Interview // Susan Hunter, Author of Dangerous Ground

Dangerous Ground Book Cover Dangerous Ground
Leah Nash Mysteries, Book 6
Susan Hunter
Mystery Thriller & Suspense
Himmel River Press
November 19, 2019
364
Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours

A Murder Among Friends …

Everyone is anxious to connect with actor Ryan Malloy when he returns to town for his 15-year high school reunion. Everyone except crime writer Leah Nash. She doesn’t have many fond memories of Himmel High’s golden boy. But it turns out she’s not the only one who isn’t a fan. Before the weekend is over, Ryan Malloy is murdered.

The hard-headed but soft-hearted Leah is unwillingly drawn into investigating his death by the pleading of Ryan’s terminally ill mother. She soon discovers that Ryan’s self-absorbed journey through life trampled on the dreams of a number of people. His old girlfriend, his best friend, his own brother, a local businessman—there’s no shortage of suspects—or secrets. But the solution eludes Leah, until the past and the present collide in a dangerous confrontation that threatens one life and ends another.


Purchase your own copy today via IndieBound!

Welcome Susan Hunter, author of Dangerous Ground, to our latest #RAPTAuthorInterview.



When was the moment that you knew writing would become part of your life?

In high school Advanced Comp class, when we had to read our “humorous essays” to the class, and what I had written made the other kids laugh out loud. I realized then that I could make people feel things with the words that I wrote.

What inspires you to write?

Deadlines. I’m a great procrastinator, but I can always terrorize myself into starting the next project when I have a due date staring me in the face.

Have you always been drawn to writing within the mystery genre?

No, I tried nonfiction and romantic suspense first, but I found my niche in the mystery genre. This isn’t surprising, I guess because mysteries are what I most enjoy reading.

Could you see yourself writing a book or series outside of the mystery genre? If so, which genre?

Yes, but it would be a one-off, not a series, and most likely would fall into the coming-of-age category.

Have you found that your books take on a similar theme or once you start writing, they take on their own path?

I don’t think too much about theme when I start writing. I always know how the story begins, and how it will end, but the events in the middle—despite my attempts at planning—often take me by surprise.

What was your most satisfying moment while writing your latest Leah Nash installment, Dangerous Ground?

I had a specific ending in mind, but when I came to write it, I found that an idea I’d had to bring the story to conclusion didn’t really make sense in the context of the story I’d written to that point. It took a lot of wailing, gnashing of teeth, and several long conversations with my daughter and my husband for things to gel, and when they finally did, I experienced tremendous satisfaction—and relief!

Did you find Dangerous Ground stayed along your chosen path or developed into a completely different book once completed?

Yes, despite some additions and deletions of characters and plot points, the end result is the story that I set out to tell at the beginning of the writing process.

Of the six books within your Leah Nash Mysteries series, which one is your favorite and why?

My favorite book is always my most recent one, mostly because I like to think that I’m learning and growing as a writer with each new title. That said, I’m quite fond of Dangerous Habits because it got me started and I have a soft spot for Dangerous Places because it surprised me by tying together backstories from the first two books into a resolution that was entirely engineered by the characters, not by me.

If you only had one sentence to capture a new reader for your books, what would it be?

You’ve found my Achille’s heel—writing books descriptions, but I’ll give it a try.

“The books in the Leah Nash series are standalone mysteries, but readers each book reveals more about the hard-headed/soft-hearted Leah and a cast of returning characters, as she delves into the darkest corners of a small town in Wisconsin.”  

What one book do you recommend that every mystery lover read (not including your books)?

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie.

Of course, we have to know, what is in-store next – books, events, etc.? 

It’s a pretty quiet few months, as I work on wrapping up the first draft of Book 7 in the Leah Nash series, as yet untitled. In March I’m visiting a local book club that’s reading the whole series, and  I have an interview about Dangerous Ground with Fran Lewis on Blog Talk Radio March 31st. Oh, and the audiobook version of the second book, Dangerous Mistakes will be ready in late spring. You can keep up with all the happenings in Leah’s world—and mine, by checking out my website at https://susanhunterauthor.com/ I hope you do!



This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Susan Hunter. There will be one (1) winner. The winner will receive an Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on February 17, 2020, and runs through March 21, 2020. Void where prohibited.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Susan Hunter

Susan Hunter is a charter member of Introverts International (which meets the 12th of Never at an undisclosed location). She has worked as a reporter and managing editor, during which time she received a first-place UPI award for investigative reporting and a Michigan Press Association first-place award for enterprise/feature reporting.

Susan has also taught composition at the college level, written advertising copy, newsletters, press releases, speeches, web copy, academic papers, and memos. Lots and lots of memos. She lives in rural Michigan with her husband Gary, who is a man of action, not words.

During certain times of the day, she can be found wandering the mean streets of small-town Himmel, Wisconsin, looking for clues, stopping for a meal at the Elite Cafe, dropping off a story lead at the Himmel Times Weekly, or meeting friends for a drink at McClain’s Bar and Grill.



Click here to view the Dangerous Ground by Susan Hunter Participants.