April Showers?

PROTECTING HER CHILD
By

Debby Giusti

“What happened to my baby?”

Wealthy heiress Eve Townsend is close to death. But before she dies, she has to know: what happened to the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-four years before? Did she inherit her mother’s life-threatening disease? Medical researcher Pete Worth is ready to find answers by tracking her down. And when he finally locates Meredith Lassiter, he finds her widowed, pregnant and on the run. The loan sharks who killed her husband want her dead…and Pete is the only one standing in their way.

My area of the country has been deluged with rain. Drastic changes in temperature have spawned tornadoes that force us into our basement as sirens blare a warning to find shelter. Trees have been uprooted, streams have overflowed their banks and hail has caused damage to vehicles and property. All great fodder for a suspense writer to use in upcoming books.

Weather plays an important role in my stories. My first book, NOWHERE TO HIDE, featured a hurricane that trapped the heroine and her son in an ocean cave. In SCARED TO DEATH, a tornado struck while the villain stood over the hero and heroine with a loaded gun. MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA had a snowstorm that blanketed the city and impacted the hero’s ability to fight off the villain. Wind and rain played a role in COUNTDOWN TO DEATH, and the book I’m currently working on ends with an ice storm.

Writers strive to up the stakes and put their characters in threatening situations. Inclement weather compounds the problem and is a universal danger readers understand. If you want to increase the tension in your story, take a tip from Mother Nature and make the weather miserable. Throw in tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms, hail and ice to enhance the suspense and improve your story.

Happy writing!

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/

Visit me at http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/ where I’m also blogging today.

The Ritas vs. Elton John/Billy Joel

I make no secret that I'm a huge Elton John fan and yesterday I just found out that my favorite musical performer is going to be playing at the Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on July 18th with Billy Joel. I have wanted to see the two of them perform for more years than I can say. Last time they swung this way, I had 2 small children and 2 more had JUST permanently moved in with my husband and I. I went from a family of 4 to a family of 6 overnight and we just didn't have the funds for such a spectacular treat. (Never mind what it would have cost for a babysitter for 4 kids ages 7, 8, 9 and 10.) Well those 4 small kids have turned into teenagers and the funds are pretty much like water through my fingers. But unlike then, I do make time to treat myself with some things I love.

Why is this important to a suspense writer? Why am I writing about this in my blog?

Because one of my other passions is reading and writing. One of the other treats I look forward to each year is the RWA National Conference and the RITA ceremoy. The RWA National conference is being held in Washington DC from July 15 - July 18. When I heard the news that Elton John and Billy Joel were performing I just about jumped out of my seat...until I heard the July 18th part. You guessed it. That is the same night as the RITA ceremony. This is the one night that romance authors of all genres recognize excellence in romantic fiction. And I look forward to it every year!

Right now I'm reading my RITA books and I'm loving them. I've discovered so many new authors by judging the RITA contest. I have one single title suspense book that I've had at my side since I started reading it and I know it'll be finished by the end of the day. This is a new author for me and I know I'll read more books by her in the future. The RITA ceremony, much like the Oscars for the movie industry, is a special night and a ceremony I've loved attending in years past. I love rooting for a book that I've read and loved. I love seeing the faces of people who've not only won the RITA, but who've finaled in the RITA contest. And I love seeing the unpublished authors who final and win in the Golden Heart contest.

But then...there is Elton John and Billy Joel. I can't be in Foxboro and Washington, DC at the same time. I'm hoping that as the day draws closer and the excitement about hearing who finaled increases, the sting of not being able to see my favorite performer will lessen. Right now I feel like I'm in a tug of war. The RITAS vs. Elton John/Billy Joel. 365 days in a year and my two favorite things are happening on the same night...

Until next time, many blessings. Lisa Mondello