Behind the Scenes

As Heather Woodhaven, the romantic suspense author, I spend lots of time researching to get the danger and suspense right. But as Heather, the magnet for embarrassing moments, my characters often get assigned at least one of my many traits. It’s said that truth can be stranger than fiction, so sometimes it’s hard to know what to draw from in my real life.

 For instance, in May’s Texas Takedown, the heroine struggles with sleepwalking. It’s quite a disadvantage for a character when you’re trying to stay out of danger. So why did I do it? Sleepwalking apparently happens in moments of stress or anxiety.

Confession time: From a young age, any time I went to a sleepover or a summer camp, the next morning I would hear tales of my grand adventures. As a young teenager, my mom endured me asking to watch a James Bond movie at three in the morning (that might’ve made it into the book.)

In college, I thought I’d grown out of it, but as a newly married pastor’s wife on a trip with the youth group to a cabin in the woods, the teens said I was determined to find a bus driver in the early morning hours. I have no recollection of any of these events so one night I decided to set up a motion-sensing recorder. While I didn’t walk around that night, I had a surprising amount of things to say.

The best part? My husband responded to everything, resulting in an entertaining, nonsensical conversation on tape that neither one of us could recall.

I haven’t had any instances of sleepwalking ever since becoming a mother, but my children have treated me to some entertaining stories of their own in the wee hours. And it often happens when we travel or something is weighing heavily on their minds.
Have you ever struggled with sleepwalking or talking (or so you’ve been told)?

In July’s Tracking Secrets, my heroine is won over by an absolutely adorable black lab. Almost ten years ago, our own dog, Sugar, won our hearts in an animal shelter. While potty training her in January in the Cascade Mountains isn’t something I recommend, Sugar has led me into many adventures.

I’ve seen a moose, a bear, a bobcat, and an eagle because of her. I’ve also readied myself to defend against a potential attacker wearing a headlamp who came running toward me in the dark while potty training her (it turned out to be our senior pastor on a run.) So it seemed high time to give Sugar a little tribute by including her in my latest suspense.

Do you have dogs? Have they led you into any adventures?

Have you had instances where true life would definitely seem too strange to be included in fiction?


Hope you have a wonderful week,
Heather Woodhaven