Lethal Wilderness Trap: Romantic Suspense

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Lethal Wilderness Trap: Romantic Suspense

Lethal Wilderness Trap by Susan Furlong

Author Guest Post + Book & Author Info + a Giveaway!Don’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here.Lethal Wilderness Trap Trust means everything…
when danger hits too close to home.

Hunting a never-caught killer, Special Agent Nolan Shea learns of a new victim. But the body on Ava Burke’s land puts her and her young daughter, Rose, in someone’s lethal sights. With a trail of shocking clues pointing to her family’s involvement, Ava starts to question everything she holds dear and is soon desperate to uncover the truth with Nolan.

Step after step, they confront their fears. But will finally cornering a murderer out in the wilderness become a trap they can’t escape?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Published by: Harlequin
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 208
ISBN: 9781335980427 (ISBN10: 1335980423)

To purchase Lethal Wilderness Trap click any of the following links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | HarlequinAuthor Guest Post

How The Woman at the Coffee Shop Became the Villain in One of My Novels (And Why I’m Not Sorry About It)

by Susan Furlong

I love it when a character practically writes themselves. Before I even start typing, I can see their mannerisms, hear them speak, and feel their presence. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s magical. It recently happened me at my local coffee shop.

I was trying to squeeze out a little writing time away from my desk at home, hoping that a change of scenery would help me overcome a small case of writer’s block. I’d parked myself with my laptop at a table tucked in the corner, pretending to look busy while scrolling social media and casting longing glances at the display of chocolate croissants.

And then she walked in.

I took note right away. She had a presence. And not a good one either. She approached the counter with an air of entitlement, ordered without using her polite words, and sighed impatiently at the pick-up counter until her name was called—Jolene! Then she snatched the cup from the counter before marching off to find a seat, settling at a nearby table with a harrumph and a dramatic adjustment of her scarf.

Jolene. Great name. I opened a document and typed it out, feeling a spark of inspiration. Who is she? I wondered. What’s her story?

Immediately, she was on her phone, her conversation, punctuated with giggles and long sighs, didn’t match her previous attitude at all. It was as if a switch had been thrown. Maybe due to the low masculine voice purring over the other end of the line.

“Right now works,” she said, in a voice I, and everyone else, couldn’t help but overhear. “The coffee shop … uh, huh … I can’t wait.” She took a long sip of coffee and added with a cunning tone, “But what if he finds out?”

I eyed the impressive diamond on her left ring finger and typed another word—Affair—and began filling in the rest of the story. Jolene was going to be the perfect protagonist. No back story needed. No need for a lot of finessing to come up with her character traits. She only needed to be herself, just as she was—manipulative, assertive, charming on the surface, but ruthless underneath.

My fingers flew over the keyboard. In my story, she’d be the woman who everyone both admired and despised, but no one truly knew. The one who’d always kept one step ahead of everyone, especially her poor, unsuspecting husband.

I looked up and saw that she was off the phone now but seemed agitated. Hard to lead a double life, isn’t it Jolene?

Back to typing. Jolene was going to lead a double life in my novel, too. Innocent boutique owner by day, a cunning crime boss at night. The perfect villain. Just as I was getting into the rhythm of things, a man walked through the door with a large black bag in hand and smile that could only be described as sinister.

I paused, fingers hovering over the keyboard. This is him.

I stared over my screen as he made his way toward her, leaning down to kiss her on the lips before pulling up a chair. And then, in a move that shattered my earlier assumptions, he opened the bag and set a brand-new laptop on the table.

“Expensive, wasn’t it?” Jolene asked, her voice softening.

“Yeah, but it’s not every day our boy turns sixteen,” the man replied, his smile looking less sinister and more like an affectionate smile from a spouse to his wife.

And in that moment, the whole story I’d spun about Jolene—her double life, her affair, her devious schemes … all of it came crumbling down.

Okay … so maybe I had completely misjudged the woman, but I’d sketched out the perfect protagonist for my next novel. I slapped my computer shut and pushed away from the table. My work was done here.

I passed by their table on the way out the door and tossed them smile. What a nice couple.

Susan Furlong

Susan Furlong grew up in North Dakota where she spent long winters at her local library scouring the shelves for mysteries to read. Now, she lives in Illinois with her husband and children and writes mysteries of all types.

She has over a dozen published novels and her work has earned a spot in the New York Times list of top crime fiction books of the year. When not writing, she volunteers at her church and spends time hiking and fishing.

Learn more about Susan by clicking any of the following links:
www.SusanFurlong.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @SusanFurlongAuthor
Instagram – @susanfurlong
Threads – @susanfurlong
Facebook – @SusanFurlongAuthor
Susan Furlong’s Amazon Author Page

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