Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for When Secrets Come Calling by Felicia Ferguson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: When Secrets Come Calling
Author: Felicia Ferguson
Publisher: Salt & Light Publishing
Release Date: July 1, 2024
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
Past secrets. A second chance. But can the truth really set them free?
When former University of Alabama and Titans wide receiver Dax Carpenter learns his father is accused of a forty-year-old robbery and murder, he turns to the only person he trusts to discover the truth: his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin Fitzhugh.
Caitlin, a cold-case specialist with the Alabama State Division of Investigations, wants nothing to do with the case nor Dax. Not only is the evidence against Dax’s father already condemning, she can’t risk having her heart broken—again.
Caitlin’s boss, however, ignores her arguments, and she begrudgingly takes the consult, convincing herself she can keep the case and her past with Dax separate. But unlike her, longings and memories don’t follow orders. While she lends her skills to the Gulf Shores Police Department in the search for the truth, Dax fends off a possibly career-ending social media hit—leading him to question everything he knows about his father and himself.
As the secrets of both their pasts unfold, they discover whether Dax’s father truly robbed and murdered a man forty years ago but also why Caitlin ended their relationship. Secrets that could drive a wedge between them, forever.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Excerpt
But it wasn’t his height or even his muscled physique that made Caitlin’s heart quicken and her breath stutter. No, that was thanks to the memories flickering across her mind. Their shared moments—of laughter, delight, and yes, of love. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes in a long blink, willing those images back into the deepest recesses of her heart.
By the time he reached her door, she’d nearly succeeded. “Dax.”
His mouth flinched into some semblance of a smile. She studied his face, the pained brackets around his eyes, his tense cheeks, the dark green of his usually hazel eyes. Worry skirted through her. This was not a social call.
“What happened?” Despite her resolve to keep her distance, she rose and stepped around her desk. Her fingers itched to touch him, to soothe his desperation. It had been five years. How could he still have such an effect on her? She pushed the question aside. This wasn’t personal. And she couldn’t let it be.
About the Author
Felicia Ferguson achieved master’s degrees in Healthcare Administration and Speech-Language Pathology, but has written since childhood and dreamed of authoring books that teach and inspire others. An award-winning fiction and non-fiction freelance writer, she has previously published devotions with Christian Devotions and Inkspirations, written articles for national luxury lifestyle magazine, VIE, and guest blogged on multiple websites. But her greatest writing love is contemporary Southern women’s fiction and romantic suspense. Her heroines are strong women who work through their spiritual and emotional issues using biblical principles and counseling techniques, finding real hope in their happily-ever-after endings.
As a child, Felicia lived in Kansas, Texas, and Louisiana before her family settled on a horse and cattle farm in Kentucky. As an adult, she’s lived in Tennessee, the Florida panhandle, and now Colorado. When she’s not glued to her laptop, Felicia enjoys hiking, Bible studies with friends, and looking forward to the next story.Connect with Felicia at feliciafergusonauthor.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
Author Interview
Q: What inspired you to write When Secrets Come Calling?
Felicia: With every book, it always starts out with the characters. Once I get a hint about the characters, I just wait to see what story they want told. With When Secrets Come Calling, they decided it needed to be about the ways we find our identities and how digging into our faith and who we are to God is how we create a solid and healthy identity. As the story came together, it also became a question of how we deal with the loss of loved ones and how we either heal or stagnate in the loss.
Q: How long did it take you to write this book?
Felicia: It took two months from start to finish (including edits as I went along). I wrote 28,000 words in 12 days because I was beginning to get bogged down in the middle. So I set a goal of a certain word count for those days and didn’t stop until I achieved it.
Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?
Felicia: I think what ended up surprising me was how much of my previous career as a speech-language pathologist factored into the subplot of Caitlin’s parents. I worked in a number of skilled nursing facilities in the field, and like Caitlin’s mom, my mother was also the in-home caregiver for my father for twelve years after his stroke. So several scenes drew heavily on my work and personal experiences. God uses everything!
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from When Secrets Come Calling?
Felicia: Yes. It’s actually something that Shannon tells Caitlin further into the book. No spoilers, but Shannon has just received dream-devastating news, and this is her response to Caitlin’s questioning Shannon’s continued deep faith: “Bad things happen all the time, Caitie. Yes, this one hurts. And hurts bad. But I can’t, and I won’t let it define me. … What I will do is trust God’s plan and purpose.”
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
Felicia: I knew in the fifth grade that I wanted to be a writer. Long before I’d heard of fanfiction, I was co-writing Sweet Valley High fan stories with a friend of mine. We’d alternate writing chapters, then pass them to each other like other kids passed notes, adding to them until we had a book. Then another classmate would draw the cover picture. In my twenties, I got into writing fanfiction for Star Trek as well as other TV shows. It was a great training ground because the characters and overall storylines were already set up. All I had to do was take them and run. I always challenged myself to stay as close to the characters and canon as possible though—and I still use fanfiction for skill building and writing sprints.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?
Felicia: I was born on February 29th, ten days before my due date, and I’ve been early everywhere I’ve gone ever since.
Q: What are you currently reading?
Felicia: I recently finished Dani Pettrey’s One Wrong Move, Lynette Eason’s Double Take, and Eva Marie Everson’s Ahoti. Now, I’m working through my TBR stack four books at a time. Charlsie Estess’s new release, When Oceans Roar, Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse’s Enduring Mercy, Edie Melson’s Soul Care for Writers, and Sol Stein’s Stein on Writing. My current Bible study is Angie Smith’s Seamless.
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
Felicia: As you probably could glean from my previous answer, I have very eclectic reading tastes. I’m very much drawn to well-written characters, so I can’t say I have one favorite genre. I grew up devouring Star Trek and Star Wars books, and those classics still have a part of my heart. Now, I range from romantic suspense to general, government-service-set fiction (think David Baldacci) to the classics like Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
Felicia: I’m a Bible nerd, so I like Bible studies. But I’m also a nature-lover, so I can also be found hiking, exploring, or just sitting in a park people watching.
Q: What is your favorite season and why?
Felicia: When I lived in the South, spring was my favorite season. The world was waking up from winter, flowers bloomed, birds began migrating, even some butterflies and dragonflies started popping up. But now that I live Colorado, summer and fall vie for my favorite season. The lack of humidity, warm sun, stunning blue skies make hiking and just being outdoors incredible.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will win a 30 oz insulated tumbler and a signed copy of When Secrets Come Calling!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 1, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 8, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
great interview! I loved Felicia's answers! :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks exceptionally good. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very interesting, especially the cold case.
ReplyDelete