Welcome to Jen’s Jewels, where each week I highlight a story I loved and the author behind the words. Today, I’m featuring TRACK OF COURAGE by Susan May Warren. Let’s kick things off with a quick Lightning Round before digging deeper into the story.
LIGHTNING ROUND
1. In three words, describe the vibe of your book. Redemptive. Suspenseful. Hope-filled.
2. What’s your ideal writing fuel: coffee, tea, wine, or chaos? Coffee—and lots of it! Especially when I’m deep in a blizzard scene or working out a rescue sequence with my husband (he was a mechanic, so he gets all my “how would you sabotage a snowmobile?” questions).
3. If your book had a theme song, what would it be? Something that captures both vulnerability and courage—maybe “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle. It speaks to that moment when you realize you can’t save yourself, and someone shows up exactly when you need them most.
THE DEEP DIVE
4. Every book has an origin story. What was the “lightning strike” moment that made you say, “I have to write this”? My editor Andrea Doering asked me, “Why don’t you write a book about dogs?” And suddenly everything clicked. I’d been wanting to explore PTSD in a way that felt authentic—I experienced it myself after a home invasion years ago—and pairing a traumatized cop with a service dog felt like the perfect vehicle to show how God provides what we need before we even know we need it. Caspian became the character who understood Dawson better than Dawson understood himself.
5. Tell me about a scene you rewrote multiple times. What made it so tricky, and how did you finally crack it? (spoiler alert!!) The climactic scene where Mars Sorros holds Zoey at gunpoint and Caspian protects her. I must have rewritten it five times because I needed to balance three crucial elements: the physical danger, Dawson’s choice between pursuing the villain or staying with his wounded dog, and showing how far each character had grown. The breakthrough came when I realized Caspian rolling over for Zoey afterward—this protective guard dog being vulnerable—perfectly captured what the whole book was about: finding courage through trust.
6. Your protagonist: Did they arrive fully formed, or did you have to excavate them layer by layer? What surprised you most about who they became? Dawson arrived as this jaded cop who just wanted to save lives instead of chasing bad guys, but as I wrote him, I realized how much of my own trauma journey I was giving him. What surprised me was how deeply he needed Caspian—not just as a working dog, but as emotional support. And Keely kept revealing layers I didn’t expect. She started as a Grammy-nominated singer on the run, but her adoption storyline and her fierce mother-love for Zoey became the heart of her character. I’m adopted myself, so those discoveries felt deeply personal.
7. Setting can be a character unto itself. How did your location shape the story’s mood, and what personal connection (if any) do you have to that place? The Alaska wilderness isn’t just backdrop—it’s a crucible. The blizzard forces Dawson and Keely into proximity when they’d both rather run from connection. The isolation means they can’t escape their pasts or each other. Alaska’s beauty and brutality mirror the emotional landscape: stunning but dangerous, requiring courage just to survive. I’ve spent years researching Alaska for this series, and there’s something about that landscape that strips away pretense and forces people to face what’s real.
8. What theme or question haunted you while writing this book? Did you find an answer, or are you still sitting with the mystery of it? The question that haunted me was: How do we find courage when we’re still wounded? Both Dawson and Keely are running from trauma—his from a career-ending incident, hers from a dangerous past and the mother who gave her away. I discovered the answer isn’t about being healed first; it’s about accepting help, trusting others, and recognizing that God provides resources (like Caspian!) before we even know we need them. Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s moving forward despite it, with the help He’s already given.
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
9. Share a behind-the-scenes detail that readers would never guess about this book—maybe a weird research rabbit hole, a strange inspiration, or a scene that came from real life. The entire storyline about Keely being afraid of dogs came from wanting to flip that fear into connection. And Caspian’s character—this PTSD service dog who “watches his handler’s six” and leads them to safety—that came from researching service dogs trained for veterans. My husband helped me figure out realistic details like how to sabotage a snowmobile and what injuries Caspian would realistically sustain from a gunshot. Also, the scene where Zoey speaks for the first time, calling Caspian “puppy”? That moment made me cry as I wrote it.
10. We’re kicking off a new year! Do you set any creative intentions or rituals for January? How do you approach fresh starts as a writer? January feels like permission to dream big. I always spend the first weeks planning my story arcs for the year—not just individual books, but how the whole series connects. I meet with my writing partner Rachel Hauck for Saturday breakfasts where we talk through spiritual threads, and those conversations ground me. Fresh starts remind me that every book is a chance to dig deeper, push harder, and hopefully offer readers truths they need through characters who feel real.
11. If you could have dinner with one of your characters (or boot one out of the book entirely), who would it be and why? Dinner with Vic, Keely’s birth mother. She’s this former undercover cop who gave up her daughter to keep her safe, lived quietly for decades with that grief, and then gets a second chance when Keely shows up. I’d want to hear her whole story—the cases, the losses, the everyday courage it took to walk away from her child. And honestly, I think she’d be fascinating company. She’s seen it all and survived.
LOOKING AHEAD
12. Without spoiling anything, can you give us a tiny peek at what you’re working on next? Even just the vibe or the question you’re exploring? Book 2 features Jericho Bowie and his scent dog—but this isn’t a typical search and rescue. There’s a PI chasing the Sorros gang for revenge, hikers buried in avalanches, and Jericho having to prove he can handle more than wilderness adventure trips. The question I’m exploring: What happens when choosing justice might cost innocent lives? It’s about the cost of vengeance versus the call to mercy.
13. What’s the best way for readers to stay in touch and follow your literary adventures? My website (susanmaywarren.com) is headquarters! I send out newsletters with behind-the-scenes content, and I’m active on Facebook and Instagram where I share writing updates, Alaska research, and probably too many dog photos. Readers can also join my Susie May Superstars for exclusive content and early looks at upcoming books.
BONUS: The Author’s Playlist
- “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle – Captures that moment of surrender when you realize you can’t save yourself
- “Fear Is a Liar” by Zach Williams – Perfect for both Dawson and Keely’s journeys from fear to courage
- “Haven’t Seen It Yet” by Danny Gokey – The hope that God is working even when we can’t see it
- “The Bones” by Maren Morris – That deep foundation of love that holds when everything else falls apart
- “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine – Because sometimes you just need to run toward freedom
I hope you’ll add this story to your reading list and join me next week for another edition of Jen’s Jewels.
TRACK OF COURAGE by Susan May Warren
Call of the Wild
A Clean Romantic Suspense K-9 Thriller with Action and Adventure in Alaska
A hijacked plane. A pursuing killer. And a K9’s instinct to help them make it out alive.
Pop Singer Keely Williams’s search for her biological mother in Alaska has been painfully unsuccessful. Now she just wants to escape this wild frontier and never look back. But when her plane is hijacked, she’s suddenly plunged into a race against not only an Alaska blizzard but also a killer who’s on her tail.
After a career-ending injury, ex-cop Dawson Mulligan has only one friend–Caspian, the stray dog he adopted. Dawson just wants to figure out how to get his life on track, but during a flight home to Copper Mountain, he spots a downed plane and stops to help. Except when his not-a-rescue dog runs off into the woods and discovers the trail of a missing survivor, it’s up to the former cop to stage a rescue.
But Dawson has no idea he’s being pulled into a deadly pursuit, or that Caspian is more than he seems. There might be redemption and second chances waiting for both Dawson and Keely if they have the courage to face their wounded pasts and fight for their future.
Join master storyteller Susan May Warren for a propulsive ride through the Alaskan wilderness, where love might be the riskiest–and most rewarding–adventure of all.
Prepare to experience edge-of-your-seat action combined with heart-stirring romance and heroic K9 companions in this exhilarating romantic suspense that will thrill fans of Lynette Eason and Elizabeth Goddard.
Fiction Adventure | Action | Romance Suspense [ Revell, On Sale: January 6, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780800746056 / eISBN: 9781493452835 ]
Buy TRACK OF COURAGE: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Susan May Warren
Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 85 novels with more than 1 million books sold, including the Global Search and Rescue and the Montana Rescue series, as well as Sunrise and Sunburst. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers’ Choice Awards, Susan makes her home in Minnesota.
Christiansen Family | Montana Rescue | The Montana Marshalls | Global Search and Rescue | Sky King Ranch | Minnesota Marshalls | Alaska Air One Rescue | Minnesota Kingstons
WEBSITE | BLOG | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB | AMAZON | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About Jennifer Vido
Jennifer Vido is the author of The Gull Island Series, sweet Lowcountry romances inspired by her love of coastal living and small-town charm. Serendipity by the Sea won Best First Book from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest, and Baltimore Magazine readers named her Best Local Author in 2024 and 2025. A Vanderbilt graduate, Jennifer traded in teaching French to follow her dream of becoming an author. She loves discovering and sharing literary gems through her Jen’s Jewels column, celebrating the books that make her heart happy. Jennifer lives in Maryland with her husband and is mom to two grown sons. Her rescue dog, Fripp, is her constant companion, though he’s better at napping than editing. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her at the beach with her toes in the sand, dreaming about her next romance.
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