Heroine Interview from Deadly Exposure by Cara Putman

I am a member of Craftie Ladies of Suspense at http://www.ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com where we like to interview not the author of books but the heroines (or possibly the hero). We will be sharing some of our interviews with you all here. Every month at Craftie Ladies of Suspense we have a contest for the four Love Inspired Suspense books (you just have to leave a comment during the month with a way to contact you to be entered in the drawing for the four books). During the month we spend some time with the characters of those books as well as give you insight into the various authors that are part of the blog site. The Love Inspired Suspense authors who participated in Craftie Ladies are Roxanne Rustland, Terri Reed, Margaret Daley, Cara Putman, Debby Giusti, Lisa Mondello, and Pamela Tracy. We will post May's interviews over the next several days and then starting next Thursday, we will post the current interview for the June releases. I hope you will enjoy the look at the characters that drive these wonderful stories.

Today we're welcoming Dani Richards, the heroine of Deadly Exposure, May 2008. Wow, you've just had quite an adventure. You’re right. It’s not an adventure I would have planned, but it kept things exciting and changed my life.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be in the midst of such suspense.

My mom would say I grew up looking for trouble. Being a television reporter who covers the crime beat for a Lincoln, Nebraska, station just confirmed that bent. But really, I went to the theater to get a night off, forget about work. Instead, I discovered a body and couldn’t stop investigating until I knew who had murdered Renee.

2. So, during the book you met Caleb Jamison. Tell us a bit about him. What was your first impression? When did you know it was love?
Caleb and I actually knew each other and dated a bit in high school. Let’s just say it didn’t end well. Frankly, he was the last person I wanted to spend anytime with. When I saw him come up the stairs at the theater, I was not pleased. But he was the investigator assigned to the case, so I had to work with him.
The amazing thing was over the course of that crazy week, I was able to see how much he had changed. I also discovered that my feelings for him weren’t as dead and buried as I thought.
Love is an amazing thing. It developed when I least expected it, and I couldn’t be happier now.

3. What strengths/skills do you have? What is your greatest weakness?
I’m a tenacious gal. Don’t ever tell me I can’t do something, or I’ll do it just to prove you wrong. And that tenacity is a great trait for a reporter. But sometimes I take that to far. Caleb’s never going to let me live down Renee’s case.

4. What scares you?
Not being able to help someone who needs it. An inability to ferret out the truth.
5.If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Wow, you don’t ask easy questions. I may have to remember some of these for my interviews! I’ve always wished I was tall. Instead, my height is very average. I don’t like to be average in anything. I also wish I had never wandered away from God. Fortunately, He is gracious…and I love having a fresh relationship with Him. But it does make me regret those missed years.
6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story?
I had closed that door firmly. I believed God had abandoned me years earlier. There are many reasons for this, but now I know none of them were valid.

7. Where are you in your faith at the end of the story? Do you have a life verse?
I’ve rediscovered God and am so glad. He’s becoming my best friend. I still have a lot to learn about Him, but He has definitely proved to me that He is faithful and a shelter in the storms of life. I wouldn’t still be here if He hadn’t saved my life.

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant?
My verse is Psalm 62:5-6 -- and it's pretty prominent in the theme of the book... :-)

9. If you could be a dessert, what dessert would you be? Why?
I LOVE snickerdoodle cookies. Kind of crazy, isn’t it. During the week I was stalked a kind woman kept plying me with snickerdoodles. They were almost as delicious as the ones Aunt Jayne made for me when I’d spend summers with her. I love to bake them – just the basic Betty Crocker recipe, but nothing tastes better than a perfectly baked snickerdoodle.

Thank you Dani for taking time to talk with us.
Deadly Exposure sounds like a fabulous read.

Margaret Daley
What Sarah Saw, Love Inspired Suspense, January 2009
A Texas Thanksgiving, Love Inspired, November 2008
Forsaken Canyon, Love Inspired Suspense, October 2008
The Power of Love/The Courage to Dream, Love Inspired Classic, July 2008
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