Several years ago my son, granddaughter, and I took a trip to Ocracoke Island, a barrier island twenty-five miles off the coast of North Carolina. I fell in love with the island and decided to set a book there. The idea for following the adventures of an island family turned into a three book series. Dangerous Reunion released last July, and Fatal Disclosure the third book in the series will release in May.
Shattered Identity is the story of Lisa Wade, dispatcher for the Ocracoke sheriff's office, whose mother supposedly jumped to her death from the widow’s walk of the island lighthouse twenty-five years earlier. When Lisa and Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Michaels find her mother’s journal, they discover clues that someone had a reason to want Lisa’s mother dead, and they suspect she was murdered. As they inch toward the truth, a killer is waiting in the shadows, determined to keep some secrets buried forever. Romantic Times Magazine gave the book 4 ½ stars and called it “a thrilling story about seeking peace from past hurts.”As I wrote this book, the hero Scott Michaels became very real to me. In Dangerous Reunion Scott was reunited with the family from which he was abducted by a aunt when he was a child. As he struggles to make up for the lost years, he must also face the memory of the military missions he has experienced and the men who didn’t come home.
My favorite scene is when Scott tells his sister Betsy about an experience he had one morning when he led a military convoy through hostile territory down a dusty desert road in a faraway land. The story Scott relates is a true one that happened to a friend of mine. He allowed me to use his true-life experience of a reminder of how much God loves us, and the book is dedicated to him and all the men and women who serve our country in the military.
Scott and Lisa both are trying to learn to live with the traumatic experiences that have affected their lives. They find out, as all of us do who seek the Lord in our lives, that Christ's grace is sufficient to bring strength to our weaknesses.
I hope you have found your own strength that comes from trusting Christ. How has he helped you deal with problems in your life?
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ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your latest release, Sandra!! :) The book sounds like it has a powerful message - and I love that it is dedicated to our military men and women. (Perhaps sometime I might interview you for the "Mondays for the Military" feature on my personal blog??)
ReplyDelete~Amber
P.S. Beautiful cover, by the way!
This book sounds really good! I love these types of books! :)
ReplyDeleteMelanie
christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com
Amber, I would love to be interviewed for your blog. Just let me know when.
ReplyDeleteSandra
Melanie, thanks for stopping by. I really enjoyed writing this book.
ReplyDeleteSandra
I am so thrilled to see this book released, Sandra. I know the story is near and dear to your heart. Can't wait to read it!!!
ReplyDeleteGod has revealed His trustworthiness over and over throughout my life, but one time in particular stands out in my mind...
ReplyDeleteMy brother-in-law and his family were staying with us at the time. This increased our household size (and our grocery bill) by five! I thought I'd planned sufficiently, but of course, eventually the pantry emptied out, and I was beginning to feel a bit panicked. I humbly went to the Lord and asked if I could withhold the tithe that week in order to pay for groceries.
He said no.
I asked if He'd seen my grocery bill that week.
He said yes, but the answer was still no.
After much haggling, I finally (grudgingly) agreed to pay the tithe but reminded Him that He was going to have to help with the groceries.
Guess what...the next day I received a refund check from our insurance company. I had NO idea it was coming, and no idea how much it would be. Can you guess??
It was exactly two dollars less than the tithe. As I opened that check and stared at the amount, I couldn't help but feel that the Lord was teasing me...telling me He'd have given the full amount of the tithe if I hadn't been such a grouch about trusting Him.
Oh, how I love my Lord, and how grateful I am that He has a sense of humor! LOL!
Wow! What a wonderful story, Lisa. There are so many times in my life where God has worked that it is impossible to name them all, but one sticks out in my memory.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were on vacation with our four children, and we arrived in Colorado Springs without reservations for the night. We went to motel after motel, but everything was filled up.
Finally, we stopped at a motel, and my husband went in. By this time I was nearly frantic with worry about spending the night in the car. I told our children to sit still and pray that Daddy would be able to get us a room.
We all became quiet as we prayed, and a few minutes later my husband came back with a big smile on his face. He said when he went into the office there was a couple in front of him wanting a room. The owner asked how many people they had, and they responded it was only the two of them.
The owner replied that she only had a suite (two bedrooms and a bath) left. The couple said they didn't mind paying the extra money for the suite--that they would take it.
My husband said the owner thought for a moment and then shook her head. She said, "I think I'll save that suite for a family."
My husband stepped up and said, "I have a family waiting in the car."
So, we got the rooms with plenty of space for all of us and had a wonderful night. Isn't God good? He's good all the time!
Sandra,
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I'll plan on e-mailing you soon! :)
~Amber