Author Interview (Plus a Giveaway!): Lynette Eason **CLOSED**

After my interview with Melanie Dickerson where I admittedly drooled all over both of us, my husband politely informed me that I am allowed one flailing/gushing/drooling interview. That was his kind and gracious way of telling me that I had met my quota. Perhaps I should have begged him for one more allotment because today I have the opportunity to chat with Lynette Eason – probably my very favorite author of romantic suspense (across all authors in both Christian and mainstream markets). In fact, two of her series – Deadly Reunions and her current Hidden Identity series – are my favorites of her books overall and are listed in my pinterest board “Books I Recommend“.

Without any further ado…

Me: Welcome to my humble blog, Lynette! We start all our beloved authors out on the same “fast four” questions.

Me: Apples or Oranges? Why?

Lynette: Both…mixed together in a big bowl along with strawberries and bananas and pineapple!

Me: Mmmm… a fruit salad does sound good! Minus the oranges of course.

Me: Skittles or M&Ms? Why?

Lynette: M&Ms. Chocolate. Need I say more?

Me: Again, no love for the Skittles. I think I am in a distinct minority here. Dogs or Cats? Why?

Lynette: Dogs. I just like them.

Me: Zuzu is very happy to hear this! (She still hasn’t quite forgiven Melanie Dickerson for the guinea pig answer.) You may proceed to the final “fast four” question.

Me: Coke or Pepsi? Why?

Lynette: Coke. Because Pepsi is gross. 

Me: Amen and amen. One more fun little question before we get semi-serious (as serious as I ever am around here anyway). Being the mystery/suspense writer that you are – Perry Mason or Matlock?

Lynette: Perry Mason.

Me: Ditto! The old Perry Mason, the new Perry Mason, any of the Perry Masons as long as it’s Raymond Burr! Although I guess all the Perry Mason shows are ‘old’ now… because apparently so am I. Haha. *Ahem* Anyway… You have a Master’s Degree in Education in addition to being an award-winning author.  From experience, I know that teaching is no easy task! What do you teach? Do you ever find it difficult to juggle two different careers?

Lynette: I no longer teach – unless you count homeschooling part time. 🙂 I am a full time writer, mom, wife and babysitter to my brother’s kids. BUT, I have been in the position where I worked full time, wrote full time and then eventually burned out. I taught at the SC School for the Deaf and Blind mostly. And while my heart and passion are the deaf, I eventually chose to save my sanity and quit teaching so I could write full time.

Me: Sanity is important – or so I’ve heard 🙂 And while we’re on that subject… your books always have such fantastic plots that keep me on the edge of my seat and often result in the loss of my sanity! You are responsible for quite a few of my chewed-up fingernails too 🙂 How do you come up with fresh plot ideas for each book?

Lynette: I have to admit, it’s getting harder. 🙂 But I watch quite a bit of Lifetime television and the movie channel and can get an idea from there then put a fresh twist on it to make it my own.

Me: Out of all the books and series (serieses? series’? seriesi? Did we ever establish what the plural was for ‘series’?) you have done, which one has been your personal favorite?

Lynette: Probably Don’t Look Back because it was the easiest one to write for some reason. 

Me: I’ve already mentioned this but mine was the Deadly Reunions series. Yep. The whole series, all three books.  You know, just in case anyone cares which ones were my favorites 😉

Me: Have you ever had a character get completely away from you while you are writing them? Did you change the direction of your book accordingly or did you tweak them back into submission?

Lynette: I’ve never had a character get completely away from me, but I have one show up dead in the bathtub. Now that was just plain freaky. And I wasn’t planning on killing her off, but it had to happen. And it worked for the story. I was sad for days.

Me: I’d say that qualifies as getting away from you at least a little bit lol! You have two books which released on May 5th – No Place to Hide (the 3rd book in the Hidden Identity series, an already-mentioned personal favorite of mine!) & Trail of Evidence (part of the Capitol K-9 Unit series for the Love Inspired Suspense line).  If you can ignore me excitedly bouncing here next to you, tell us about these books!

Lynette: No Place To Hide was a fun book to write. I did a LOT of research. It’s about a woman who works for Operation Refuge, an agency set up in book 1 of the series (No One To Trust). Jackie Sellers sees her childhood friend, Ian Lockwood’s picture on the news. He’s accused of being a terrorist. She knows without a doubt that he’s innocent and sets out to help him prove it. Unfortunately, they can’t go to the police and they’re on the run from the bad guys who want them both dead. They have no place to hide and very few people to turn to for help. When they discover the plot and who’s behind it, it’s a race against time to save the citizens of New York from a terrorist attack—and to clear their names so they can have a life and a future together.

(Real quick interruption here by me – I am currently reading No Place to Hide and it is wonderful! Review forthcoming, but I can go ahead and tell you that you will really enjoy this book! Ok… sorry… go ahead and tell us about Trail of Evidence lol)

Lynette: Trail of Evidence is the third book in the Capitol K-9 Series set in Washington DC. From the back cover:

SAVING HIS SON 

Why is a dead woman’s phone—evidence in a murder investigation—in Jonas Parker’s son’s bedroom? Dangerous thugs are after that phone and his terrified teenager, so the single father turns to Capitol K-9 Unit officer Brooke Clark. Years ago, Brooke broke Jonas’s heart without explanation. But he has to trust her and her highly-trained golden retriever to keep his son safe. When the boy goes missing, Jonas and Brooke must make peace with their past to find the teen—before increasingly desperate criminals get to him first. 

Capitol K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners.

Me: Can’t wait to read both of these books!! Thank you SO MUCH for stopping by my blog today, Lynette. It has been an unbelievable honor for me to get the chance to interview you. For my last question, I want to know- what is the most important thing you want your readers to take away from each of your books?

Lynette: I want my readers to finish the book and go, “Wow.” My first priority is to tell a rockin’ good story that keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. I want them to miss the characters and wish the story wasn’t over. I think writing’s biggest gift to me has been an outlet for my creativity, an escape when I’m lonely or sad or frustrated or or or…lol. Writing gives me so much. Although I will say, it hasn’t done much for my waist line. Writing anywhere from 8-16 hours a day and neglecting to eat right and exercise is not a good thing. I’m working on that, though. :-/ And I want my readers to see Jesus in the story. To see real people struggling with real life issues and come to the conclusion that trusting Jesus is the only solution to their problems.

Thank you for having me, Carrie.
God bless!

GIVEAWAY!!! Lynette Eason has graciously offered to give away TWO copies of No Place to Hide and TWO copies of Trail of Evidence!! For those of you playing along at home, that’s FOUR readers who have a chance to win!! (Open to worldwide entries, but winners outside of the US will receive an ebook. Winners within the US will receive a book in the mail.) To enter, simply leave a comment on this post about the interview or Lynette’s books. For extra entries, follow my blog (readingismysuperpower) and/or share this giveaway on social media (facebook/twitter/Pinterest/etc). **Make sure you let me know in another comment what you did to qualify for extra entries!** (You can follow my blog by entering your email address in the box in the top left of this page or by clicking “follow” with your wordpress or twitter accounts.) Winner will be chosen by Random.org on Sunday May 24th after 10pm EST and notified by email. If I don’t hear from you within a week, a new winner will be chosen. Good luck and thanks for reading!!

About Lynette Eason: Lynette Eason is the best selling, award winning author of the Women of Justice Series, the Deadly Reunions series and the Hidden Identity Series. She writes for Revell and Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line. Her books have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists. She has won several awards including the 2013 Carol Award for WHEN A HEART STOPS in the Romantic Suspense category. Lynette teaches at writing conferences all over the country. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Lynette can be found online at www.lynetteeason.com and www.facebook.com/lynette.eason and @lynetteeason on Twitter.