The Romantic Side of Suspense

The Why Behind Marisa Materson’s Writing (Episode 167)

“I always wanted to be a teacher, and I did spend 22 years in the classroom before my spinal cord injury and other health issues sidelined me,” Marisa said. “But I also wanted to write. Oh, to be able to write a book—everyone will remember my name if I write a book. That was as a child. Of course, as an adult, I think ‘Lord, what do you have for me? And how can I use this gift of encouragement that I have and this gift of wanting to reach out to people?’ That’s what became more important than just having a name out there.”

Quick Takes in Christian Romantic Suspense (Episode 166)

During this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense” podcast, you’ll hear from seven authors about their romantic suspense books available this month. Here’s the list of authors and books for May 2026, with the book’s release date if not available now. Suzanne Woods Fisher/Chase the Light Donnie Stevens/Back to You Jessica R Patch/The Girl Upstairs Danielle Grandinetti/Shipwrecked Faith (5/15) Gina Holder/The Escape Game Jessica West/Relentless Chase Angela Carlisle/Silent Menace (5/19)

Seralynn Lewis’s Crossover Into Romantic Suspense (Episode 165)

With several romance and historical romance books in her background, Seralynn asked herself, “Where do I go from here? I was having a chat with my editor and she said, ‘You know, all of your stories have elements of mystery and suspense in them, … so you should really be writing romantic suspense.’ I’m thinking, okay, I can do that, so that’s how [I made the switch to romantic suspense].”

The Chronological Order of Hannah Linder’s Writing (Episode 164)

“I’m definitely the type of writer who starts with scene one and goes in chronological order from there,” Hannah said. “I hear so many different ways that people do it, and it’s fascinating to me how different people write words and how they can organize it. … I try really hard as I’m writing it to get it [to as clean a first draft as possible].”

Quick Takes in Christian Romantic Suspense (Episode 163)

During this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense” podcast, you’ll hear from two authors about their romantic suspense books available this month. Here’s the list of authors and books for February 2026, with the book’s release date if not available now. Joanna Politano/The Life She Forgot (4/21) Carol J. Post/Witness Safeguard Mission (4/28)