FATAL BURN - Roxanne Rustand - Free Book

Welcome back, Roxanne. I love your suspense novels. Tell us about your salvation experience.

I was baptized as a baby, and grew up with parents who were very involved in their church. Salvation was always a part of those teachings, and I grew up knowing that it was a gift for all believers. My dad actually started off in the seminary, before the World War II changed his plans, so faith was always a part of my life. It became far deeper, on a more personal level, as adult after my husband and I lost a baby. Through that tragedy my husband and I grew closer, and we also grew much closer to our faith.

How did you and your spouse meet?

In college, at a fraternity dance. Thirty-three years later, my family still gets a kick out of that story, because I'm so quiet and I don't drink at all--never have. It sounds like such an unlikely place for me to be! But if we both hadn’t been there at that moment, we probably wouldn't have ever met.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

Lyn Cote, Cindy Gerard and Kylie Brant--because they are all wonderful brainstormers. I've been on plotting weekends with all three (not all at the same time) and the exchange of thoughts and ideas is always wonderful. For the fourth--Susan Elizabeth Phillips, because I just love her books. I've tried to analyze how she can pen such page turners without guns, bombs and bad guys, and I still can't define the magic within her books.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

Honestly, I have had so many that it's hard to choose.

People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?

People often come up and say they want to write a book, but they haven't taken a single step. I just encourage them to read voraciously and start writing regularly, even if they only have an hour a day. Invariably, they say "Oh, but I'm too busy," but if you have the desire, you'll find the time somehow.

If a person is already writing, and shows true interest, I love to steer them toward the organizations, online sites and books that can help them achieve their goals. For anyone longing to be published in inspirational fiction, ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) is an absolutely fantastic organization, and its annual conferences are amazing!

I'll agree with you on that. Tell us about the featured book?

FATAL BURN is the second book in my Big Sky Secrets series, which involves three childhood friends who experienced a terrible tragedy in childhood. Those emotional wounds affected them all in different ways. Kris, the heroine in this story, led a troubled life early on, but a newly awakened faith turned her life around. When she inherits property in Rockies, it's a chance to move away for a fresh start. After she wins a county contract, she establishes a private animal shelter there. It doesn't take long for trouble to start. Someone is after her, and they don’t just want her hurt--they want her ruined. An arsonist tries to destroy her cabin, leaving evidence suggesting she was the culprit in an insurance fraud scheme. Then a deputy is found injured at her place--and ballistics show that he was shot with her rifle. Even Trace Randall, the arson investigator who's helped her before, seems to doubt her now. She has to prove her innocence, but how? Her reputation, her life--and her chance for happiness with Trace--are all on the line.

The next book in the series will be out in June, and there will be two more books out later.

We need to feature them, too. Please give us the first page of the book.

CHAPTER 1

Kris Donaldson gripped the unfamiliar set of keys and stared down the snowy, weed-choked lane leading to Wind Hill Ranch. It held at least a foot of snow, though far less than the heavy snow pack out in the open areas.

Dusk had crawled over the rugged Montana landscape during the long drive from Battle Creek, but she'd been caught up in her disturbing memories and hadn't noticed the fading light.

And now, with heavier snow falling and narrow, twisting mountain roads behind her, it was too late to turn back.

She shuddered as she stared over the massive fallen tree blocking access to the property, its roots rising like a tangle of snakes toward the sky.

The surrounding pine forest pressed in from all sides, looming fiercely overhead. From somewhere in the gloom came the ghostly hoot of an owl, then the terrified cry of some small, unlucky creature.

Supposedly there was a house a half-mile ahead, but no welcoming security lights glimmered through the pine branches. And though the lawyer had promised to make sure the electricity had been restored, she now had her doubts.

I should have stayed in Battle Creek tonight, she muttered under her breath as she tramped through the snow to circle the tangled roots of the tree.

Here, the underbrush was less dense than at the other end. Maybe...

Climbing back in her SUV, she slowly drove over the brush, scraping between two saplings, then angled past a jagged boulder. Despite its four-wheel drive, the tires spun on the sharp incline. But then the tires grabbed and the vehicle shot up onto the lane, fish-tailing wildly for several heart-stopping seconds.

Wow! Don't stop there. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I would love to have visitors stop at my "All Creatures Great & Small Blog"...where authors and readers can share stories about their pets. I've also been running a series of articles on "The Old Horse Trader" there, and welcome anyone who would love to share some of their experiences with pets of all shapes and sizes! My website is: http://www.roxannerustand.com/  and I'm also at www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand .

Roxanne, thank you for taking the time to let us get to know you better.

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