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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Don’t You Think Spies Are Kind of Questionable?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

After a week of hearing bits about Perry Kirkpatrick’s awesome series, I figured you’d all be kind of curious about what she has to say about it all. So, for this review of A Spying We Will Go I bullied her into giving me a super-short interview.

No, really. I did.

The poor girl has several small children, is trying to sell one house and move into another one (this week!), and is fighting some health issues, and I said, “Do you want to answer a few interview questions?”

Pretty sure I told her we could record a video if it was easier for her.

I think that’s what did it, folks. Without that final nail in the, “Oh, I so do not want to do this” coffin, we might not have this interview. Introverts know how to get what they want from other introverts.

Okay, okay. I didn’t know any of that other stuff up there when I asked and when I offered to do the video chat.

Although, I did suspect she might jump at the lesser of two evils—the written one. I mean, I may not be cruel, but I’m not stupid, either.

Oh, and another thing…

Don’t You Think Spies Are Kind of Questionable?

C’mon… that was mildly amusing. But seriously, let’s get to the questions, okay?

Q: What made you set your series in a coffee shop in Phoenix?

This time last year I spent time in downtown Phoenix for a conference and enjoyed observing how it differed from my side of town. The bustling downtown feel was fascinating, and it was SO HOT OUT. I’d been wanting to set a story in a coffee shop for a while (I love the atmosphere).

I combined the two and Sunrise Coffee, a fictional, high-end coffee shop was born. Add one very ordinary barista and one friendly neighborhood spy, and you have the recipe for a quirky, upbeat series with lots of coffee references.”

Q: If Emily could go anywhere in the world right now, all expenses paid, for two weeks, where would that be and why?

She’d go to Washington, D.C. No doubt about it. For one thing it’s about 25 degrees cooler than Phoenix at this exact moment (I checked), and for another it’s where all the cool spy stuff normally happens. (If the movies are to be believed.) She’d likely spend a lot of time sitting in parks playing Spot-the-Spy. This is a next-gen version of ordinary people-watching.”

Q: Since I know you’ve never read Harry Potter, where’d you get the “bathroom transport” idea?

The 1980s TV show, Scarecrow and Mrs. King was a huge inspiration for my series, and I wanted to give a veiled nod to the coat-closet elevator in that show while still putting my own humorous spin on it. The shower seemed like the perfect, bizarre place to disguise an elevator.”

Q: I know you’ve lived in the Phoenix area for a long time, so I’m curious. Have you ever gone searching for the Lost Dutchman Mine?

I’ve lived in Phoenix almost my entire life, and I’ve done a terrible job of seeing the state’s sights. (I didn’t make it to the Grand Canyon until I was 16. So, yeah.) With that kind of track record, no, I haven’t looked for the Lost Dutchman Mine… unless reading all about it online and then looking through the Superstition Mountains with Google Earth counts.”

Q: How many books do you want in the Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott, and how many do you think you’ll actually write?

I’m looking at this series like a TV show: individual episodes telling a complete story, grouped in seasons of 6 books, with each season containing its own overarching plot. I’m doing at least 12 books (2 seasons). If people are loving it and I’m not out of ideas, I’d totally be open to the idea of additional seasons.”

Note: I vote for at least 5 seasons if they’re all like A Spying We Will Go.  Who’s with me?

Bio: Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick lives in an undisclosed location outside of Phoenix where she and her husband chase their four little boys and an escape-artist dog. They don’t chase their cats, however, because cats hate that. She is the author of “The Kitten Files” mysteries, “The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott” spy series, and multiple short stories.

In addition to her writing, Perry enjoys graphic design, playing a number of musical instruments, and watching movies that make her laugh.

Find her books, newsletter, and free stories at perrykirkpatrick.com.

Perry’s fantastical alter-ego is Denver Evans, author of the Shallows trilogy.

And What’s the Verdict on A Spying We Will Go?

Oh… where to begin and how to get this into my five-answer review? EEP! Okay… I loved that this “episode” ramped up the tension exponentially—in all directions. I hated that I didn’t get to find out something I am becoming curious about (but I loved it, too! Squee!). Additionally, I laughed at myself for all the episodes I kept coming up with for Ms. Kirkpatrick, and I “cried” at the thought of having to wait a whole month to read the next one. Seriously, torture, folks!!!

This is going to sound redundant, but I can’t help it. I recommend A Spying We Will Go and the rest of this series to anyone who just loves good, fun reading that doesn’t take itself too seriously. No, it’s not realistic, but yes, you can so easily suspend that disbelief and become wrapped up in the world of Phoenix spies and baristas who are almost a little too enthusiastic about “helping out” now and then.

I’m sending my Kindle loaded with them with my 14-year-old daughter on Saturday so she can read them on vacation. She’s going to love them!

A Spying We Will GoTitle: A Spying We Will Go

Author: Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick

Synopsis:  Camping doesn’t lead to kidnapping… usually.

When Emily goes on a group camping trip in Northern Arizona, she suspects her biggest danger will be mosquito bites and bear-sightings. The trip becomes far from relaxing, however, when she hears from a family friend that they can’t get in touch with her dad. Unable to call, due to spotty cell phone reception, she manages to send a text asking for Brent’s help in checking on her dad.

But the spy has been incommunicado for several days, and it turns out he’s up North too–trying to locate a missing ICS agent with information about the Ten Thousand.

Not everything is as it seems. More than bears roam the woods, and information could cost a life.

the accidental cases of Emily Abbott

“The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott” is a series of clean spy-comedies set in Phoenix, Arizona.

1. Red Rover, Red Rover – (Review HERE)
2. Plan to Fail – (Review HERE) 
3. Bad Things, Small Packages – (Review HERE)
4. Tutor, Nanny, Spit-up, Spy – (Review HERE)
5. A-Spying We Will Go –
6. Once Upon a Dime – August 26, 2019  (Review coming)

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
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