A Scarlet Cord by Deborah Raney

Have you ever known somebody in the Witness Protection Program?

Melanie is still grieving over her husband’s death. She’s left his clothes in his closet, never removing the items since his death. She finds comfort in seeing and smelling her deceased spouse’s clothing. She still thinks about him, too. However, things change when Joel Ellington moves to her town. A new church member/church employee, she finds that she’s attracted to him. But, Joel seems to have un-explainable secrets. Melanie also wonders about his strange reactions to certain events.

Joel moves to Melanie’s town to make a fresh start. Romance just can’t fit into his life right now. His life is plagued with pain and secrets, but his budding feelings for Melanie are so strong. Might it be possible for him to have a normal romantic relationship with Melanie in spite of being haunted by the past?

I enjoyed this book. It shows how hard it is to love somebody in spite of being haunted by tragic circumstances. Joel’s love for Melanie was strong, so strong that he hesitates about his decision about having a relationship with her. Melanie has deep feelings for Joel, too. But when things shift, Melanie is plagued with solving a mystery. She’s stubborn as she seeks answers to plaguing questions.

So, as far as you know, have you ever known anybody in the Witness Protection Program? 

 

***If  you like mystery and suspense titles then you should try my novel, Shades of Chocolate. Over 100 Amazon reviews!

Deadly Night, Silent Night by Margaret Daley

Have you ever found it hard to move forward with your life after losing a spouse?

Widow Rebecca Howard is a workaholic, covering her grief by making her store a success. Her father had always wanted her to be a success, so, she’s determined to make their family sporting goods store lucrative business. But, trouble has been brewing. Someone has been hacking their computer system and making threats on their store.

Alex Kincaid has ghosts from his own past to overcome. He’s good friends with Rebecca’s twin brother and he’s secretly had a crush on Rebecca when they were kids. Rebecca needs to rely on Alex’s expertise to catch the criminal who is targeting her business. As they work together, their attraction deepens.

I enjoyed this highly-charged, suspenseful novella. You’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat as you read this story, and it will keep you guessing until the very end. A good Christmas read.

So, have you ever found it hard to move forward with your life after losing a spouse?

For a change, I thought I’d post the following devotional on my blog. My online writing friend, Lillian Duncan, tells us that our faith in God is all we need for salvation – works, being good people, serving others, etc. does not guarantee your salvation. Read on:

REDEMPTION—A DEVOTION

Romans 3: 22-24

 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 

 

The title of my newest book is REDEMPTION so it seemed to me a good topic to write about in a devotion. Dictionary.com defines redemption as an act of atoning for a fault or a mistake; deliverance or rescue; deliverance from sin; salvation; atonement for guilt.

The title came about as a result of Jamie, the main character being ashamed of things she’s done in her past as a consultant to the FBI. As a result she feels God can’t love her the way she is. So she seeks redemption by putting herself in dangerous situations to help other people.

But the redemption part of the story doesn’t stop there. Enrique, the tall, dark, and handsome FBI agent seeks redemption as well. From Jamie. Then there’s the bartender Jamie meets on her quest to find a friend’s missing child. He’s trying to overcome a lifetime of criminal acts. More redemption.

And then there’s the father of the kidnapped child—who is the kidnapper! Talk about needing redemption. No wonder this book is named REDEMPTION!

That makes for a good plot in a suspense novel, but it’s important to know that we can’t save ourselves through good acts, through helping others, or even being really good people. There is only one way to receive redemption: meaning salvation; meaning going to heaven to live with God forever!

We are saved through our faith in Jesus—and only through our faith in Jesus.

No amount of good works can earn us a ticket to heaven! It doesn’t matter how “good” we are, how much money we give to good causes (including the church), or how kind we are to others.

Only our belief in Jesus as the Son of God can save us.

And the reverse is true as well as Jamie discovers in my novel, REDEMPTION. Your past doesn’t matter. God loves you just the way you are. He won’t turn his back on you because of your past, present, or even your future mistakes.

And that is more awesome than I can say, but 2 Corinthians 9:15 says it best: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

 

To celebrate the release of REDEMPTION, I’m giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card. So hop on over to TIARAS & TENNIS SHOES at www.lillian-duncan.com  to enter. Leave a comment on the post entitled REDEMPTION and you’ll be entered to win.

 

 

 

BLURB:

Others may think Jamie Jakowski is a hero, but she knows differently.

Haunted by her past, she seeks redemption by helping others in spite of the danger to herself. However, after almost orphaning her daughter, Jamie opts to retire. When a friend needs her, Jamie agrees to one last undercover operation.

She is determined to reunite a heartbroken mother with her kidnapped son. Used to working alone, Jamie’s not happy when she’s assigned a partner. And after a failed operation and their failed romance, Enrique Rodriguez is the last person she wants to work with—ever.

To succeed, Jamie must confront her past as well as the people who want her dead.

 

 

BIO:

Lillian Duncan: stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem!

Lillian is a multi-published writer with several Amazon bestsellers, including The Christmas Stalking and Betrayed. Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense with a touch or two of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us

Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. Tiaras & Tennis Shoes is her personal blog at www.lillian-duncan.com.

 

 

I’d like to welcome author Lillian Duncan to my blog! I found the premise to her story interesting because her heroine is a speech pathologist! My son stutters and he had to go to speech and language pathologist for over a year to help him with his stutter. Her story sounds intriguing and I encourage you to purchase a copy to read!

Deadly Communications

 

Blurb:

Improving communication skills is never easy. In this case, it could be murder!

Maven Morris is a speech-language pathologist on medical leave–or as she likes to put it: out to pasture.

When she’s offered a lucrative position by one of the community’s most powerful men to help his traumatic-brain-injured daughter improve her communication skills, Maven discovers deadly secrets behind the iron gates of the mansion.

Now, she must find the courage to seek justice no matter who gets hurt–even if it’s her.

 

BIO:

 

Lillian is a multi-published author who lives in the middle of Ohio Amish country with her husband, two parrots, one Jack Russell, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel she’s thinking of renaming Clifford since he keeps growing and growing and….

As a speech pathologist in the public schools for over thirty years, she worked with students of all ages with a wide variety of conditions, but especially with deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives. especially God’s Word.

Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced mystery and suspense with a touch of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us. To learn more about Lillian and her books, you may visit her at www.lillianduncan.net or www.lillian-duncan.com. She also has a devotional blog at wwwPowerUpWithGod.com.

 

 

 

DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS INTERVIEW:

 

Tell us about DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS.

Deadly Communications features Maven Morris, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who gets a little too involved with her clients. Okay, a lot too involved. When a client she’s working with leaves abruptly, Maven is suspicious and she won’t rest until she finds her.

 

What’s the setting for DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

It takes place in the city of Wooster, Ohio. Coincidently, it’s a city I’ve lived near most of my life. But, of course, the story is fictional and not based on reality!

 

How did you come up with the title for DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

How could that not be the title? When a speech-language pathologist (SLP) gets involved in a murder mystery, what else could you name it?

 

Is DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS the first book you published?

No, I’ve been blessed to have several books published in the past few years. My last release was BETRAYED in January of this year. It was the second in my Sisters By Choice series. The third, REDEMPTION, will be released in September.

 

Why did you write DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

 

Three things happened within a few days of each other to inspire DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS.

First, my brother asked why I didn’t write a story featuring a speech-language pathologist. To which my answer was that it would be difficult to come up with a suspense story and an SLP.

Secondly, a few days later I was talking with someone whose daughter had been involved in an accident and was now experiencing communication difficulties.

Thirdly, as writers are prone to do, I was sitting daydreaming and had a vision of a young woman running through the woods and into ongoing traffic.

That’s all it took! My writer mind took over from there and DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS was born.

 

So, then it sounds as if you were a speech-language pathologist. Tell us a little about that job.

I retired as an SLP from a large city school district in Ohio, then spent several more years working part-time in smaller, rural districts near where I live. Between the two jobs, I don’t think there is any type of child I haven’t worked with at least once.

I loved my job and still miss it. Mostly I miss the children, not the paper work involved. If it weren’t for serious health issues, I would still be working.

 

What do you want readers to take away from DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

Before the story starts Maven has experienced a series of life-changing events that have led to depression. Maven chooses to get out of bed and keep moving. It’s not easy when life throws us a curve ball or two. It may not seem fair, but how we react to those things will determine the quality of our future.

As the story moves forward we see Maven struggle with her spirituality as she faces some difficult circumstances in her life. I want readers to know they can do the same.

 

Was it difficult to write a character with communication problems?

Not at all. In fact, that was part of the fun of writing DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS. In the scenes where Maven is working with her client, all I had to do was close my eyes, imagine the interaction, then open my eyes, and write it.

 

What is your writing process?

I am not an outliner. I wish I were—it seems easier to me. But my mind doesn’t work that way. I never know what is going to happen in my story on any given writing day. It’s as if my mind is a movie screen and I watch that day’s events and then I write it.

When I start a new story I usually have a clear picture of the main character in mind and what obstacle he/she will face, but anything goes after that. If I’m writing and start to feel bored—then I kill someone or blow something up. And that way it’s a surprise to me and to my readers.

 

Do you know who the bad guy is when you begin your story?

Not usually. Most of the time I have several characters who it might be and as the story comes to a conclusion, I’m surprised right along with my readers. DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS was no exception. I wasn’t sure who the culprit was until the very end. Maven and I suspected one person, but we were wrong!

 

Most people don’t think of murder mysteries and suspense novels as Christian Fiction. What do you say to them?

I can certainly understand their point of view. And for some readers my stories might be a bit too graphic or edgy and that’s okay, I would say my readers are those who like traditional suspense and mystery novels but are tired of all the explicit language and sex scenes that aren’t necessary to a good story.

I don’t promote or glorify violence in my stories and show characters experiencing the natural consequences of their bad choices and bad actions. My characters are usually on a spiritual journey as well—but some are further along than others.

 

Then what makes your stories Christian Fiction?

I don’t promote or glorify violence in my stories in any way. My characters experience the natural consequences of their bad choices and bad actions.

My stories always have an element of faith in them. How that plays out depends on the individual plots of each specific story. My main characters are always on a spiritual journey, though some may be further along than others.

One more word about Christian Fiction, it has changed dramatically over the past ten years. Other than erotica, readers can find their favorite genre as Christian Fiction as well as mainstream fiction. There are Christian Fiction books out there for every book lover—historical; romance; regency; science fiction; even horror novels.

 

What are you working on now?

I have a devotional blog POWER UP WITH GOD’S WORD: Secrets For a Better Life at: www.PowerUpWithGod.com. I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors two years ago and so many of the devotions focus help others who are facing a crisis—physical or spiritual.

The third book in The Sisters By Choice series (REDEMPTION) will be released in September. Along with that that I’m working on the second in the Deadly Communications series. As of now, its title is Nowhere to Belong.

 

HOW CAN READERS FIND YOU ON THE INTERNET?

My website is www.lillianduncan.net and I have a devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com My blog is TIARAS & TENNIS SHOES at www.lillian-duncan.com.  I’m also on Twitter as @LillianDuncan and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lillian.k.duncan

Thanks for being on my blog, Lillian! I’ve enjoyed this!