About The Book It’s 1955, when scandalous affairs are never talked about, divorce is rare, a wife is a “homemaker” more often than not, and every Christian home displays its family Bible front and center. Certainly, a well-respected pastor in the conservative city of Muskegon, Michigan, would never be caught in the middle of a heinous secret that could ruin his career and break up his beautiful marriage and family. Or would he?
When Henry Griffin was stationed in occupied Japan in the mid-1940s, he met Rina Hamada, a Japanese woman who fell head over heels for him. Despite having a young wife and baby daughter waiting at home in the States, Henry had too much to drink one night, and one thing led to another… He knew it was wrong. He struggled with guilt and expressed his resistance, but she professed her love and continued to pursue him.
Now, ten years later, a letter from Japan arrives and threatens to upend Henry’s world. What to do and how to tell his wife are just the beginning of his troubles. Tough questions about faith, redemption, and preserving his reputation bring us here, under the shade of The Mercy Tree.
About the Author
BIOGRAPHY/AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Born and raised in west Michigan, Sharlene attended Spring Arbor University. Upon graduating with an education degree in 1971, she taught second grade for two years then accepted an invitation to travel internationally for a year with a singing ensemble. In 1975, she married her childhood sweetheart. Together they raised two lovely, wonderful daughters, both of whom are now happily married and enjoying their own families. Retired in 2003 from 31-years of teaching, “Shar” loves to read, sing, travel, and spend time with her family, in particular, her wonderful, adorable grandchildren!
A Christian for 45+ years, and a lover of the English language, Shar has always enjoyed dabbling in writing–poetry, fiction, various essays, and freelancing for periodicals and newspapers. Her favored genre, however, has always been romance. She remembers well the short stories she wrote in high school and watching them circulate from girl to girl during government and civics classes. “Psst,” someone would whisper from two rows over, and always with the teacher’s back to the class, “Pass me the next page.”
In recent years, Shar felt God’s call upon her heart to take her writing pleasures a step further and in 2006 signed a contract for her first faith-based novel; thereby, launching her writing career with Through Every Storm. With a dozen books now gracing store shelves nationwide, she daily gives God all the praise and glory for her accomplishments.
Shar has done numerous countrywide book-signings, television and radio appearances, and countless interviews. She loves to speak for women’s organizations, libraries, church groups, women’s retreats, and banquets. She is involved in Apples of Gold, a mentoring program for young wives and/or mothers, and is active in her church as well as two weekly Bible studies. She and her husband, Cecil, live in Spring Lake, Michigan with their beautiful white collie, Peyton and their rag doll cat named Blue.
Awards and Accolades:
2006 Through Every Storm – American Christian Fiction Writers” Book-of-the-Year (now Carol Awards) finalist
2007 Loving Liza Jane – Road to Romance Reviewer’s Choice Award
2008 Sarah, My Beloved – Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award (3rd Place)
2008 Sarah, My Beloved – Road to Romance Reviewer’s Choice Award
2009 Courting Emma – Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award (3rd Place)
2010 Hannah Grace – Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award (2nd Place)
2011 Abbie Ann – Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award (3rd Place)
2011 Tender Vow – Retailers’ Choice Award Finalist
My review: 5 stars! ‘Lord, what am I going to do?’
Sharlene Maclaren takes her readers on a journey in which they find just how much grace God has to pour into the lives of His children. A well-loved pastor’s past comes back to haunt him in a way he never expected. What will his church think? What will his wife think? And how in the world is he going to keep moving in the light of this revelation?
MacLaren shows us exactly how we can trust and depend on God in the most difficult of times. Times when we don’t even know which way to turn, or who to trust, or how to even function. This one will minister to the reader in a deep way.
My thanks to the author and publisher for a copy of this book. The opinion in this review is entirely my own. Print length
About The Book Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.
Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are–to disappear–when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.
As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.
About the Author
With over one million books sold, Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling, award-winning author of over fifty romance novels and counting, including the romantic mystery, THE CAMERA NEVER LIES–a 2011 Carol Award winner. Four of her six Mountain Cove books have been contest finalists. Buried, Backfire and Deception are finalists in the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, and Submerged is a Carol Award finalist. A 7th generation Texan, Elizabeth graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and worked in high-level software sales for several years before retiring to home school her children and fulfill her dreams of writing full-time.
My Rating: 5 Stars! Wow! Talk about an exciting read. Elizabeth Goddard has a sure fire winner with this one. No doubt about it at all. I knew when I first saw the cover of this book months ago that it would be good.
Godard sets her book in Alaska and the locale is very interesting and beautiful. Add in a small town police force with a woman police chief who suspects someone is watching her, then toss into the mix a stranger who came to town months ago but has become like one of their own, but is oddly secretive and you have all the ingredients for a great read.
‘Sometimes it felt like the bad guys always won.’
I was immediately drawn into the book from the first page. I love when that happens. The characters came alive for me, even secondary ones. Goddard ramps up the suspense from page one and does not let up. The intensity of the suspense was powerful and attention grabbing. I was completely captivated throughout. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about how soon I could get back to my book.
Well written with a mind boggling suspenseful ride, this one is Elizabeth Goddard’s very best! This is a book I am proud to have on my keeper shelf! Well done!
My thanks to Revell for a copy of this book via Net Galley.Language
Folks, I am absolutely tickled to have Elizabeth Goddard as a guest on my blog! I was so excited when she agreed. AND she is going to give away a copy of Cold Light of Day! (Due to postage costs, the giveaway is only available to folks in the contiguous US. ) So, read on and at the end I’ll tell you how you can win a copy of this amazing book.
Elizabeth, I am so happy to host you today. I’ve come up with, I think, some pretty good questions, so let’s get started. And thank you so much for giving away a copy of your book.
1. Were you a reader as a child? Yes! I was an avid reader early on. My mother planted that seed in me. I would spend summers reading and, if I loved a book, I would read it again– two or three times more– that same summer. I think most, if not all, writers were avid readers in their early years. J
2. When did you know you wanted to write? Back to my mother again—she planted THAT seed in me as well. I was in third or fourth grade, probably, when I’d written something she loved, and she said she was going to send it to a publisher. I have always believed that she never sent it, but recently it occurred to me that perhaps she sent it, but the publisher rejected the piece. After all, I was so young! Maybe Mom just didn’t want to hurt me with the news. That writing seed has been there for decades, lying dormant, if you will, until I was in my early thirties. I retired from corporate America to stay home with my first child, and it was then I started looking at writing for publication. I always wanted to be a writer, but I never took that dream seriously until in my thirties.
3. How did you choose suspense? Funny story. I actually started out trying to break into the historical romance genre, or really, what I called historical romantic suspense. I loved reading Bodie Thoene’s WW2 novels. Then I shifted to fantasy—for the Christian market—though at that time, publishers weren’t looking for it. But that’s how I met my agent (Steve Laube), so it’s all good. Eventually my first book to publish was a contemporary romance, and the story had elements of mystery and suspense. Growing up, I loved reading gothic romance novels by Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney, etc. Over time, I realized that most of my stories had mystery and suspense elements, and then I started writing for Love Inspired Suspense. It takes time to grow as a writer and find your voice and I feel like I’m in a good place writing romantic suspense.
4. What does a writing day look like for you? My writing days are pretty chaotic. I start my day on the computer reading emails and reviewing all the marketing and promotion and social media, and then shift to whatever deadline is next—whether that is writing a first draft, editing, or responding to my publishers’ edits, or galleys or articles I need to write for publicity. I juggle back and forth and try to get it all done. This year, I’m trying something new, which is to read my Bible first, write on my book next, then exercise. Everything else is secondary. I hope and pray I can stick to that schedule. I’m trying to add writing into my life, as opposed to finding a way to HAVE a life. Ha!
5. Do you plot the book completely before you begin writing or do you just let it flow as you begin? I wish I could plot the book completely because that would make for much faster writing. Like most writers my writing style falls somewhere on the spectrum between plotting and pantsing. I usually have a loose idea of the general story, but I have to start writing before I can know the details, including plot points.
6. I love the Alaska setting for this book. How did you come to choose this state? I love the Alaska setting too, so that’s a huge part of it. I think it was back in 2012 that I was working on a proposal set in Texas, and I was living in Louisiana at the time. It was so incredibly hot. I wanted to be somewhere cold—even if just in my head—so I decide to shift my proposal to Alaska. I love mountains! I focused on Southeast Alaska and that’s how I came up with my six-book series called Mountain Cove for Love Inspired Suspense. That series was one of my best-selling series and recently I had been thinking about writing a series in Alaska for Revell. I was working on Deadly Target and researching podcasts when I came across a podcast called Missing in Alaska, and I knew I had to write this series. Fortunately, my Revell editor was on board with it.
7. How much research goes into each book? An absolute TON of research. Every book. I try to learn everything I can about every detail. I read books and blogs and watch YouTube videos and talk to experts. I try to cover every single aspect to make sure I know what I’m talking about.
8. What would you like to see readers take away from the book?Cold Light of Day has a lot of different themes like doing right and not wrong, walking with God and seeking justice. I think in this day and culture, it’s a good reminder that we need to seek the truth and stand by it. I hope readers find a story they can enjoy to the fullest and then when they’re done, they still think about the characters and the message.
9. Can you give us a hint about the next book in the series? I’m very excited about book 2 in Missing in Alaska. Shadows at Dusk is about the bush pilot, Carrie James, whom you met in Cold Light of Day and her romantic interest, the hero, is Detective Trevor West from Critical Alliance. Though I had a LOT of fun writing Shadows at Dusk, it was a tough story to write because it’s not your typical romantic suspense. I love to shake things up and offer a different kind of story every time, if possible. I’ve already turned that in and should be getting edits in February. Today I just started writing on book three which is Nolan Long’s story!
10. Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes! I hope that readers will subscribe to my monthly newsletter so they can stay informed about upcoming releases. The subscribe button is on my website at https://elizabethgoddard.com I also hope they will make sure to visit the Missing in Alaska Series website at https://missinginalaskaseries.com to learn more about Cold Light of Day and how to pre-order, but also how to get their hands on the special free goodies that Revell has created!
Okay, here’s how to win a copy: Comment on this blog post with your full name and email. I’ll choose a winner in 5 days and get to the winner via their email. You will have 24 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Good luck!
About The Book He lost his memory… Mackenzie Steele has been instrumental in keeping Steele Guardians afloat, working long hours for months. Nearing burnout, her family encourages her to take a vacation, and she reluctantly agrees. She needs solitude and quiet, and a vacation rental home in the Oregon desert is just the ticket. But she’s no sooner unpacked her bags when a man lands on her doorstep. A man who can’t remember his identity or why he’s there. All they know is that the name Owen seems familiar to him. But will finding it bring a killer to her doorstep. Mackenzie shouldn’t trust this man, but something about his earnestness draws her to him, and she agrees to help him determine his identity. When her rental home is bombarded with bullets, she knows she’s accepted a task that could turn deadly, and she should walk away. But by this time, her deepening connection with the stranger keeps her firmly rooted at his side, and she can only pray that she won’t regret her potentially life-altering decision. Language
English Publisher
Edge of Your Seats Books, Inc. Publication date
February 1, 2023
Genre: Inspirational suspsense
About the Author
SUSAN SLEEMAN is the bestselling author of over fifty romantic suspense and mystery novels with more than one million books sold. She writes romantic suspense novels that are clean with inspiring messages of faith. Readers love her series for the well-drawn characters and edge-of-your-seat action. She graduated from the FBI and local police citizen academies, so her research is spot-on and her characters are real.
In addition to writing, Susan also hosts TheSuspenseZone.com. She has lived in nine states but now calls Oregon home. Her husband is a retired church music director, and they have two beautiful daughters, two special sons-in-law, and two amazing grandsons.
My Rating: 5 Stars! Susan Sleeman is a favorite of mine for inspirational suspense and just continues to be that as I read more. She continues her series with MacKenzie Steele’s story. MacKenzie is on vacation when she finds a body on her porch one morning. Yikes! And it just gets better from there on. There is more than one storyline going on here and I loved every single one. I am sure you will, too. Sleeman knows her stuff when writing crime dramas and this suspense lover is totally satisfied reading one of her books. My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book. The opinion here is my own.
Simply Susan 