Romantic Suspense JIM AND KATHERINE with Traci Hunter Abramson

Jim Whitmore has lofty dreams of a bright political career. So when a well-connected friend invites him home for the weekend, the promise of rubbing shoulders with her congressman father and his professional associates is thrilling. What he doesn’t anticipate is meeting his friend’s sister, Katherine, an intriguing woman who immediately steals his heart.

After witnessing the arrest of one of her father’s colleagues in congress, Katherine Hudson is far too aware of the strains of living in the spotlight of Washington politics. The last thing she wants is to date a future politician, yet despite some early misgivings, she can’t resist Jim Whitmore’s charm. But then Jim is accused of a crime he didn’t commit—a crime that could ruin his reputation and his and Katherine’s chance at happiness together. With both of their futures on the line, Jim and Katherine enlist the help of their families to prove Jim’s innocence and salvage their hopes and dreams that seem ready to shatter.

Traci Hunter Abramson recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss her latest romantic suspense, JIM AND KATHERINE.

Traci Hunter Abramson

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?

When I was writing another series set in the 1980s, one of the main characters inadvertently showed up as a side character. I was so enamored with the idea of how this character came to be the man he is in my other novels that I set out to find out his story.

A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?

I absolutely love Jim and Katherine. These two characters are the sort that people wish were their real-life friends. Spending time with them and discovering their story has been an absolute joy.

Were there any particular books, movies, or songs that were knocking around in your head while you were writing this one?

The only books that really influenced this one were ones that I have previously written with these characters. And there are a lot of them.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

In today’s world, I really wanted to write a character of strong moral courage who could take on the political world and remain honest and true to his values. I have loved watching Jim Whitmore come to life, both in previous books as well as in this novel that is a prequel to so many of my other series.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I hope that people will strive to support their loved ones in the way these characters did when times were tough.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?

I have two projects brewing right now. One is the initial edit for Novel Threat (coming April 2025), which is a CIA thriller. I’m also currently drafting the second in my Luke Steele series, which features a Marine and an FBI special agent. The first in that series, Hometown Vendetta, releases in October 2024.