I’ll let you in on a little secret…most authors put pieces of themselves into their books. Whether it be in the hero or heroine’s personality traits or the setting for the book, if you look close enough, you can see the author throughout the story. It can be kind of fun searching for the hidden clues hidden.

For instance, In Forgotten Past, the heroine Faith McKenzie, loves coffee. She drinks it all the time. You guessed it, she got that from me. Although I have tried to cut back through the years, I love coffee and can drink it all day long.

The idea for Jase Bradford’s mountain home in Rocky Mountain Pursuit came from a mixture of Silverton and Creede, Colorado. Both are small and rugged mountain towns with breathtaking views of the mountains surrounding them.

On one particular visit to Silverton in October, my husband and I were caught unexpectedly in a snowstorm. The road we were traveling on was covered with snow and very narrow. We were forced to back up, then turn around, and it was very harrowing, much like the scene in Rocky Mountain Pursuit, where Reyna Peterson tries to find Jase. She’s alone at night on a narrow mountain road in a snowstorm. Reyna ends up running off the road. Luckily, Jase saves here. After what we went through, I could definitely feel Reyna’s terror.

A scene in Deadly Memories when we see the small country church where Ella Weiss’s father once pastored was taken from a church my brother pastored when I was just a teenager. It was a small congregation, but the people there were so encouraging. I played the piano and my sister led the singing. Good times.

Framed for Murder hero and heroine, Aaron Foster and Liz Ramirez share a breakfast of bacon and eggs, one of my favorite meals to have at any time of the day.

Grave Peril is my latest release from Love Inspired Suspense. It features heroine Jamie Hendricks’s somewhat eccentric Uncle Paxton. Uncle Paxton is a combination of my spunky Aunt Mabel and my prickly Uncle Bud. Growing up, Aunt Mabel was a force to be reckoned with most times, never settling into the mold of what people thought she should be. I admired her so much and miss her terribly. Uncle Bud, well, he said what was on his mind and had no filter. I took the interesting traits from each of them and made Uncle Paxton.

So, next time you pick up a novel from one of your favorite authors, know that you are getting more than just a great story. You are getting a glimpse into that author’s life. Happy hunting!

About Grave Peril:

Mountain Ambush!

Reunions can be deadly…

Jamie Hendricks always believed her late father was innocent of murder…and now her uncle claims to have proof. But when she arrives in her hometown, her uncle has vanished—and someone wants her dead. Jamie’s ex-boyfriend, CIA agent Gavin Dalton, is the only person she trusts…even if he believes her dad killed his father. But can he help her uncover a deadly conspiracy that goes deeper than anyone expected?

All the best…

Mary Alford

http://www.maryalford.net