Author Interview: Hannah Linder & Beneath His Silence

Please join me in welcoming Hannah Linder to the blog today to talk about her debut novel, Beneath His Silence!

Hannah Linder resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Books & Such, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels. She is a double 2021 Selah Award winner, a 2022 Selah Award finalist, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Hannah is a Graphic Design Associates Degree graduate who specializes in professional book cover design. She designs for both traditional publishing houses and individual authors, including New York Times, USA Today, and international bestsellers. She is also a local photographer and a self-portrait photographer. When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing her instruments–piano, guitar, and ukulele–songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse.

You can connect with Hannah on her website, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and BookBub.

BENEATH HIS SILENCE by Hannah Linder
GENRE: Inspirational Historical/Regency/Gothic Romance
PUBLISHER: Barbour Fiction
RELEASE DATE: November 1, 2022
PAGES: 320

Will Seeking Justice Lead to Her Own Demise?

A Gothic-Style Regency Romance from a Promising Young Author

Second daughter of a baron—and a little on the mischievous side—Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.

Lord Sedgewick knows there’s blood on his hands. Lies have been conceived, then more lies, but the price of truth would be too great. All he has left now is his son—and his hatred. Yet as the charming governess invades his home, his safe cocoon of bitterness begins to tear away.

Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him—just as her dead sister?

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praise for Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder

“Fast-paced danger and suspense from an exciting newcomer to Regency fiction.”— Julie Klassen, award-winning author of A Castaway in Cornwall

“A strong story of loss and forgiveness, resentment surrendered to faith, and the mercy of God. Readers will enjoy this turbulent mystery with a smile-worthy ending.”— Kristen Heitzmann, Christy Award-winning author of Secrets and The Breath of Dawn

“This book has everything I love…a dark and broody hero, a spunky heroine on a mission, and a deeply delicious creepy manor home. Beneath His Silence is a rather gothic tale set in Regency England, filled with plenty of intrigue, danger, and romance to make for a very satisfying read.”— Michelle Griep, Christy Award-winning author of Lost in Darkness

Hi Hannah! Welcome to the blog!

Hannah: Always summer. I’m in love with the warm night air drifting through my bedroom window, the smell of fresh-cut hay fields in the heat of day, and the sight of barn swallows fluttering in the bright blue sky.

Carrie: Beautifully expressed!!

Hannah: Cats all the way! My Mr. John Effie, the starving kitten I found one day in the woods, is the greatest companion a girl could ask for.

Carrie: awww ♥

Hannah: Mountains are home. 

Carrie: yes!!! for me too

Hannah: Print! I love holding a book in my hands, folding the corners, smelling the pages, and tucking it under my arm in search of a quiet place to read.

Carrie: nothing quite like it 🙂

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

Hannah: Such a hard question! I think my superpower would be my imagination. It takes me anywhere I want to go, allows me to pen novels, and keeps me entertained when I’m stuck in a waiting line or listening to a boring speech.

Carrie: i love that!

Q: When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first?

Hannah: The Christian Fiction section, where I spend just as much time breathing “oohhh” and “aahhh” to the beautiful covers as I do reading the back of the books!

Carrie: Right?!? We would shop well together 🙂

Q: If I asked your characters to describe YOU as an author, what would they say?

Hannah: They’d probably say I’m a maniacal monster who enjoys torturing and battering poor, innocent characters. Just kidding. Likely, they’d admit that even though I push them to their limit, in the end I help them to come out better and stronger with a happily ever after. So to answer your question—it all depends. If you ask a character at the beginning of the book, you’ll likely get a negative response. But at the end? Well, I guess they’d say I was pretty swell.

Carrie: that’s a great answer – with a good spiritual application tucked in there too!

Q: Did you have the whole plot outlined before you started writing Beneath His Silence, or did you let the characters dictate what came next?

Hannah: A little of both! I always start off with a general outline, but this novel surprised me with a new character at the end, who really helped pull things together for an ending I was excited about.

Carrie: oh fun!

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from Beneath His Silence?

Hannah: That unforgiveness will wrap itself around us, like a cold clasp, until it hinders our ability to trust, love, and cherish relationships as we should. The only way to break free of that clasp is to forgive.

Carrie: so very true

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.

Hannah: Up next is When Tomorrow Came, a Regency Romantic Suspense novel releasing with Barbour this coming April.

What about you? What makes you want to read Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder?