CBN.com – Q:
Your recent novel, Note of Peril, is the kick off title
for the launch of the new Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Series. Can you describe this new series?
A: The name of the line is an excellent description of the books
coming out in this series. Each story has a faith-based message
of hope woven gently into a romantic mystery-suspense, all at
an affordable price.
Q: Why is Note of Peril fitting as the kick
off title for this series? What elements of this title will also
be found in subsequent titles within the series?
A: Hannah Alexander novels already have a track record for those
elements of mystery, suspense and romance the readers want. We
feel our Christianity is evident without being preachy, and our
medical input from Mel's years of experience as an ER doc creates
an additional benefit. All the subsequent books in this new series
will contain strong intrigue, romance, and a spiritual theme.
Q: Why is Steeple Hill focusing on this love inspired
suspense genre with the new line? Who are the readers that Steeple
Hill will be reaching with this new series?
A: This new series is simply Harlequin/Steeple Hill's response
to high reader demand for spiritual, exciting suspense novels--a
combination of two of the fastest growing markets today. Mystery-romance
readers of all ages and ranges of income will love these stories,
and we believe our stories will have crossover appeal, both to
secular and Christian readers.
Q: What can readers expect from the Steeple Hill Love
Inspires Suspense Series?
A: Our editors maintain a high standard of quality for this line.
The intrigue is fast-paced, the tension tight. the senior editor
for this line is Krista Stroever, a Princeton graduate who just
this past year has edited multiple award-winning authors.
Q: You write under the pen name Hannah Alexander. Where
did this name come from, and why did you decide to use it?
Cheryl: Since we feel we work together as one
person, with our strengths and weaknesses and life expectations
complementing each other, we wanted one name that would reflect
this. I chose Hannah because, having no children, I identify with
the early years of Hannah in the Bible. Hannah means "her
hope is in the Lord."
Mel: I chose the name Alexander because it means
"servant of mankind." The name Mel means servant. As
a physician who cares for a lot of patients on my "day job"
I like to feel I serve mankind.
Q: As a husband/wife writing team, how does your writing
process work? Does Cheryl write the romance plot and Mel fill
in with a medical plot?
Cheryl: I write the first draft, as I am the
main writer. Mel keeps busy with his day job, but he supports
me throughout the process with multiple read-throughs, constant
editing, brainstorm sessions, encouragement, and fine-tuning.
Mel also writes any medical scenes I request, and does fact checking.
On occasion, neighbors can glance through the office window and
see us acting out a particular scene.
Mel: My favorites are the romance.
Q: Hannah Alexander is a Christy award-winning author.
Is there a formula you use for these novels? What is your secret
to successful love-inspired suspense stories?
Cheryl: We write the kinds of stories we love
to read--always with a setting we love, which is the Missouri
Ozarks. As a reader, I am easily bored, so I write with a lot
of activity taking place in the story. I'm a character based writer,
so I begin with characters who are vibrant and interesting enough
to appeal to me for the number of months it takes to weave a story
around them.
Q: How did you begin writing together?
Mel: Our pastor set us up on a blind date at
a local restaurant. Since his introduction included the fact that
I †was a physician, and since Cheryl just happened to be
writing a story at the time with a medical emphasis, the first
question out of Cheryl's mouth was, "So, you're a doctor?
Can you help me paralyze someone?"
Once I recovered from my initial horror and discovered she was
a novelist, my interest ignited. We never stopped collaborating
after that.
Q: What are some of the challenges and benefits of writing
as husband and wife team?
Cheryl: Time is our biggest challenge. Mel carries
a full schedule at the hospital, and there are times when I need
him for input that he simply cannot get away to help me. For the
most part, though, that does happen. The benefits are enormous.
Mel is a natural encourager, so I never feel discouraged as a
writer for long. One word from me, and he will take the scene
I've just written and read it aloud to me, with dramatic emphasis,
demonstrating to me in the most loving way that what I've done
is not--as I had initially feared--the most worthless piece of
drivel ever in print. When you work as a team, you're never alone
for long. For us, that's always a benefit. Teamwork gives us a
deeper appreciation for one another's gifts and abilities.
Q: Your books all weave inspirational themes throughout.
Will you speak to the importance of these themes in your novels?
Mel: When Cheryl began writing her first romantic
suspense twenty-one years ago, she knew the hero and heroine must
share a strong faith. Being a Christian, Cheryl simply allowed
her own faith to naturally spill into the story. We both believe
that a romance is so much deeper and richer when both people share
a strong faith in God. As the Bible says, a bond of three cords
is not easily broken.
About the Authors:
Hannah Alexander is the pen name for the husband-and-wife writing
team Dr. Mel and Cheryl Hodde. The Hoddes began collaborating
on fiction books during their first date, actually a blind date
arranged by their pastor. It all began when Cheryl shocked Mel
with her request, “Can you help me paralyze someone without
killing him?” Read more...
Cheryl went on to explain that she was an author and needed to
paralyze a character in the book she was working on. Mel, a board-certified
ER physician with a degree in osteopathy, was happy to assist.
This was Mel's introduction to the world of fiction and Cheryl’s
introduction to medicine. They were both fascinated, and a year
and a half later they were married.
The fascination grew as Mel shared more of his career experiences
and Cheryl's imagination took over. Together, they generated ideas
for a story. With Mel's medical input, encouragement and help
with plotting, and Cheryl's writing skills gleaned over 13 years
of writing, they developed their first ER-style novel.
The couple established a pen name that rightfully distinguished
the two sides of their writing. Cheryl chose Hannah from the Bible
meaning “she delights in the Lord.” Mel chose Alexander,
meaning “servant of mankind,” drawing from his career
as a physician. After 10 years of marriage, they have written
11 books as Hannah Alexander and have garnered Christy awards
for their work.
Mel and Cheryl reside in the Missouri Ozarks, where they like
to set the majority of their books.
Courtesy of Steeple Hill Books.
Used by permission. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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