Author Chat with Jerusha Agen on her New Release, Rising Danger
Happy release day to my friend and gifted author, Jerusha Agen! She is a repeat guest on our blog, and today, she shares about her new romantic suspense novel, Rising Danger. I had the privilege of being an advance reader and would encourage fans of the genre or anyone who loves furry heroes to check out this book. Now, please join me in welcoming her back to the blog for today’s interview.
Q: What is one random fact about yourself that not many people know?
I can recite the first eighteen lines of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in Middle English. I had to do this for a college class, but now I’ve found it can be a fun party trick with the right kind of audience.
Q: What message do you hope readers will take away from this story?
Like me, the otherwise fearless heroine in Rising Danger is afraid of what she can’t control. So many of us face this fear every day, especially as our times seem to grow more uncertain. But the hopeful reality this story deals with is that we are never in control, but we can always have certainty and peace. Because the One Who is in control of everything is good.
Q: Who is your favorite character in the story, and why?
Ooh! I love this question. Can I share a secret? My very favorite character in Rising Danger is neither of the leads (though I love them, too!), but rather a secondary character.
Phoenix Gray, the founder and owner of Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency is my favorite because she’s an incredibly fascinating woman. She’s mysterious, intelligent, strong, independent, and seems unemotional. But there are hints in Rising Danger that she may actually care more than she lets on.
Readers don’t learn a lot about Phoenix in Rising Danger, but she’ll be featured more as the Guardians Unleashed Series continues. I think readers will love to discover more about her and her shocking history as the story goes on.
Oh, and my second favorite character is probably Dagian (“Dag” for short), Phoenix’s mysterious K-9 who never leaves her side.
Q: I know how much you love furry friends! Did your own relationship with your pets shape your fictional canine hero, and if so, how?
Yes, it definitely did. Thanks to having (and loving) pets my whole life, I was able to understand the kind of relationship Bristol, the heroine of Rising Danger, has with her K-9 partner, Toby. They have a powerful, deep bond of trust and love that I enjoyed portraying in this story. I was also thrilled to feature the heroism of dogs in Toby. Like so many dogs in real life, he really is the unsung hero of Rising Danger and saves the day more than once.
I think I was also able to write Toby in a realistic way thanks to years spent with dogs and studying canine behavior. Breed, environment, training, and personality all contribute to the uniqueness (and some commonalities) of each dog. I loved bringing those elements alive not only in Toby, but also in the other dogs that work at the Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency. And, really, every story is made better by including a dog or a cat. 😊
Q: I realize this question has nothing to do with your new novel, but would you tell us about your newest furry friend (and share a picture)?
I’d love to! He’s so adorable that he’s always stealing the show. My newest furry friend is Galen, a Leonberger puppy. He grows fast enough to see, so he’s already much bigger than in this picture. And he can certainly be a handful with his puppy troublemaking. But he loves people more than anything and enjoys making new friends wherever he goes.
Q: Can you hint about what next project you have in the works?
I’m currently working on the follow-up novel to Rising Danger! This next book will be the official launch of the Guardians Unleashed Series that will feature the cast of characters from Rising Danger, plus some new compelling characters (including K-9s). Look for the new release later this year!
About the Author
Jerusha Agen imagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.
With a B.A. in English and a background in screenwriting, Jerusha is a speaker, writing instructor, and Fear Warrior who sounds the call to battle against fear in our everyday lives.
Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats. You’ll often find her sharing irresistibly adorable photos of them in her newsletter and on social media.
Get a free suspense story from Jerusha and find more of her thrilling, fear-fighting novels at www.JerushaAgen.com.
About Rising Danger
It’s up to a K-9 handler and her canine partner to stop a bomber before it’s too late.
Someone’s planting explosives on dams in the Twin Cities, and Bristol Bachmann and her bomb-sniffing dog must move quickly to find them before everything ends up underwater. That means relying on the dams’ supervisor—an ex-boyfriend Bristol never thought she’d see again. Hopefully Remington Jones has grown up from the rakish charmer she knew in her academy days. Because lives now depend entirely on them…
It’s an environmental terrorist who wants the dams gone, and his bid to set the waters free has lethal consequences. When he sees Bristol and her K-9 working to stop him, he sets his sights on them. Can they evade him in a lethal game of cat and mouse and protect the cities from devastating destruction before the clock runs out?
