Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Lynn H. Blackburn’s newest book, “Beneath the Surface.” Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Connie Bolick Lee  for winning Jane Kirkpatrick’s book, “All She Left Behind.” Please email my assistant christenkrumm {at} gmail {dot} com to claim your prize. 

Dive into the depths of fear with an exciting new romantic suspense novel, Beneath the Surface. This gripping tale from award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn will capture readers from the first page and won’t let them go until the final, heart-pounding scene.

After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston moves home to Carrington, North Carolina, to leave behind her troubled past. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her into the present.

Homicide investigator Ryan Parker finds fulfillment in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff’s Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer—one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.

Can you tell us about your newest release? Is it part of a series or a stand-alone?

Beneath the Surface introduces us to the Carrington County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team—a team made up of volunteers from all areas of the Sheriff’s office who are trained to perform underwater investigations. Ryan Parker is a homicide investigator who is second-in-command on the dive team. While on a training exercise, he discovers a body at the bottom of the lake. He has no way to know that when he asks to borrow the dock of Leigh Weston—a girl he’s known forever who recently returned to the area—that he’s dragging her straight into the crosshairs of a killer.

Leigh is a nurse practitioner who has returned to Carrington to start over after being stalked by a patient. She’s been struggling to understand how God could have allowed all the horrible things she’s endured in the past few years but she never imagined that the worst was yet to come.

The investigations into the murder of the businessman and the threats against Leigh draw in multiple members of the Dive Team and they work together to uncover the truth—and stop a killer—before it’s too late.

Beneath the Surface is the first book in my new Dive Team Investigations series. The second book releases in the Fall of 2018 and the third book will release Summer 2019. Each book features different members of the dive team and while the same group of characters will appear throughout the series, the storylines wrap up completely and each novel can stand alone.

Is anything or anyone in this book based on real-life experiences?

The idea for the series came from a real-life law enforcement dive team in North Carolina. I saw them give a demonstration of underwater evidence recovery and my brain started swirling with ideas.

Who was your favorite character in this story, and why?

I’m always partial to my main characters, but two secondary characters really stole my heart. Miss Edna (the emergency department secretary) and Mr. Cook (an older gentlemen in the community) had some fun dialogue. Their scenes were some of my favorite to write.

Compared to your other books, was this one easy to complete or challenging? Any idea why?

This was challenging in a new way because of the research required to get the diving/police/medical scenes right.

What was the hardest scene in this book to write? What made it difficult?

I have a scene where a character consumes something that has been laced with a drug. I rewrote that scene several times to get it just right.

What did you (or your editors) edit out of this book?

We really didn’t edit any scenes out of the book, which was kind of a shame. I like having a couple of deleted scenes to share with readers.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing from the point of view of the opposite sex?

I really enjoy writing my heroes. I was a chemical engineer before I had children. Most of my coworkers were men and they were a blast to work with. Now I get a kick out of writing male dialogue, especially when the hero is talking with his coworkers or buddies. I do try to be careful to make sure their responses and internal dialogue are a good match for their personalities—and that they don’t sound like the women.

Purchase a copy of Beneath the Surface
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | CBD | LynnBlackburn.com

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my email updates, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, or Instagram.