Suzanne Woods Fisher's Blog, page 14
November 5, 2018
Author Spotlight with Lynn Blackburn
Leave a comment and enter below for a chance to win a copy of Lynn Blackburn’s new book, “In Too Deep.”
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Jackie Smith for winning Suzanne Woods Fisher’s book, “The Light Before Day.”
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn introduced readers to her new Dive Team Investigations series with Beneath the Surface (March 2018). Now she ramps up the romantic tension and action-packed suspense with In Too Deep.
When the Carrington dive team is called in to recover a body from a submerged car in Lake Porter, they also find an encrypted laptop with an unsettling connection between investigator Adam Campbell and the dead accountant.
Adam turns to the only person he can trust, Dr. Sabrina Fleming, whose unparalleled computer security and forensics skills can help him recover the files from the laptop. But the deeper they dig, the deadlier the investigation becomes. When evidence uncovers a human trafficking ring and implicates members of Adam’s own family, he and Sabrina may have to make a choice between loyalty and truth. The truth could set hundreds free—but will they risk everything to solve the case?
What I’ve Learned the Hard Way So You Don’t Have To
One thing I’ve learned the hard way is that there’s no shame in being a beginner.
It’s okay to not know how things work, to struggle to make sense of what’s going on, and to *gasp* make mistakes while learning something new, whether it’s writing a novel or knitting a blanket or scuba diving.
I lean heavily toward being a perfectionist and I never want to make a mistake. Ever. So I have, at times, shied away from doing anything new that I couldn’t at least attempt to master in private. I knew I would mess up, a lot, and I didn’t want to be embarrassed by my incompetence.
But this spring I pushed all of that aside and signed up for a scuba diving certification course. I was horrible at it! One of the worst beginners ever. But I stuck with it. After near panic attacks, some tears, and quite a bit of literal hand-holding by my instructors, I earned my certification and was able to reef dive this summer off the Florida Keys. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, but I would have missed it if I hadn’t been willing to be a beginner.
If there’s something out there that you want to do but you think you’re too old to try it or you think you’ll be awful at it, just go for it. You might be terrible at first—in fact, you probably will be! That’s okay! Wear that beginner badge with a smile. Tell everyone the truth—that you have no idea what you’re doing but you’re excited to learn. You’ll be amazed at how gracious people will be and then one day you’ll realize you aren’t a beginner anymore.
Purchase a copy of In Too Deep
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | CBD | LynnBlackburn.com
Lynn H. Blackburn is the author of Beneath the Surface, Hidden Legacy, and Covert Justice, winner of the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make her choose), as well as experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children.
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October 31, 2018
Coffee Break: Eugene Peterson
Last week, Eugene Peterson passed away at the age of 85.
Years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing him, via phone, for a magazine article. I was so nervous that the phone shook! He quickly put me at ease. He was genuine, helpful and kind. And so very humble.
Here’s something I loved learning about him: Eugene Peterson pastored a small church for most of his life. The Message was published after he retired, using material he’d written for his church.
Think about that! God has good plans for each one of us…at any age.
If you’re a Eugene Peterson fan and haven’t read The Pastor, a memoir of his life,
put it on your TBD list.
In the meantime, I think you’ll enjoy reading this post about him by Philip Yancey.
And here is a statement from his family about his last few remarkable days in Relevant Magazine.
What a blessing he was to this world! He will be missed.
October 29, 2018
Author Spotlight: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Leave a comment and enter below for a chance to win a copy of Suzanne Woods Fisher’s new book, “The Light Before Day.”
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Loretta Moore for winning Ted Dekker’s book, “Rise of the Mystics.”
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
Six long years ago, Captain Reynolds Macy sailed away from his bride, looking forward to the day when he would return to Nantucket Island with a ship’s hold full of whale oil. But when that momentous day finally arrives, Ren soon discovers that everything has changed in his absence. Everything. “Is nothing on this island as it appears to be?” he whispers in despair.
Unlike most islanders, bold and spirited Daphne Coffin doesn’t defer to Ren as an authoritative whalemaster but sees through his aloofness to the aching heart beneath. She encourages him to return to his Quaker roots and “mind the Light,” finding solace in God and community. As Ren becomes the man she believes him to be—honorable, wise, faithful—she finds herself falling in love with him.
But how can she, when her heart is spoken for? Tristram Macy is Ren’s business partner, cousin, and best friend—and Daphne’s fiancé. Love always comes at a cost, but when is the price too high?
Suzanne Woods Fisher welcomes readers back to the Quaker community on Nantucket Island for this riveting love story, full of unexpected moments.
Nantucket’s Great Fire
“There are three things that are never satisfied—no, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire” (Proverbs 3015-16, nlt).
The power of fire is hard to wrap our heads around, not until it touches your world with its unquenchable appetite. It can alter reality in the blink of an eye. I live in northern California, where summer wildfires have had devastating effects on our beautiful state. Think of the 1871 Chicago Fire started by Mrs. O’Leary’s cow.
Or the devastating fire that followed the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.
And then there’s the fire that destroyed over a third of Nantucket on the night of July 13, 1846, and formally ended its reign as the wealthiest port in the world.
On a hot dry July night, a fire started in the stovepipe in William Geary’s hat store on Main Street. It spread quickly, raging out of control, consuming everything in its path. Fed by high winds and wooden buildings, it made its way to the waterfront. When the fire reached a warehouse of whale oil, the burning whale oil flowed into the harbor, described by one man as a “sea of fire.” Three of four wharves were destroyed, over 250 buildings, a dozen warehouses, seven factories that processed whale oil, a dozen warehouses, and many homes. Over a third of Nantucket burned on that long night. By dawn, the beautiful downtown was reduced to smoking ruins.
The Great Fire of Nantucket had lasting consequences. It struck the final blow to the island’s sagging economy. A sandbar had built up in the harbor, creating complications for unloading cargo, Salem and New Bedford were better ports with access to railroads, the whaling grounds had been overfished, and kerosene was replacing whale oil.
And then came gold! The young men of Nantucket left chasing whales to chase gold in California.
The economy of Nantucket didn’t recover until decades later, in the 1880s, when the invention of the steamship brought in an age of tourism, and that has only intensified over the last one hundred and forty years. Today, Nantucket is an exclusive—and expensive!–vacation destination.
But the best of Nantucket—its dynamic history, natural beauty, wildlife, beaches—it’s there for everyone, and it doesn’t cost a penny.
Interested in learning more about Nantucket? I hope so! ‘The Nantucket Legacy’ series is a great place to start. I’ve got a special offer going on right now: Buy one of the books, then pop over to my website and enter your receipt number in a form, and I’ll mail you a signed book of Amish Christmas novellas! Click here for more info.
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October 24, 2018
Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #8
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’re just joining us, the hunt begins at www.LisaBergren.com, with Stop #1. If you complete the loop of 26 stops, writing down the clue on each author’s site, you can enter to win all 25 books as well as Amazon gift cards, an iPad and more!
Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my guest for the Scavenger Hunt, Jane Kirkpatrick.
Here’s her professional bio:
Jane is an award-winning best-selling author of 32 stories most based on the lives of historical women.
Here’s the summary of her latest book:
In 1911, Carrie Strahorn wrote a memoir entitled Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage, which shared some of the most exciting events of 25 years of traveling and shaping the American West with her husband, Robert Strahorn, a railroad promoter, investor, and writer. That is all fact. Everything She Didn’t Say imagines Carrie nearly ten years later as she decides to write down what was really on her mind during those adventurous nomadic years.
Certain that her husband will not read it, and in fact that it will only be found after her death, Carrie is finally willing to explore the lessons she learned along the way, including the danger a woman faces of losing herself within a relationship with a strong-willed man and the courage it takes to accept her own God-given worth apart from him. Carrie discovers that wealth doesn’t insulate a soul from pain and disappointment, family is essential, pioneering is a challenge, and western landscapes are both demanding and nourishing. Most of all, she discovers that home can be found, even in a rootless life.
With a deft hand, New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick draws out the emotions of living—the laughter and pain, the love and loss–to give readers a window not only into the past, but into their own conflicted hearts. Based on a true story.
You can purchase her book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore.
And here’s her EXCLUSIVE content that you’ll only find in this hunt!
How a Memoir Within a Memoir Made a Novel
by bestselling, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick
“A memoir,” wrote memoirists Brenda Peterson and Sarah Jane Freymann, “is a love story we tell ourselves about ourselves.” My first published book was a memoir, Homestead, penned long before I read those words. Still, I had expectations of what a memoir might be.
When I chose to write Everything She Didn’t Say, a novel based on a memoir by pioneer Carrie Adell Strahorn and published in 1911 to rave reviews, I discovered something else: that a memoir also offers epiphanies, bits of wisdom gleaned from the author’s life that allow a reader to find their own way, perhaps not make the same mistakes as the author did. But Carrie and her husband led an unusual life. Would there be insights to step into this generation?
The Strahorns traveled by stage, ferry, railroad and horseback all over the west for the Union Pacific railroad. Robert wrote about the prospects for homesteaders encouraging pioneers to leave their farms in the east and head west. He wrote promotional materials and eventually formed his own land development company where he started towns to bring the railroad tracks to emerging bergs. I wondered how readers today might find those insights – if Carrie shared them.
When I read Carrie’s 1911 memoir, 15,000 Miles by Stage 1877-1880 and 1880-1898. I didn’t see that special knowledge; all was sweetness and light. She even referred to wanting to be in her “happy lane” throughout. So when Robert decided to call her Dell, an adaptation of her middle name rather than her given name, Carrie doesn’t tell us how that made her feel nor how she might have managed the disappointment. Nor does she tell us why she chose A. Stray as her pen name. Intriguing isn’t it? It was to me.
When she told the men in her life she’d like a bull dog but her father sent her instead an Irish Wolfhound because he wanted a big dog to protect her from railroad tramps who might knock on their Caldwell, ID door, she wrote not a word of how that might have made her feel not having the breed she loved. Still, she did say that the gift-dog loved tramps.
Even more powerful was her silence about being childless except for a brief mention that a woman with too many children urged the Strahorns – daily for an entire week – to adopt the woman’s five-month-old twins. As I read between the lines I kept wondering what Carrie wasn’t telling us? It wasn’t until I finished my novel that I realized she had written a love story – less about her traveling life with her husband – and more about her love of the west and how the landscapes, work, the people and their faith became threads woven into a rich fabric of her fascinating life.
There were epiphanies inside her adventurous life – I just had to find them and share them with readers. I hope you find I did in my novel Everything She Didn’t Say (Revell).
Thanks for stopping by on the hunt! Before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THIS CLUE:
Secret Word: authors
Got it down?? Great! Your next stop is #9, Jane Kirkpatrick’s site.
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October 22, 2018
Author Spotlight with Connilyn Cossette
Leave a comment and enter below for a chance to win a copy of Connilyn Cossette’s new book, “Shelter of the Most High.”
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Loretta Moore for winning Ted Dekker’s book, “Rise of the Mystics”
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
The daughter of a pagan high priest, Sofea finds solace from her troubles in the freedom of the ocean. But when marauders attack her village on the island of Sicily, she and her cousin are taken across the sea to the shores of Canaan.
Eitan has lived in Kedesh, a City of Refuge, for the last eleven years, haunted by a tragedy in his childhood and chafing at the boundaries placed on him. He is immediately captivated by Sofea, but revealing his most guarded secret could mean drawing her into the danger of his past.
As threats from outside the walls loom and traitors are uncovered within, Sofea and Eitan are plunged into the midst of a murder plot. Will they break free from the shackles of the past in time to uncover the betrayal and save their lives and the lives of those they love?
Can you tell us about your newest release? Is it part of a series or a stand-alone?
Shelter of the Most High, which released on October 2nd, is the second book in the Cities of Refuge Series. The series is based on the Levitical Cities of Refuge which are referenced in Joshua 20. These six cities were set aside as places of safety for those who had been convicted of accidental manslaughter, which I discovered to be a beautiful picture of the salvation offered by our Messiah. Shelter of the Most High is the story of Sofea, a young Sicani woman (from ancient Sicily) who was forcibly taken from her home and Eitan, a young man who has been imprisoned inside the walls of Kedesh for eleven years due to tragic events in his childhood. This story, which takes place nearly twenty years after the Hebrews entered Canaan has it all: betrayal, murder plots, unbreakable vows, romance, and even pirates! Yes, I said pirates! Bronze Age ones of course… no Johnny Depp, sorry.
Is anything or anyone in this book based on real-life experiences?
Can’t say that I’ve been involved in any murders, taken a nazirite vow, or met any ancient pirates, so I’d have to say no—this one is purely from my crazy imagination.
Who was your favorite character in this story, and why?
For sure Eitan was my favorite character. He was a little boy in the first book of the series, A Light on the Hill, and I fell in love with him then, but writing him as a man still struggling with and learning to overcome the painful events of his childhood made him truly come alive for me. From the very start I “heard” his voice distinctly in my mind and his scenes tended to flow very easy. Also, he is a slinger and a metal-smith so I had lots of fun researching his passions. Anyone needs a bronze dagger, I’m your girl.
Compared to your other books, was this one easy to complete or challenging? Any idea why?
I would say this book was fairly middle-of-the-road, challenge-wise, compared to others I’ve written. I didn’t have too many struggles with completing it, although once I did I found a few major plot holes (murder plots are tough y’all! Kudos to the mystery writers out there) so those details took some finagling to smooth out. One thing that was much easier than any other book I’ve written was the first chapter. Usually, I write and rewrite and stew and second-guess my first chapters forever but this one flowed with ease and other than a few tweaks what I wrote is what ended up in the book.
What was the hardest scene in this book to write? What made it difficult?
I can’t pinpoint any one scene, but as I wrote above, the murder plot was definitely a challenge since there are so many tiny details that must work together for believability. There was a lot of rewriting that went into those scenes and lots of staring at walls during the process trying to figure out how all the moving parts would intertwine to fit the timeline. There are a couple of plot twists in this one too so I had to make sure the puzzle came together without any gaps and without giving away surprises too early. Hopefully, I was successful!
What did you (or your editors) edit out of this book?
Gosh, it was so many months ago that I finished those edits that I honestly don’t remember! I don’t think anything major was cut, I likely ended adding more than I took away, although I did end up shifting a couple of chapters because I realized I had people reacting to situations that hadn’t actually happened yet…. And I did have to change some character names very last minute due to some conflicts as I was writing the next book, Until the Mountains Fall. I realized I had a character named Lev who lived in a Levitical city and was involved in a levirate marriage—so very confusing!! So Lev is now Gidal.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing from the point of view of the opposite sex?
I used to dread writing a male POV but over time it’s become kind of a fun challenge that I look forward to. I tend to write flowery with lots of minute sensory details and do wax poetic at times so streamlining my words to fit a more concise male thought/speech pattern is always where I need to be the most ruthless. Luckily my writing partner Tammy L. Gray is fantastic at male POV’s and she is the best at catching when my guys sound or act too “girly.”
Purchase a copy of Shelter of the Most High
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | CBD | ConnilynCossette.com
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Connilyn Cossette is the CBA-Bestselling author of the Out from Egypt Series and the Cities of Refuge Series from Bethany House Publishers. There’s not much she enjoys more than digging into the rich, ancient world of the Bible, discovering new gems of grace that point to Jesus, and weaving them into an immersive fiction experience. She lives in North Carolina with her husband of over twenty years and a son and daughter who fill her days with joy, laughter, and inspiration.
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October 17, 2018
Coffee Break
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to be interviewed by Kitty Bucholtz with the Write Now Workshop. Enjoy the interview below!
If you’re on the go, you can listen to the interview HERE
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October 15, 2018
Author Spotlight with Ted Dekker
Leave a comment and enter below for a chance to win a copy of Ted Dekker’s new book, “Rise of the Mystics.”
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Lori Krause Austin for winning Irene Hannon’s book, “Hidden Peril.”
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
Ted Dekker has made a name for himself by writing spellbinding fiction that masterfully blends fascinating characters, gripping plots, and underlying symbolism. The results for Dekker have been impressive—over ten million copies sold, appearances on every bestseller list in the country. But Dekker’s greatest desire is for readers to encounter the spiritual truths hidden in his captivating storylines. In The 49th Mystic (May 2018) and Rise of the Mystics (October 2018), Dekker introduces readers to five seals of truth that he hopes will prompt readers to take their own journey of transformation from being lost in fear to the love that holds no record of wrong.
Both volumes in the Beyond the Circle series are based on the spiritual insights he has explored in his nonfiction works, The Forgotten Way and The Way of Love. These books along with The 49th Mystic and Rise of the Mystics investigate the journey from fear to love, from blindness to sight, and from darkness to light. Dekker asserts that only as we come to understand our true identity in Christ can we grasp unconditional love and be set free from the fear that enslaves humanity.
Dekker has stated that The 49th Mystic and Rise of the Mystics are “without a doubt the most important novels I have ever written.” They will challenge a reader’s views on faith, love, and Christianity and invite readers to take their own journey from blindness to sight.
The 49th Mystic and Rise of Mystics are much more than an entertaining story. What was your purpose in writing them?
With even a cursory look at the world of faith, it becomes clear that Christians are really no different from people of other faiths or of no faith. This defies Jesus’s announcement that those in his way will be known for a radical kind of love that holds no record of wrong. So the question we ask is, What does it mean to be in his way? And are we in it now? I wrote these novels to plumb the depths of those questions.
Throughout both volumes of the Beyond the Circle series, you explore the journey from fear to love, from blindness to sight, and from darkness to light. Can you expound upon these concepts?
We are Christians, but we live in fear of loss. We live in blindness to the kingdom of heaven now present. We live in the darkness outside of our glorified nature, risen with Christ. These novels take us all into a radical reexamination of what love, light, and sight are, and why we, though claiming to be Christian, are still lost to these simple truths.
Rise of the Mystics is the conclusion to the Beyond the Circle series and picks up where The 49th Mystic left off. Rachelle Matthews has found three of the five seals but still needs to find two more. Why do seals play such a huge role in your books?
Each seal is a revelation of truth regarding the nature of reality. Rachelle’s task is to discover truth beyond what humanity ascribes as truth. Ultimately, the seals are the only truths that matter, and each radically shifts her experience of her life in the story. The same goes for all of us.
You have some very dynamic characters in both The 49th Mystic and Rise of the Mystics. Which character has made the biggest impact on you?
Without a doubt, Rachelle. She really is all of us—certainly me—journeying through wild adventure to know herself in the midst of great change and challenge.
Was there any part of this book that really surprised you once you began writing it?
I was taken off guard by the climax, the last hundred pages. I had no idea it would end the way it did. But I quickly understood that it was the only ending that made any sense.
What do you hope readers gain from reading Rise of the Mystics?
An addictive read and a shift in thinking about their own purpose for existence, whatever that shift might be. It’s the reason we all read.
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Ted Dekker is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, with over ten million copies sold worldwide. He was born in the jungles of Indonesia to missionary parents, and his upbringing as a stranger in a fascinating and sometimes frightening culture fueled his imagination. Dekker’s passion is simple—to explore truth through mind-bending stories that invite readers to see the world through a different lens. His fiction has been honored with numerous awards, including two Christy Awards, two Inspy Awards, an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, and an ECPA Gold Medallion. In 2013, NPR readers nationwide put him in the Top 50 Thriller Authors of All Time. Dekker lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Lee Ann.
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October 8, 2018
Author Spotlight with Irene Hannon
Leave a comment and enter below for a chance to win a copy of Irene Hannon’s new book, “Hidden Peril”
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Pam Kellogg for winning Liz Johnson’s book, “A Sparkle of Silver.”
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
Library Journal has called Irene Hannon the “queen of inspirational romantic suspense,” and she definitely lives up to this title with Hidden Peril, the second novel in her Code of Honor series. Readers will be captivated by this edge-of-your-seat thriller that will have them staying up late as they rush toward the explosive conclusion.
As teenagers, Kristin Dane and her two best friends vowed to make the world a better place. Twenty years later, she is now fulfilling her pledge through her fair trade shop that features products from around the world. All is well until, one by one, people connected to the shop begin dying.
Police Detective Luke Carter is determined to find the killer and uncover the motive behind these murders. But before he can solve the mystery, the FBI weighs in and Kristin suddenly finds herself in the middle of international intrigue—and in the sights of the ruthless mastermind behind an ingenious and deadly scheme. Can this cold-blooded killer be stopped before more people die . . . including Kristin?
What is ONE thing you’ve learned the hard way so that others don’t have to?
I learned that I don’t need a literary agent. After having one briefly, I realized I was much more comfortable dealing directly with publishers. Some authors use agents as first readers or enjoy having a cheerleader in their corner, but I tapped my agent only for contract negotiations. So I was paying for a smorgasbord but choosing just one item from the buffet. I do have a literary attorney in New York, and that’s money well spent. But I discovered that I’m fine dealing with business issues and negotiating contracts on my own, perhaps due to my daily interactions with top management in my previous career as a communications executive with a Fortune 500 company. But my advice to all authors, whether you have an agent or not, is to learn everything you can about the business and read every line in your contracts. No one cares more than you about your career.
Purchase a copy of Hidden Peril
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | CBD | IreneHannon.com
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Irene Hannon is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than fifty contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels, including Dangerous Illusions as well as the Men of Valor, Heroes of Quantico, Guardians of Justice, and Private Justice series. In addition to her many other honors, she is a three-time winner of the prestigious RITA Award from Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of RWA’s elite Hall of Fame and has received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews. All of her suspense novels have been ECPA/CBA bestsellers.
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October 1, 2018
Author Spotlight with Liz Johnson
Leave a comment and enter below for a chance to win a copy of Liz Johnson’s new book, “A Sparkle of Silver.”
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Elaine Rieder for winning Lisa Harris’ book, “A Secret to Die For.”
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
The author who brought readers the heartwarming Prince Edward Island tales—The Red Door Inn, Where Two Hearts Meet, and On Love’s Gentle Shore—has penned a new series, Georgia Coast Romance. In A Sparkle of Silver, book 1, Johnson masterfully blends a touch of romance, a contemporary setting, and a story from the past.
Ninety years ago, Millie Sullivan’s great-grandmother was a guest at banker Howard Dawkins’s palatial estate on the shore of St. Simons Island, Georgia. Now, Millie plays a 1920s-era guest during tours of the same manor. But when her grandmother suggests that there is a lost diary containing the location of a hidden treasure on the estate, along with the true identity of Millie’s great-grandfather, Millie sets out to find the truth of her heritage—and the fortune that might be hers.
When security guard Ben Thornton discovers her snooping in the estate’s private library, he threatens to have her fired. But her story seems almost too ludicrous to be fiction, and her offer to split the treasure is too tempting to pass up.
Get ready for a romantic escapade through dark halls and dusty corners as two charming characters race to unravel secrets and find the fortune they both desperately need . . . before treasure hunters claim it for themselves.
What is ONE thing you’ve learned the hard way so that others don’t have to?
Like most creatives, I’ve failed more than a few times and dealt with the fear of failure far too often. This fear isn’t limited to only the writers and artists among us. Moms and dads fear not measuring up. Pastors and teachers fear falling short. But there was a time in my life when that fear was nearly crippling. I couldn’t write for the questions tumbling through my brain. What if my next book is a flop? What if no one likes it? What if no one likes me? Questions morphed from wondering if my writing was enough to wondering if I was enough.
And then I heard something that changed my life. No failure is final. One failure doesn’t define me. One closed door isn’t the end of opportunity. God is faithful to complete the work He’s doing in my life—and in yours too. Don’t give up just because of a failure.
Whenever my writing comes to a screeching halt because I’m afraid it’s going to be a failure, I cling to that simple promise. God is still at work in me. I need not fear failure. It’s only a reminder that God isn’t finished with me yet. He’s not finished with you either.
Pre-Order a copy of A Sparkle of Silver
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | CBD | LizJohnsonBooks.com
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Liz Johnson is the author of more than a dozen novels, including The Red Door Inn, Where Two Hearts Meet, and On Love’s Gentle Shore, as well as a New York Times bestselling novella and a handful of short stories. As a marketing manager for a Christian film company, she makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona.
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September 24, 2018
Author Spotlight with Lisa Harris
Leave a comment and enter below for a chance to win a copy of Lisa Harris’ new book, “A Secret to Die For”
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Cathy Atchison for winning Jan Drexler’s book, “The Sound of Distant Thunder.”
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
With her signature pulse-pounding style, award-winning author Lisa Harris takes readers deep into the heart of fear in A Secret to Die For.
Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea that she has a secret—one that could ultimately lead to her death. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes that the computer security specialist wasn’t simply suffering from paranoia.
Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after suffering from PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan. Someone believes Shaw gave his psychologist information before he died. Information they are willing to kill for.
Callahan and Quinn are locked in a race against the clock to uncover the secret and to stop the threat to the nation’s power grid.
What is one thing you’ve learned the hard way so that others don’t have to?
The first thing that popped into my mind when I read the question was to learn to enjoy the season you’re in. Because boy have I learned this the hard way. (And truthfully, it’s still hard sometimes!) When I was single, I wanted to be married. When I got married, I wanted kids. After I had kids, I sometimes wondered what I’d got myself into! J Bottom line was that I was always waiting for the next big thing, without enjoying what I had at that moment.
Life is full of changing seasons, and contentment comes in part by finding peace with the season you’re in. Is it always easy? Not at all. Some seasons are hard. Really hard! But finding peace and joy in your circumstances as well as in your relationship with Christ is so important, no matter what is happening around you. Don’t miss the beauty of what’s right in front of you because you’re longing for something else!
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Lisa Harris is a bestselling author, a Christy Award winner, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel from Romantic Times for her novels Blood Covenant and Vendetta. The author of more than thirty books, including Vendetta, Missing, Pursued, Vanishing Point, and the Southern Crimes series, Harris and her family have spent almost fifteen years living as missionaries in southern Africa.
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