Boy February is moving right along. Today's guest visited once in 2013 and it is SO wonderful to welcome Catherine Dilts back into the spotlight.
Please tell us about your new book, Catherine...
A couple decades ago, I finished reading yet another story where the bad guy was a preacher. It seemed to be a trend for a while. You knew who the killer was practically from the beginning of the book. A Christian religious leader or fanatical layperson would be the culprit committing heinous crimes. I decided to write a novel with a preacher as one of the suspects, but who was innocent. Fast forward to 2024. Due to my cozy writing style, I had the opportunity to write several books in various Annie’s Fiction series. Rapid Fear is the most recent release. Romantic Suspense is a new genre for me. Rapid Fear is a special book because my daughter gave me invaluable assistance in creating the story under a tight deadline.
How Interesting! Give us more please...
Blurb: Amy Brackstone had a recent near-death experience in the wilderness during a geological expedition, but her career choice requires her to explore the canyonlands. She convinces her best friend Valerie to accompany her on a Utah rafting trip, hoping to overcome her fear. Amy can’t figure out why handsome tour guide Jonah Steadman keeps an over-the-top watchful eye on her. When a terrifying series of “accidents” force the tourists to hike through the canyons, Amy and Jonah begin a fight to survive. It’s clear that someone in their group is sabotaging the tour. Amy is certain Jonah is hiding a secret, but if she’s going to make it out of the canyon alive, she has to trust him. She risks her life, and her heart, to save their tour group from a maniac.
Excerpt: Where are the rafts?
This didn’t make any sense. Amy was certain they had not been far from the anchor poles. She should be able to see the bright yellow of the two rafts, or at least their dark, bulky shapes. She strained to see, just able to make out glittering star light reflecting off the rapidly flowing river. The rafts weren’t on the shore.
Amy shook her head in disbelief. This can’t be real. I must be dreaming. Or having a nightmare.
Amy felt a thick plastic rope under her hiking shoes. She reached down and grabbed the rope, which felt taut in her hands. The pressure must mean the rope was still attached to the rafts. Following it hand-over-hand toward the river’s edge, Amy squinted, convinced the rafts had to be there, but seeing only an empty sandbar.
As she focused, she felt the nylon rope tug at her hands and stretch, like a fishing line with a fish caught on the hook. The rope had been dangling behind her as she walked, but it now brushed the backs of her legs. Then she felt it again beneath her feet, getting in her way, almost tripping her. She tried to kick it away with her hiking shoes, but the rope seemed to tangle around her ankles. Then it snapped tight, grabbing hold like a wet, sand-gritty snake. Suddenly, her feet jerked out from under her. Amy slammed abruptly onto her bottom, splatting onto the wet sand.
Amy got to her hands and knees and tried to stand. But her legs felt like they were tied together. How had she tangled herself in the rope? She rolled back to sit on her bottom and tried to undo the rope looped around her ankles, tearing at the coarse fibers with her fingers and kicking her feet. They were tangled so tight, she was completely bound.
As she sat, working at the knots, with a sudden jerk she felt herself being dragged swiftly across the sand. Her heart pounded against her ribs.
Trapped! Sudden awareness nearly overwhelmed her. The rafts were drifting downstream, and Amy was tied to them.
OH My Goodness! Suspense for sure. Where can Rapid Fear be found?
Rapid Fear is part of The Hearts in Peril series and is available from Annie’s Fiction by subscription. Although this is my latest release, I also write the mystery series Rose Creek, set in Northeastern Oklahoma, with The Body in the Cattails and The Body in the Cornfield now available.
Wonderful, Catherine. Now how 'bout a bio and some links where we can find you...
Thank You, So Much, Catherine for sharing your book with us. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings for much success.
Thank You, Friends for supporting Catherine today. Until next week...
Remember, Reading can take you places you may never visit otherwise so grab a book today.
PamT
2 comments:
Sounds exciting!
Thank you, Pamela, for inviting me to appear on your blog!
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