HIDING THE WITNESS by Deena Alexander ~ Interview & Giveaway

Hiding the Witness (Jameson Investigations, #2)
by: Deena Alexander
Series: Jameson Investigations
Genre: Christian Mystery/Suspense
Release Date: February 25, 2025
Publisher: Harlequin ~ Love Inspired Suspense

Rescuing a child
makes her a killer’s target.

Racing into a burning cabin to search for survivors, firefighter Diana Cameron stumbles upon an unconscious child—and two bodies with bullet wounds. When a sniper targets their narrow escape, Diana has no choice but to team up with bodyguard Chase Mitchell to keep the little girl safe. Uncovering the identity of the murder victims is the only way to find the killer. But as they’re chased by gunmen into the mountain wilderness, can they protect a tiny witness from the unknown…when the truth is more sinister than they imagined?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

Hi Deena. Welcome to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
Hi, and thank you for having me. I’m doing well, thank you. How are you?

You’re welcome. I’m always happy to talk with you. I’m good. Thank you for asking. Let’s see if I can ask this question and have it make sense. I tend to get hung up on or obsessed with trying to understand how an author writes and functions when they have more than one pen name. You have three pen names in addition to your everyday real name. How do you keep track of everything?
Lol! Actually, I don’t always keep track. To be honest, I’ve messed up more than once, commenting on something on social media from the wrong name. But usually it’s not that difficult. Since I write three different genres, it makes it more manageable that I use one pen name for each. I have social media accounts and websites for each name, which helps keep things organized. And, from a writing standpoint, I just write the books I have contracted and worry about promoting them in the proper pen names after the fact.

I don’t want to minimize one genre over the other or say that writing a book is easy, but which genre is easier for you to write and why?
I think the easiest genre for me to write is romantic suspense. I’m working on books six through nine in three of my cozy series’, and each book in each series has the same heroine, town, and supporting characters, so it’s more difficult to keep track of everything that went on in previous books. Some of my Love Inspired Suspense books are also part of a series, but each book is based on a different set of characters, so it makes things less difficult to keep track of.

I discovered you as Lena Gregory, the cozy mystery author. How did you get into writing love-inspired suspense for Harlequin?
I had written my first romantic suspense, originally titled The Final Victim, years ago, but I’d never shopped it out much. Then, Harlequin had a contest I thought would be a good fit for my book. I submitted it and was thrilled when I received an offer from Love Inspired Suspense. That was my first book with them, which was released as Crime Scene Connection.

While this isn’t why we’re here, I have to use this time to ask about Leigh Stratton’s follow-up to Realm of Ice and Shadow. Is there a follow-up in the works and a possible timeline for release?
Yes, thank you. Reign of Fire and Light is tentatively due to release on March 18, 2025. Then, the third book in the series should release in 2026.

I am SO excited to hear this. Every couple of months I keep looking to see if there’s a follow-up. Hiding the Witness sounds really really good. What can you tell me about the story and characters?
Thank you! In Hiding the Witness, firefighter Diana Cameron is on her way home from work late one night when an explosion rocks the night. She rushes to see if anyone needs help before the entire mountainside goes up in flames, and finds an unconscious child and two bodies with bullet wounds inside a remote cabin. While she’s trying to rescue the child, a sniper opens fire.

The local sheriff, a good friend of Diana’s, calls in her brother, Chase Mitchell to protect both Diana and the little girl. When the killers target them again at the hospital, the three have to go on the run into the wilderness while trying to identify the victims and find the killer.

What was your favorite scene to write and why?
While I enjoy writing touching scenes, my favorite scenes to write are usually action scenes. I enjoy the fast pace, the tension, the wondering how things will play out as I’m writing. In this story, I think my favorite is the landslide scene. Diana and Chase haven’t known each other long, and both harbor trust issues, so having to deal with learning to trust one another in order to stay alive added another layer to the fun of writing the action.

I’ve never read a Harlequin Love-Inspired Suspense before. Are they like your typical romantic suspense, but more on the clean side?
Yes, they are just like your typical romantic suspense, but written from a Christian worldview. They are clean on the romance side and don’t use cursing or swearing, but they still contain a very sweet romance and lots of action.

Deena, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of my questions.
Thank you so much for having me and for sharing the release of Hiding the Witness!

You’re welcome.

Purchase Hiding the Witness from:

Amazon | Mass Market Paperback | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads

(Affiliate Links Used)

The Jameson Investigations Series:

Hunted for the Holidays (Book 1)

Hiding the Witness (Book 2)

Exposing Lethal Secrets (Book 3) releases July 1, 2025

Missing at Christmas (Book 4) releases October 28, 2025

Deena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena’s love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night, and she now works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor.

Places to find Deena Alexander:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

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