Today we welcome S.K. Muskat to answer a few questions to celebrate the upcoming release of South of Justice, the second book in her Love on the Run series.
Welcome! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into writing?
I’m a New Zealand author currently splitting my time between writing, marketing, and drinking far too much tea. I’ve always been drawn to stories that live in the grey areas—people making complicated choices under pressure—and writing became a way to explore that fascination. I started out as a lifelong reader who was constantly rewriting endings in my head, and eventually that turned into the urge to tell my own stories. Romantic suspense felt like a natural home for me because it allows space for both high emotional stakes and very real danger.
Are there any books that have really influenced you as a writer?
I’ve always gravitated toward authors who blend tension with intimacy. Writers like Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts showed me early on that romance doesn’t have to soften a thriller, it can sharpen it. I’m also influenced by contemporary crime fiction and noir storytelling by authors like Ben Sanders and Lee Child, particularly narratives that focus on morally complex characters and the consequences of their pasts. Those influences definitely show up in my work.
What do you enjoy most about writing romantic suspense?
I love the balance. Romantic suspense lets me put characters into extreme situations and see who they become under pressure. The danger forces honesty, as emotional walls crack faster when lives are on the line. I’m especially drawn to stories where trust is hard-won and intimacy grows out of shared risk rather than convenience.
What inspired this book in particular?
South of Justice grew out of questions left unresolved in the first book of the series (Jessica, Not Her Real Name). I wanted to explore what happens when someone who has dedicated their life to the law becomes the one being hunted, and what justice looks like when institutions fail. Setting the story in Mexico allowed me to heighten the sense of isolation and danger while exploring themes of exile, survival, and moral compromise.
What is your favorite aspect of Lucía Duarte’s character?
Lucía’s intelligence and restraint. She’s not impulsive, and she’s not reckless—every decision she makes is calculated because the cost of being wrong is so high. I love that her strength isn’t loud. It’s quiet and precise, which gives her a kind of feminine strength you don’t see a lot of in thrillers.
What is your favorite aspect of Former Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan Inglis’s character?
Ryan carries a lot of guilt, and that weight shapes everything he does. What I love most about him is his instinct to protect, even when he believes he doesn’t deserve redemption. He’s capable, loyal, and deeply touch-starved, which makes his emotional journey just as compelling as the physical danger he faces.
What is your favorite part of the dynamic between your two romantic leads?
Their mutual respect. Neither Lucía nor Ryan is there to be saved by the other—they survive with each other. Their relationship builds through trust and shared vulnerability rather than instant attraction alone. Watching those walls come down, piece by piece, was one of the most satisfying parts of writing the book.
What are some things you are really enjoying right now? Books, TV, foods, etc.?
Right now I’m deep into a Star Wars marathon: watching all the films in order for the very first time. It’s been unexpectedly inspiring and may have sparked ideas for a future project that combines science fiction with romantasy. On a more grounded note, after months of living without most of my belongings due to an international move, I’m genuinely enjoying having a proper kitchen again. Being able to cook anything—but especially macaroni and cheese—feels like a luxury!
Want to know more about South of Justice?
When redemption is the only way out, love can be the most dangerous pursuit.
Former Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan Inglis is a man on the run—disgraced, hunted by his own agency, and chasing one final shot at redemption: finding a missing American child lost in the shadowlands of a Mexican cartel.
Lucía Duarte, once the cartel’s trusted financial prodigy, has resurfaced with the key to their destruction—a stolen digital ledger encrypted with secrets worth killing for.
When Ryan and Lucía collide in the mountains of Oaxaca, an uneasy alliance forms. What begins as mutual suspicion ignites into something far more volatile: trust, desire, and the faint hope of absolution. Together, they become a threat the cartel cannot ignore.
But Lucía’s former lover, Javier Esquivel—the cartel’s calculating financial mastermind—will stop at nothing to lure her back into his cage. As their enemies close in, Ryan and Lucía must outwit the devils they know before the past consumes them…and the boy they’re trying to save disappears forever.
S.K. Muskat delivers a taut, emotionally charged story of two lost souls caught between duty and desire, set against the violent beauty of Latin America. South of Justice proves that even in the darkest places, love can be the ultimate act of defiance.
Meet S.K. Muskat:
S.K. Muskat is the pen name for Shannon Hart. She writes romantic thrillers where love is risky, secrets kill, and no one gets out unscathed. With a passion for storytelling that has taken her around the world, she now calls Melbourne, Australia home—along with an ever-growing collection of plants that, unlike her characters, thrive under her care.
Find her on her website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, BookBub, and Threads. Or join her newsletter to keep up to date with everything she has going on.
