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Jennifer Chastain is a member of ACFW, ACFW-NC, Blue Ridge Reader Connections, and My Book Therapy/Novel Academy. Several of her other stories were finalists in the Blue Ridge Mountains Foundations contest and she was a finalist in the Touched by Love contest, sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Romance Writers. Her contemporary romance stories contain themes of redemption, grace, and forgiveness.
A hopeful romantic, Jennifer loves dark chocolate, Diet Coke, old movies, and a good rom-com. Growing up in the snowy North, Christmas has always been her favorite holiday, with the scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and pine scenting the air. When she’s not reading, she’s a night-time writing ninja, typing furiously to make deadlines.
She and her husband have been married for over 25 years and they are permitted to co-exist with their black rescue cat.
Connect with Jennifer:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads
To celebrate her visit, our guest is offering one winner the choice of either a signed paperback or an ebook. Signed paperbacks are available to U.S. winners only. International winners will receive an ebook due to shipping costs. Enter here.
Welcome to Heartbeats & Hideaways! Thanks for joining us today, Jennifer. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.
Can you tell readers a little about yourself and your writing journey?
I’ve always loved books and reading. As a little girl, my mom would say, “Go pick out two books to read before bedtime.” Well, I would bring in a big stack! I memorized those stories. I especially loved the fairy tales, Cinderella in particular. Then, twelve years ago, I was in a reading slump. I couldn’t find anything that interested me. I’ve always loved to tell stories and even wrote down a few ideas I had over the years. It was like the Lord whispered in my ear, “It’s time to write.” I was like, oh no, I don’t know the first thing about writing a novel. But the Lord wouldn’t let me go. One evening after work, I Googled, “How to write a novel” and the first site I came upon was Novel Academy by Susan May Warren. I was so excited! I had read everything she’d written up to that point so I knew I was in good hands. I completed the course and then began brainstorming. In January of 2020, I sold my first manuscript to a small publisher. It was a contemporary marriage of convenience story set during the Christmas holidays. I followed that up with my Targeted for Elimination series (which are romantic suspense). I always thought I’d write contemporary romance, but the Lord, obviously, had other plans for me. Now, I write romantic suspense stories. Looking back, the path I’ve taken to publication is not what I would have anticipated or imagined.
Do you remember the moment when the idea for your newest release first came to you?
At Sunrise, I’m part of the Heroes of Renegade story line. All the stories are set in fictional town of Renegade, Colorado. I always wanted to write a US Marshals story. From there, the story kind of snowballed. The Marshals had been stationed in this fictional town for over 140 years. What better way to incorporate romantic suspense and action than to have a reenactment of the original Wells Fargo stagecoach robbery? From that point on, the story unfolded for me, from a prison transport plane crash, my heroine who was in WitSec but left, the Deputy US Marshal who makes it his mission to protect her, snipers, as well as some mysterious happenings in town.
What themes do you find yourself returning to in your writing?
A majority of the themes in my books revolve around second chances – for both the main characters romantically as well as spiritually – in additional to God’s presence in our darkest times and grace.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are just starting out?
The best advice I can give is, if you are called to write, don’t give up. Learn as much as you can from other authors. Join an author community such as ACFW or Faith, Hope and Love. Read in and outside of your genre. And most importantly, write. Write every day. It doesn’t have to be the story you’re working on, it can be a journal entry or a blog post. Try your hand at Flash Fiction as this type of story (generally 1000 words or less) forces you to write tight, getting rid of all the unnecessary fluff.
Can you share anything about what you’re working on next?
Right now, I’m working on edits for Season Two of the Heroes of Renegade. And believe me, there are a lot of edits! LOL. I can tell you that this story is nothing like I’ve ever written before, as it entails a serial killer.
I’m also working on a romantic suspense trilogy that centers around a fictional hockey team and I’m loving these characters! Since I live in North Carolina, the majority of people are pumped that the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup about a month ago. So, I have a lot of videos and games to re-watch and study. I have most of my team fleshed out and now I need to work on the plots.
 Guardian Heroes of Renegade, Book 4 by Jennifer Chastain (affiliate link) ★When your past refuses to stay buried, love becomes your strongest weapon.★
Aubrey Richardson survived a killer’s vengeance once. She won’t get a second chance.
After twenty years of hiding, Aubrey finally has everything she’s dreamed of—a job she loves with the US Marshals, a reunion with her estranged family, and most importantly, the love of Deputy Ethan Butler. But when a federal prisoner transport plane crashes outside of Renegade, Aubrey realizes her nightmare isn’t over. Someone from her past has found her, and this time, they’re not just coming for her—they’re targeting everyone she loves.
The past never forgets. And it never forgives.
Ethan Butler has faced down killers, survived ambushes, and protected countless witnesses, but nothing has prepared him for this. When the woman he loves becomes the target of a methodical killer with a twenty-year grudge, Ethan must navigate a deadly game where every move could be their last. The attacks are personal, calculated, and designed to destroy not just Aubrey’s life, but her faith, her sanity, and everyone she holds dear.
As bodies pile up and the killer’s true identity emerges from the shadows, Aubrey faces an impossible choice: continue running and let innocent people die or stand and fight against an enemy who knows her every fear, her every weakness, her every secret.
When love means risking everything, how far will you go?
From deadly snipers to midnight chases through Colorado’s mountain wilderness, Aubrey and Ethan race against a killer who’s had two decades to perfect their revenge. But when the final confrontation forces Aubrey to choose between her own survival and saving the lives of everyone in Renegade, she’ll discover that sometimes the greatest guardian isn’t the man with the badge—it’s the God who’s been protecting her all along.
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