More About this Book

"No one combines steamy suspense and breathless thrills like Suzanne Forster!"

-- Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times best-selling author

He knows when you're alone...

He abducts women from their beds at midnight, gagging and terrorizing them and then dumping them, drugged but alive, days later. None of the victims have been able to identify him, and the Seattle police have no leads-until now... 

And after the lights are out...

There's been a new abduction, but with a terrifying twist--the latest victim, a cop working on the case, has been found dead. But the police may now have the break they need-a witness...

He comes for you...

The sole witness is a homeless woman with a shaky memory. Forensic sketch artist Jennifer Nash has been called in by the SPD. However, her unconventional techniques have made her unpopular with cops­--one cop in particular. Russ Sadler was the victim's ex-partner. He's now the chief investigator --and the last person Jennifer wants to work with. Their affair left them both burned, but they can't let their emotions interfere. The killer is a lot closer than anyone realizes, and now he has his eye on Jennifer...

In the dark of night, anything can happen­--even the unthinkable...

Author's Warning

Dear Reader:

WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING should come with an author warning: Please do not read this book at night! Not if you want to fall into a peaceful sleep. 

It took me several months to write WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING, and during that time I was sleepless on a regular basis. I swear this is true. Lots of excitement, but little rest. My dreams were regularly invaded by the dark villain who occupies the pages of this book, the one who kidnaps women out of their beds and carries them off into the night for his own nefarious purposes. 

And if the villain wasn’t chasing me through the night, the hero was! Honestly, there were times when I couldn’t tell the difference—and neither could my heroine, Jennifer Nash. Jennifer is a forensic sketch artist who’s been called in to help track down the serial kidnapper. Forced to work with her ex-fiancé, police detective Russ Sadler, whom she left at the altar, she finds herself back in his arms again. 

The story is set in Seattle in the midst of a sweltering heat wave, and as the temperature rises, Jennifer has to sleep with one eye open. She and Russ were dangerously in love. Does he want her back? Or is he out for revenge? There’s no way to know, and as the killer nears, Jennifer is forced to make split-second decisions about who to trust. 

Thrills and chills galore for Jennifer. That was the plan, only I didn’t count on the excitement that WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING would bring to my life. I chose the Pacific Northwest as a setting because I was born and raised there, and because Seattle is one of my favorite cities in the world. I was delighted to have the excuse to extensively research the area. But one of my research trips took place during 9/11—not a time when you want to be away from home and loved ones. Not only was I stranded in Seattle for three weeks until the airlines were operational again, but all of my law enforcement contacts were cut off—and at one point the FBI became suspicious because I called with questions about their profiling techniques.

Fortunately, the rest of my research was pure pleasure. Since Jennifer was a consultant on the case, she got to stay in one of the amazing downtown Seattle hotels near the Public Safety Building, with a breathtaking view of blue skies, blue waters and the majestic red cranes on the loading docks. But my hero’s digs were even better. What better place for an impossibly sexy detective like Russ Sadler than a houseboat on Lake Union? I have to admit that it was one of my more inspired ideas, especially when it came to the story’s romantic elements. You’ve heard about making love on a train, of course? The vibrations, the rhythm of the rails? Houseboats have similar benefits, only better. J 

It was my goal that the atmosphere of Seattle permeate the entire story, from the omnipresent coffee bars to the color and chaos of the famous Pikes Street Market. I hope I succeeded in that. I certainly had fun trying. In addition to the story’s plot twists, I decided to do a twist on typical Seattle weather, so I created the heat wave I described earlier. Imagine Russ and Jennifer’s surprise when the heat broke in a magnificent storm, complete with thunderbolts and warm pouring rain. Naturally, they were on the deck of the houseboat in a hammock when the lightning struck—in more ways than one. 

The writing of WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING was an exhilarating experience for me in so many ways. It brightened my life considerably, and I do hope the reading will brighten yours. One thing I’m sure of: If you like those good goose bumps, the kind that will make you smile while you shiver, then this book’s for you. Please enjoy. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Sleeplessly yours, 

Suzanne Forster