About the Book
Watch Your Back by Kristen Hogrefe Parnell
Series: Crossroads Suspense – Book 3
Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink
Release Date: March 5, 2025
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
You can’t watch your own back.
Private Investigator Avery Reynolds leads the charge to expose Tampa’s supposedly “extinct” mob. The crime boss responsible for her foster brother’s death is within her grasp—until she hits a wall in the form of Ethan Bridger, a Coast Guard veteran who unknowingly derails her sting operation. When the elusive “Big Eddie” comes out of hiding, he targets their mutual friends about to tie the knot.
Avery sets aside her angst toward Ethan to focus on ending the crime boss’s reign of terror. But working together exposes her trust issues and his PTSD stemming from a comrade’s tragedy. When Avery goes solo into a prisoner exchange operation, she discovers her vulnerability too late—and must lean on Ethan and the God she thought had abandoned her. But will that help reach her in time?
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More In This Series
About the Author
Kristen Hogrefe Parnell writes suspenseful fiction from a faith perspective for women and young adults. A former English teacher, she now designs curriculum for a Christian academy and spends most of her time at her favorite assignment to date: being a mom to her toddler. Her books have won the Selah Award and the Grace Award, among others. She lives in the Tampa, Florida area with her husband and son.
Connect with Kristen by visiting kristenhogrefeparnell.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Author Q&A
Q: What first ignited the desire to become a writer?
Hogrefe Parnell: When I was in middle school, my brothers, our close friends, and I started writing chapter books for fun. Everyone else eventually lost interest in the project, but I kept writing. It was then I realized I wanted to be a writer.
Q: I’ve always heard it said that fiction reflects real life. So how do you keep getting inspiration for suspense novels? Hopefully, not that many suspenseful things have happened to you!
Hogrefe Parnell: I absolutely agree that fiction reflects real life. The beauty of fiction is that it can present truth in a non-threatening way: through the vehicle of story. Thankfully, my life hasn’t been full of intensely suspenseful situations like those my characters face, but I think each of us experiences suspense in real life. For example, I had to wait until I was in my early thirties before I met and married my now husband, and that wait often had me wondering in suspense when and if God would bring the right man into my life. I often get inspiration from settings too. Beech Mountain, North Carolina inspired my Crossroads Suspense series, and it is a setting that appears in each book, including Watch Your Back.
Q: What type of research do you do for your books? How long does the process take?
Hogrefe Parnell: Research takes many forms, either in person, through online research, or through contacts and connections. The process is ongoing during drafting. Sometimes, research will help inspire parts of my planning, and other times, I’ll leave notes in my first draft for topics I need to research and come back to once I get the rough draft done.
Q: One of the reasons I gravitate towards Christian fiction is the incorporation of Bible scripture and biblical lessons throughout the book. In Watch Your Back you have some great discussion questions that center around the Bible and Christian faith. How do you keep your love of scripture going and know when to incorporate it into a book? Do you have a religious advisor that you work with?
Hogrefe Parnell: I think most important of all is my relationship with God and spending time in His Word every day. (Sometimes, this is hard to do with a toddler, but it’s a daily goal!) What shapes the theme and spiritual truths I integrate into the story are the characters’ arcs. What struggles are they facing? What spiritual truths best apply to their situations? I try to let the story shape their faith journeys. I don’t have a religious advisor, but I do discuss and share the book with trusted writing colleagues during the drafting process—and I pray over the story, that God would guide me as I write it.
Q: What do you consider literary success?
Hogrefe Parnell: I have two standards for literary success. The first is simply being faithful to the calling God has put on my life. That calling looks different for every writer. First and foremost, I want to steward the gift of writing God has given me and the opportunities He presents.
The second standard? I’d love to be a best-selling author one day and see my writing reach a place where it contributes more to my family’s needs. My first and most important assignment right now is being a mom to our toddler. Reaching the place where my writing frees me up to do that more fully is a dream I have.
Thank you to JustRead Publicity Tours for connecting me with Kristen.
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