NORTH BY STARLIGHT - Diane and David Munson - One Free Boook

Bio: After writing ten suspense novels seasoned with romance, ExFeds, Diane and David Munson have completed their first Romantic Suspense. Responding to fans of their earlier thrillers, North By Starlight offers a romance seasoned with suspense where this spousal duo provides a glimpse into attorney Madison Stone’s exciting legal efforts to save Jordan Star’s Vermont resort from a mysterious and unknown relative, only to find herself entangled with a former as well as a future love interest. It’s been said of Diane and David Munson that “he nailed ‘em…and she jailed ‘em,” because David was an NCIS Special Agent and undercover DEA Special Agent and Diane was a Federal prosecutor. Now these authors of high velocity suspense novels, combine their exciting and dangerous cases into ‘factional fiction’ by changing the names and places. Fans of their earlier ten novels will be pleased with the return of Attorney Maddie Stone (Hero’s Ransom) and other favorite characters from the Munson’s family friendly, stand alone adventures. 

Welcome back, Diane and David. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?

Our first ten Christian suspense novels were inspired by our exciting and dangerous careers. They are realistic novels seasoned with touches of romance. In this, our eleventh novel, we launch out into what we describe as inspirational romantic suspense. North by Starlight is still suspenseful, and features attorney Maddie Stone who is assigned to rescue bachelor Jordan Star and his inheritance from a surprise mystery heir. Maddie Stone is the attorney in our fourth novel Hero’s Ransom, where she was so busy helping her client that the reader never learned of her love-starved commitment to the law. We are thrilled this all changes for Maddie in North by Starlight. So we hope readers will enjoy this lighthearted thriller and our foray into inspirational romantic suspense.

I am eager to read this new book. What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

This year we will not be attending any conferences as we will be promoting our new release at various churches and other speaking engagement. In the past we have attended and spoke/presented at:

Calvin College’s Festival of Faith and Writing, in Grand Rapids, MI

Breathe Christian Writer’s Conference, in Grand Rapids, MI

Evangelical Church Librarian Conference, in Wheaton, IL

Florida Southern Baptist Librarian Conference, Lakeland, FL

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?    

Christian books and authors are in a precarious position. As a result, we can’t help thinking the panel would take conferees on a tour of the Book Publishing Cemetery and examine the tombstones of Borders Book Stores, Family Christian Book Stores, STL Christian Book Distributors, and many more.

Panel members would include an unemployed book salesman, an unemployed acquisitions editor, and Coupon Connie who buys all her books on Amazon, but has to buy her Christian greeting cards at Walgreens because the only Christian Book store in her town has closed.

The last panelist would be a hybrid author who survived traditional publishing and is now hiring professional editors, cover and interior designers and publishing his/her own books using CreateSpace and Ingram POD and making four times the amount on each book sold, although not in B&N or Lifeway’s ever shrinking fictions section.

This may sound harsh, but we hear from authors of every stripe nearly every week wondering about the future of Christian publishing. We would want our panel to address innovative ways to reach readers of Christian fiction, using social media, community venues, and churches. Lynn Austin, Teri Blackstock, Brandilyn Collins, Dee Henderson, Joel Rosenberg, and Robert Whitlow would be featured, and we all look forward to hearing about their inspiring stories of their writing and how God is leading them on their future writing path.

Actually, Amazon is no longer publishing through Create Space. They’ve  made KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) with another focus as well. KDPP (Kindle Direct Publishing Print). How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

We both feel it is very important to be supportive and to have the support of Christian writers. Early in our writing careers, we both joined American Fiction Writers Conference (ACFW), where we benefited from writing courses. We have attended writing conferences to learn from published authors all that we could about writing. It was through submitting sample manuscripts to acquisition editors that we were encouraged to change our goal of writing historical fiction, to suspense. It was also through submitting our suspense manuscript for Facing Justice to an acquisition editor at a writing conference, that we received our first contract. Having said this, we caution aspiring writers to be sure they have supportive mentors and critique groups where their writing samples are being critiqued by other aspiring authors. We are aware of some aspiring writers who were discouraged from continuing to write. Seek God’s wisdom and direction above all!

That’s very good advice. And it’s why I’ve hosted a writing critique group in my home for over 25 years. Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

We are active in our large church where we both sing in the choir, which puts on several large events each year, including a Broadway-type Christmas presentation. It is very time consuming and rewarding! Also, we serve in a Bible Fellowship class and in prayer ministry. We sing hymns at a local nursing home with others in our class, where our teacher brings the residents the Gospel message. Our church has a food bank to reach those in need, and we have helped there too. We strive to share the love of Jesus with those in our neighborhood too with different events.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?       

To keep this answer from being too long as there are two of us, we both are inspired by our parents, all Christians. They raised us to follow Jesus, read the Bible, and to show love to our neighbors. And they instilled in us a love for reading! God blessed us with Godly parents.

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

“Here lies David Munson who dodged early death, by the believable lies he told (and by the grace of God).” David, as a Federal undercover agent, used false identities, supported by government issued documents as he met with and traveled internationally with criminal gangs, who would have killed him, to avoid prison, if they knew who he really was.

Diane’s tombstone: “Here lies Diane Munson, who ruined her knees praying that David’s lies were believable.”

In truth, we would both want ours to say, “Saved by the Grace of Jesus!”

Tell us about the featured book.

Similar to what you might see in a Hallmark Christmas movie, North by Starlight is the story of young, single, attorney Madison Stone who has recently ended a relationship with attorney Stewart Dunham, who was more interested in riches and travel than was she. Maddie’s boss sends her to Starlight, Vermont, to represent the estate of the late Maynard Star, who built much of the village of Starlight, it’s signature hotel, the Edelweiss Lodge and the ski resort on Star Mountain. Maynard’s only surviving grandson, Jordan Star grew up helping Maynard run the tourist destination, following the death of his parents. Maddie finds the sole heir and bachelor to be quite attractive. They are thrown together as Maddie is expected to ward off a claim by a here-to-fore unknown family member who expects to share the estate with Jordan.

Please share the first page with us.

Attorney Madison Stone’s spirits soared high as the judge announced the ruling in Maddie’s favor. Though she wanted to shout, “Hooray!” she kept her lips sealed tight. The long hours she’d spent advocating for this family had finally paid off.

Judge Cawley tapped a stout gavel against the wooden judicial bench and with authority intoned, “Court is adjourned.”

A winning smile crept across Maddie’s face, and she jumped to her feet so quickly one of her high heels wobbled beneath her. She grabbed the table edge to steady herself.

Relief washed over her. Though this was her ninetieth case, a milestone in her six-year legal career, it wasn’t the win making her feel giddy. Justice being accomplished for a family and their small foster child erased Maddie’s frustration at having to battle nonstop against opposing counsel for the past few months.

She started gathering the hodgepodge of papers spread across the courtroom table, when the foster mother of Maddie’s court-assigned infant client enveloped her in a bear hug.

 “Thank you!” Mrs. Wolsey chirped. “I can keep LeSwana in my home.”

           

Maddie was about to warn the foster mother about attempted visits from the imputed father when Judge Cawley interrupted, “Ms. Stone, I need a word with you.”

Alarm sizzled through Maddie. She sped to the elevated desk unsure what she’d done wrong. Had she made a misstep? It was rare for Judge Cawley to engage in chitchat with attorneys in her courtroom.

 “Your Honor,” Maddie said, setting both hands lightly on the bench. “I’m sure Mrs. Wolsey won’t let us down. She loves baby LeSwana.”

The judge leaned over. As if including Maddie in a conspiracy, she lowered her voice to a bare whisper and said, “When I assigned you to this case, I had no doubt you would pull another rabbit from your giant hat.”

           

“Your Honor, I need to correct the record.” Maddie’s face grew warm at the judge’s praise. “Harry Black is our private investigator. He is the one who found the imputed father’s earlier arrest for child abuse, despite his using an alias.”

“You were the one who asked him to search.” Judge Cawley treated her to a friendly smile. “I knew you wouldn’t quit digging.”            

She patted Maddie’s hand, telling her, “Good job.”

           

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

https://www.DianeAndDavidMunson.com

Thank you, Diane and David, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I love reading inspirational romantic suspense. So do they.

Readers, here are links to the book.

North by Starlight - Paperback
North by Starlight - Kindle

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