The Firebirds are back for the August edition of Writer Wednesday. For this month’s prompt, we’re sharing interesting search results.

Sometime back, I was looking for a way to kill someone and have it look like suicide. (Maybe I should explain here that I write suspense.) I decided to have the villain inject drugs into the victim so it would appear that she committed suicide by overdosing. During my search, I found a rather interesting website called Guns, Drugs and Bad Ideas. I ran across a forum where people were sharing their experiences with crushing and shooting up different substances. Based on those posts, I settled on oxycodone as my drug of choice.

Another search that yielded some interesting results was when I asked the question, “How fast do bodies decompose?” The short answer is, “It depends.” A lot of factors come into play, including temperature, weather conditions and whether the body is buried or exposed. For anyone with a strong stomach, there are plenty of pictures to help with writing those descriptions.

Two of the searches I did on my most recent project were how to launder money and how to make a pipe bomb. I haven’t tried either, but I now know how to do both and have incorporated them into my book.

Having so much information at our fingertips is such an advantage in writing stories that ring true. I don’t know how writers did it back in the “old” days.  My husband has his concerns, though. He keeps expecting men in black suits to walk up the sidewalk and haul me in for questioning.

What kind of searches have you done? Anything fun? Anything that could get you in trouble? I’d love to hear about it. Meanwhile, check out what my writer friends have to say at the links below.  (For future Writer Wednesday topics, see the calendar at the bottom of this post.)

Kay Hudson – Jean Willett – Priscilla Kissinger – Wendy LaCapra – Pamela Kopfler

Kat Cantrell – Kristen Ethridge – Natalie Meg Evans – Sharon Wray

Also this month, we’re celebrating Firebird sister Kristen Ethridge’s release of her new book, The Doctor’s Unexpected Family. Here’s the blurb:

Dr. Pete Shipley is on a mission to save lives and he’s ready to move to another corner of the world where his skills are needed. City Councilwoman Angela Ruiz is a single parent fighting to save her hometown after Hurricane Hope tears through Port Provident, leaving destruction across the community she has sworn to serve. Together, they team up to found The Grace Space, a Christian-based community gathering spot in the heart of Angela’s district, where residents can get food, household goods, and basic medical care while Port Provident rebuilds after the storm.When Pete’s appointment to an international medical mission comes, will the doctor follow his lifelong dream and leave Port Provident, The Grace Space, and Angela and her daughter—or will he stay with the family he didn’t expect to love and realize he can change the world without leaving home?Hurricane Hope: One storm changes Port Provident forever…and for good.

Have you ever received a rejection letter where an editor or agent said there are problems with pacing in your story? Pacing problems can be hard to analyze and fix. The whole concept seems much more abstract than, say, characterization or plot.

So what, exactly, is pacing?

Pacing is the rhythm of a novel and the speed at which the events unfold. It’s what propels the story forward and pulls the reader through each new scene. If the pace is too fast, characters seem shallow and the story lacks depth. The reader doesn’t connect on an emotional level, which leaves her feeling unsatisfied. If the pace is too slow, the story drags and the reader becomes bored.

For the rest of this post, go to .

I am on “Seeking with all Yur Heart” today. To read the interview, go to  To check out Lisa’s awesome review of Hidden Identity click here: . (She gave it 5+ out of 5 stars!). And for a chance to win a signed copy of Hidden Identity, click here: .

I was interviewed today by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews.  Follow the link and enter the drawing to win an autographed copy of Hidden Identity.  http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/

We’re back for another edition of Writer Wednesday. This month’s prompt is to tell about a natural disaster we’ve experienced. I’ve lived in Florida most of my life, but up until 2004, I never took hurricane warnings that seriously since I live in the center of the state. After all, Polk County hadn’t had a serious hurricane since Hurricane Donna in 1960.

But in August of 2004, Hurricane Charlie was headed right for us. So we boarded up the windows, stocked up on supplies and hunkered down to wait it out. We can get some hefty wind gusts during some of our thunderstorms, but this was like nothing we had ever experienced. When the eye moved over us, everything was eerily still, so we went outside to check things out. All six of our huge oak trees were still standing, but there were branches down all over the yard. The cedar trees that lined the north side of our property were all leaning toward the house. When the storm had finally moved past us, the wind coming from the other direction had stood them all back up again.

For the next five days, we were without power. Not pleasant in Florida in August. But since we lived in the country and were on a well, we also had no running water. That was harder to do without than the lights and air conditioning. After five days of sponge baths, I was ready to pull my hair out.

Three weeks and two days later, Hurricane Frances arrived, again barreling right through

the center of the state. Less than three weeks after that, Hurricane Jean was chugging upward in the Atlantic, paralleling the coast. We were so relieved it was going to miss us. Then it made a complete circle and also came through Polk County, three weeks to the day after Frances. By that point, I was feeling as if someone had painted a big bullseye over us.

Two days after Charlie, I waited at a stop sign while 10 or 15 power company trucks from somewhere up north drove past, here to offer us assistance. I sat there and cried. For months, everywhere we went, mounds of debris lined both sides of the street and blue tarps covered roofs. Everywhere was chaos. One weekend, I couldn’t deal with it anymore, and was determined to take a day trip to somewhere that was still pretty. But every place that came to mind had been in the path of at least one of the storms.

That summer, I saw a lot of crushed cars and oak trees in people’s living rooms. But my husband and I were blessed. No trees fell on the house, and other than losing shutters and needing new roofs on the house and workshop, we didn’t sustain any real damage.  Thankfully, we haven’t had a season like that since.

What about you? Have you been through any natural disasters? Check out some of my writer friends’ experiences at the links below. Coming from areas all around the country, their tales are quite different from mine. (For future Writer Wednesday topics, see the calendar at the bottom of this post.)

Kay Hudson – Kat Cantrell – Kristen Ethridge –

Jean Willett – Natalie Meg Evans – Priscilla Kissinger – Wendy LaCapra

This month, two of us have new releases. Check out award-winning author Natalie Meg Evans’ newest book.

London,1937. A talented young woman travels to Paris with a stranger. The promise of an exciting career as a milliner beckons, but she is about to fall in love with the enemy…

Londoner Cora Masson has reinvented herself as Coralie de Lirac, fabricating an aristocratic background to launch herself as a fashionable milliner. When the Nazis invade, the influence of a high-ranking lover, Dietrich, saves her business. But while Coralie retains her position as designer to a style-hungry elite, Paris is approaching its darkest hour.

Faced with the cruel reality of war and love, Coralie must make a difficult choice – protect herself or find the courage to fight for her friends, her freedom and everything she believes in.

A breathtakingly beautiful and evocative tale for readers of The Book Thief, One Lavender Ribbon, and Suite Francaise. Available in ebook at Amazon.

Also, the second book my Cedar Key series released this month.

After becoming caught in a web of blackmail and murder, Meagan Berry escapes by faking her death. She finds anonymity on Florida’s Cedar Key until, while out in her boat, she witnesses a small plane go down and rescues a state senator. Her face is plastered on the 6:00 news, and the nightmare begins anew.

Something tells Cedar Key police officer Hunter Kingston that Meagan is not who she claims to be. But the fear in her eyes and the vulnerability beneath that aloof exterior reach out to him. When he learns the truth, he is determined to protect her, whatever the cost. Because at least one person is trying to see to it that the next time Meagan “dies,” it’ll be for real.

Available for purchase at Amazon, eHarlequin and .

I was interviewed today by Embassie at Remain in His Love.  Follow the link and comment on the blog today for a chance to win an autographed copy of Hidden Identity.  

Kimberly Rose Johnson invited me to share a devotional on her blog. To check it out, click .

Iola’s Christian Reads did a review of Hidden Identity:

“I’m always a fan of a good romantic suspense story, and this one ticks all the boxes: intelligent heroine with a secret, handsome and godly cop, and more twists than I usually find in a full-length novel, let alone a shorter Love Inspired Suspense. Even better, I didn’t see the twists coming …”

To read the full review, click here.

I’m back for the third installment of Writer Wednesday. Here is this month’s prompt:

When I was a kid, summer vacations were usually spent camping or visiting family in Ohio or Texas. Texas was fun, because we stayed with my aunt at a resort, where there was tons of stuff to do, and Ohio was fun, because I had literally dozens of cousins to play with.

When I hit 13, I started taking vacations with my best friend Donna and her family. We traveled to several states in her parents’ motorhome and did lots of camping, but they also had a cabin in Ocala National Forest where we would often stay. Donna would bring her mini-bike (larger than a moped, but smaller than a motorcycle), and we would ride all over the dirt roads in the area. Wherever we went, we were usually on the lookout for cute guys to hang out with. In fact, how many cute guys we found determined the success or failure of a vacation.

On one of those trips, we were out on the bike and ran out of gas, and a guy named Eddie stopped to help us. He was really nice, but he didn’t count as one of our “cute guys,” because he was OLD. (He was 25.)  We ended up seeing him several more times, and when we were ready to head home, he wanted to stay in touch, so we gave him Donna’s address.

The next weekend, I was staying at her house, and an envelope from Eddie arrived. Inside were two pieces of paper folded in thirds. On one he had written, “For Donna’s eyes only,” and on the other, “For Carol’s eyes only.” I unfolded mine and read it. He had filled the page confessing his undying love for me in rather flowery prose. He ended with, “Please don’t let Donna read this. I don’t want her to know how I feel about you.” We both finished reading, looked at each other, and did what any other 15-year-old best friends would do–we traded letters. Of course, hers said exactly the same thing as mine, with the same caution at the end. Eddie may have been OLD, but if he really thought we would keep our letters secret, he didn’t know diddly squat about teenage girls!

What fun stuff did you do during summer vacation? To check out what some of my friends posted, click the following links. (For future Writer Wednesday topics, see the calendar below.)

Kay Hudson – Jamie Wesley – KD Fleming – Kat Cantrell – Kathleen Bittner Roth – Kristen Ethridge –

Natalie Meg Evans – Priscilla Kissinger – Sharon Wray – Wendy LaCapra

Conny Withay reviewed Hidden Identity, my July release, on her blog and gave it 4.5 of 5 stars. She said, “With twists and turns, Post engages the reader to realize how important trust is in a relationship.”

To read the full review, click here.