Author Interview: Kristen Hogrefe Parnell & Take My Hand

Please join me in welcoming author Kristen Hogrefe Parnell to the blog today to chat about her new novel, Take My Hand!

Kristen Hogrefe Parnell writes suspenseful fiction from a faith perspective for women and young adults. Her own suspense story involved waiting on God into her thirties to meet her husband, and she desires to keep embracing God’s plan for her life when it’s not what she expects. Kristen’s books have won the Selah Award and the Grace Award, among others. An educator at heart, she also teaches English online and enjoys being a podcast guest. Kristen lives in Florida with her husband and baby boy. Visit her online at KristenHogrefeParnell.com.

TAKE MY HAND by Kristen Hogrefe Parell
SERIES: Crossroads Suspense #1
GENRE: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
PUBLISHER: Mountain Brook Ink
RELEASE DATE: December 5, 2022
PAGES: 298

Don’t find us. We’ll find you.

Trauma therapist Kaley Colbert needs a vacation from her job, and a ski trip with her church singles’ group seems like the perfect way to unplug. But while in the mountains, she learns that her last client was murdered hours after their meeting, and she wonders if the notes she’s receiving from a possible stalker hold a more sinister warning.

On the trip, ex-boyfriend and entrepreneur Reef Mitchell wants to give their relationship another chance, but Kaley questions if his past and priorities could ever mesh with her life. When her client’s underworld connections catch up with her, she has no choice but trust Reef to help her stay alive, solve her client’s mystery, and bring the killers to justice.

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Hi Kristen! Welcome to the blog!

Kristen: Ninety-percent of the time, I say summer! My husband and I love surf trips to Florida’s east coast, lobster season in the Keys, and being at the beach. I will say this is the first year I’ve actually wished for winter, though. As a new mom, I’ve groaned at the steamy summer temperatures that are not ideal for stroller walks.

Carrie: I have visited Florida in the summer – it is not for the faint of heart lol

Kristen: Again, this one is a toss-up. I relish a good cup of coffee, but I’ve limited myself to decaf for just under a year since I tried to cut back on caffeine during my pregnancy. I have discovered a love for tea in the meantime, and Chai is my favorite.

Carrie: I’m trying to learn to enjoy tea, as I feel it’s a grown-up thing to do… now that I’m in my mid-40s haha!

Kristen: My husband and I enjoy audiobooks during road trips, and they are my new way to read these days since my baby boy demands most of my time.

Carrie: that’s about the only time i can tolerate an audiobook

Kristen: Definitely Coke. Especially on a hot day, there is just something about an ice-cold Coke that hits the spot.

Carrie: agreed!

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

Kristen: If I could have a superpower, it would be the ability to whisper my baby down for naps when he’s supposed to sleep!

Carrie: awww – i think if you did have that superpower you could market your services for other weary moms 🙂

Q: Tell me some good books you’ve read recently.

Kristen: In nonfiction, I highly recommend Nicole Zasowski’s What If It’s Wonderful. So many of us tend to forecast failure or disappointment, and she shifts that mindset to instead focus on hope and the possibility that something wonderful might be around the corner. As for fiction, I am a huge fan of Morgan L. Busse and just finished Blood Secrets, the second book in her Skyworld duology where characters race for a cure against a zombie-inducing mist. Zombies are not my thing AT ALL, but seriously, anyone who loves fantasy and steampunk needs to read this series.

Carrie: ooo that’s good to know because zombies are not my thing at all either but Morgan Busse is amazing so I’ve been curious about that duology.

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

Kristen: One of my favorite and most productive places to write is actually the car. My husband and I love travel, and I discovered that when I’m in the car and all my usual distractions are eliminated, I can be incredibly productive.

Carrie: that’s really interesting!

Q: What inspired this new romantic suspense series, a slight shift from your previous YA novels? 

Kristen: This is such a great question. Honestly, the answer is life experiences. While I still love writing YA and have some more stories in the works for this audience, I felt a tug to write for women as I personally navigated through single adulthood, dating, and then marriage. I want to reach this audience with authentic storytelling that resonates with their life season—while staying true to my love for suspenseful fiction. Now, I say that I write suspenseful fiction from a faith perspective for both teens and women.

Carrie: excellent answer!

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from Take My Hand?

Kristen: I pray readers will take away from the story what my character Kaley learns herself: that although we can’t control what happens to us, we do get to choose how we respond.

Carrie: amen ♥

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.

Kristen: Next year, the second book in my Crossroads Suspense series will release, and I’m excited for readers to get to know my character Liam more and meet a new unlikely heroine named Jayna.

What about you? What makes you want to read Take My Hand by Kristen Hogrefe Parnell?