Hi I’m Terri Reed. I write for Love Inspired Suspense. The germ of an idea for my upcoming release, Forced to Flee, came while catching up with a friend a few years ago. It was just after Christmas, I asked her what she’d been up to lately. Her answer: Drama.
Intriguing. What kind of drama?
She and three siblings thought it would be a fun Christmas activity to do a DNA test through an online site.
I’ve done a DNA online test and there were no surprises for me. However, for my friend, she got a big, life changing shock. She was only half related by DNA to her siblings on their mother’s side. My friend connected to a whole other family.
When she confronted her mother, her mom admitted that during a rough patch in their marriage, her parents had separated for a few months and her mother had had a relationship that resulted in a pregnancy. My friend’s father was deceased by the time this all came to light and never knew that his youngest daughter was not his biological child. My friend reached out through the DNA site to her biological father and his family.
It was awkward and there were some hurt feelings. This discovery caused a rife between my friend and her mother. But eventually, she and her mother reconciled. But I took this germ of an idea of discovering one had different DNA than a sibling and ran with it.
The story of Forced to Flee was the result. In this fictionalized version, Abby Frost and her sister, take a DNA test online and when the results come back, they are both shocking and dangerous. Abby connects to a family she’s never heard of, and her mother tells her, that yes, the man who raised her wasn’t her father. Curious about this other family, Abby reaches out through the DNA site and sets off a chain of events that lead a drug cartel to her door.
When a handsome cowboy rescues her from an attempted kidnapping, Abby isn’t sure what to think. But then she discovers her knight in a white hat isn’t who he pretends to be. U.S. deputy marshal Jace Armstrong has sworn to protect witnesses and apprehend fugitives. When the marshal’s service learns of Abby’s connection to a vicious cartel, Jace heads to Washington state to secure the innocent woman. But soon they are forced to flee across the country, dodging bullets, the cartel and learning to trust one another.
Have you taken a DNA test? Were there surprises for you?
An undercover mission… turns into a cross-country pursuit
Rescuing his next-door neighbor from unknown attackers, Jace Armstrong simply appears to be a good Samaritan. But the U.S. marshal is deep undercover, and Abby Frost is a drug cartel’s unsuspecting target. When the assailants strike again, Jace’s cover is blown—and their only option is to run. But can Jace get Abby to safety…before she becomes bait in the cartel’s deadly game?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
About Terri Reed
I hope you’ll read Forced to Flee and enjoy the way Abby and Jace overcome their issues and the danger threatening their lives. The book releases on September 27th but you can buy it here now and ensure you receive your copy on release day.
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