to use them as the setting and as a character, too.

3.Do you have a way to keep track of your story ideas?

Two events during my school years dampened any creative writing inclinations I might have had.
In elementary school, we were assigned to write a story about the birth of Jesus. Well…I
followed the Bible account and was told that it showed no creativity or originality. Then, in
middle school, we were tasked with writing about items we collected and encouraged to describe
more than one. (Remember, this was long ago when kids were kids.) I inherited my brother’s
stamp collection, so obviously I wrote about it. and then added that I loved to add buttons to my
Mother’s button box. I’d sort them into sizes or colors. (Early hints of mild OCD characteristics.)
Students had to read their essays in front of the class, and fellow students could offer feedback.
To introvert me, that was bad enough, but then the teacher would add her critique. She said
collecting buttons was very immature for an eleven-year-old. What did she say about my stamps?
I have no idea because I only remember her criticism. I didn’t try creative writing until I was
forty.

4.Where do you get your ideas for your books?

Ideas for my stories come from many sources. For instance, I was walking my dogs in our rural
neighborhood, noted the dogs in the corner property didn’t announce our passing as they usually
did. Ooh, what if I started a story with “The dogs didn’t bark.” I’ve used that idea as the basic
plot in the second book in my Sisters in Perils series.

5.Do bits of yourself/friends show up in your characters?

Yes, but I don’t use too many because I never want people to recognize themselves.

About the Author

American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award winner Valerie Massey Goree resides in San Antonio, Texas.

She was born in South Africa and grew up in Rhodesia—now Zimbabwe. Valerie met her husband, Glenn, at a Christian university in the USA. After they married, they served as missionaries in Rhodesia. When the family returned to Texas, Valerie began her teaching career. She served 25 years in the public school arena, focusing on children with special needs.

Her writing journey only began when their children were in high school. Attending workshops and ACFW conferences helped propel her toward publication. She has eleven romantic suspense novels published.

Valerie and her family traveled extensively throughout North America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Now retired and widowed, she spends her time writing, reading, traveling, and spoiling her grandchildren.

Valerie loves to hear from her readers.

More from Valerie

Meet Me in the Yorkshire Dales is the second book in my series From England with Love and…Treachery. The three standalone stories feature American characters who are visiting or working in England. When they meet, romance blossoms, but is hindered by misfortune, menacing strangers, betrayal, and dead-end clues. Book One, Meet Me Where the Windrush Flows, is set in the Cotswolds. Book Three, which I’m writing now, takes place in the City of Bath during the Jane Austen Festival.

As an author, my goal is to set stories in places I’ve lived or visited. What a hardship it was for me to travel to England to research the Cotswolds area for Book One, and the next year to visit the Yorkshire Dales and Bath!

During my two-week sojourn in the Yorkshire Dales, I stayed in a cottage in each of the villages featured in the story. When I walked down the ‘Snake Path’ in Grassington, I knew I had to include it in the story.

Roxanne, my heroine, has never been to England and is enthralled by the villages’ narrow roads, cobblestone streets, and the ancient cottages, some built in the seventeenth century.

When I made the reservation for the cottage in Grassington, I didn’t know that the TV show All Creatures Great and Small is filmed there. They usually film in April, but alas, I was there in September. I did recognize many places used in the show, such as the village center, featured in the photo.

Needless to say, I loved visiting these places. Roxanne did, too.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, April 28

Stories By Gina, April 29 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 30

Simple Harvest Reads, May 1 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, May 2 (Author Interview)

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 3

Guild Master, May 4 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, May 5

Fiction Book Lover, May 6 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, May 7 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 7

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 8 (Author Interview)

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, May 9

Books, Books, & More Books, May 10 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 11 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Valerie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/kqX7Q/meet-me-in-the-yorkshire-dales-celebration-tour-giveaway

"Resurrection Rest" by Courtney Lyman -- Author Interview

 

About the Book

Book: Resurrection Rest

Author: Courtney Lyman

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Release Date: April 18, 2018

Gerard Truman frantically arrived at Holliday Hotel in need of a place to stay that was near the clinic in Willow Creek. His sister, Stacie, was ill and the prognosis didn’t look good. Carol Holliday immediately welcomed Gerard and placed him in the room she called Resurrection Rest. Dr. Eva Livingston was an intelligent, driven doctor. Direct, serious, and lacking compassion, she was not known for her bedside manner. Seeing no hope for Stacie, she urges Gerard to say his good-byes and remove his sister from life-support. As she battles Gerard, Eva is forced to take a look at herself and reevaluate how she is faring as a doctor. His faith shakes her and even as she is frustrated by his determination, she finds herself drawn to him as well. But it will take a miracle for this arrogant doctor to change.

 

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview 

1. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser (or a hybrid)?
I am definitely a pantser. I tend to have a rough idea of what is going to happen, but not
sure how I’m going to get to the end. I love that sometimes I get surprised at the turn of
events in the story, too.

2. What is your favorite part about writing?
I love seeing the story come together and bring the characters to life. Seeing it all come
together at the end and holding my book in my hands is magical.

3. What is your least favorite part about writing?
I think finding time to write is my least favorite part. I love the actual writing, but it’s
hard to be able to sit down and do it.

4. Do you have a way to keep track of your story ideas?
I keep track of my story ideas in my head, but once I start writing, I have a journal that I
keep track of things like names, descriptions, and anything else that I think might be
important to remember later.

5. What is your writing space like?
I have a small desk in the corner of my bedroom where I do most of my writing,
however, one of the things that I love about writing is that I can do it anywhere. Right
now, I’m writing while traveling on cruise in Greece.

About the Author

Courtney Lyman lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband, their three children, and two cats. She is the author of the KW Consulting series, the Holliday Hotel series, as well as several Christmas novellas. She stays busy with her family’s activities, her ministries at church, and in whatever time is left, knitting, singing, and playing games.

 

 

 

 

More from Courtney

Easter is my favorite holiday because it celebrates the hope, restoration, and new life that Christians have in Jesus. It remembers Jesus’s death as the sacrifice that saved us, but also the power of the resurrection which gives us the hope of eternal life with Him. I can’t think of a better message to share with others.

When I began to write the Holliday Hotel series, I wanted to show how God is visible in all of the celebrations that we observe, and Resurrection Rest holds a special place as a celebration of God’s salvation for all people.

In today’s world, it can feel like God doesn’t still work miracles as medical treatments and professionals can get the credit for healing, but I have had the pleasure of witnessing several times where the doctors said one thing, but God intervened. A beloved grandmother figure who was so badly ill with sepsis that the doctors said that the family needed to say their good-byes only to have her not only survive, but thrive. A family friend who was hit by a drunk driver who should not have survived the night, or come out of the coma, or be able to move and speak, but defied the odds. My mother who was in a car accident that broke her neck and should have left her paralyzed, but didn’t. God is still active and working. His power has not diminished!

Resurrection Rest shows that God’s power is still at work in the world today and that His salvation is for everyone. I hope that you enjoy this Easter story of hope and love, and then come back to visit Holliday Hotel to celebrate other holidays through the year!

Blog Stops

Stories By Gina, April 24 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, April 25 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, April 26 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 27

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 28

Fiction Book Lover, April 29 (Author Interview)

The Bookish Ledger, April 30 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 1 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, May 1

Texas Book-aholic, May 2

Blossoms and Blessings, May 3 (Author Interview)

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 4 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, May 4

Books, Books, & More Books, May 5 (Author Interview)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 6 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, May 7

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Courtney is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a paperback copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/Y6AMa/resurrection-rest-celebration-tour-giveaway

"Lady Wynwood's Spies, Volumes 1-3 Box Set" by Camille Elliot

About the Book

Book: Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volumes 1-3 Box Set

Author: Camille Elliot

Genre: Christian Regency Romantic Suspense

Release Date: April 23, 2024

Pride and Prejudice meets Mission: Impossible in this Christian Regency Suspense with slow-burn romance and a touch of the supernatural.

Recovered from her harrowing marriage, Lady Wynwood’s peace shatters as a nefarious secret society linked to her past emerges. She seeks the aid of Mr. Sol Drydale, an old friend with ties to a shadowy arm of the government.

They gather a circle of trusted individuals with unique skills:

• A botanist with deadly aim with a bow and arrows
• An unconventionally trained female medic and chemist in a field dominated by men
• A cat burglar who also happens to be a viscount’s son
• A spy searching for answers to the mysterious death of his brother
• An ex-soldier haunted by regret and self-loathing
• A human lie detector desperately protecting lies of her own
• The most covert phantom agent working for the Crown
• All led by a nobleman keeping dangerous secrets (who feels like he’s wrangling cats)

To protect their loved ones, they must race to stop a treasonous brotherhood, whose dark secrets could enable Napoleon to win the war.

Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer

An ex-spy and a spinster botanist must find a murderer—with ties to both their families—whose uncanny alchemy could turn the tides against the war with Napoleon.

Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 2: Berserker

The team searches for their missing comrade before a crazed murderer finds him first.

Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 3: Aggressor

When French spies land on British soil to steal the ingredient for a powerful alchemical potion, Lady Wynwood’s team falls under attack from the toxins they unleash.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 My Thoughts

This series of books is serial, like a television show. Each book has a complete story, but also an overarching story that continues through the whole series. It is intriguing and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was behind everything. I found the books to be well written, although from the second book to the third book, the way that Jack was informed of the location of Mr. Ackett changed. If I had not just read the books back to back, it might not have stood out as much. I like the biblical faith thread in the books and how the characters are growing and changing. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

About the Author

Camy writes Christian Contemporary Romantic Suspense as USA Today bestselling author Camy Tang and Christian Regency Romantic Suspense as USA Today bestselling author Camille Elliot. She grew up in Hawaii but now lives in California, where she knits antique knitting patterns and is learning Japanese.

 

 

 

 

More from Camille

What inspired me to write the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series:

While I love Regency Romances and Jane Austen’s books, I also really love action movies. When plotting the rest of the series, especially in light of Sol’s clandestine job for the Crown, I realized that I really wanted to do a mash-up of Mission: Impossible in the Regency era.

So I created Sol’s team of agents, some who used to work for the Foreign Office as spies and some who are civilians with unusual skill sets. And, of course, there will be lots of romance for each of the team members, as well as lots of action and suspense.

What exactly is an epic-length serial novel?

Originally I had written The Spinster’s Christmas, a Christian Regency Romantic Suspense, as a stand-alone novel, and I had planned more stand-alone novels with Lady Wynwood and Sol as minor characters in each of them. However, as I began planning the series past that first Christmas book, I realized the storyline was becoming longer and more complex.

I fought it for a while because it would have been a really long series—I even tried writing the next book as a stand-alone novel, but I wrote almost 90,000 words and I hadn’t even gotten to the 25% mark in the book!

So I decided to structure the series like a Japanese light novel series, in which each book has a complete story arc, but there is an underlying story arc that runs through each of the volumes and isn’t resolved until the end.

This is similar to the serial novels being published in the U.S., but those tend to be smaller installments of around 20,000 words, while each of the volumes in my series is around 100,000 words.

I have already plotted the entire series and it will be 12 volumes, plus 3 prequel novels (The Spinster’s Christmas, The Gentleman Thief, and Lissa and the Spy). At the moment, I’m writing volume 10.

I hope you enjoy my latest Regency series!

Blog Stops

All-of-a-kind Mom, April 22

Inspired by Fiction, April 23

Books You Can Feel Good About, April 23

Melissa’s Bookshelf, April 24

Lily’s Corner, April 25

Life on Chickadee Lane, April 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 28

Texas Book-aholic, April 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 30

Sydney Schmied Books, April 30

For Him and My Family, May 1

Blogging With Carol, May 2

Blossoms and Blessings, May 2

Book looks by Lisa, May 3

Devoted To Hope, May 4

Holly’s Book Corner, May 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Camille is giving away the grand prize of a Special Edition Paperback of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer and a Regency-style ribbon bookmark!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/oUeZj/lady-wynwoods-spies-volumes-1-3-box-set-celebration-tour-giveaway