{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 235: A Chat about Summer Heat with Lisa Phillips","description":"Twelve authors, twelve novels, one sizzlin' summer! What's not to love? I don't know about you, but usually, when someone says they're turnin' up the heat this summer, I picture someone who needs a nice padded room somewhere. This time, however... I'm all in. Literally. I mean, Lisa Phillips sent an email asking if I wanted to be a part of a twelve-author, three-box set series, and it was a no-brainer for me! With authors like Lisa, Sara Blackard, Liz Bradford, Cara Putman, Kari Trumbo, Jennifer Pierce, Katy Lee, Michelle Aleckson, Lynn Shannon, Rebecca Hemlock, and Emilie Haney, how could the series not be a heap of fun? Listen in to learn what to expect and to find out about fun giveaways coming your way! Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Why Are Avid Suspense Readers Looking Forward to Summer Heat? Because Summer Heat offers a summer full of fast-paced stories that'll keep you fanning the pages of that book to find out what happens next! (read with the AC on maybe...) Many of our authors have set their books in the worlds that their readers are already familiar with. Lisa Phillips has hers in her Bedford County series. Mine is the prequel to The Agency Files, and so forth. So... if you don't know anything about an author or their series\/world... well, you've got an inexpensive way to find out. Not only that, but these books aren't snacks. They're full-length (although shorter) novels that will both leave you satisfied and ready for more at the same time! The Summer Heat Series: Stay with Me Abandoned - Liz Bradford Police officer Zara Grant is new to Hazel Hill, and despite her attempts to keep people at arms-length, she\u2019s connected with the strong and steady, Officer Will Cooper. But how long will he stay around? Everyone else in her life leaves, why not him? Especially when her past creeps up on her in the form of a previous arrestee coming to town and making threats. Can she trust Will to stick around? And how serious are those threats? Will Cooper always dreamed of becoming a detective. Not that he\u2019ll admit that to anyone, especially Zara. Not when he\u2019s content enough being a uniformed officer instead. Why take the risk of failure? But when Zara finds out he\u2019s abandoned his dream, her own fears of abandonment rise up between them. Is this something they can overcome or will fear\u2014and outside threats\u2014destroy what they have? As the threats turn into a break-in at Zara\u2019s house while she\u2019s gone, she\u2019s left to wonder what the invader will do if he comes back? Can she trust Will to help protect her, or will he abandon her to face this alone? Ascending Hope - Sara Blackard Emmy's thirst for adventure takes her to new heights in Ascending Hope, a heart-stopping romantic suspense by Sara Blackard. As a product tester for a top mountaineering equipment company, Emmy's latest test is a perilous climb up a dangerous Alaskan mountain with her enigmatic boss, Bradley. As they face the sizzling heat and treacherous conditions, their attraction ignites, but the mountain has other plans. Will their love survive the deadly journey, or will their pasts come back to haunt them? Find out in this thrilling page-turner that's sure to leave you breathless. Runaway - Jennifer Pierce Ryan McGregor is on the run from a deadly family and hiding out in a small town thanks to extended family he's never met. Bethany Wilkinson always comes second but now she's number one on a hit list. Bethany will have to risk it all on a runaway and her faith in the plan God has for her if she's going to stay alive. And if Ryan can do the same, it might be the one shot he has to finally be free. Rodeo Sabotage - Kari Trumbo Jase Wheaton has one thing on his mind, a perfect 8-second ride\u2014until someone in the crowd sends his bull into a fury. Twice. No one believes his life is in danger except the EMT who saved him. The clock is ticking before his final ride of the season, but will it be the last of his life? Everyone\u2019s a suspect when the threat could come from anyone in the crowd. Even his best friend might be his worst enemy. Through Every Danger Undertow - Lisa Phillips Selena is ready to retire from her career as a social media stunt star. After a disastrous breakup, one last job\u2014on a cruise\u2014will give her the cash to take charge of her future. Peter wants to make full operative at Vanguard Security. After breaking the law in his teens he needs to succeed at the straight and narrow, and that means keeping his personal feelings for Selena under wraps. When a dangerous foreign general and more than one spy prove they have other plans for both Selena and Peter, they have to band together to stay alive. Or they\u2019ll be sucked beneath the undertow. Swept Away - Michelle Aleckson California science teacher and ocean lover, Malani Davis, is only stepping in for another surf instructor. However, she\u2019s not sure this Minnesota deputy, Lukas Berglund, has what it takes to catch waves. Who shows up to the beach in cowboy boots? But when Luke saves her life, she realizes he\u2019s more than capable and accepts his help in her search for her foster sister. Besides, he won\u2019t be sticking around, so maybe she can keep guard over her heart, and they\u2019ll find the missing teen quickly. Instead, it will take the help of their friends and a whole lot of grit to face their worst fears and survive as they\u2019re swept away in a wave of danger. Fractured Memories - Lynn Shannon As a teen, Texas Ranger Felicity Capshaw witnessed a murder. The traumatic incident\u2014and the accompanying amnesia\u2014has affected her entire life. She reopens the cold case, but the investigation is cut short when she\u2019s assaulted and nearly killed. Detective Noah Hodge is no stranger to loss. He\u2019s buried his parents and his wife. All he wants is to raise his daughter and keep his hometown safe. When the killer targets Felicity, Noah commits to protecting her, even though each second in her presence makes him question why he\u2019s locked away his battered heart. As Felicity's memories return, the threats escalate. Can Noah help her uncover the truth? Or will the killer silence her forever? Lethal Inheritance - Rebecca Hemlock K-9 Officer Kelly Blithe is on the job when she discovers her brother Scott has been murdered. With her other brother Chris named as the chief suspect, Kelly is forced to trust a man she barely knows to solve the case. Detective Harry Miller\u2019s life was changed forever when a suspect attack left him scarred. After another murder case lands on his desk, he\u2019ll have to convince Kelly that her living brother really did commit this murder. Neither wants the attraction that quickly overrides their growing friendship. When they discover a massive inheritance is involved, they\u2019ll have to finish the work of a dead man to find out who killed Scott. Come What May Serial Heat - Emilie Haney Former cop turned Private Investigator, Clancy Sullivan, is on the case to find yet another missing girl. After his last investigation ended badly, he\u2019s determined this time will be different. Dispatcher and aspiring forensic artist Willa Martin won\u2019t give up the hope that her friend Anna will be found\u2014alive. All clues point to the fact that she\u2019s run off, leaving Willa and her newfound faith behind, but Willa knows better. Following a lead in the drought-ridden wilderness of Washington State, Clancy stumbles upon a dead body unconnected to his case. Little does he know that when his 911 call connects to Willa, a chain of events is set into motion that will draw them toward one another but also toward a killer. Thrown together in a race against the clock, Clancy and Willa battle through wildfires and misdirection as they chase a killer through the heat of summer. Art of Deception - Cara Putman Eight years ago she ran to safety. Now Charlotte Montgomery\u2019s past has caught up with her. Artist Charlotte Montgomery lost everything eight years ago to protect her son. She\u2019s built a safe life to protect him, and now her past has caught up with her She\u2019ll do anything to bring down her ex. When an Italian crime family reappears in her life determined to make her participate in their money-laundering scheme, she\u2019s determined to end it even if it means pretending she\u2019s a willing participant. When Charlotte's past and present collide, it threatens everything she\u2019s built and it\u2019s a race to survive. Real Justice - Katy Lee Her days of hiding are over. A ransom note left in her apartment tells Christina Depalo that changing her name and hiding in the big city hadn\u2019t been enough to escape her dangerous family. The Morans have kidnapped her roommate, demanding Christina return to Georgia. But that will mean facing the cutthroat attorney Marcus Cartwright, a man she once loved but who only wanted to take down her family. Marcus had started a coalition with his friend to crack down on organized crime in Savannah. But when his friend loses his life in a supposed accident, nothing will stop Marcus from seeking justice, not even the Moran\u2019s prodigal daughter who left town twelve years ago. Nobody will derail him this time. But then Christina never was a nobody. Induction - Chautona Havig Someone wants her dead. Not happening on his watch. When Ramon Simon goes missing, the small town of Fairbury burns with rumors hotter than the sidewalk in July. They\u2019re certain he\u2019s either left his wife, or she killed him (not that they\u2019d blame her). As the weeks pass and the police fail to find answers, things heat up more when Anna Simon disappears, too. If that\u2019s not strange enough, the chief of police orders his officers to leave Anna out of their investigation. As a new recruit into a secret protection service known only as The Agency to the few who know it exists, Keith Auger doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s doing, but he\u2019s determined to do his new job well. But when he finds himself guarding a woman before he\u2019s fully trained, he already begins to doubt the wisdom of this career path. Pressure mounts as Keith tries to stay one step ahead of the men out to kill Anna and another step ahead of Anna who is determined to find answers no one will give her. Keith can\u2019t help but wonder: will his first assignment with The Agency be his last? Where's the best place to find more information about Summer Heat? You can learn more about the series on the Amazon page OR... by checking out any of the authors' social media. We're sharing it like crazy these days! Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple  Castbox  Google Play Libsyn  RSS Spotify Stitcher Amazon and more! ","author_name":"The Because Fiction Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/becausefiction.libsyn.com\/website","html":"