Interview with Sami A. Abrams & a Giveaway

I hope you enjoy this interview with Sami Abrams about her new Love Inspired Romantic Suspense release, Christmas Rodeo Killer.

For a chance to win a copy, simply leave a comment below by November 4! (US winner’s choice of paperback or ebook; International winner will receive an ebook)

Welcome back to the blog, Sami. Start off by telling us a little about yourself and your family. 

As you’ve probably read in my bio, I grew up as a country girl in Kansas. I moved to California a few weeks after graduating from college and getting married because of Hubby’s job. We have two adult children. Our daughter lives in North Carolina, and our son is in California.

I grew up in Georgia and lived in California for several years. It’s a very different lifestyle, isn’t it? Do you have any pets? Do they find their way into any of your stories? 

We have one cat right now, and no, he doesn’t appear in any of my stories. However, my daughter has a Golden Retriever, Goose, who has quite the personality. Goose is a celebrity wherever he goes. He did make it into a story. In fact, he has his own story—Tracking the Missing.

I’m sure that thrilled your daughter! How and when did you start writing? 

I started writing the summer of 2016 as a bucket list item. You know the kind. Did it. Check the box. Well, God had other ideas, and here we are. LOL!

God seems to have different plans than ours many times, doesn’t He? What genre do you write and what inspired you to write that particular genre? 

I currently write Romantic Suspense. Which I love. I’m a CSI, Criminal Minds, NCIS girl, so the genre just makes sense for me. I’d love to get a little creepier in the future, but writing Love Inspired Suspense keeps me on the lighter side of the creep. Hehe!

I’m a “lighter side of creep” fan. LOL. What is the setting of your current novel? Is it a real location or fictional? Tell us about it. 

Christmas Rodeo Killer is set in Marshall County, Rollins, TX. Yes, it is a fictional place. So far, I’ve never had the main setting in a real location. As for Rollins in Marshall County, it’s just your typical small county town and community. But that’s the nice thing about it. It can be whatever the reader wants it to be.

If you wrote in a different genre than your current one, which would you choose and why? 

Oh, that’s an interesting question. I have very specific tastes and don’t venture beyond those often. So, I’d have to say straight Suspense/Thriller. But if I wrote something outside that general area, I think I’d dabble in a paranormal/shapeshifter/werewolf book. Why? Because I like a challenge, and I think the world needs more clean books written in all genres. Will this happen? Probably not. But it’s fun to let your imagination run wild.

Imagination is a great trait for a writer! If you could only publish one book in your lifetime, which of your novels would you choose? 

That’s an easy one. My very first novel I wrote that is yet to be published. It’s truly the story of my heart. Which is weird to say about a suspense novel. LOL! But it is. Maybe some day you’ll see it out in the world.

I hope your first book gets published one day! How do you tackle research for your novels? 

Well, I’m short-attention-span-theater, so research isn’t fun for me. For any law enforcement questions, I text my LEO consultant. As for weapons, I google the information. But I tend to keep things general when I write so I don’t need oodles of info. Other things like health conditions or phobias, I’ll dig a little deeper into.

I’m not big into research either, which is a big reason I write Contemporary Fiction. What is the premise of Christmas Rodeo Killer? 

I’m going to change this up a bit. This story has a killer who is making deaths seem like accidents or natural causes, bull riders and rodeo bull fighters, and is a second chance romance that has a secret child with a twist. I think what I love most about this story is the secret child with a twist. That took a bit of noodling. Haha!

Sounds intriguing! How many unpublished and unfinished manuscripts do you have? Any plans to pursue publication for any of them? 

Oh my! Let’s see. I have three finished-ish manuscripts that are unpublished. And five in different states of unfinished. And we aren’t even talking about the ones I have ideas for. That number is more than I care to admit.

I see why God had you keep writing! What’s next from you? 

Christmas Rodeo Killer is book one of a contracted four book series that centers around family, ranch, and rodeo. So, watch for the next three books. 

Besides my Love Inspired Suspense, I’m working on a few Indie Novellas. One which I plan to release December 9 (Mine: Originally in Two Dogs anthology Truth). And another that I’m working on that has a military flavor to it. I’m super excited about that one. So pray I can get that one finished in between my contracted LIS.

AND

I’ve included a bonus epilogue for this story that can be found on my website HERE. 

Thanks so much for sharing about your new book on the blog this week, Sami. I wish you the best with your launch and all future endeavors!

Join the conversation. Are you a Romantic Suspense fan? Have you read any of Sami’s books? Do you have a favorite? What questions or comments do you have for Sami?

Be sure to comment below by November 4 for a chance to win a copy of Sami’s new release! (US winner’s choice of paperback or ebook; International winner will receive an ebook)

Please share Sami’s interview on social media to help spread the word about her book!

If you missed Amanda Wen’s spotlight on Echoes of a Silent Song last week, FIND IT HERE.