The Pull of Fear by Sharee Stover

Greetings from Nebraska! My name is Sharee Stover. I’m a romantic suspense author, and I am of course, thrilled to be here. So, a huge shout-out to my friend, Stacy Simmons for inviting me to hang out with you. Grab your pumpkin spice latte (or whatever you prefer, there’s no judgment here) and, let’s talk romantic suspense.

It’s Autumn, and I’m awed by the changing leaves—brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows—that create an absolutely gorgeous canvas.

A beautiful time for falling in love.

However, this particular season is also often geared toward horror movies and frightening episodes of familiar television shows. As comical as this might sound, I must admit, though I write suspense, I’m a big chicken.

It’s a joke in my house that I’m not grown up enough to watch horror movies. That’s the bad thing about being a writer…our imaginations NEVER stop. Toss in a horror movie, and I don’t sleep for days.

Because so many horror movies exist, clearly there are some people who enjoy controlled doses of fear.

No matter what season it is, people love romance. It never goes out of season. Yay romance!

And that got me to thinking.

The two are really very similar. No? Don’t believe me? Let’s see if I can work to convince you.

Fear is like falling in love.

There’s an adrenaline rush, sweaty palms, racing heart. Hypersensitivity to sounds, smells, and touch. Increased energy, sleeplessness, accelerated breathing.

There’s an uncertainty of the outcome. Apprehension. Heightened awareness of everyone and everything.

Which am I describing?

That’s exactly my point. Look at those descriptions. Either works for fear or falling in love.

Part of the reason I love writing romantic suspense, it gets all those areas of the brain up and moving. There’s a unique awesomeness in combining two fantastic genres, focusing equally (or close to) on the thrill of falling in love with heart-pounding suspense wrapped up in one fabulous story.

I love love. Yes. I meant to type that. Love is amazing. Healing. Freeing. Beautiful. As Christians, Love is something our Creator implanted in us and used to woo us. He lavishes His love on us.

On the other hand, fear is a powerful thing too. It’s imprisoning. Paralyzing. Debilitating.

Used in the right context, fear can keep us safe. It lets us know when something’s not right. Gives that chill factor. The fight or flight feelings.

Fear and love balanced on the extremes of the emotional continuum are the two largest forces tugging at someone. Swirled together, they’re powerful storytellers with a wonderfully satisfying end.

My first romantic suspense novel, Secret Past, debuted in April. If you haven’t read it, I hope you will. I’m crazy about Katie and Daniel and their story.

It’s your turn. What do you love about romantic suspense books? Are you an equal fan of romance and suspense or do you prefer one over the other? 

She’s not who she thinks she is

With gunmen at her doorstep, Katie Tribani learns her true identity. She’s been in witness protection since childhood, and now her crime-lord father has found her.  As bullets fly, US marshal Daniel Knight whisks her to safety—but not for long. Captured and held prisoner, only Katie can unearth her secret past…if she can survive long enough.

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Past-Love-Inspired-Suspense/dp/1335490337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540046915&sr=8-1&keywords=Sharee+Stover

About Sharee Stover. . .

Colorado native Sharee Stover lives in Nebraska with her real-life-hero husband, three too-good-to-be-true children, and two ridiculously spoiled dogs. A self-proclaimed word nerd, she loves the power of the written word to ignite, transform, and restore. She writes Christian romantic suspense combining heart-racing, nail-biting suspense and the delight of falling in love all in one. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and Nebraska Writer’s Guild. Sharee is a two-time Daphne du Maurier finalist and the winner of the 2017 Wisconsin Fabulous Five Silver Quill Award. When she isn’t writing, Sharee enjoys reading, crocheting and long walks with her obnoxiously lovable German Shepard. Visit her at www.shareestover.com.