About the Book
Book: Dangerous Dalliance (Sisters in Peril Book One)
Author: Valerie Massey Goree
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release date: July 25, 2023
amaJan’s fiancé, Bryan Buchanan, disappeared a year ago. She has no idea why he left or where he is. Since then, she’s had no interest in romance, but saving a little girl from a playground accident propels her into the world of possibilities.
Hatch, the child’s grateful father, has met many women since his wife’s passing. Jan is the first one to catch his attention, but his instinct to offer counseling to any woman he meets who seems depressed is a big turn-off for her.
Although Jan is flattered by Hatch’s attention, the rest of her life is turned upside down when she receives threatening phone calls, is nearly run off the road, and is shot at.
Can Hatch protect Jan as the men’s threats escalate? If Bryan returns to her life, will she forget about Hatch?
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About the Author
Award winner Valerie Massey Goree resides in the beautiful Hill Country, northwest of San Antonio. After serving as missionaries in her home country of Zimbabwe and raising two children, Valerie and her husband, Glenn, moved to Texas, his home state. She worked in the public school system for many years, focusing on students with special needs.
Valerie began her writing career late in life and has now published 10 romantic suspense novels. Glenn wrote 12 non-fiction books which Valerie edited. Valerie retired from teaching and spends her time writing, traveling, and spoiling her grandchildren. She loves to hear from her readers.
More from Valerie
The Interesting “Task” of Choosing Character Names
I wrote the first rendition of Dangerous Dalliance many years ago. Obviously, it wasn’t published, so I put it aside and continued writing other novels. After publishing my ninth book, I decided to revise the story.
Choosing names for my characters, especially the hero and heroine, is a task I take seriously. I read through my lists and check online sites. I don’t go to that much trouble for my secondary characters, but I have a quirky way to choose their names.
I spent twenty-five years working in the public school system. Many students stand out in my memory for positive reasons. However, I remember a few kids or their parents less favorably. Any teacher will understand. Well, the names of those students or parents often play a role in my stories as secondary characters who don’t leave a positive impression.
The name of a major secondary character in my original Dangerous Dalliance was Brandon. From the first moment my student with that name entered my classroom as a four-year-old with severe allergies, a language delay, and behavioral issues until the day his family moved out of state, his behaviors and antics provided me with giggles and frustration.
Fast-forward several years. I live in a retirement community where we have 24/7 concierge services. When I moved here, the young man in charge was named Brandon. When I revised my original story, I frequently chatted with him. He was such a lovely person and treated us “older” folks with so much compassion.
Now, the name Brandon no longer conjured up images of my student but of the man I wanted to adopt as a grandson. (I found out many residents felt the same way.) I told him about my story and the reason I chose a different name for my guy.
Brandon left a few months later, and in a note he wrote me, he said, he would always remember that I changed the name of a character in my novel because of him, and he hoped he could live up to my high opinion of him.
Interview with the Author
- How do you select the names of your characters?
Often I have a name in mind for either my hero or heroine but before I even begin plotting, I use a method developed by author Susan May Warren called the Story Equation to flesh out my main characters. I decide on their professions, their character flaws and positive traits, their deep dark secret, and their hopes and dreams. After I’ve completed the SEQ for the main characters, I search for first and last names. The names need to sound good together and they need to suit the character.
Over the years, I’ve collected many names that I’ve typed into lists, first, last, male, female. I check my lists and a ‘name your baby’ book. For secondary characters, I don’t go to that much trouble, however, I keep track of the names. I use a sheet of colored copy paper and write the alphabet down the right-hand side. When I select a first name, I put a checkmark on the left of the letter, and a checkmark on the right for a last name. (This satisfies my OCD tendencies!) This method helps me keep track of the letters I’ve used and prevents too many characters’ names from beginning with the same letter.
I also make sure the names I choose are easy to pronounce. For instance, I watch a lot of British TV shows, and often a name used catches my ear. Many of the beautiful-sounding names are Irish and the spelling is nothing like the pronunciation. Here are a few examples: Aoifw = E-fa, Niamh = Neeve, Daithi = Da-hee.
- What is your favorite childhood book?
My favorite childhood book is The Surprise Doll, by Morrell Gipson, first published in 1949. It’s about a little girl whose father is a sea captain. He brings her a doll from each country he visits. Mary wants one more doll so she’ll have seven, one for each day of the week. Her father says no. Disappointed, she takes her six dolls to a dollmaker and asks him to make her another doll. He uses a characteristic from each doll. Surprise! The seventh doll looks just like Mary. It was a much-loved book my folks read to me often. I remember looking at the pictures and dreaming about how much fun it would be to travel around the world. Little did I know, that my dream would come true. I’ve been blessed to have visited many countries and to have lived on two continents.
- What comes first, the plot or characters?
The characters. For instance, one day while doing laundry, an idea popped into my mind. How about beginning a book with the line: “I was in the witness protection program for here years when my identity was compromised”? That idea turned into the first book in my Stolen Lives Trilogy, Weep In the Night. I didn’t begin the story with that line, but it formed the basis for the plot.
- Who is the author you most admire in your genre?
Brandilyn Collins, although not all of her suspense books technically include a romance thread. Her tagline is Seatbelt Suspense. And she delivers!
- If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
You didn’t specify alive or dead, so the person I’d choose is Jane Austen. Now, this might seem like a contradiction but I haven’t read any of her books, however, I’ve watched several adaptations of her novels. The reason I chose her is because I recently visited the city of Bath in England and participated in the Jane Austen Festival.
The third novel in my trilogy From England With Love and…Treachery is titled: Meet Me in Bath at the Jane Austen Festival. While in Bath recently, I visited the Jane Austen Center and learned so much about the author. She didn’t have a life of privilege and her books didn’t reach popularity during her lifetime. I want to know what inspired her to write fiction and what kept her going even when her first books were published anonymously. She died at age 41.
I’d serve her a very tasty dish from my childhood growing up in a British Colony in Central Africa, curry and rice. Not too spicy, made with coconut milk and finely chopped mangoes for sweetness.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 19
Stories By Gina, December 20 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, December 21
Simple Harvest Reads, December 22 (Author Interview)
Artistic Nobody, December 23 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 23
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 24
For Him and My Family, December 25
Fiction Book Lover, December 26 (Author Interview)
An Author’s Take, December 27
Guild Master, December 28 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 29
Back Porch Reads, December 30 (Author Interview)
Leslie’s Library Escape, December 30
For the Love of Literature, December 31 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 1
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Valerie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.