Tags
book excerpt Ransom in Rio, Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers blog series, contemporary sweet romance, Inspirational romance, Ransom in Rio, Theresa Lynn Hall
Today Wednesday Writers welcomes Theresa Lynn Hall to the blog. Theresa will be talking about her book Ransom in Rio and how it came about. She also has a cliffhanger excerpt, so be sure to read to the end. Welcome, Theresa!
Thanks, Catherine.
Ransom in Rio was so much fun to write that I hated to write “The End”. What started as a small idea rolling around in my head suddenly became Lexi’s story. My publisher, Pelican Book Group, put a request for submissions page on the website asking for novellas with international settings that include 3 items and a passport. The three items for Rio, Brazil were an emerald necklace, a formal event, and a family secret. As luck would have it, my husband had just returned on a business trip from Rio. He’d spent two weeks there completely immersed in the culture. He brought back a lot of pictures and many stories to tell. He also brought back coffee and chocolate—my favorites! I wish I had been able to accompany my husband on his trip, but one thing he did tell me was how scary the driving is! Apparently, I would fit very well in Brazil with my driving skills! He was also there on Easter Sunday and decided to rent a car to drive to visit Christ the Redeemer.
I had no idea how massive the statue really is. It’s an iconic symbol of Brazil that many tourists visit on Easter. I was so jealous but I loved that he was able to experience something so amazing. His pictures made me feel like I was able to be there with him.
With my husband’s help, a little internet research, and some brainstorming the story came to life. To my surprise, it won First Place in the 2017 International Digital Awards (IDA) Contest for the Oklahoma chapter of RWA! I hope you enjoy reading Ransom in Rio as much I enjoyed writing it.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Ransom in Rio
By Theresa Lynn Hall
Private Investigator, Braden McCoy wants nothing more than to finish out the week doing a little fishing from his boat. The ex-special ops vet enjoys his peaceful life and loves his new career. He’s learned to put his past behind him and enjoy his blessings. Until a mourning redhead walks into his office and changes his plans.
Lexi Ramos always knew her family was dysfunctional. Until the sudden death of her brother, she never knew exactly how much. Consumed with questions surrounding his accident, she seeks the help of a private investigator. What starts out as a murder investigation in Cozumel, quickly crosses borders and escalates into a race against time to save them both from Brazilian kidnappers, who somehow know more about her family secrets than she does. Lexi soon realizes that life comes with a price.
Excerpt
Her worst nightmare had come to life.
Now, the fear of what she would do if it ever happened was over, but the loss of her brother came with a burden she hadn’t foreseen. It left her to deal with her family alone. To carry the legacy. To protect the empire. To convince everyone to believe the lies.
“He was always so careful,” she muttered to herself as she drove.
Snow had started falling as the last “Amen” was said at the cemetery. The heavy white powder made the pale yellow lines on the road fade in and out of sight. Lexi tugged her sweater tighter around her body with one hand and gripped the steering wheel with the other. The funeral had drained her of what little emotional strength she had left. It was crazy, but several times throughout the day she’d found herself picking up her phone to see if Jace had messaged her. He used to text or call every day. Silly stuff sometimes, like never walk the dog with no shoes on. Once he’d texted that he had the hiccups.
“I just can’t believe he’s gone.” Lexi glanced at her friend. She didn’t expect Kristy to say anything. Nothing she could say would make the pain go away.
Jace had been the perfect big brother, Lexi’s best friend. From an early age, they learned that sticking together in a dysfunctional family was their only hope. One thing Lexi knew for certain was that Jace wouldn’t leave her here alone. He would not have put himself in danger for a stupid fishing trip. His chance to break free of their crazy family was finally around the corner. He’d just bought his girlfriend an engagement ring. They had plans to move to New York as soon as the wedding was over. Now he was gone. None of it made any sense. Why was she the only person who could see that something was wrong with ruling the cause of death as accidental?
Lexi brushed at her red hair with a careless hand and caught a glimpse of her swollen, blue eyes in the rearview mirror. She hardly resembled her brother at all—a fact that had always bothered her, but she’d never questioned it the way Jace had. He had always asked where he’d gotten his blonde hair.
“Lexi, why don’t you stay with me tonight?”
The sound of Kristy’s voice startled her. “I’m sorry. I’m really out of it.” She smiled and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “Thank you for everything. You’ve done more than enough for me over the past few days.”
“You know I’m always here.”
“I know.” She swallowed hard. “Kristy…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t stop thinking…I just don’t think this was an accident. It couldn’t be. Jace didn’t even like to fish. He wouldn’t charter a boat to go fishing in Cozumel. He liked nice restaurants, museums, theaters. Not fishing. And then there’s the fact that he didn’t take Selena with him. He always had Selena with him. Why doesn’t anyone else seem to think this is odd?”
“I don’t know. Now that you bring it up, Jace wasn’t much of a risk-taker.”
“Exactly. The strangest thing is that Selena said he told her he would be back in an hour. He only left for one hour. Who charters a fishing boat for only an hour?”
“Did Selena tell you why he didn’t take her?”
“She didn’t say, and I didn’t want to ask her a lot of questions. Not yet.”
Kristy nodded. “I saw her today. She’s really not handling this well.”
“No one is.” She pulled into Kristy’s driveway. It was a relief to be off the snowy roads.
No matter how she looked at this, her brother’s death could not have been an accident. Somehow, she would prove that he didn’t drown on a fishing trip. She would prove Jace was murdered.
***
Going back to work hadn’t been easy. Jace’s empty office was a constant reminder of her loss. Somehow, she’d made it through the first day and knew her brother would be proud of her. Now that she was home, a hot bubble bath and early bedtime sounded like a great ending to a long day.
She stopped at the mailboxes. It had been days since she’d checked her mail. Unlocking the box, she frowned when a manila envelope fell to the concrete. She groaned as she bent to pick it up. All the stress and lack of working out was beginning to take its toll. As her eyes scanned the writing on the front of the envelope, a chill raced down her spine, and her free hand flew to her mouth to stifle the guttural sound working its way out. She stared at her name scribbled in blue ink.
In Jace’s handwriting.
Her keys fell from her hands and jingled against the sidewalk. She fought to steady herself as she studied the postmark. It was dated this Thursday. A day after his funeral.
Lexi scrambled to pick up her keys and unlock the door. She stumbled inside and fell into the nearest chair. Her vision blurry with tears, she studied the handwriting. Touching her name, she traced the L.
“Oh, Jace…” she whispered.
She pulled open the envelope, reached in, and pulled out a flash drive. Was that it? No note? No explanation?
A flash drive? She ran to the bedroom, slid into the black leather office chair at her desk, and flipped open her laptop. She stared at the small piece of plastic as she waited for the computer to boot up. Her hand shook as she plugged it in.
Ten minutes later, she stood staring into the bathroom mirror gripped by nausea. She covered her face with a cold, wet towel. Her worst fears were coming true. And she needed help.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Want to read more? Check Ransom in Rio out at
http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/
About the Author:
As a native Texan, Theresa loves to write suspenseful stories that happen in small Texas towns with old fashioned Southern values. She’s an elementary teacher and mom to two boys—the oldest being in law enforcement, which comes in handy when she’s researching. When she’s not teaching kids or writing, she loves to cook, read a good suspense, and binge-watch episodes of Dateline. She is a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America) and ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). She actively promotes fellow Christian Fiction authors on her blog. She also loves to hear from readers who enjoy Christian Fiction and can be found at http://www.theresalynnhall.com, Facebook, and @theresalynnhall.
Today Wednesday Writers welcomes Jennifer Slattery back to the blog. Just in time for summer fun, Jennifer will be talking about the inspiration for her romance novel Dancing in the Rain. Just reading her post took me back to my own days of summer fun. Welcome, Jennifer.
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and international speaker who’s addressed women’s groups, church groups, Bible studies, and other writers across the nation. She’s the author of six contemporary novels maintains a devotional blog found at 
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy, the Westward Winds series, the Texas Crossroads trilogy, A Stolen Heart, and Christmas Roses. A former director of Information Technology, she has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. Amanda is delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming.
My husband Dave and I were blessed to raise our three children in Newport Beach, California. When our first grandchild, Miss Mookie, was born twelve years ago in Arizona we moved to Scottsdale to be near to her. Since then she has acquired three siblings, a younger sister, and twins, a boy and a girl. We don’t miss Newport at all, except for our wonderful friends and neighbors, and Bible study fellowships. Now, we spend many afternoons picking kids up after school and taking them to gymnastics, doctor appointments and chess tournaments. It’s a different life we thrive on.
Today, I’m welcoming back Donna Schlachter to the blog with The Story Behind the Story of her book A Train Ride to Heartbreak, a novella in the Mail Order Brides Collection—nine historical stories where marriage precedes love. She’s also sharing an excerpt from the book with us. Welcome, Donna!
Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid author who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her own name. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters In Crime; facilitates a local critique group, and teaches writing classes and courses. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is proud to be represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.
It’s week three in the Trying Out for Love promo and giveaway. Each week readers can enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post’s book excerpt for a chance to win one of six books in the 
Pamela Ferguson is the author of sweet romances set in small towns. Specializing in gossips, meddlers, matchmakers, and happily-ever-afters, Pamela loves dreaming up complications that wreak havoc in the lives of her characters. Her determined heroes and resourceful heroines are forever doing battle with narrow-minded mischief makers. Who knew there were so many bumps on the road to love? 
It’s week two in the Trying Out for Love promo and giveaway. Each week readers can enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post’s book excerpt for a chance to win one of six books in the 
Want to read more? Enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win the book. No purchase necessary. Or if you can’t wait, Bidding on the Bouquet is available on 
Catherine Castle is a multi-award-winning author who loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, watching movies, and the theatre. In the winter she quilts and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place is in her garden. She’s a passionate gardener who won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.
To start it off the new series, I’d like to welcome Alice K. Arenz, one of my fellow authors in the Trying Out for Love boxed set, which came about because of a bridezilla story shared on the ACFW loop where we both are members. Bonnie Engstrom shared the outrageous news article with the loop with an offhanded comment about how 10 authors could come up with 10 different stories. The article piqued several authors’ Muses and resulted in an interesting series loosely based on the idea. The bridezilla story, which I’ll be revealing bits about over the next few weeks, sparked six very different stories, which Forget Me Not Romances, a division of Winged Publications, put together as single books and a boxed set. 
Be sure to read to the end of the post for an excerpt of her book 
Though Alice K. Arenz is known for her cozy mysteries and romantic mystery/suspense novels, the Carol Award winning author has branched out with her newest release, The Wedding Barter, a romance that is both serious and funny.
Late February 2017 brought an unseasonably warm period here in the northeast, followed by extreme bitter cold weather. I was disheartened, as the tiny yellow shoots of crocuses which had delightedly (but barely) stuck their heads up during that February warmth were now withered. Plus, the purple ones hadn’t even made it to the bloom phase before frost and snowfalls came. Their little purple heads were cut off before life above ground ever began.
Weeks passed with cold temps and shriveled crocuses. Like Mollie, though, I, too, turned my disappointment around. I decided to trust God. His plans are very different than ours, and infinitely better. No doubt that unseasonable February warm patch would make my crocuses blooms hardier next year, and if my cancer was still at bay I’d see them. Imagine my astonishment when after a week of steady warm temperatures – this happened! Glorious, strong-blooming crocuses returned. I was captivated by the view for several brief weeks until the blossoms faded.
A whole robust border of Ruby Giant purple crocuses. Even though they had been planted at the same time as the Romance yellows, ion the same holes, they showed up in God’s timing for me to get a double blessing…another few weeks of crocus viewing.
Ever since her grandfather co-created Twinkies, Snowballs & Hostess cupcakes for Intercontinental Baking Company, circa 1955, Jenna Victoria has yet to taste a cake she hasn’t liked. Jenna writes for readers who enjoy sweet & compelling romances, and also for those who enjoy her “fiction that feeds your faith” titles – happily-ever-after romance & romantic suspense stories with a Christian world view. Her stories emulate those she prefers reading…ones that feature satisfying fairy-tale-endings. Her clean romances won’t put you into a diabetic coma, and her faith-based romances aren’t preachy or unrealistic. It is her glad purpose to glorify God and His sacrificial love through His Son, Jesus Christ through books that illustrate hope & peace in unbearable situations. Her first triple negative breast cancer diagnosis in 2012 has led to surgeries, radiation, reoccurrences and incurable metastasis. Still, Jenna continues to praise God and trust His oversight in her life; and continues to write more books.
