Tuesday, September 26, 2017

The Birth of Rescued Hearts ♦ Hope Doughtery

Peg Here, Whispers in Purple is happy to bring you guest blogger Hope Dougherty and another fun, 'story behind the story' post.

Welcome, Hope!

 How Rescued Hearts Came into Being

by Hope Dougherty 

I live in the country on land my great grandfather owned. For exercise, I ride my bike on our two-lane roads. One afternoon a couple of years ago, I took a detour off the paved road and onto a dirt path not too far from my house.

The lane meanders by the vacant location of a distant cousin’s house. Trees and a few bushes still outline the phantom house’s parameters, but no boards or bricks mark the spot. Farm equipment rests under two or three nearby shelters.

As I passed the lonely trees and silent tractors, a creepy sensation tickled the back of my neck. My imagination kicked into gear. What if a bike rider rode by an abandoned house? What if she saw a kitten entangled in a honeysuckle vine at the porch steps? What if, while she tried to free the kitten, someone grabbed her and dragged her inside where she was beaten and threatened with rape?

My pedaling picked up speed, and I reached home in record time.

Those questions continued popping up in my mind, however. I began seeing the characters, then hearing them speak every night as I dropped off to sleep. I’d never written a romantic suspense story before, but the characters refused to leave me alone.

Those initial questions led to the first chapter of Rescued Hearts.


 About the Book:
Children’s clothing designer Mary Wade Kimball’s soft spot for animals leads to a hostage situation when she spots a briar-entangled kitten in front of an abandoned house. Beaten, bound, and gagged by the two thugs inside, Mary Wade loses hope for escape when a third villain returns with supplies.

Discovering the kidnapped woman ratchets the complications for undercover agent Brett Davis. Weighing the difference of ruining his three months’ investigation against the woman’s safety, Brett forsakes his mission and helps her escape, the bent-on-revenge brutes following behind.

When Mary Wade’s safety is threatened once more, Brett rescues her again. This time, her personal safety isn’t the only thing in jeopardy. Her heart is endangered as well.


About the Author:
Hope holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include two novels, Irish Encounter and Mars…With Venus Rising, as well as nonfiction articles. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Romance Writers of America (RWA), and Sisters in Crime (SinC), she writes for SeriousWriter.com. She and her husband live in North Carolina and enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons.

Where to find Hope 'out there':


2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me, Peg. Purple is one of my favorite colors!

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    1. You're more than welcome, Hope. And happy to find another 'purple person' :)

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