Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author. She’s written more than 50 mystery and suspense novels for Love Inspired Suspense, Harvest House, and Poisoned Pen Press. Winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, a HOLT Medallion Award, and a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, Dana lives in Northern California with her husband.
The author of Fire Mountain shares insights into her characters and plot, as well as plans for the second book in the Elements of Danger series.
FF: Please provide a brief summary of Fire Mountain.
Long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Worse yet, she is in a “red zoned” area due to the imminent eruption of Mount Ember. Former cop Cullen Landry witnesses the crash and reluctantly arrives to help. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that the volcano is the least of their problems.
FF: Fire Mountain combines both a natural disaster and a criminal pursuit. What inspired you to pair these two cataclysmic events together?
I’m a big fan of wilderness survival stories. I always wonder how people survive in extreme circumstances, and what’s more extreme than a volcanic eruption combined with a ruthless criminal pursuit?
FF: Your protagonist Kit Garrido is a long-haul truck driver. What circumstances led to Kit finding herself with a mysterious baby in her crashed big rig?
Kit is extremely focused on her business goals until she stops to help a woman in distress. Because of a situation in her past, she cannot drive away, but when she steps in to assist, it leads to deadly consequences.
FF: How does Kit’s memory loss affect her ability to protect both herself and the baby?
She can’t remember how the baby got into her rig, or any of the circumstances related to the mother. She wakes up with a severe concussion and both their lives in danger…and she has no clue why. Former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin even though his area under evacuation orders.
FF: How is his refusal to leave helpful to Kit?
Cullen’s decision to delay puts him in the perfect position to witness Kit’s crash. He knows he has to help rather than wait for rescue, since the area is a hot zone because of the impending eruption. As a cop he was always the first one to rush into a dangerous situation, and now he’s the last one to leave.
FF: Without giving away any spoilers, can you provide a hint of how Kit and Cullen’s relationship evolves while trying to survive multiple threats?
They’re both very vulnerable people who try very hard to keep the world from seeing their weak spots. In their desperate bid to survive, their facades are stripped away, and they see the truth about one another.
FF: What role does the impending volcanic eruption play in ratcheting up the tension between Kit and her pursuers?
Mount Ember is the great enemy herself because her gradual eruption cuts off escape routes and prevents Kit and Cullen from getting help. They are truly on their own in a lethal wilderness.
FF: Can you provide a hint of why armed men are pursuing Kit?
The baby holds the key that can put away a human trafficker.
FF: How do you balance the pacing between romance and suspense elements while keeping readers engaged?
Because they’re constantly confronted by insurmountable challenges, the two are forced to rely on each other. That’s the basis of their bonding. The obstacles keep on coming at them, which forces them to cling to each other to protect the baby and survive, but they are going to learn they are meant to be together long after the crisis is over.
FF: Your books often feature strong themes of resilience. What draws you to write about characters overcoming impossible odds?
We live in a dark and broken world, and there are many people fighting against problems both big and small, trying to live the life God intends for them. That’s the only measure of success that matters…striving against all odds to run the race God sets before us.
FF: What makes the setting of Fire Mountain the perfect backdrop for both romance and danger?
The situation in the book is modeled after the real-life eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 during which the mountain literally blew its top. An eruption of such magnitude can trigger everything from landslides to poisonous plumes of ash and pyroclastic flows. It’s a deadly scenario, and it provides the ultimate “ticking clock” which is perfect for suspense. And if a determined heroine, an adorable baby, and a rugged cowboy happen to be thrown together during such a situation . . . fireworks, in more ways than one!
FF: As a USA Today bestselling author with over 50 novels, how do you keep your suspense storylines fresh and unique?
I’m a perpetual daydreamer. This got me into trouble in school, but it serves me well as a fiction writer!
FF: What are you working on next?
I’m writing the next book, which features Cullen’s brother Gideon, a SERE instructor who is going to face a flood and a powerful drug runner who wants him dead.
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Fire Mountain
Elements of Danger #1
Dana Mentink
Publisher: Revell
Genres: Suspense, Romance
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Available Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
ISBN-10: 080074652X
ISBN-13: 978-0800746520
Book Summary:
Fire rains from above as they fight to discover the truth and stay alive.
In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.
As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he’s the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he’s in this thing, like it or not.
When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby’s missing mother – all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.
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