About the Book

Book: Dangerous Dalliance (Sisters in Peril Book One)

Author: Valerie Massey Goree

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release date: July 25, 2023

amaJan’s fiancé, Bryan Buchanan, disappeared a year ago. She has no idea why he left or where he is. Since then, she’s had no interest in romance, but saving a little girl from a playground accident propels her into the world of possibilities.

Hatch, the child’s grateful father, has met many women since his wife’s passing. Jan is the first one to catch his attention, but his instinct to offer counseling to any woman he meets who seems depressed is a big turn-off for her.

Although Jan is flattered by Hatch’s attention, the rest of her life is turned upside down when she receives threatening phone calls, is nearly run off the road, and is shot at.

Can Hatch protect Jan as the men’s threats escalate? If Bryan returns to her life, will she forget about Hatch?

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About the Author

Award winner Valerie Massey Goree resides in the beautiful Hill Country, northwest of San Antonio. After serving as missionaries in her home country of Zimbabwe and raising two children, Valerie and her husband, Glenn, moved to Texas, his home state. She worked in the public school system for many years, focusing on students with special needs.

Valerie began her writing career late in life and has now published 10 romantic suspense novels. Glenn wrote 12 non-fiction books which Valerie edited. Valerie retired from teaching and spends her time writing, traveling, and spoiling her grandchildren. She loves to hear from her readers.

More from Valerie

The Interesting “Task” of Choosing Character Names

I wrote the first rendition of Dangerous Dalliance many years ago. Obviously, it wasn’t published, so I put it aside and continued writing other novels. After publishing my ninth book, I decided to revise the story.

Choosing names for my characters, especially the hero and heroine, is a task I take seriously. I read through my lists and check online sites. I don’t go to that much trouble for my secondary characters, but I have a quirky way to choose their names.

I spent twenty-five years working in the public school system. Many students stand out in my memory for positive reasons. However, I remember a few kids or their parents less favorably. Any teacher will understand. Well, the names of those students or parents often play a role in my stories as secondary characters who don’t leave a positive impression.

The name of a major secondary character in my original Dangerous Dalliance was Brandon. From the first moment my student with that name entered my classroom as a four-year-old with severe allergies, a language delay, and behavioral issues until the day his family moved out of state, his behaviors and antics provided me with giggles and frustration.

Fast-forward several years. I live in a retirement community where we have 24/7 concierge services. When I moved here, the young man in charge was named Brandon. When I revised my original story, I frequently chatted with him. He was such a lovely person and treated us “older” folks with so much compassion.

Now, the name Brandon no longer conjured up images of my student but of the man I wanted to adopt as a grandson. (I found out many residents felt the same way.) I told him about my story and the reason I chose a different name for my guy.

Brandon left a few months later, and in a note he wrote me, he said, he would always remember that I changed the name of a character in my novel because of him, and he hoped he could live up to my high opinion of him.

Interview with the Author

1)Which character did you connect to best in this book?

This might sound strange, but I connected to my hero, Hatch. He is a counselor who specializes in working with people who have marriage and family difficulties, who suffer from spousal abuse, or people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs. I based him on my husband, not in physical characteristics, but in personality and profession. Since I revised the story after my husband passed away, when I wrote his scenes, I was reminded of the many people he helped during his forty-year career.

2)Which part of the book was the most difficult to write?

It was difficult to write the scenes where my hero discusses the death of his wife and how he feels responsible for her actions.

3)What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

When I left home in Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe in Central Africa) at age 17 to attend a Christian University in Arkansas, my Church family gave me a farewell party. One of the elders read Psalm 121 from the KJV. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord,” That Psalm, especially the first verse stayed with me all during my terrible homesick days and months.

4)What is your vacation spot?

My parents moved to Rhodesia when I was seven. The rest of my family remained in South Africa. Every summer, we went ‘down south’ on holiday. We’d visit aunts and uncles along the way but our destination was always Durban, a city on the south coast. Durban had miles and miles of fantastic beaches, great for surfing. However, the sharks also loved the area so we could only swim where there were shark nets!

5)Describe your view as you’re sitting in your writing chair.

I live in an apartment and the view from my office window is terrible—parking lot, another apartment complex. Soo…I’m taking poetic license, or maybe an author’s license to describe the view my husband and I had when we retired to Washington State in 2018. Our condo was right on the water. The large window of the second bedroom overlooked the grassy area that led to the lapping waves. We had side-by-side desks where we’d write. He was also an author. We could watch the cruise ships on their way to or from Seattle, yachts and sailboats leave the marina and head out to open water, or kayaks hug the shore. Sunrises changed the color of the water every day but our plans changed…