Welcome, Dani. Thank you so much for joining us today.

How did you get started writing:

I have always loved daydreaming and making up stories. I dabbled with creative writing growing up, but set it aside. A good number of years back, after the birth of my youngest daughter and a bout with a serious illness, God stirred the desire to write back in my heart and I’ve been writing ever since. I truly love the power of story. How it can transport you to another time, another place. Books have been such a huge part of my life, and I’m so glad I can share that love with fellow book lovers.

What got you into Christian fiction?

My faith plays a great role in my writing, just as my love of adventure permeates the stories I write, so does my faith. My relationship with Jesus is part of every facet of my life; it’s only natural to be part of the stories I tell. There are many novels that have touched my life—helped me to see something in a different light, inspired hope, and made me a better person. I humbly hope that my stories touch my reader’s lives in a similar way.

What have you learned along the way?

Finding balance and focus can be a challenge, you have to give yourself grace.

I have learned that balance is crucial–taking care of my family, watching my grandsons a couple days a week, maintaining close friendships, writing, researching and marketing. It’s definitely hard to juggle it all and my deepest prayer is for guidance on how to best balance everything God has so kindly entrusted me with.

It’s also very easy to become sidetracked or discouraged. Writing can be a solitary endeavor and there are many obstacles along the path to publication, but if God has placed the love of story on your heart then write for Him, you just may be amazed what He does.

How long have you been writing? When was your first book published?

I’ve been writing for fifteen years. I spent seven years writing and learning the craft before receiving my first contract in late fall of 2010. My first novel, Submerged was published in May of  2012. I now have eight full-length books out along with one novella, and I have just finished writing the ninth full-length, Dead Drift, and my second novella, Deadly Isle.

Upcoming new release:

Dead Drift is the fourth and final book in the Chesapeake Valor Series and is now available for pre-order. It releases July 3, 2018.

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?

Bio for Dani Pettrey:

Praised by New York Times best-selling author Dee Henderson as “a name to look for in romantic suspense,” Dani Pettrey has written eight novels, which have sold more than 300,000 copies. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance novel. 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).

Dani’s adventure-focused Alaskan Courage series climbed the CBA best-seller lists, with Submerged staying in the top twenty for five consecutive months. The five-book series also won multiple awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award, two HOLT Medallions, and Christian Retailing’s Best Award, among others. She turns her attention to crime and law enforcement in her home state of Maryland in her new Chesapeake Courage series, starting with Cold Shot, which Library Journal called, “a harrowing and thrilling ride.” For more information about her novels, visit danipettrey.com.

Links:

https://www.danipettrey.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DaniPettrey/

https://twitter.com/DaniPettrey/
Thank you, Dani!