relzreviewz.com Q&A with debut author Dani Pettrey

I introduced you to the lovely Dani Pettrey in a recent Author Alert and now you can learn some more about her in this Q&A. I have it on good authority that her writing is pretty spectacular so be sure to add Submerged to your wishlist!

Please share a little about yourself

Credit: nkzs

I am a wife, homeschooling mom and author. I feel so very blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things I love–the thrill of adventure, nail-biting suspense, the deepening of one’s faith and plenty of romance. I am a huge fan of dark chocolate, am always in search of the best iced mocha, and would love to one day own a little cottage on a remote stretch of beach. I live in Maryland with my husband and our two teenage daughters.

What appeals to you most about writing fiction?

I love the power of story. How it can transport you to another time, another place. Books have been such a huge part of my life. There are many novels that have touched my life—helped me to see something in a different light, inspired hope, and made me a better person. I humbly hope that my stories touch my reader’s lives in a similar way.

How did you celebrate when news of your contract broke?

Cried, shouted for joy, dropped to my knees and thanked God. Then my family and I went out for a nice dinner 🙂

Name five things you can’t live without (no need to take this too seriously!)

Okay, not taking it too seriously I would say: dark chocolate, iced coffee, the beach, books, and movies.

Favourite book ~ Favourite movie ~ Favourite TV show

Favourite book and movie are the same—Pride and Prejudice. Favourite TV show would be Lie to Me.

Where is the most interesting place you have been?

I would say this is a tie between Pompeii and Rome. Both are amazing places so full of history.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A lawyer. I loved to argue (much to my husband’s chagrin).

What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?

I married a cowboy and I attended finishing school as a child.

Submerged releases in May, 2012 ~ what book related activities will you be involved in from now until then?

I am working on Shattered. It is the second book in my Alaskan Courage series. It is the story of two of the secondary characters from Submerged. I continue to work with my amazing publisher on various aspects of Submerged. We just went over book cover ideas and information for their catalogue which is a ton of fun. I’m also in the process of having a wonderful new website designed.

(Said wonderful website, created by the brilliance that is PulsePoint Design , is now live!)

Submerged

What/whom inspired you to write Submerged

Actually, it was a movie I watched called The Cave. It got me thinking about cave divers and what type of person would pursue that as a career. I found the research and the men and women who cave dive to be fascinating, and Cole McKenna was born.

Share a little about your main characters

After his parents died, Cole McKenna, the oldest of the McKenna clan, set aside his dreams to raise his siblings. The family co-owns and runs Last Frontier Adventures in Yancey, Alaska, and Cole is a dive rescue captain with the area’s volunteer dive rescue team. Submerged begins with his team’s search-and-rescue mission to recover a plane that has crashed into the ocean. And that crash ultimately brings the woman who broke his teenage heart back to town.

Bailey Craig is a professor of Russian Studies. Having left Yancey right after high school, she had no plans to ever return. She isn’t proud of her past, and despite giving her life to Jesus she fears everyone in town will continue to view her as that girl. When her aunt dies, Bailey feels she has no choice but to return home and face her past—and the only man she’s ever loved.

Describe Submerged in five adjectives

Romantic, suspenseful, adventurous, heartfelt and action-packed

Your favourite sentence from Submerged

“Pursuing adventure for a living, I get more than my fair share of knocks, but getting a backwards head-butt from a beautiful lady is nothing to complain about.”

What kind of readers do you think will enjoy your story?

I think readers of inspirational, romantic suspense. Fans of Dee Henderson or Lynette Eason.

Here’s the synopsis:

A sabotaged flight.

Two murdered divers.

A single clue—a grainy image of sunken treasure.

Dive Rescue Captain Cole McKenna has never worked a case like this, but who he’s working with may prove more dangerous than the assignment. It’s been a lifetime since Bailey mangled his heart. Now she’s back in town and he needs her expertise to track down the illusive treasure.

Professor of Russian Studies Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey again, but when her beloved aunt dies, she has no choice. Her plan of attack is simple: return for Agnes’s funeral, get the family business ready for a quick sale, and then put Yancey and all the heartbreaking memories wrapped up in it behind her for good.

Cole walking through her door, asking for her help on a murder investigation, wasn’t part of her plan, neither are the feelings he’s resurrecting—feelings best left dead. Agreeing to help for the sake of the victims, she and Cole travel across Alaska’s rugged terrain and deep beneath is coastal waters. As the case escalates, so do their feelings for one another. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to let go of the past and just when Bailey thinks she can’t take it any longer, the case shifts in a new and extremely personal direction, fastening her in for its duration. Racing against the clock and a rising body count, Cole and Bailey work together to find the treasure and uncover the hidden history at the root of it all. But will they be too late?

Dani ~ thanks for sharing! So looking forward to reading Submerged next year 🙂