#SaturdaySpotlight is on Jodie Bailey & Tracing Killer Evidence

Good Morning and Welcome to the last Saturday Spotlight of August, 2025!

Can you believe we're heading into the last few months of the year already? 

Me either, but let me tell you it's been an amazing ride so far. 😊

When I started putting this week's guest information up, I wondered... 

"I've known Jodie for years! Why hasn't she been here before?! 

"Je ne sais pas," as the French would say. "I don't know," in English, but I'm sure glad she's here now.

Welcome, Jodie! Please tell us a little about yourself...

Thanks, Pam, I often wondered myself why I never got around to visiting your blog. Thank YOU for having me now!

I am a New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly Best-selling author who writes “soul-stirring suspense” filled with love, faith and intrigue. My novel, Crossfire, was an RT Reviewers' Choice Award winner that was commended for addressing "the stigma associated with mental health services and the military." 

Besides (and above) all that, I am -first and foremost- a mom and Army wife who believes dark chocolate cures all ills. I live in North Carolina with my husband and a lab-husky mix. 😊

Love it! Now tell us about your book, Tracing Killer Evidence and why you wrote it...

Tracing Killer Evidence was such a blessing to write, because it was part of a continuity with other Love Inspired authors. It's always fun to work together, to get to know one another's characters, and to work them into my own story. It's a challenge to look back at prior books in the series and forward to the books after mine in order to wave in the right threads and make sure that we don't wind up with inconsistencies or plot holes. (And yay for the editors at LIS, who are rock stars at keeping everything together and making sure it all flows!) 

This book is about forgiveness, which is something I think we all struggle with. I wanted to look at how God calls us to forgive and to show it at work in a very broken relationship. I always learn so much when I'm writing a "God story," and He is definitely still working on me on that one!

Isn't HE always working on all of us on that?! LOL! Can you give us a sneak peek into the book and where we can find it?

Sure... Here is the blurb...

A string of unsolved kidnappings…A K-9 team out for justice…

Forensic artist Isabella Whitmore narrowly escapes an abduction attempt in the Dakota Badlands, only to find herself targeted by a mysterious assailant. With the help of FBI special agent Liam Barringer and his K-9, Guthrie, Isabella must uncover the identity of her would-be murderer. Is the culprit the elusive kidnapper turned serial killer who’s targeting Isabella because she matches his victim profile? Or has her secret past finally caught up with her? As the attacks escalate, Isabella and Liam must find the truth and stop the danger before it’s too late.

And an excerpt...

A dark sedan had slammed on its brakes in front of them. It had no license plate and no bumper stickers or identifying marks. Other than the make and model, there was nothing distinct about it.

The car didn’t move as Liam backed farther away then slammed on the brakes again a safe distance up the highway.

Isabella slammed against the headrest. She swallowed hard and gulped air, begging God for mercy for her swirling stomach and her spinning head. Begging Him for safety from this relentless assault.

After long moments where the only sound in the vehicle was the three of them breathing, the sedan suddenly gunned the engine and roared away with tires spinning. When it had gone about a tenth of a mile, the headlights and taillights vanished.

“He shut them off.” Liam smacked the steering wheel, then eased the SUV to the side of the road.

“You’re not going to follow him?” Her motion sickness forgotten in her ire, Isabella disentangled her hand from Guthrie’s collar as she threw her right hand toward the fleeing vehicle. “He’s going to get away. We can catch him. We can—”

“And do what?” Liam snapped. “I have no backup. Say he slams on the brakes and opens fire. Say he has an accomplice and lures us into a trap before help gets here. As much as I want to put an end to this, I’m not going to charge into the unknown when I have you in the vehicle with me. You’ve been through enough, and we’ve had too many close calls. This guy is escalating, and I don’t like it. Clearly, he’s fixated on you, and this is more dangerous than we thought.”

Everything in her deflated as a chill wrapped around her. Her body, her mind, her heart…they all went numb.

Liam called Cheyenne and repeated their location and everything that had happened.

Ahead of them, in the opposite lane, several emergency vehicles appeared, lights flashing in the distance, racing closer.

She no longer cared. She no longer felt anything. All she wanted to do was sleep.

The same overwhelming emptiness had engulfed her on the night before her planned wedding, when she’d closed the door behind her father and brother and sank against it, sliding to the floor. That night, they’d demanded she convert her “FBI fiance’” into a patsy for their criminal organization. Refusal meant death for Liam. They couldn’t risk her being married to a federal agent if he wasn’t working for them as well. 

So to protect Liam, she’d left him behind. Where she should have been overwhelmed by anger and grief at her family’s vile demand, she’d felt nothing. The gulf that had opened in her heart was too expansive, and it seemed to swallow her whole.

It was the same now.

It had taken years for her to heal the last time, and part of her still felt like it lived in that abyss. The last thing she’d ever wanted was to feel so dead again, but she was overwhelmed and broken.

She’d lost herself, and the idea that this emptiness could be permanent terrified her more than any killer ever could.

You can find Tracing Killer Evidence at Amazon , at Harlequin.com, and of course your local book retailer that carries Love Inspired titles.

Wonderful, Jodie! Thank you for joining us today. We certainly wish you the BEST of luck and God's blessings for continued success with your writing and life in general. 

Hope you enjoyed Jodie's spotlight friends and that you'll come by weekly to find more great authors and their books. Check out her other titles HERE and find out more about her by visiting her Website.

Until next time, take care and keep reading.

PamT

PS: One of Jodie's backlisted titles is a Keuka Roots' Autumn Reads book! 

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Heidi Glick and Gazing into Darkness!

Well, August is winding down quickly. School has started. Football season is underway and Fall is on it's way. You may have seen Heidi Glick's new book featured in our sidebar, but today we're going to get a sneak peek into the book itself and why Heidi wrote it.

Welcome Heidi! Give us the scoop...

Thanks for having me, Pam. Gazing into Darkness is the first book in a three-book romantic suspense series, Queen City Heroes, set in Cincinnati, Ohio. For several years, I worked for a government contractor onsite at the Cincinnati EPA. Later, I learned about EPA CID agents and decided to write a story about them. The book released on August 12, 2025, from Scrivenings Press and will be available on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

Sounds amazing, Heidi! Isn't it wonderful where our ideas come from? Give us more please...

It sure is! Here you go...

Blurb: Instead of moving closer to his girlfriend, Chance McPherson gets dumped and relocated to Cincinnati—farther from his dreams and closer to his shameful past. Stacey Sanderson is excited to finally secure a role in law enforcement, like the rest of her family, especially as an EPA CID agent, where she can protect God’s creation.

On the job, Stacey’s perfectionism and faith rub Chance the wrong way, while his antics and wisecracks irritate Stacey. When federal employees who worked an old case with Stacey start dying, Chance becomes concerned, and not just because Stacey is his partner. Stacey senses a closeness between them but has vowed not to get involved with men in law enforcement and especially not someone who doesn’t share her faith.

The anniversary of the case is creeping closer. Time is running out. Can Chance and Stacey stop the person who is out to kill her before it’s too late?

Excerpt: A bullet zinged through the front office window but didn’t hit anyone.

“We got to hold them off longer.” Stacey was perched halfway out the window. “I can’t leave you behind. I’ll stay.”

“Could be shooters outside. Just get them to safety. Go for help. We need to contact local law enforcement.”

“Chance ...” Her eyes met his. Long, intense glances passed between them. His pulse raced, and not just from the intense situation.

“Go!” He pushed her out the window, then sighed.

* * * 

Oh my, what an hook! Now give us the scoop on Heidi and where we can find Gazing into Darkness 😊

Thanks LOL! Here is my bio and where readers can connect with me...

Heidi Glick writes romantic suspense and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers. She has an eye for detail and includes law enforcement particulars in her stories, grounding the reader in scenes. She’s attended Writers’ Police Academy and the Hancock County (Ohio) Sheriff Citizen’s Academy to ensure accuracy of story details. Though she grew up in Southern California, Heidi now considers rural Northwest Ohio her home. Readers can learn more about Heidi on her Website and connect with her on Facebook, TwitterX and Sluths and Suspects blog.

Gazing into Darkenss can be found at Amazon and directly through the publisher, Scrivenings Press.

Thank You, SO Much, Heidi!

Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new book.

Hope you enjoyed Heidi's visit friends and that you'll stop by each week for Saturday Spotlight and check out our Featured Author, Featured Books in the Sidebar and previously featured Authors, Artist and books on our Archived page.

Until next time take care and give yourself permission to escape into the world of make believe by opening that book you've put off reading, or writing!

Speaking of Writing - A Novel Lunch ™ Beginning Writer's Workshop will kick off again on September 9th! Get the details HERE.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on M. Jean Pike and Superheroes!

Good Morning and Welcome,

It has been a L-O-N-G while since M. Jean Pike visited with us and I'm looking forward to hearing what makes her new book, Superheroes, so special. Will you tell us?

Thanks for having me back Pam!

Superheroes is a story about ordinary people who, empowered by extraordinary love, become capable of things they wouldn’t have thought possible. It is a story about a young man with special needs who dreams of becoming a superhero, about a man whose love for his brother comes at a price he wasn’t prepared to pay, and about the woman whose heart refuses to give up on love, even at the cost of her own dreams. It’s about sacrificial love. Transformational love. Jesus love. The kind of love that steps in when disaster strikes, when faith is pushed to its limit, and courage is the only choice left. It is a story about the kind of love that can turn flawed and broken people into superheroes.  

How Interesting! Give us more Please...

Sure. Here's the Blurb...

At twenty-one, Abby Callahan leaves her parent’s home for a rented motel room in Redford’s Crossing. She has no friends, let alone a boyfriend, so why did she tell her controlling sister she’s bringing a date to a family party? With only one week and no prospects, she needs a miracle.

Rory St. George needs a cashier for the store he manages, and Abby is the perfect choice. When he invites her out, hoping to propose a job offer, she agrees to go---if he will accompany her to a family party. Rory’s plans don’t include a relationship, but he’s drawn to Abby in a way he didn’t anticipate.

A series of misfortunes threaten to end their relationship before it begins. With the odds stacked against them, can their newfound love survive? She’s new in town. He’s from the wrong side of town.

When disaster strikes, can love turn ordinary people into Superheroes?

And an Excerpt...

Rory stuffed his change in his pocket.  A man stepped into line behind him. Two more people came through the door. His window of opportunity was closing fast. He stood aside while Abby sold the man six scratch-off lottery tickets and a case of soda. If he didn’t leave now, he’d be late getting back to work. Go away, Tommy. 

As if on cue there was a crash in the back of the store, followed by a child’s mournful cries. 

“Now what did I say?” a woman bellowed. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch stuff? Look at what you did!” 

Tommy muttered under his breath and went to the back of the store to investigate. Thank you, Lord.

Knowing Tommy would likely be back within minutes, Rory pushed the words out. “Hey, did you hear about the light show at the college next Saturday?” 

“Yeah, I saw a poster about it on campus. It sounds amazing.”  

“So, I ended up with an extra ticket. It’s not the same as an actual meteor shower, but it might be a close second. Think you can get the night off?”

Instead of the smile he’d hoped for, her mouth dipped in a slight frown. “I already requested next Saturday off. But I’m having dinner with my parents at Hannibal House.”

Blooming heck.

He composed his face to hide his disappointment. “Fancy.” 

“It’s their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary,” she explained.

“Ahh.”

“Shoot. I’d love to take you up on the laser show ticket, but I can’t.”

“I get it. No worries.” Now he’d have to think of something else.

“Unless … would you want to go with me? Dinner is at six, and the show isn’t until eight.”

“Oh…”

“Never mind.” She flapped her hands at him. “It would be awkward for you. My whole family will be there.”

Tommy was replacing the mop in the utility closet and Rory was beyond late for work.

“No, it’s cool. We can have dinner with your family first. If you’re sure it’s OK that I tag along.”

“I’m sure,” she said quickly. “Are you sure?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

She bit down on her bottom lip. Then her face changed, as if something monumental had just occurred to her and she grinned at him. “Great.”

He’d tried to be low key about it, frame it as just a couple of friends hanging out together for the evening. He hoped she hadn’t misunderstood. But why else would she have that thunderstruck expression on her face? Why was she looking at him like he was some kind of superhero? Like he was one of the seven wonders of the world? Like some kind of miracle had just occurred. 

What a Beautiful Excerpt! Now give us the low-down on you and tell us where we can find Superheros...

Sure, Pam, here's my "official" bio and links:

Changing seasons. Unexpected blessings. Love that lasts forever. These are a few of M. Jean Pike's favorite things. With a writing career that has spanned two decades, Jean combines an insatiable curiosity about humans and why they do what they do with her faith in God to bring readers unforgettable tales of life, love, and the inner workings of the human heart. Her short works have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul and the Lutheran Digest. Superheroes is her twelfth novel. 

Find out more by visiting her Web/Blogsite.

Superheroes can be found at Amazon, PBG, B&N, GooglePlay, Kobo and Apple books.

Perfect. Twelve novels is an amazing accomplishment! Thank You, SO much for sharing your book with us today. We wish you the best of luck and God's blessing on all of your work.

Hope you'll check out M. Jean's book, Friends, and that you'll come back each week for another edition of Saturday Spotlight.

Be sure to check out the books in our sidebar as well as our Featured Author and Teaser Tuesday pages and be on the lookout for Autum Reads in collaboration with KeukaRoots.com!

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Amber Daulton & Lost in His Spiderwebs ~ Lozano Cartel: Book 2

Good Morning!

Back in April, Amber Daulton introduced us to book 1 of  her Lozano Cartel series. Today she shares with us a peek into book 2, Lost in His Spiderwebs. Thanks for coming by, Amber. Tell us why you wrote Lost in His Spiderwebs or what makes it special...

Thanks for having me back, Pam! 

Lost in His Spiderwebs is the second book in the Lozano Cartel series, which follows Rubén Lozano and Drina Cabrera in a second chance dark romance neither of them expected.

Rubén is not a man to trifle with. He’s a ruthless, secretive cartel kingpin who will spill blood to further his end goals. Drina is a widowed mom who lives her life around her job and raising her daughter. These two people have nothing in common, or so it seems. After Drina’s life turns upside down and she finds herself at the mercy of a violent cartel, fate sends the one man she wants nothing to do with right into her path. Yet, Rubén is the only person who can help her.

Readers will first meet Rubén and Drina as supporting characters in Dark Hearts Aflame, book one in the series. Right away, I knew I wanted to explore and develop Rubén’s character and give him his own book, but I wasn’t sure who his heroine would be. After coming up with and discarding a couple of ideas, inspiration finally struck. Drina! She would be perfect for him. I love the opposites attract trope, so I plotted out the story with Drina as his love interest. But something didn’t feel right. At this point in my brainstorming process, Rubén and Drina were strangers when they meet in Chapter One. I didn’t like that. There wasn’t enough emotion or connection between them to satisfy me, let alone the reader.

What was I to do? I stressed over this for weeks, trying to figure out a way to add some pizzazz. Then it clicked. A second chance romance, another favorite trope. What if Rubén and Drina were lovers years earlier? What if he was the father of her daughter, and he doesn’t know it? Those questions whipped through my mind like lightning; I knew exactly what I had to do.

Once I got the beginning of the book figured out, the rest of it fell quickly into place. I had so many ideas, though some of them were cut for better pacing and word count. The final product is an edgy, angsty, erotic story befitting the dark romance genre, and I’m thrilled to share it with you.

Lost in His Spiderwebs is now on preorder and will be live on October 14, 2025. The next book, Corrupting His Wife, is in the draft stage. The Lozano Cartel series will span several standalone novels, so please subscribe to my newsletter or follow my social media to keep tabs on when these books will be out. Until then, add Lost in His Spiderwebs to your reading list. You won’t be disappointed.

WOW, I love it when a story falls into place like that! Please give us a peek into this upcoming release...

Sure! Lost in His Spiderwebs has a heat rating of 5 but here is the blurb and a PG13 excerpt...

The cartel king has finally found his queen.

Kidnapped by the enemy. Bought by the jefe. Will his smoldering touch thaw her frozen heart?

Rubén Lozano, the new leader of the Lozano Cartel, craves peace amidst a legacy of bloodshed and death. He never expected to find his ex-lover, Drina Cabrera, in the clutches of his vicious rivals. Her haunted eyes compel him to rescue her, but freeing her is another matter.

After five months of captivity, Drina trades one captor for another. Though she succumbs to Rubén’s masterful touch, the bittersweet memory of her daughter and the life she was stolen from is a constant wedge between them.

When Rubén’s darkest secret comes out, he will have to wash his hands in crimson. Will Drina let her king face the danger alone, or stand at his side as his cartel queen?

Excerpt: “Smile,” Rubén told her. “It’s showtime.”

She nodded and lifted her chin, wincing a little in the flashing camera lights.

As three hand-picked paparazzi snapped pictures of him and Drina from all angles, Rubén counted to thirty before he steered Drina past them to the music room.

“Wow,” Drina murmured as they passed the piano for the ballroom.

A massive chandelier gleamed from the lofty ceiling, its decorative crystals reflecting the soft white light and dancing spots across the ivory walls and the chattering, laughing guests. The live band played instrumental music at the far end of the rectangular room, where Esme’s team had set up fancy tables and chairs for the speech and dinner portion of the evening.

“Why do you keep this room locked up? It’s magnificent.”

He shrugged. “It’s a bitch to clean.”

His blunt answer steepled Drina’s eyebrows. “My, what consideration. I’m sure the housekeeping staff appreciates it,” she teased and pulled him onto the dance floor alongside several other couples. “Let’s dance.”

As her arms slid around his shoulders, he rested his hands on her waist. Her body heat and strawberry aroma enveloped him. Groaning, he gripped the thick fabric of her dress so hard that it bunched and the band of his rings bit into his skin. She rested her head against his chest, and her hair teased his nose. They swayed, lost in each other as though they were the only people around. A foolish notion, one he shouldn’t revel in. If he did, he would ravage her on the floor.

“You have a good turnout,” she murmured while he twirled her about. She spun back into his embrace. “Are any of these people your friends?”

“Hardly.” This was his world. Glamour, power, prestige. The public mask he wore to hide his sinister nature. “You’re swimming in dangerous waters. The sooner you realize I can buy and discard all these sharks and guppies with a flick of my wrist, the better off you’ll be.”

“I’m well aware you’re king of the sharks.”

He snorted, holding her closer. “You’re a barracuda. Lithe grace and sharp teeth.”

“Ooh, I like that.” She nipped at his chin. “I’ll never be a guppy.”

Damn right. As the song ended, he guided her off the dance floor. Duty called.

Lost in His Spiderwebs can be found on Bookbub, and preordered through Amazon and Other Online Retailers HERE.

Beautiful, Amber! Now how about giving us the scoop on you.

THANKS, here you go...

Amber Daulton is the author of the Lozano Cartel, the Arresting Onyx, the Embracing You, and the Ramseys in Time series, as well as several standalone novellas. Her books are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Find and Follow Amber on social media via Linktree. Check out her Website: Daulton Publishing and sign up to receive her Newsletter ~ New subscribers get a free eBook!

Wonderful to have you back, Amber!

Good luck and God's blessings on your new release and the entire series.

Hope you enjoyed Amber's post, friends and that you'll come back weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight.

Until next week, take care, God bless and be sure to check out our Featured Author Page and the Featured Book in our Sidebar.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on LoRee Peery & Shelter in the Night ~ Worship through Verse Vol. 1

Good Morning and Welcome,

Today's guest has been a regular since I started this feature and I am SO please to bring her back! Thank you, LoRee for dropping by with your new book today. Tell us about it...

Thanks, Pam. Writing any kind of poetry was never on my creative agenda.

Rather than dealing with the pandemic lockdown in 2020, I dealt with months of shoulder pain. I had a reverse replacement in June of 2020. The surgeon also did repair on a broken acromion (the flat bone connected to the clavicle) that forms the top curve. I found out later the pins were just “floating.:” So that part of the operation hadn’t worked, and I needed surgery again three months later.

I often awoke in the wee hours around three a.m. with my Bible turned to the Psalms. Psalm 91:1 says He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

He definitely proved to be my Shelter in the Night, thus the name for the first of four journals that I filled during those months.

Those months weren’t the first that I’ve called various waiting places over the years. The conclusion I’ve reached is that what touches my life is according to God’s time, and I’m not meant to ask why. For whatever reason, to build character, patience, or perseverance, that waiting period happened in 2020.

Due to the pain that woke me, I spent those wee hours of many sleepless nights reading my Bible and followed God’s Word by pouring out my frustration and praise through what I called LoRee’s modern-day psalms. Lamentations turned to praise, all with adoration for the Lord God who calls me His daughter, and I filled four journals.

The other titles in the series are Looking Beyond Self, Gratitude for All Moments, and Finding Peace and Strength.

Wow, LoRee, isn't it amazing how beauty comes from ashes? Tell us more please...

Yeah, God's purpose and plan never ceases to amaze me! Read on...

Blurb: Do you ever awaken in the middle of the night, beset by thought of the worries of the day? Do you ever awaken with the feeling that God wants you to pray for someone or some thing? Do you pray, flounder in your prayer or immediately fall back to sleep?

Through the verses of Shelter in the Night, volume 1 in the Worship through Verse devotionals, the author pours out sorrows and joys much like the Old Testament psalmists. Whether you need shelter or reassurance, this collection can bring peace, hope, and solace.

Excerpt

Psalm 127:3

Children are a heritage from the LORD,

offspring a reward from him.

The Master Healer

Where is my faith?

I’m shaking inside, Lord

Sick to my stomach

“All” I can do is pray

You’ve blessed me

With fourteen grandchildren

One was injured today

On the football field

You knew beforehand

He belongs to You

Be with my son and his wife

Be their comfort and strength

May we all turn to You

And receive calm and peace

You are the only Source

Of ease and healing

You’ve settled me down

Reach my family with Your Spirit.

Beautiful, LoRee! Tell us more about yourself and how we can find you...

Sure, here is my "official" bio and links to connect with me!

Nebraska author LoRee Peery is a country woman who writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. 

She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. The book of her heart, Touches of Time based on her father’s unsolved homicide, resulted in personal relief. She is who she is by the grace of God, and has expressed that wonder in four volumes of devotional poetry.

LoRee has been blessed to live in the country most of her life and sometimes agrees with.

Connect with her through her Website, or on Facebook. Find all of her books on Amazon or at Pelican Book Group.

You can also find LoRee's previous visits to our blog HERE, friends!

Meanwhile, be sure to check out our Featured Author Page and Featured Books (in the sidebar).

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT