The Story Behind A BRIDGE UNBROKEN

The question I get asked most often as an author is: “What’s the story behind this particular story?” For A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, a Christian romantic suspense and the latest Miller’s Creek novel,the inspiration came from three very specific areas.

The story behind A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, new Christian romantic suspense by @Cathy_Bryant
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The Story Behind – Home Renovation

My hubby and I seem to have a penchant for buying fixer-uppers. Usually I enjoy the process, but this time? Not so much.

We moved to the Santa Fe, New Mexico area in the spring of 2013 for my husband’s work as a pastor of praise and worship. Since I’m a country girl at heart and like to have my critters–in this case, chickens, rabbits, and a 75-pound German Shepherd who thinks she’s a Chihuahua–we found a cabin in the lovely Sangre de Cristo mountains. To keep it short, let me just say that this house has been the fixer-upper of all fixer-uppers. While we’ve accomplished the most difficult tasks, like kitchen and bathroom fixes, we still have a long way to go. (You can see pics HERE.)

So when I took time off from the renovation to write A BRIDGE UNBROKEN I knew a house renovation would be part of the storyline. In the story the heroine, a frightened runaway on the run from an abusive boyfriend, co-inherits her late-grandfather’s farm and dilapidated farmhouse with a man responsible for scars on her heart. Unusual conditions are attached to the inheritance, and the two must work together to renovate the farmhouse. (You can watch the book trailer HERE and read a sample chapter HERE.)

The Story Behind – Writing

I love to write–to plot out scenes, develop characters, and wrangle with words until I find just the right one. I also love interacting with reader friends. My career as a writer had hit an all-time high and my book sales followed suit…

…until we moved to our remote mountain location where it took us months to get internet service.

I made weekly trips to McDonald’s to try to stay on top of things, but it wasn’t enough. I watched in dismay as my book sales plummeted. To make matters worse, I had no time for writing because of the home renovation.

It was a natural leap to make Dakota (the heroine of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN) a writer. I could literally feel her angst at needing to keep her writing career afloat while renovating a broken-down heap of a farmhouse. Yeah, that was easy to write.

The Story Behind – Forgiveness

When I began praying about the spiritual theme of the story, the answer that came immediately was forgiveness. Quite frankly, I wasn’t elated. I often struggle with forgiving others. I’ve always been very sensitive, the kind who wears my heart on my sleeve. And anytime you leave your heart on your sleeve for any length of time, someone will come along who thinks it’s their job to rip into it.

Then something interesting happened. Everywhere I looked I found messages of forgiveness–a devotional magazine, my scripture reading for the day, a social media post–they were everywhere! I delved into scripture, quickly reminded of things I’d known since childhood, but had chosen to overlook. Things like: forgiveness isn’t an option or a suggestion, forgiveness is an act of the will, forgiveness is an act of obedience, and more.

I realized during this process that much of the world’s teaching on forgiveness had crept into my belief system. And I wasn’t alone! Friends had many of the same ideas, none of which were anywhere in God’s Word. Worldly messages like: forgiveness is something you do for yourself, forgive and forget, and forgive if…

I’m always amazed at how much the Lord teaches me through my writing. Between penning A BRIDGE UNBROKEN and its companion Bible study, THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS, God managed to get me back on track in the matter of forgiveness.

So to answer the question of the story behind this story, it all boils down to three things: home renovation, writing, and most importantly, forgiveness. I created the following video about the story behind the story for the launch party of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN. Hope you enjoy!

Live loved,

P.S. Don’ t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway of three print copies of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN! (And while you’re there, please consider adding one or all of my books to your TBR pile! Thanks!)

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