Interview with Janice Cantore + GIVEAWAY

By Kelly Bridgewater

Today, I have a special guest for you  . . . Janice Cantore. She writes romantic suspense that uses her skills and knowledge from the inside of the police force. I have enjoyed all seven novels, and I can't wait to see what else she creates.

From Amazon

So let's get this started . . .

Welcome, Janice. Thank you for taking the time to join me.

About Janice . . .


Janice Cantore…is a retired Long Beach police officer who now writes suspense novels to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired.  Her twenty-two years of experience on the force lend authenticity to her stories. She has penned seven novels:  the Pacific Coast Justice series, Visible Threat, Critical Pursuit, Drawing Fire, and Burning Proof the second book in the Cold Case Justice series. She also writes a blog about police work. 
  
Where to connect with Janice . . .

Website:  http://www.janicecantore.com/
Blog:   http://www.janicecantore.com/blog/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2998481.Janice_Cantore
Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/JaniceCantore
Twitter:   https://twitter.com/jctreke
Pinterest:   https://www.pinterest.com/jcantore1/

Where to purchase Burning Proof:
Amazon 
Barnes and Nobles
Christanbook

Author Interview . . . Janice Cantore

     1.)   What’s the journey been like for you, from debut author to bestseller?

It’s gone by so fast. It’s been fun, nerve-wracking, exciting and a lot of hard work. I still feel like I have a lot to learn. My goal is always to write better books, to keep improving. I feel so blessed to be with Tyndale and working with the people I work with. It has been a wonderful learning experience, not quite what I expected in some ways. Like the time that things take, for example, I’m working on a new proposal but the third book in my just finished series won’t be out until next fall. Burning Proof is not out yet, but it’s already off my radar because I have to keep writing. Not complaining, just saying that I live in a weird hurry up and wait world.

     

     2.)   You have seven published novels under your belt now. If you could go back in time and visit that unpublished writer working on Accused, what advice would you give her? And what might you do differently with these stories?

I don’t know that I would change much. I went to conferences (met great people along the way) and worked hard to learn the craft (still working, always learning) and as much as I wanted everything to happen sooner, I realize God’s timing is perfect. Maybe the only thing I would change is, well, I sure wish I had learned how to outline!

     3.)   Let’s take a little peek behind the wizard’s curtain, ’cause I know we have some aspiring writers reading this. From concept to submission, how long does it take you to write a novel? What’s your process?

Well, my first book took years to write, and rewrite, and get rejected, and rewritten again. Now, the contracts usually give me six months or so. I just have to start writing. I usually start with a main character, then a crime, and build from there. During the process I will kill a forest because I print out a lot of copies to edit. I have turned in books where I hate the ending, then Erin my editor at Tyndale, will usually say something that makes a light go on and I change the ending to something we both like a lot better. Endings are always the hardest for me. I will map out my stories on poster boards, but it always changes. Right now I’m working on a story where I’ve made up my own town so I have drawn the town on a poster board. I have to make lists of characters and names, but everything changes so I’m flexible. The crimes are in my head but everything has to be plausible and suspenseful. All that to say sometimes I think that my process is a mess but it works for me.

    4.)   How has your reading tastes/habits changed since becoming a published writer?

From Janice

I don’t have as much time to read books outside my genre. I have friends who write historical romance, some supernatural fiction, and I would love to dive into every book they publish, but often I find that I just don’t have the time. 

     5.)   Speaking of stories, some people say that Christian fiction, with its general lack of questionable content (profanity, sex, graphic violence, etc.) is irrelevant or unrealistic compared to life in the 21st Century. What would you say to them? What does Christian fiction mean to you?

I think that they are right in one respect, this world is fallen and questionable content is everywhere so in that way Christian fiction can be unrealistic. But it is not irrelevant and it never will be because the message of the Gospel is never irrelevant. Fiction in general is an escape, at least for me, and Christian fiction provides an escape with hope, and a deeper meaning than stories with gratuitous sex and violence could ever have.

      6.)   I’m an aspiring writer myself, and I know there are many in our audience who are as well. How did you know God was calling to you write? What advice can you give us hopeful-authors?

My first novel idea came about because I had an aunt who was not a believer, but she was a voracious reader. We both liked suspense novels and she would talk about those books, but never about her salvation. I read a book by Randy Alcorn called Deadline and was so inspired by the message in the book and the story itself, that it made me want to write a book with the gospel message, without being preachy, that my aunt would read. Unfortunately, cancer took her before my book was published, but the desire to keep on writing stayed with me. I can’t not write and I know that there are a lot of people out there like my aunt who will never pick up a Bible, but they will read an exciting, suspenseful novel. Someone once asked a group I was in this question: If you knew that only one person would ever read your book, would you keep writing? I had to answer yes because that one person could be like my aunt and need to read the message in my book. If you are called to write, you can’t not write, no matter what the audience. 

     7.)   Now, let’s talk Burning Proof. Was it hard writing this book? What is coming up for these characters/stories?

I usually get my ideas from the newspaper. Characters pop into my head and I do a lot of ‘what if’ games. And every book is easy in some ways and hard in some ways. I really like Luke and Abby and had fun writing them. Some of the other characters in the book were harder, and making sure every loose end is tied up can be a challenge, but I love the process. 

     8.)   What was the most unusual thing you found in your research for this story?

I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary for Burning Proof. 

Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Janice! In closing, how about a Top 10 Speed Round?

Top 10 Speed Round

       1.)    Name 3 of your favorite authors of all time. . .Francine Rivers, Randy Alcorn, Raymond Chandler

       2.)    Name 3 books in your TBR list/pile right now. . .By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer, Earthbound by Larry Richards, Confessions by Saint Augustine

       3.)    Name 1 famous book people might be surprised to learn you’ve never read. . .The Shack

       4.)    One novel you could read for the rest of your life and never get bored is…Too hard to pick one!

       5.)    Print or e-books? either

       6.)    What is the oldest book you own?    The Bible

       7.)    Favorite snack/beverage while reading or writing?   Popcorn

       8.)    Craziest place you’ve ever been caught reading or writing?  Confession, I sometimes get plot ideas in church. (Me too, I always joke with my husband that I should ask Pastor Alfy, our pastor, if I can write in the sanctuary during the week!)

      9.)    You’re having a dinner party. Which 5 fictional characters (none of your own!) would you invite? . . .Thomas Lynley, Phillip Marlowe, Harry Bosch, Kinsey Mulhone, Tess Monaghan

10.) Favorite activity that has absolutely nothing to do with reading or writing or research . . .cross country skiing or kayaking

  This is the same interview that I have posted on Booktalk. 

Come back next Tuesday, March 8th where I will share my thoughts on Burning Proof.
 
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GIVEAWAY

Okay, my reader friends, don't miss your chance to win two, not one, ARCs of Janice Cantore's Cold Case Justice Series, Drawing Fire and Burning Proof (limited to U.S. residents only. Sorry!) Pay attention: You must stop by and leave a comment at Booktalk in order to be entered in this drawing! (While I appreciate your comments, and please do share your thoughts, the only comments that count are the one posted at Booktalk, not here!) The contest runs until Friday, March 4th, 2016 at midnight. Come back to Booktalk on Saturday, March 5th where Booktalk will announce the winner.

Feel free to share this post on Social Media!


  Remember: You must stop by and leave a comment at Booktalk in order to be entered in this drawing!

I was born and raised in Southern California. I always wanted to write but never felt I had anything much to say. In college I majored in biological science, then physical education, and when I found myself a college grad with two degrees and no idea what todo with my life, I applied to be a police officer. The choice was not as random as it sounds. I have always liked helping people, especially people who are victims of unfairness or injustice. Nothing makes my blood boil more than people victimizing or taking advantage of the innocent. Most police work is arriving on scene after a crime or an accident as first responder. That first contact with a victim is an important place to be compassionate and caring while at the same time collecting the most information possible in order to solve the crime/arrest a suspect. And I loved the part where we got to arrest the bad guys!!
Long Beach California is a diverse city and a great place to work. My years there and the people I worked with hold a special place in my heart. After I retired I realized that I had lots to say and lots to write about and that began my writing career. During my time with LBPD I saw good, bad, tragic, and inspiring situations. One lesson that has stayed with me is that bad can happen to anyone. Yet emerging from the bad can also make people stronger and better. We serve a good God who is able to guide us through any tragedy or loss. I hope my stories inspire you as much as they entice you to turn the page and find out what happens next.
- See more at: http://www.janicecantore.com/about/#sthash.MiejffJD.dpuf

I was born and raised in Southern California. I always wanted to write but never felt I had anything much to say. In college I majored in biological science, then physical education, and when I found myself a college grad with two degrees and no idea what todo with my life, I applied to be a police officer. The choice was not as random as it sounds. I have always liked helping people, especially people who are victims of unfairness or injustice. Nothing makes my blood boil more than people victimizing or taking advantage of the innocent. Most police work is arriving on scene after a crime or an accident as first responder. That first contact with a victim is an important place to be compassionate and caring while at the same time collecting the most information possible in order to solve the crime/arrest a suspect. And I loved the part where we got to arrest the bad guys!!
Long Beach California is a diverse city and a great place to work. My years there and the people I worked with hold a special place in my heart. After I retired I realized that I had lots to say and lots to write about and that began my writing career. During my time with LBPD I saw good, bad, tragic, and inspiring situations. One lesson that has stayed with me is that bad can happen to anyone. Yet emerging from the bad can also make people stronger and better. We serve a good God who is able to guide us through any tragedy or loss. I hope my stories inspire you as much as they entice you to turn the page and find out what happens next.
- See more at: http://www.janicecantore.com/about/#sthash.MiejffJD.dpuf

I was born and raised in Southern California. I always wanted to write but never felt I had anything much to say. In college I majored in biological science, then physical education, and when I found myself a college grad with two degrees and no idea what todo with my life, I applied to be a police officer. The choice was not as random as it sounds. I have always liked helping people, especially people who are victims of unfairness or injustice. Nothing makes my blood boil more than people victimizing or taking advantage of the innocent. Most police work is arriving on scene after a crime or an accident as first responder. That first contact with a victim is an important place to be compassionate and caring while at the same time collecting the most information possible in order to solve the crime/arrest a suspect. And I loved the part where we got to arrest the bad guys!!
Long Beach California is a diverse city and a great place to work. My years there and the people I worked with hold a special place in my heart. After I retired I realized that I had lots to say and lots to write about and that began my writing career. During my time with LBPD I saw good, bad, tragic, and inspiring situations. One lesson that has stayed with me is that bad can happen to anyone. Yet emerging from the bad can also make people stronger and better. We serve a good God who is able to guide us through any tragedy or loss. I hope my stories inspire you as much as they entice you to turn the page and find out what happens next.
- See more at: http://www.janicecantore.com/about/#sthash.MiejffJD.dpuf

I was born and raised in Southern California. I always wanted to write but never felt I had anything much to say. In college I majored in biological science, then physical education, and when I found myself a college grad with two degrees and no idea what todo with my life, I applied to be a police officer. The choice was not as random as it sounds. I have always liked helping people, especially people who are victims of unfairness or injustice. Nothing makes my blood boil more than people victimizing or taking advantage of the innocent. Most police work is arriving on scene after a crime or an accident as first responder. That first contact with a victim is an important place to be compassionate and caring while at the same time collecting the most information possible in order to solve the crime/arrest a suspect. And I loved the part where we got to arrest the bad guys!!
Long Beach California is a diverse city and a great place to work. My years there and the people I worked with hold a special place in my heart. After I retired I realized that I had lots to say and lots to write about and that began my writing career. During my time with LBPD I saw good, bad, tragic, and inspiring situations. One lesson that has stayed with me is that bad can happen to anyone. Yet emerging from the bad can also make people stronger and better. We serve a good God who is able to guide us through any tragedy or loss. I hope my stories inspire you as much as they entice you to turn the page and find out what happens next.
- See more at: http://www.janicecantore.com/about/#sthash.MiejffJD.dpuf

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Mike Nappa: Annabel Lee

By Kelly Bridgewater

Description from Amazon:

Fourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden. That secret's name is Annabel Lee Truckson, and even she doesn't know why her mysterious uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He's left her with a few German words, a barely-controlled guard dog, and a single command: "Don't open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me."

Above ground, a former Army sniper called The Mute and an enigmatic "Dr. Smith" know about the girl. As the race begins to find her, the tension builds. Who wants to set her free? Why does the other want to keep her captive forever? Who will reach her first?

Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill need to piece together the clues and stay alive long enough to retrieve the girl--before it's too late.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I really love a great suspense or thriller book that has lots of action and non-stop heart thumping trouble for the characters. I believe every good suspense or thriller book will carry an interesting plot with characters on the run from something bad, whether psychological, physical, or spiritual. I want to be running away with the characters as they run for their life or try to solve the mystery. Mike Nappa’s book Annabel Lee really did not do this for me.

The plot was boring and did not keep my attention at all. I couldn’t wait for the book to be over. The story is told from about four different characters perspectives. At the beginning of the book, I was confused as to what was even going on. Why was Annabel being forced into a room underground? Why was her caretaker dead? Would anyone even find her? Those questions were meant to be answered, but it takes 300 pages for Nappa to even allow me to understand why she was down in the tunnel with this horrible dog. Why couldn’t Nappa show me, maybe through the journal that Annabel finds, the reasoning she was down there?

The characters were not truly developed either. I didn’t care what happened to any of them. They appeared to be stick figures running through the pages of the story. They really had no personality. Trudi and Samuel were divorced because of issues in their marriage, but they weren’t flushed out as characters either. Mute, rightly named, wanted to solve what happened to the girl, but he had a hard time solving the case when he couldn’t talk.

Nappa’s writing is his greatest strength. He knows how to show a story through the right amount of dialogue and prose and have the characters actually speak or think in a way that is appropriate for them. Nappa does a good job at allowing me to completely see the setting in my imagination.

Not really suspenseful enough, Mike Nappa’s Annabel Lee has a lackluster plot, which I wouldn’t even put in the suspense genre and characters with any distinguishing personalities. I wouldn’t recommend fans of suspense pick this book up.

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Purchase Annabel Lee

Sandra Orchard: A Fool and His Monet

By Kelly Bridgewater

Description (From Amazon):

Serena Jones has a passion for recovering lost and stolen art--one that's surpassed only by her zeal to uncover the truth about the art thief who murdered her grandfather. She's joined the FBI Art Crime Team with the secret hope that one of her cases will lead to his killer. Now, despite her mother's pleas to do something safer--like get married--Serena's learning how to go undercover to catch thieves and black market traders.

When a local museum discovers an irreplaceable Monet missing, Jones leaps into action. The clues point in different directions, and her boss orders her to cease investigating her most promising suspect. But determined to solve the case and perhaps discover another clue in her grandfather's murder, she pushes ahead, regardless of the danger.

With spunk, humor, and plenty of heart-stopping moments, Sandra Orchard gives readers an exciting string of cases to crack and a character they'll love to watch solve them.

From Amazon

My Review:

I have read a number of Sandra Orchard’s Love Inspired Suspense and enjoyed them, so when she started to write longer novels for Revell, I itched to read them. She does a good job at creating characters that I enjoyed spending a long time with. Her newest book A Fool and His Monet didn’t really hit the mark for me.

First, there were moments in the story that didn’t make any sense. For instance, Serena was in a situation where she was in a faceoff with Stan, a brother of a suspect, and Matt, a fellow police officer, and they followed her to her apartment. She parked around back. Orchard allowed another man to checking out her house, so he got jumped by Tanner, her teacher. Orchard ended the chapter and moved on without showing me what happened with Stan and Matt who were waiting in the front of her apartment building. I was upset that Orchard didn’t finish that train of thought.

I really didn’t like the plot. Serena spent a lot of time doing things like traveling to the shady part of East St. Louis, but because she believed her FBI badge would stop the bad guys from harming her, Serena went anyways. If this was reality, Serena’s badge would mean nothing to the bad guys, so it was realistic. Yes, being an avid mystery reader, I wanted to know who did it, but the story didn’t move along fast enough. At times, the story dragged, and I wanted to put the novel down.

As for the character of Serena, Orchard made her to irresistible for the male species. For the majority of the book, men were falling over Serena, wanting to date her, but she wanted to find her grandfather’s killer and do her job, so she really didn’t pay much attention to the multitude of men falling at her feet. Orchard should have left the men population to two or three then it would have been more believable for me, but the story is told in Serena’s perspective, so maybe she just thinks every male wants her.

The story idea is original and unpredictable. I didn’t see the ending coming or who the bad guy was. I even found the bad guy totally unbelievable because the bad person didn’t show some of the psychological issues until the end of the novel. Orchard should have shown some hints of the issues to make it more believable for me.

Not one of my favorite mystery books, Sandra Orchard created a lackluster plot with an inflated heroine who believed all men wanted her. While the mystery was different, Orchard lost me in places as her story led me places and then changed to something else. If you enjoy cozy mysteries like Lorena McCourtney and Christy Barritt, then this is a book you might want to try.  

I received a complimentary cop of A Fool and His Monet from Revell Publishing and the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Purchase A Fool and His Monet

Liz Johnson: The Red Door Inn

By Kelly Bridgewater

Description (From Amazon):

Marie Carrington is running from a host of bad memories. Broke and desperate, she's hoping to find safety and sanctuary on Prince Edward Island, where she reluctantly agrees to help decorate a renovated bed-and-breakfast before it opens for prime tourist season.

Seth Sloane didn't move three thousand miles to work on his uncle's B&B so he could babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her. He came to help restore the old Victorian--and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart.

The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just three months will take everything they've got. Can these two wounded souls find hope, healing, and perhaps a bit of romance on this beautiful island?

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I’m not a big fan of contemporary romance novels. There are a few authors that I do read like Melissa Tagg, Susan May Warren, Beth K. Vogt, and Becky Wade, but other than that, I really don’t lean don’t this genre. Too boring. No action. After reading Liz Johnson’s The Red Door Inn, I, personally, will stick with her suspense novels. They are more to my taste. 

The characters, Seth and Marie, both have issues from their past that they have to work through, so they have a hard time trusting someone else, which is typical of a contemporary romance novel. Two characters that disagree from the beginning but learn to grown and put their differences aside. A complete predictable and unoriginal novel. Marie kept having these panic attacks that Johnson kept alluding to, but she never came right out and explained why Marie kept fainting all the time. Seth, however, mentioned that his banking account was wiped out by a past girlfriend, so he has a hard time wanting to jump into trusting another woman.

As for the plot, it dragged.There were a couple chapters of watching Marie, Seth, and Jack, the elder man who owns the Red Door Inn paint a number of rooms in the old Victorian. I really had a hard time staying focused on the story. Even though most fans of contemporary romance might find this story interesting and well written, the plot really didn't do anything for this major fan of suspense novels.

While the plot and characters did nothing for me, Johnson’s writing is great. I really felt like I was there. She showed the setting and never made me doubt once that I was roaming an island out in the Atlantic Ocean. Johnson creates a good balance between the dialogue and prose. I really enjoyed her writing style, even though I knew exactly how the story would end. 

Not to my taste, Liz Johnson’s The Red Door Inn is a typical contemporary romance novel set in St. Edward. Fans of  Melissa Tagg, Becky Wade, Beth K. Vogt and other contemporary romance writers will enjoy this novel and enjoy being taken away on the story where two unlikely people find love in each other after not trusting someone for a long time. 

I received a complimentary copy of The Red Door Inn from Revell Publishing and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Red Door Inn

Terri Blackstock: If I Run

By Kelly Bridgewater

Description (From Amazon):

Casey knows the truth.

But it won’t set her free.

Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.

From Amazon

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of Terri Blackstock’s writing. She always creates suspense or mysteries that relate to something that is happening in the news today. I don’t think she does it on purpose that is just the way the story happens to fall. Blackstock always grabs my attention with her thrilling plotlines, diverse characters, and great writing, and If I Run is no expectation.

If I Run starts out completely in Casey Cox’s perspective for a while, and I kept wondering why I was following this girl as she ran from home after she showed us the blood on her shoes. I knew Blackstock wouldn’t lead me down a certain path unless there was a good reason for it, so I stuck with it. Boy, am I glad that I did.

The action picks up and doesn’t let go. While I flip through the pages, anxious to learn what is going to happen to Casey as she travels from Oklahoma to Atlanta and further south, I didn’t want to put the story down and have to return to it. I wanted to see if Casey would get caught and spill the beans about what actually happen or would she go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit. If I Run is a true suspense since there is no romance between Casey and Dylan. They only meet for about ten minutes near the end of the book, which excited me.

Casey, the ultimate heroine, doesn’t believe the crime forces conclusion about her father’s suicide from twelve years earlier. On the hunt for the truth, she involves her reporter friend Brent, who ends up dead. While on the run, she runs into Lucy who has a granddaughter who has been missing for two years. This haunts Casey. Even though she is on the run, she stops and tries to solve this case because she feels a connection to Lucy, the elderly grandmother she never had. Blackstock includes a duel narrator in Dylan who used to be in the army but investigated army crimes. He is on the hunt for Casey to bring her home to question her on the death of Brent, his childhood friend, but as the story progresses, he starts to wonder if Casey is innocent or a great faker.

The idea for If I Run is completely original and unpredictable because usually in most mystery novels I have read, I have gotten the story from the person who has been kidnapped or Casey would have actually done the deed. But Blackstock switches what I expected and made me watch Casey and Dylan as they tried to piece together the truth. Blackstock even allows Casey to be a smart heroine who knows how to throw the police off her trail. The ending was left as a cliff-hanger, which irritated me, but deep inside, I jumped for joy. I always wanted a mystery or suspense book that didn’t completely give away all its secrets in the first book. Blackstock is begging for me to return to the second book and find out what will happen to Casey.

Always thrilling, Terri Blackstock created a complete original with a cliffhanger ending that had me mad and happy at the same time with her latest novel If I Run. I really can’t wait to see what happens to Casey and Dylan.

I received a complimentary copy of If I Run from Zondervan Publishing and the opinions stated are my own. 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

Purchase If I Run