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Did you ever start something only to have to set it aside for a while? Or maybe set it aside on purpose to work on something else? Believe it or not, we authors do that all the time, and our guest author today, my friend Lori De Jong, has one of those projects about to release. I'm so excited for her and if you like a bit of suspense with your Christmas romance, be sure to check out this new book!  “Bodyguards? Daddy, you know how I feel about bodyguards. I know I’m a people person, but bodyguards aren’t people. They’re … they’re … tactical gear. And just as cumbersome.” Fiercely independent defense attorney Riley Hudson is not happy when her wealthy, Houston financier father hires a security detail for her after a failed abduction attempt. It was random, she tells him, and highly unlikely the guy would try again after she introduced his kneecap to the chunky heel of her designer boot. Not to mention the manicure she ruined clawing at his hand. So she might need to step up her own efforts to keep herself safe. But bodyguards? Uh-uh. When Colton Blankenship is called on to lead her detail two days before a well-earned, week-long golf trip to Miami, the last thing he wants to do is spend his days shopping, lunching with the girls, and night-time club-hopping. And from the moment he meets Riley, he’s acutely aware she doesn’t want him around anymore than he wants to be there. But here they are. Stuck with each other. Let the fireworks commence! These two are the very definition of opposites attract, although neither are ready, or willing, to take a chance on the other. I first wrote this manuscript many (many) years ago before I had joined any writers’ groups. But when I joined one in 2002, I discovered just how hard this writing gig is and that there was a lot I needed to learn. As the years progressed, I would take this manuscript out, tweak it a bit, then put it away. It was originally written for the mainstream market. Then I decided to write exclusively Christian fiction, so I went through it again, added a faith element ... and put it away. Fast forward to January 2020, after having left my writing life eleven years before when our lives went through a long period of upheaval. But by 2020, our nest was empty, and that writing bug began chewing on me again. I pulled this manuscript back out, moved the setting from Boston to Houston … and put it away. I wasn’t sure I would ever pitch it for possible publication. But after I turned in the second book of my True Calling Series, I realized I didn’t have anything scheduled for publication after book three released in June 2025. So out it came. Again. I tightened up the first few chapters, put together a book proposal, and was delighted my publisher wanted it and two more for a series of three! What a breeze, I thought. I would just have to go through and edit it instead of starting from scratch with an entirely new book. Didn’t quite turn out that way. Once I started editing, I found it needed almost an entire re-write, and I only had two months to make it happen. So, I put my head down, kept my fingers on the keyboard, and wrote like mad. Mistletoe and Malice is a bit of a departure for me. My first three novels, and one novella, were decidedly contemporary romance. Moving into romantic suspense pushed me and challenged me, but it also allowed me to grow as an author. I learned so much during the writing and editing of this book, and I’m looking forward to applying it to the next two books in the series. Have you ever changed course or tried something new that made you nervous? Excited? Unsure? How did it turn out, or what did you learn about yourself?  Mistletoe and Malice He’s sworn to protect her life … but guarding his heart may be his biggest challenge. After barely escaping an attempted abduction, Houston attorney Riley Hudson is forced to accept her wealthy father's demand for private security. The last thing she wants is a bodyguard—especially one as maddeningly arrogant, bossy … and handsome as Colton Blankenship. Yet as the threat against her escalates, she begins to rely not only on his skills, but his steadfast presence. Colton isn’t thrilled about giving up his hard-earned holiday vacation to protect a spoiled heiress. But he soon learns Riley is nothing like he expected. Fierce, independent, and unwavering in her faith, she’s everything he thought he’d left behind after tragedy shattered his own beliefs. As the unknown threat circles closer, the tension between them ignites into something deeper ... and far more perilous. When a second attempt on Riley’s life nearly succeeds, Colton faces a terrifying truth. Protecting her means risking more than just his life. Haunted by a past he can't outrun, and a faith he’s all but lost, he must decide if he can trust God again ... before he loses Riley—and his heart—for good.  Lori DeJong (pronounced DeeYung) is an award-winning contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith.
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of thirty years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter and son-in-law are settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Lori loves to write about love and romance and all that fun stuff, with a firm foundation of faith. Clean but sassy, sparkly, and even goose-bumpy romance, with God in the middle and characters seeking and learning and changing, couldn’t be more heartwarming or spine-tingly. Lori's debut novel, Love's True Calling, released in 2023, was the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, a double finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards, and was named the 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year. Love’s True Home, released in June 2024, was also a Selah finalist. Love’s True Measure released in June 2025. Lori's Christmas novella, Jingle Bell Matchmakers, a part of "A Match Made at Christmas" novella collection, is also available and was named a 2025 ACFW Carol Award finalist. Social Media links: Website: https://loridejongwrites.com/ Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LoriDeJongCommunity Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loridejongwrites/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loridejongwrites Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/loridejongwrites Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/loridejongwrites GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38460845.Lori_DeJong Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lori-dejong
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