Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Dani Pettrey & Dead Drift

I’m super excited today because I get to chat with one of my fave people – Dani Pettrey! She’s here to talk about her newest book, Dead Drift, and y’all get to listen in 🙂

Praised by New York Times best-selling author Dee Henderson as “a name to look for in romantic suspense,” Dani Pettrey has sold more than 400,000 copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance. Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today).

Her Alaskan Courage series and Chesapeake Valor series have received praise from readers and critics alike and spent multiple months topping the CBA bestseller lists.

She researches murder and mayhem from her home in Maryland, where she lives with her husband. Their two daughters, a son-in-law, and two adorable grandsons also reside in Maryland. For more information about her novels, visit danipettrey.com

You can also connect with Dani on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Burning debris littering the ground . . . smoke pluming in the acrid air . . . this is just the beginning if he fails.

Seven years ago, operative Luke Gallagher vanished to become part of an elite team set on capturing a deadly terrorist. When Luke returns to face those he left behind, their help becomes his only hope of stopping his target’s latest threat of an attack that would shake America to its core.

Private investigator Kate Maxwell never stopped loving or looking for Luke after he disappeared. But she also never imagined he left her or his life by choice. Now he’s back, and together they must unravel a twisting thread of secrets, lies, and betrayal, all while on the brink of a biological disaster.

Will they and their love survive, or will Luke and Kate become the terrorist’s next mark?

Hi my friend! Welcome to the blog! ♥

Dani: Summer. I love the warmth, spending days outside playing with the grandbabies, and the beach. It’s my absolute favorite spot and we take several family trips there each summer. 

Carrie: I’m not really a beach person (can we still be friends?) but i love the idea of family trips there!

Dani: Definitely dogs. I grew up having dogs and we still do. We have a 170 pound Newfoundland toddler—he’s just turning two and when he stands up, he’s taller than me. 

Carrie: WOW!!!  What a pretty (and BIG) dog!

Dani: I think anyone who knows me can answer this. Most certainly COFFEE. I can’t function without it. If I call my husband at work before I’ve had at least a cup, he tells me to hang up and call back after I’ve caffeinated up as I’m nearly incoherent. I adore coffee—black and strong.

Carrie: hahaha!

Dani: I adore both, but as I’m a beach girl, I have to go with the ocean. It’s our favorite place to visit, even year round. Though, we do go hiking frequently and Maryland is awesome because you get the best of both worlds.

Carrie: I wouldn’t mind the beach if I had mountains nearby 😀

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Dani: To make coffee before I’ve had any. It’s a wonder it ever happens, but day after day I manage. I’d be coffee girl. Oh, wait, maybe I already am 🙂

Carrie: LOL i think you’re definitely already there 😉

Q: Other than the Bible, what are five of your most cherished books?

Dani: Okay, it’s hard to limit it to five and I hope non-fiction is allowed.
Here it goes:

• Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Protector by Dee Henderson (It was the first Christian fiction book I read. It was a gift from a friend and it changed my world. Suddenly God placed a calling on my life and a dream in my heart.)
• A is for Alibis by Sue Grafton
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Carrie: oooo i love this list!!! Dee Henderson will always have a special place in my heart too – Danger in the Shadows was my first Christian fiction mystery/suspense novel ♥

Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?

Dani: Anywhere there is a comfy place to sit, coffee in my hand, and a lot of light. Usually in one of three rooms in my house—the couch in the living room where I can sit Indian-style, my walk-out basement in the recliner, or in my bedroom where I have a favorite reading chair and writing area set up.

Carrie: I noticed that ‘coffee’ tucked in there 😉

Q: Were there any songs that inspired you as you wrote Dead Drift?

Dani: I’m always inspired by music as I write. Not usually while I’m writing as I prefer quiet and get very easily distracted, but I Iisten as I’m daydreaming about the story—seeing it play out like a movie in my head. After each book is published, I share my story playlist on the Books Page of my website.

Carrie: i love all those special features you include for each book!

Q: Dead Drift wraps up the Chesapeake Valor series – one of my very favorite suspense series of all time! (And those covers – SWOON ❤) While there have been different cases to solve in each book, the underlying thread has been their friend Luke’s disappearance. Did you have Luke’s story arc plotted out ahead of time or did it progress along with the series?

Dani: I’m not a plotter. I sit down and write, so it definitely developed as I wrote the series, but really came together in Dead Drift as I still had a lot of questions about Luke when I started the story. That’s the really fun part of writing for me. Seeing the characters come alive and getting to know them throughout the writing process.

Carrie: That’s a fun part of reading the novels too 😀

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from Dead Drift?

Dani: As always, I want readers to experience reading about the beauty of falling in love, cheer for the hero saving the day, and grip the book as the suspense rides out. Also, for this particular story, I really feel that God revealed the theme as I wrote and that is of His redemption and the grace of forgiveness. 

Carrie: Yes!

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Dani: Thanks so much for having me, Carrie. Your blog is one of my all-time favorites. Next up will be my novella collection, The Cost of Betrayal, with Dee Henderson and Lynette Eason. It releases September 4^th. I’m so excited to share my novella within the collection—Deadly Isle. It will be my first stand-alone story and I hope readers enjoy it!

Carrie: I’m so excited for The Cost of Betrayal – and I’m so honored at your compliment. Thank you ♥

CFRR2019

Did you know that Dani Pettrey is one of our featured speakers at the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat in April 2019? Get your tickets today because we’re almost sold out!!

Dani Pettrey is giving away a print copy of Dead Drift to one of my readers! (US only) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What’s your fave Dani Pettrey book?