Two weeks ago, I caught a flight to Sydney and attended the 2024 Omega Writers Conference. It was my first in-person conference with local Christian authors, so I enjoyed meeting writers I had only connected with at our online meetings. Mingling with unpublished and published authors (whose books I’d read!) was a treat, but the highlight of the conference was Susan May Warren’s keynote sessions.
Wow, what an enthusiastic, genuine person! Ms Warren shared so much of her life where her writing journey and missions in Russia intersected. I clung to each jaw-dropping story, scribbled pages of notes, and laughed a lot.
For someone who doesn’t know me—although Ms Warren presented me with my CALEB Award finalist certificate and hugged me! (*squee*!)—I feel weird how much I now know about her and love her! (I promise I’m not like those scary stalkers in your novels, Susie May!)
During one of her sessions, Ms Warren regaled us about the origins of her first story, Measure of a Man, and how we can use our experiences to inspire our writing. So, of course, I was intrigued to read a romance inspired by a 2+ hour wait in a cold Siberian elevator with a live chicken and two missionaries who spoke limited English (not to mention the axe-wielding babushka who rescued them!). 😆
I soon fell down the Susan May Warren rabbit hole and read a few of her stories.
Watch Over Me is the first book in a suspenseful, action-packed romance series set in Russia. Written by Ms Warren earlier in her writing career while she lived in Siberia, the vivid imagery pops from the pages and brings early-2000s Russia to life.
If you like your Christian romances mixed with murder, a little subterfuge, and a truckload of tension, the Global Guardians series is for you!
Where There’s Smoke is the first fabulous book in the Montana Fire series. A second chance romance with several intense scenes (as happens when fighting fires!), lovable characters and believable faith journeys, this is the beginning of an engaging series rippling with tension.
Somewhere, My Love is a romance novella collection which includes Measure of a Man, Proof of Your Love and This Little House of Mine. Regardless of whether the story is set in Russia or small-town USA, these Christian romances vibrate with a universal truth: we all need to trust God, no matter if we’re a missionary, a journalist or a business owner.
Have you read any of Susan May Warren’s books? Let me know in the comments below.
Until next time,
