Leslie Tentler | Writing a Different Flavor of Romantic Suspense

My fifth novel, BEFORE THE STORM, is a bit of a departure for me. For the first time, I’ve veered off the serial killer-law enforcement route, desiring to weave elements of mystery and suspense into a story about everyday people with everyday lives. The twist is that one of these “everyday” people has a serious secret: She’s living under an alias, afraid and in hiding from a dangerous past.

While BEFORE THE STORM starts off with an undertone of contemporary romance, as you begin to learn bits and pieces about its heroine, Samantha Marsh— including from whom she is hiding and exactly why—the shadows around her deepen. As reserved as she seems, in reality Samantha’s background is dark, even violent. And while Rarity Cove, the small resort beach town she has recently arrived in, at first seems idyllic to her, that quickly changes when unsavory elements from her previous life track her there.

It’s true what they say: No matter how far you run, your past will find you.

Law enforcement heroes remain among my favorite subject matter. I intend to write more of them. But sometimes an author has a story in her head and heart that truly wants to be told. While serial killers and manhunts are intensely popular in the romantic suspense landscape, I also believe stories in this genre can take many forms, as long as an element of danger is present, the stakes are high—and this is true for any romance— the story is emotional and the characters real and compelling.

In BEFORE THE STORM, I’ve also introduced the St. Clairs, a well-to-do family whose members are civic leaders in the coastal town. Even though the hero, eldest son Mark St. Clair, appears to have a charmed life on the surface—he’s wealthy, a successful businessman, handsome—he’s also dealing with a private tragedy. When he begins to fall for Samantha, he has no idea the trouble into which he is stepping ever closer.

I love writing mystery and suspense—both police-oriented and other kinds. These types of books let you “live on the edge” and experience real danger, experience the thrill, without the kind of risk you’d ever want in real life. And while I always have a general idea of where they will end up, I’m a definite “pantster” when it comes to my stories’ unfolding. I’m often as surprised as the reader by the twists and turns that emerge. For me, that only deepens the pleasure of writing in my favorite genre.

What I’m reading and enjoying now: ALL THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDES by Rita Herron. Top of my TBR pile: BEAUTIFUL STORM by Barbara Freethy.

About Leslie Tentler

Leslie Tentler is best known as the author of the Chasing Evil Trilogy (MIDNIGHT CALLER, MIDNIGHT FEAR and EDGE OF MIDNIGHT). She was named as a finalist for Best First Novel at ThrillerFest 2012 for MIDNIGHT CALLER, and as a finalist in the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Awards for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense for EDGE OF MIDNIGHT. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Maggie Award of Excellence. Her newest novel is titled FALLEN.

Leslie is a member of Romance Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, The Authors Guild and Novelists, Inc. A native of East Tennessee, she currently resides in Atlanta.

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About BEFORE THE STORM

Six years earlier, Trina Grissom disappeared, on the run for her life. Now living under an assumed identity—as Samantha Marsh—she still struggles with the dark secret she harbors and the fear she might one day be found. When she moves to the coastal town of Rarity Cove, South Carolina, to open a café, a handsome widower begins to chip away at the walls she’s built to protect herself.

Mark St. Clair lost his wife two years ago in a tragic accident. Head of the grand St. Clair resort, he distracts himself from his lingering grief by running the family business and caring for his troubled young daughter...until a beautiful restaurateur sets up shop in town. Before meeting Samantha, Mark was convinced he could never be drawn to another woman. But as his attraction to Samantha grows, the mystery surrounding her deepens.

As the two begin a hesitant courtship, double perils emerge. Someone from Samantha’s lurid past comes calling, threatening to expose her. And a powerful hurricane is forming in the Atlantic with the small beach town in its path. Trapped in the storm by the brutal man who wants vengeance on Samantha, she and Mark must fight for their lives.