To Read or Not to Read

Susan Sleeman here. I recently went on a camping trip with my family. We rented cute little cabins in an Oregon State Park on the Pacific Ocean.

In Oregon in June, you can usually expect rain, but the weather cooperated. No rain and each day was in the low 70's with beautiful sunshine once the morning clouds burned off. However . . .

If you go to an Oregon beach at any time of year it can be chilly. It's nothing like going to beaches on the east coast where it's warm and you want to plunge into the water to cool off. Where you settle back in the warm sunshine in your bathing suit. Where you can pull out a book and simply relax and read.

Well as you can see my reading experience was totally different from what I describe. I wore heavy fleece pants, a fleece hoodie under a jacket with a hood, all zipped up tight at my neck as I huddled under the heavy comforter. I shivered until my goosebumps had goosebumps. But still, I braved the elements. Why? To enjoy the beauty that God created. To spend time with my family. And of course, to read to a good book.

I'd do just about anything to be swept away in a good book. How about you? How far would you go to read a book?

---

DARK TIDE

MISSION: PROTECT BABY

Gina Evans knows her brother was murdered—even if the police won't believe her. After catching a quick glimpse of the evidence her brother had gathered, the same criminals are after her and her baby niece. And Gina's only hope is the man she left behind.

Despite the painful memories, private investigator Derrick Justice won't fail Gina and her baby. Yet now, the woman he never stopped loving and the baby he's come to adore are in a killer's crosshairs. But can Derrick trap the cold-blooded murderer before he strikes again?

---

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational and clean read romantic suspense books. Her first book, High-Stakes Inheritance was an ECPA bestseller. Award nominations include No Way Out and The Christmas Witness for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence. Plus Thread of Suspicion was named 2013 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Best Book Award.

In addition to writing, Susan also hosts the popular website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon, but has lived in nine states. Her husband is a realtor and they have two daughters, a son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. . To connect with Susan outside of her – Website visit any of these social media sites-

---

Whole Lot of Shaking Going On

Susan Sleeman here. We had an earthquake Sunday night. Not a big one. Just a 3.3 and we were a few miles from the epicenter. No damage. No injuries. Still, our house shook twice as my hubby, daughter, and I looked at each other. We've experienced bigger quakes so I knew immediately it was an earthquake. Nothing else feels quite like the rolling of the ground beneath your feet and let me tell you, nothing makes you feel as helpless either.

This made me think about Dark Tide, my latest book release and final book in my Justice Agency series. The hero Derrick Justice lost his birth parents in a car accident and his adoptive parents were murdered. He doesn't want to experience such loss again so he puts all kinds of controls in place so he can make sure bad things don't happen in his life. But, as we all know, you can't control everything.

Like the earthquake. We could do nothing to stop it. Nothing. And experiencing that unsettling shaking of my home served as a reminder to me, a control freak of sorts, that God is in control and I need to rest in the assurance of His control rather than try to fight it.

What about you? Have you experienced an earthquake or another situation where you were totally out of control? How did you react? Did it change your thinking?

DARK TIDE

MISSION: PROTECT BABY

Gina Evans knows her brother was murdered—even if the police won't believe her. After catching a quick glimpse of the evidence her brother had gathered, the same criminals are after her and her baby niece. And Gina's only hope is the man she left behind.

Despite the painful memories, private investigator Derrick Justice won't fail Gina and her baby. Yet now, the woman he never stopped loving and the baby he's come to adore are in a killer's crosshairs. But can Derrick trap the cold-blooded murderer before he strikes again?

---

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational and clean read romantic suspense books. Her first book, High-Stakes Inheritance was an ECPA bestseller. Award nominations include The Christmas Witness for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence and Thread of Suspicion for the 2013 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Best Book Award.

In addition to writing, Susan also hosts the popular website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon, but has lived in nine states. Her husband is a realtor and they have two daughters, a son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. . To connect with Susan outside of her – Website visit any of these social media sites-

---

Saying Goodbye is Hard To Do

Susan Sleeman here with a happy yet bittersweet moment. This past week my latest book, Dark Tide released, but it's the last book in my Justice Agency series, and I'm sad about that. For the last few years I have been working on this series about five adopted siblings all working together in a private investigation agency and I've enjoyed every moment of it.

Though I'm happy to have the final book release so readers have the last sibling's story, I think of my characters in a my books as friends. That means I'm saying goodbye to the Justice family and  it's so hard to do.

What about you? Are you sad when a favorite series ends? Do you think of the characters as friends, too, or is that just something an author does?

ALL BOOKS IN THE JUSTICE AGENCY SERIES
Family and Law Enforcement Go Hand In Hand

Double Exposure featuring Ethan Justice - June-2012
Dead Wrong featuring Kat Justice - November-2012
No Way Out featuring Cole Justice - May-2013
Thread of Suspicion featuring Dani Justice - October-2013
Dark Tide featuring Derrick Justice - March-2014

---

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational and clean read romantic suspense books. Her first book, High-Stakes Inheritance was an ECPA bestseller. Award nominations include The Christmas Witness for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence and Thread of Suspicion for the 2013 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Best Book Award. In addition to writing, Susan also hosts the popular website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon, but has lived in nine states. Her husband is a realtor and they have two daughters, a son-in-law, and an adorable grandson.

To connect with Susan outside of her – Website visit any of these social media sites-

---

What's in a Name

Susan Sleeman here. I need your help. I'm challenged with naming a Christmas themed book without using the words Christmas or holiday in the title.

Which means I had to get creative and am seeking reader's opinions in a poll. And for your help, I'm offering you a chance to win one of 10 copies of the book.

I've posted a list of titles on my BLOG and hope you'll stop by to vote for one. Or suggest your own. Either way, your vote enters you to win one of 10 copies I’ll be giving away a month before the book releases to retail. But hurry. You only have until March 3rd at midnight to enter!

So help me out and enter for your chance to win the first book in a 6 book series titled First Responders – Sworn to Protect and Serve. 

---

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational and clean-read romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list, The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and Thread of Suspicion is a finalist in the 2013 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award. In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a realtor and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. To connect with Susan outside of her – Website visit any of these social media sites-

---

Storms of Life

Susan Sleeman here.  The weather has been in the news so much lately and it’s on everyone’s mind. The brutal cold. The excess snow. And here in Oregon our weather has been unseasonably dry. It rains most days here from October to July, but we’ve had few rainy days. I love the sunshine (translated I’ve been able to continue to garden and stay dry), but I also know we need the rain.

This week it’s been very windy and my thoughts shifted to the hero of my March Love Inspired Suspense release. Derrick Justice lives in a houseboat—or as they call them here in Portland a floating home—and as I felt the wind buffet our house, I wondered how Derrick would be faring with the crazy winds.

I’ve never lived in a floating home, but I rented a houseboat in Kentucky once. This is not the same thing as a floating home at all so my experience isn’t the same, but it gave me a taste for living on the water. During the night, we had a major storm that scared me. As waves crashed against the boat, I was afraid we were going to capsize and didn’t sleep a wink until the storm passed.

I could never get used to living in a home that moved. What about you? Do you think you could live on a houseboat?

DARK TIDE

MISSION: PROTECT BABY
Gina Evans knows her brother was murdered—even if the police won’t believe her. After catching a quick glimpse of the evidence her brother had gathered, the same criminals are after her and her baby niece. And Gina’s only hope is the man she left behind.
Despite the painful memories, private investigator Derrick Justice won’t fail Gina and her baby. Yet now, the woman he never stopped loving and the baby he’s come to adore are in a killer’s crosshairs. But can Derrick trap the cold-blooded murderer before he strikes again?

Pre-order it now for Print and E-book


» Read an Excerpt

---

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list and her Garden Gate Mystery series, which features Nipped in the Bud, and Read Between the Tines has enjoyed time on Amazon bestseller lists as well. And The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a realtor and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. To connect with Susan outside of her – Website visit any of these social media sites-

---

Life's Storms

Susan Sleeman here. It’s raining, it’s pouring. . .

We have been having a monster rain storm in the Pacific Northwest. The remnants of a typhoon have pushed through the area giving us record rainfalls over the weekend.  If you’re at all familiar with the northwest, you know that’s saying something as it rains here nearly every day from October through June.

Except for going to church, I've stayed home and watched the rain fall while listening to the wind howl. As I watch and listen the weather reminds me of the storms of life. How they blow in, mess us up, and then move on.

In Thread of Suspicion the fourth book in my Justice Agency series releasing today, Dani and Luke have both weathered their share of storms. Dani has embraced her faith and used it to make it though the tough times. Luke on the other hand has been shipwrecked by his storms and doesn’t trust God to do what’s best for him.

I have to admit, I’ve been Luke at times. Wondering how I will ever survive the storm I’m facing and wondering if God is listening. If He’s seeing what I’m going through. If He even cares. But then the sun comes out on the other side of the storm, and I’m reminded that God has been there all along. How about you? How have storms shipwrecked your life or how have you survived the storm and come out the other side stronger?

THREAD OF SUSPICION
FALSELY ACCUSED! 
When someone sabotages former navy SEAL Luke Baldwin’s “unhackable” software, there’s more than his reputation at stake. Faced with treason charges, Luke turns to Dani Justice, a computer expert and skilled investigator. She’s eager to dive into the challenging case…until she uncovers a devastating connection. The hacker framing Luke has a personal, deadly history with Dani. Luke’s code of honor and his growing feelings make him resolved to protect the sweet, strong woman he knows is more vulnerable than she’d admit. But what good is his training or determination against an enemy who can hack into any system and find them wherever they hide?

---

---

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list and her Garden Gate Mystery series, which features Nipped in the Bud, and Read Between the Tines has enjoyed time on Amazon bestseller lists as well. And The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. To connect with Susan outside of her – Website visit any of these social media sites-

---