GRAFTED INTO DECEIT - Sherri Wilson Johnson - One Free Book

Welcome back, Sherri. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

My sixth Inspirational Romance novel, Grafted into Deceit, came out just a few months ago. I’m super excited about how God moved in that process from the beginning of the story idea all the way through to the publication of it. I’m working on the sequel now, and I’ve also been asked to be a part of an upcoming novella collection. I feel so blessed!

That is exciting. Tell us a little about your family.

My husband, Dan, and I live northwest of Atlanta. We will celebrate our 30th anniversary next summer and hope to take a two-week road trip. We have two grown children, one of them is married. We are Mama and Daddy to a spoiled rotten Chihuahua named Posey. Life isn’t always easy, but we always feel blessed.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Yes, I usually read in the genre that I’m currently writing. It helps me to “get into” my story better.

What are you working on right now?

The sequel to Grafted into Deceit. I haven’t titled it yet, but it starts off with gunfire at a wedding. 

What outside interests do you have?

I love to swim. I also enjoy hanging out with friends and taking vacations to the beach.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I don’t choose them. They choose me.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

I’d love to spend time with some of my ancestors. I’m fascinated with genealogy and would just love to hear the stories of how my family came to America.

I’m a second generation American on my father’s side. A cousin did an extensive generational search. I used some of the stories in the novels in my Brides of Minnesota collection. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

How long the process to publication is. And I wish I’d been warned about rejection—that it is inevitable.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Endurance. Running the race and staying in it until the end (no matter how it ends) is vital.

Some people think it’s about the goal, but it’s really about the process. What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

Commit your writing to the Lord.

Practice, practice, practice.

Hold your projects with open hands.

I really like that last one. Tell us about the featured book.

Grafted Into Deceit:

Answers are hard to find when there's no one to trust.

Disappearing business funds and a missing dead body have Marina Acres doubting everyone—including the detective who can't solve his case without her help.

When Marina Acres launches an investigation to find her company's missing money, she becomes a killer's target and uncovers a tangled vine of deception in the process. Detective Steven Pennington, who suspects drugs are at the root of the problem, must keep Marina safe from the killer while keeping himself from falling for yet another victim. Marina refuses to believe that her business partner could be part of a drug trafficking ring, but when evidence points its finger at her, she must join the fight with Steven to weed out the killer.

Here’s a link to Grafted Into Deceit: http://amzn.to/2AllFwt

Please give us the first page of the book.

Marina Acres opened her eyes to utter darkness, except for the sliver of mid-November moonlight that crept its way between the almost-bare branches of overhanging trees. Her ‘85 BMW lay on the driver’s side in an overgrown ditch smashed against a telephone pole. If her seatbelt hadn’t restrained her, she’d probably have gone through the shattered windshield when her car wrecked on her way back to the office.

Lifting a trembling hand to her aching forehead, she tried to recall what had happened. Then a warm droplet of something landed on Marina’s temple, trailed its way down her right cheek, and trickled into her mouth. The question of what had happened no longer seemed important. Blood poured from her head, and she needed help. She spat and wiped the metallic substance off her tongue with a shiver.

“Help! Can anybody hear me?”

The engine hissed echoing her cry for help.

Marina held her breath and resisted the pungent smoke billowing from beneath the hood and the gasoline fumes which leaked into the car. Another shiver coursed its way through her as blistering pain penetrated her right leg all the way to the bone. The coffee she’d brought with her from the restaurant in Lewistown must have spilled and scalded her when she crashed.

How had she crashed?

She closed her eyes and tried to remember how she’d gotten here in the ditch. She wasn’t far from her landscaping business’s property. Was she? She last remembered passing the entrance to the O’Reilly’s Southern Hope ranch, adjacent to her business.

Another droplet, thick and sticky, assaulted her face, barged its way into her personal space, and forced her eyes open again. She crinkled her brow but winced when more pain sliced across her forehead. Steam from the engine wafted in the wind, and her gaze landed on something jutting through the passenger’s side of her cracked windshield.

A man!

“Oh no!” She locked her hands over her mouth and fought not to lose consciousness and the contents of her stomach.

Who is he?

Her suspicions that someone was using her landscaping company’s money for personal gain had haunted her every waking moment for months. The feeling that something was on the verge of happening had brought her back tonight. Could this guy be part of whatever might be going on at the nursery? Why else would someone be on foot all the way out here away from the town at night?

“Hey, man, are you okay? Please, answer me.” She stretched out her quivering arms, but because of the seatbelt, which no longer represented security but confinement instead, she couldn’t reach him to see if he was alive. She jerked the strap and pressed the release button six, seven, eight times until finally her trembling fingers succeeded, and the seatbelt dropped her with a thud against the driver’s side door.

She reached out to the man—was he dead?—but her arms quaked, and she couldn’t get enough leverage to push her way to him. She needed to rest and get her strength, then she could help him.

Marina closed her eyes to make it all go away if only for a minute, but in the distance, a dog’s howl startled her and invaded her attempt at peace. Head pounding, her heart hammered against her ribs. She sucked in a deep breath. “Ouch!” Heat seared through her rib cage. “Mister, wake up and answer me. Are you okay?”

Nothing. Not even a groan.

Wow. This is a departure from the other books of yours that I’ve read. I love it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website

Amazon Author Page
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Pinterest

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Thank you, Sherri, for sharing this suspense novel with me and my blog readers. We’re all eager to read it.

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