Suzanne Hartmann is the author of Fast Track Thrillers, with book #1, PERIL, coming out Nov. 18 through OAK 
TARA. She has also written WRITE THIS WAY: TAKE YOUR WRITING TO A NEW LEVEL, a blueprint for writing a novel for the novice and a revising resource for the veteran author. She is wife to a wonderful husband, a homeschool mom, and a consulting editor for PORT YONDER PRESS. She and her family reside in the St. Louis metro-east area. Suzanne operates the WRITE THIS WAY blog as well as the FICTION WITH A TWIST website to offer resources on the craft of writing, as well as a critique service, to help authors improve their writing and take it to a new level.
Backcover copy: A top-secret agent with enhanced strength must use her extraordinary abilities during several high-profile assignments while escorting a Muslim king who converted to Christianity—from the White House to NASCAR tracks—and struggles with trusting God to protect her when unwanted publicity and the attention of a NASCAR champion threatens to expose her secrets. As the danger builds, she becomes a terrorist target and realizes the only way she can save her life as she knows it is through death.
Congratulations on your debut novel, PERIL! Tell us how you found out about your first publishing contract.
I was at one of my daughter’s softball games the first time my agent called to give me the good news. I’m bad about checking caller ID, and didn’t realize he called, so it was the next day before he tried again. When I saw the caller ID display, my stomach started doing flip-flops and my legs went weak. An agent doesn’t just call a client, it’s either really good news, or really bad news, and I hoped it was the good news I’d been waiting for. I could barely speak and my voice probably sounded like a mouse squeaking, but I did manage a small strangled scream and plenty of thank you’s.
What’s your biggest challenge in balancing writing time with your other responsibilities (homeschool mom, Yonder Press Editor, author, wife, cook, housecleaner…..)?
Time. There’s never enough of it. I’ve tried to set schedules, but I have a tendency to become a slave to my schedule, so God usually has to remind me that they aren’t a good idea (often with a 2×4 moment upside the head ‘cause I can be so dense). What He really wants me to do is seek Him each day and follow His lead regarding what He knows really needs to get done. It seems chaotic, but when I truly seek Him, things seem to get done much better than when I try to do it myself.
Your stories are NASCAR related, why?
It all started with my daughter. Shortly before she turned eight, she announced that she had a favorite NASCAR driver. Since I knew almost nothing about stock car racing (because I always fell asleep while my husband watched a race), I decided I’d better pay more attention so I could decide whether this man was someone we could approve of her rooting for. At that time, I was also creating stories to entertain myself while my kids had violin and piano lessons and baseball and soccer practice. Once I knew a little more about NASCAR, I decided the addition of a driver and some tracks as settings would add more excitement to my stories. At the time, I never intended to write a novel, but once God nudged me and I started weaving the stories into a novel, I realized that my hunch was correct and it added an exciting and unique flavor to my book.
Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
My stories usually start with a single idea, then I start asking questions and let my imagination have free reign. The stories that eventually became PERIL began with the question, “What if someone could…” Once I started to write my novel, I asked questions like, “How would this character respond to this?” and “What would make a character behave this way?” As I began to revise the book and learned more about how to write a good story, I reviewed the scenes and asked, “What is the worst thing that could happen in this scene?” Then I would make it happen.
And how do your faith and spiritual life play into the picture and affect your storytelling?
I love stories full of suspense and twists I don’t anticipate, but I’m so tired of authors who add things to their books that are offensive to Christians and sometimes even go so far as to be anti-Christian. I want my stories to be just as compelling, but have a Christian worldview. So you’ll get the action and suspense, even some violence (although not graphic) in my books, but they won’t lift up immoral behavior.
I see a book two, CONSPIRACY. Can you tell us the plans you have for this novel?
Conspiracy will pick up right where PERIL leaves off. Joanne’s boss, the head of the country’s most clandestine intelligence organization is framed for selling secrets to a foreign government. Along with the help of her friend, NASCAR champion Stuart Jackson, she vows to help George set things straight in spite of the personal tragedies engulfing her life. CONSPIRACY is scheduled to come out in the summer of 2012.
The third book in the Fast Track Thriller series is REVENGE, is due out in 2013. In it, the man who framed George is be behind bars, but he wants revenge. He promises to expose her deepest secrets to the entire world and isn’t afraid to threaten her loved ones to accomplish it. When he threatens Stuart’s during a race, will she trade her secrets in order to save him?
Suzanne, thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you for hosting me, Heidi. Before I go, I would like to invite your readers to help me celebrate the release of PERIL by entering a special give-away that will run from 11/18 – 12/16.
To enter, click here: WIN A KINDLE
Thank you so much for hosting me here, Heidi!