Welcome to Island Heat where Suzanna Shay and Austen Kincade take you with them on a romantic mystery cruise that goes from Costa Maya to the beaches of Hilton Head Island where adventure, danger, and romance await.

Hi, I’m Suzanna, the manager of Preston Books’ Charlotte store. I still can’t believe I won the company contest for  a Who -Done -It? mystery cruise to Costa Maya. Not only have I never been on a cruise before, but I love reading mysteries. Just think, one week where no one knows me, and I don’t have to explain my actions to anyone, including my mother.  My friend, Amy, is convinced I’ll meet the man of my dreams on the ship. We’ll see.

Hey, I’m Austen. My dream is to someday be a published author — I know, like a million other writers. I do have two completed manuscripts which I sent off to H&H Publishing. Imagine my surprise, after accepting a ticket for a mystery cruise from a friend, that H&H was one of the sponsors of the cruise. Then to make the trip complete, I find myself paired with sexy Suzanna Shay.

Passion flares when Suzanna and Austen come together, but their newfound romance is threatened by another, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Island Heat is the second in my Carolina series; Mountain Blaze being the first. I love both the mountains and the ocean. In Mountain Blaze, the setting is the mountains outside of Asheville, NC. Island Heat is set on Hilton Head, the place I call home. I had so much  fun writing this book that I included the girls from my bunco and happy hour groups. 

Writers are sometimes asked if they are a “plotter” or “pantser”. I’m definitely a “pantser” — writing by the seat of my pants. I begin with the location for the story, create my plot and characters, and after that anything goes. Island Heat is a perfect example that what I begin to write isn’t at all how it ends. For example, the first draft of the book didn’t include the cruise. I knew I needed to find a fun way for Suzanna and Austen to meet. So, who wouldn’t like to meet a handsome man while cruising your way through the beautiful waters of the Gulf?

My stories aren’t just romance. Like Suzanna, I love mysteries. So, I combine them and hope to keep you excited and guessing.

Award-winning author Debby Grahl lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with her husband David. Besides writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the beach, and a glass of wine at sunset. Visually impaired since childhood by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), she uses screen-reading software to research and write her books. 

Rue Toulouse, a contemporary romance set in the French Quarter, medalled as second place in the Readers’ Favorite international competition, and was awarded first place in the Top Shelf Fiction for the Romance category. His Magic Touch, a paranormal romance, is also set in New Orleans. Her latest book, Island Heat, will be released May 1, 2023, and will be the second book in her three-part Carolina series. The first, Mountain Blaze, released November 2, 2020, has received a five-star review from Readers’ Favorite.

Follow Debby at https://www.debbygrahl.com/

A chance encounter leads to romance and murder.

When bookstore owner Suzanna Shay and writer Austen Kincade meet on a Who Done It mystery cruise, their instant attraction has them more interested in romance than searching for clues.  But when the leading actress in the shipboard murder skit, Austen’s publisher’s wife, throws herself at Austen, she’s furious when he rejects her advances and vows to have Austen no matter what it takes.

After the ship docks, with plans for a future together, Suzanna and Austen part, unaware vindictive lies will soon test their newfound love and entangle them in a real mystery that proves deadly.