Interview with Susan Sleeman about Cold Fear

Today we welcome Susan Sleeman to my blog. Susan, glad you stopped by. 

Tell us about the book – a brief blurb:

Cold Fear

A shared past…

Riley Glen’s former girlfriend, recording artist Leah Kent, is performing at a summer concert nearby and calls to tell him she’s in danger and needs his help. After the concert, he discovers her bending over a woman’s dead body, and the woman has Leah’s name freshly tattooed on her wrist. Leah claims she just found the body and didn’t have anything to do with the murder. When two other bodies are found, both boasting Leah’s name in bright ink on their wrists, she comes under suspicion for the murders. Riley jumps in to defend her from both an imminent arrest and a killer’s deadly rage.

A new beginning?

Riley and Leah had once been a music team and deeply in love. But Riley’s lifelong dream was to be a sniper, not a musician. He chose to follow his dream and has been successful in his career just as Leah has found success in hers. He still has feelings for Leah, but their lives are on vastly different courses. But when she begs for his help to clear her name and protect her, he agrees to do what he can. Riley soon discovers this killer is highly trained and vicious, and Leah won’t survive another day unless Riley uses every skill he possesses to try to save her.

Are any experiences in Cold Fear based on personal experiences? Did you draw upon any stories or movies for inspiration for the novel?  

I have a music background so I drew on that for the music scenes. Mostly, though, I relied on being a parent to understand how Leah and Riley feel about parenting Owen. I didn’t draw on stories or movies for inspiration but did think about our world today and how celebrities make the news so often. I had never written a character who was a celebrity and thought it would be interesting to write about. I was right! I loved it.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Cold Fear?

I wouldn’t change anything. I liked how the book turned out. Perhaps if I read it again in a year or so my answer might be different because as a writer when you distance yourself from a manuscript you can gain more insight into it.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

I honestly have to say there was nothing hard about writing this book. Sometimes books just flow, and this was one of them. That’s been true of all of the Cold Harbor books. For some reason these characters really speak to me and that makes it so much easier to write.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned how the music recording industry worked and the various players in it. I was surprised at the different roles managers, promoters, agents, and sub-agents played. They didn’t do what I thought at all.

Did you have to travel much for research for Cold Fear?

No travel required at all, but that’s only because I had previously visited the beach where my fictional town of Cold Harbor is located.

What was it like coming back to the Blackwell Tactical Team for the fifth novel in the series? Do you forsee any more stories for this family of characters?  

I love, love, love catching up with the characters on the team in each book. To find out how their lives have changed and to see the team members with their significant others. There will definitely be additional books, in fact I have just finished the final edits for Cold Pursuit which will release in November. As long as readers keep buying this series as they have been in the past, I will keep writing the books

Who was your favorite character in Cold Fear?

I usually have to say my favorite in each of the Cold Harbor books is the team member. And Riley was no exception. He’s such a great guy. I won’t give away any of the plot, but just know that I admire how he handles the most difficult day of his life. He’s a hero for all the things he does on the job, but he’s a real hero in my book for how he handles this stressful event.

Was there anything in Cold Fear that you did not enjoy writing about? 

I enjoyed writing every bit of the book. There was nothing I didn’t enjoy.

Share your bio and links for social media and to buy:

SUSAN SLEEMAN is the bestselling author of over thirty-five novels with more than one million books sold. She writes romantic suspense novels that are clean with inspiring messages of faith. Readers love her series for the well-drawn characters and edge-of-your-seat action. She graduated from the FBI and local police citizen academies, so her research is spot-on and her characters are real.

In addition to writing, Susan also hosts TheSuspenseZone.com. She has lived in nine states but now calls Oregon home. Her husband is a retired church music director, and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson.

To learn more about Susan’s books sign up for her monthly email that includes exclusive excerpts, giveaways, and other goodies. http://www.susansleeman.com/susans-newsletter/

Or stop by any of these locations on the web.

Website -         http://www.susansleeman.com

Facebook -       http://www.facebook.com/SusanSleemanBooks

Twitter -           http://www.twitter.com/susansleeman  

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Goodreads -     https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4053429.Susan_Sleeman

BookBub -       https://www.bookbub.com/authors/susan-sleeman

Amazon -        https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Sleeman/e/B003ANF6Z8

Review Site -   http://www.TheSuspenseZone.com

You can find all of the links to buy this book at your favorite online bookseller here https://books2read.com/u/mVBBw6