Urcelia Teixeira: Suspense, Secrets, a Giveaway & More

I’m happy to host Urcelia Teixeira, a returning author, to my blog. This week she’s introducing us to her new release, Jacob’s Well: A Twisty Christian Mystery. Be sure to comment below by July 11 for a chance to win an ebook of her novel!

Hi, Urcelia! Welcome back to my blog. Please introduce yourself to my readers again.

I am so incredibly blessed with my family! My husband and I have been married for twenty-one years and have three super laid back teenage boys whom we adore. We share our passion for the ocean, travel, and food, wishing daily that we could do more of all three. We currently live in the UK even though our roots are shared between South Africa and Portugal. We hope to return to Portugal very soon.

Sounds like you have a lovely family. Do you have any pets? Do they find their way into any of your stories?

We do! We have a gorgeous cat named Gadget. He’s a Ragdoll breed and we love him to pieces. He made it into my first Jorja Rose novel, Vengeance is Mine.

That’s sweet. Tell us how and when you started writing.

As a child I kept journals, wrote poems and devoured books, but I never once thought of writing a novel. In my opinion, it was an unattainable honor reserved for the literary greats. In South Africa, we weren’t aware eBooks existed until about 2014, and even then, it was a foreign concept.  

A friend introduced me to self-publishing for the first time back in 2017. She’d already published several books and was doing very well. The notion of writing and publishing a book intrigued me, so I naively added it to my bucket list. I dipped my toes in the water with two short stories, both hopelessly terrible, but the writing bug bit and I set about writing my first novel, The Rhapta Key, at night, after work and once the kids were in bed—I was a real estate agent at the time.  

A few weeks after it released in December 2017, I got a message via Facebook from a complete stranger asking when the second book in the series was out. I had no intention of writing another book, let alone a series! But I am a bit of a people pleaser, and when a week later two more readers sent me the same request, I threw my hands in the air and obliged. What I didn’t realize at the time was that it was God’s plan taking place with a brand new and exiting purpose on my life. 

Very cool. I love how God works. What genre do you write and what inspired you to write that genre?

Personally, I love reading books from the Mystery/Suspense genre. I love twists, hold-your-breath suspense, and a little bit of clean action that moves the book at a fast pace. I don’t really enjoy romance, which is why I also don’t add this element to my own books. My books always grip you from the first page, hold twisty mysteries, and keep you hanging until the end. And there is always a message of faith to encourage and inspire my readers.

I love reading suspense, too. Especially stories laced with faith. How do you incorporate Christ and hope into your writing?

Before I decide on a writing project, I seek God in it first. This involves praying for a specific scripture that I then weave into the story. Throughout my writing, I allow the Holy Spirit to direct the plot. The verse I lean on is Zechariah 4:6. The last thing I want is to misrepresent the Word or lead anyone astray, so it is very important to me that I convey the message correctly. I also like to listen to worship songs while I write and sometimes include a list of them in the back of the book.

Wonderful. What is the setting of your novel? Is it a real location or fictional?

Jacob’s Well is book one in a new series. It’s about a sheriff who moves to Weyport, a small coastal town where he soon discovers that everyone has a secret!  Weyport is a fictional town along the Maine / New Hampshire coast.

Is Jacob’s Well inspired by true events or personal history?

In a roundabout way I would say both. One of the main characters, Jacob, is a seventeen-year-old boy so naturally, as a mother of three teenage boys, I could relate. His mother is the second protagonist and it was therefore easy for me to tap into my emotions to know how I would react if one of my sons went missing. I linked these to a local news alert I had seen involving teenagers being used to distribute narcotics and the idea for the novel took shape.

I’m sure bringing your experiences as a mom into the story helped shape your character’s emotions. What is the premise of the book?

Dark secrets swirl around the small coastal town of Weyport as Mary-Jean Foley discovers just how far she would go to protect her son. Even with a new sheriff in town. Even when her husband doesn’t agree. Even when she thinks God isn’t looking.

But how far is too far and at what cost?

What do you hope your readers take away from the story?

I hope it inspires them to lean on God in all circumstances and to trust Him in everything. 

A great takeaway. What is one of your favorite quotes from Jacob’s Well?

“But instead of heeding the silent warning, instead of listening to the small voice that cautioned him to turn away, Jake decided to continue. Because for the first time in his life, Jacob Foley felt what it was like to live on the wilder side of life. And he liked it.” 

What’s next from you?

Book two in the Angus Reid Mysteries is underway. I hope to have this out before the fall.

Thanks so much for sharing about your new book with us, Tercelia. I pray God will continue to bless you as you write stories for His glory.

Join the conversation. Do you read suspense novels? Do you like coastal small-town settings? What do you think about how Urcelia started writing novels? What questions or comments do you have for her?

Be sure to comment below by July 11 for a chance to win an ebook of Jacob’s Well!

Jacob’s Well by Urcelia Teixeira

Click the book cover for the purchase link

As newly appointed small-town Sheriff Angus Reid settles into Weyport, it doesn’t take him long to discover just how corrupt his new town is. With a desk full of suspicious open cases and too much to prove, he is determined to rid his town of crime and win the hearts of his people.

But when two teenagers suddenly go missing, it lays bare sinister secrets and emotional ties that threaten to derail his investigation. And as the case untangles, the secrets buried deep within the coastal borders of the tight-knit community slowly bubble to the surface.

Determined to find justice for the missing boys and their families, he races against the clock to find them. Unbeknownst of the dark forces that rage against him.

Then he gets a call that a body has been found…

Get the not-sold-in-stores prequel free today and join Angus Reid as he solves cases in this suspenseful secrets and lies series of mystery books that include faith and surprise endings sure to please any mystery lover. https://books.urcelia.com/little-boy-lost

Urcelia Teixeira is an award-winning Christian fiction author of hold-your-breath Christian Mystery and Suspense Fiction that won’t let you go!

A committed Christian for over twenty years, she lives by the following mantra: “I used to be just a writer. Now, I’m a writer with a purpose!”

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Urcelia is the author of numerous best selling Christian Mystery and Suspense novels. She writes to first and foremost, bring glory to God. Then, to delight, entertain, and encourage her readers by creating pulse-pounding stories that are infused with biblical truths.

Connect with Urcelia: Website / Newsletter Sign-up / Amazon / BookBub/ Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest

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Check out these interviews with Penny Frost McGinnis, Betty J. Slade, and Lori DeJong.