My theme for the month of March is “SPRING BREAK.” This week I’m featuring a Christian romantic suspense novel, The Glass Bottom Boat, which is set in Jamaica. You can take a break from whatever is going on in your life and travel to Jamaica between the pages of this book.

The Inspiration behind the Book:

“The inspiration for The Glass Bottom Boat was sparked way back in 2013, when my family vacationed in Jamaica for Spring Break. Even though I have rather a fear of drowning, the resort glass bottom boat piqued my curiosity and we planned a trip for our very last day. Unfortunately, when our last vacation day dawned, a storm swept through the area and no boats were allowed on the ocean. We missed our one chance. I was bitterly disappointed! And then my vivid imagination went into overdrive as I considered various scenarios out on the ocean on such a boat, and exactly how scary it could be for someone afraid of drowning. The rest, well—you can read about it all in the book! Suffice to say The Glass Bottom Boat is a page-turner melding elements of romance, faith, and nail-biting suspense in a tropical setting…”

About the book:

Surrounded by the romantic paradise of her sister’s destination wedding in Jamaica, Madison Grey realizes she must overcome her paralyzing fear of the ocean—and her broken heart— to start living again. Luke Alexander, the groom’s brother, is a missionary who has come to terms with a life of singleness—until he meets Madison.

During the wedding, their personal connection intensifies when a stalker stirs up haunting memories of her gold-digging ex-fiancé.  After Madison mysteriously disappears and the newlyweds receive a ransom note, Luke dives into action to find her. Will he save Madison in time or will she be forced to suffer her worst nightmare… in the depths of a glass bottom boat?

Excerpt:

Excerpt taken from CHAPTER ELEVEN:

     Madison looked along the stretch of beach ahead—it was deserted. Wasn’t the security guy supposed to be around? Of course, he couldn’t be everywhere at the same time, but her skin prickled. Another movement, and she whipped her head back to the dock. Maybe it was a bird. Or maybe she was going crazy.

     She slowed her steps. Time to turn back. For the thousandth time, I wish I could be courageous.

     She caught her breath and took one more look around in case the security guard appeared. Maybe that would help her heart rate return to normal. Jogging in place, she faced the ocean, shielded her eyes, and tried to make out whether there was anyone or anything at the end of the dock. Only the one boat was moored, but it didn’t look like anybody was out there. Unless someone was inside the boat, of course. It was difficult to tell. She removed one earbud in case there were voices…

     A heavy hand on her bare shoulder spun her around. Madison gasped. She was face to face with him. In her next breath, the man held her in a rough embrace.

     “What’s going on?” Her voice was shrill, fearful. “Who are you and what do you want?”

     Where had he come from? The palm trees? Madison tried to wriggle out of his strong arms as panic pulsated in her chest.

     “I want you.” The stranger growled and turned her toward the ocean.

     It was him, the blond man who had followed her the past weekend. Same black clothing, shock of blond hair, shades. And he was pure muscle. She struggled again to get free, ripping the remaining earbud from her ear. He pressed her hands alongside her body and tipped her off balance, and she watched her silver iPod and her sunglasses hit the sand.

     An ugly tattoo of a dragon danced before her eyes, writhing while the man’s arm flexed around her waist. Madison screamed, but his meaty hand stifled it. In one fluid motion, her legs went from under her, and she was being carried to the dock. In a mad scramble, she flailed her legs and twisted her head around to slam it into the guy’s face. He grunted when his mirrored shades flew off. Icy blue eyes stared back at her, haunting and evil.

     No.

     He studied her intently for a heartbeat, their noses almost touching. The strong scent of expensive cologne stung her nostrils and he squeezed her even tighter. Blue Eyes marched on, and through her tears, she saw their destination and somehow found the energy to thrash in his arms one more time.

     Where was everyone? Why couldn’t anybody see what was happening? Was she being kidnapped?

     She glanced back in the direction of the deserted beach. Not a soul walked along this stretch. Why had she chanced running this morning? And why hadn’t she turned back when she first felt anxious? Was that God nudging her? Foolish girl.

     Madison bared her teeth and bit into the fleshy part of Blue Eyes’s palm. He didn’t even flinch but clamped his hand even tighter. She fought the growing nausea in the pit of her stomach. Another man wearing sunglasses and a hoodie appeared as they neared the end of the dock. Two against one would be no match. Madison used every last ounce of energy she could muster to kick and elbow her kidnapper. But he was too strong, and he leered as she fought back. It was hopeless. The other man took something from his hoodie pocket. With a flourish, he brandished a yellow cloth, and as Blue Eyes pulled his hand away, the cloth was pressed across her nose and mouth.

     “No.” She screamed into the fabric. The suffocating smell of antiseptic and alcohol consumed her senses. Thoughts of Chloe in her wedding dress, her parents in their backyard, her students at school, and then Luke by the bonfire swirled lazily in the corners of her mind. Focus, Madison. Focus. She tried to turn her face away from the cloth, but the other man’s firm hands grasped the back of her head in a vise grip. She could see a blurring image of hoodie guy as he stood over her and watched for several seconds, his head cocked like he was memorizing her.

     And the last thing she spotted before the haziness turned black was the glass bottom boat.

About the author:

A published Christian author, Laura writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul. She has three Christian romantic suspense novels published as well as a Christian teen fiction trilogy, marriage book, middle-grade novel, several anthology books, devotionals, articles, and stories in magazines and online.

Laura is a chocoholic mom of three, married to her high school sweetheart—originally from the UK, they live in Kelowna, British Columbia as audacious empty-nesters.

Author media links:

INSTAGRAM: @lauracthomas 

FACEBOOK PAGE: @LauraThomasAuthor

TWITTER: @Laura_Thomas_

PINTEREST: lauracthomas

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5837074.Laura_Thomas

BOOKBUB: https://bit.ly/2Uj4gyR

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAIg1LlXedxtfqmEAssdgnQ

Website: https://laurathomasauthor.com

Buy Link: https://www.anaiahpress.com/product/the-glass-bottom-boat/31?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=3

The Glass Bottom Boat is the first book in the Flight to Freedom Series.

A few months ago, I ran out of the hazelnut coffee that I like. The grocery store didn’t have the brand I usually buy. Looking around at the other coffees, I spotted one called Mackinac Island Fudge. Since the Island is one of my favorite vacation spots, and I love the fudge from there, I purchased the coffee and tried it.

The fudge-flavored coffee tastes so good, but it’s expensive. To make it more special and to justify the expense, I treat myself to a package of it as a reward whenever I met a writing deadline. I’m about to run out of it, and I don’t have any current deadlines to meet.

It’s time to set a new goal, but I don’t know what to work on next.

I have so many manuscripts in various stages of writing, but I always come back to the Legacy of Courage series. As many of you know, I wrote and self-published the Courage books, beginning in 2007 with spiral bound copies. Do you remember how tiny the print was in the originals? A friend of mine had to read it with two pair of reading glasses in order to see the print.

In 2012, I published the book again in a regular binding. I went on to publish books 2-6. I didn’t sell a lot of them, but I have a good and faithful following.

Last weekend I reread the Courage series. Working with a professional editor through the publishing process on another book, I’ve learned a lot about writing styles and point of view. When I compare my Courage books with what I’ve learned, they need a lot of editing before I can pursue looking for an agent and/or publisher.

The first book, Courage to Hope, has already undergone several revisions. Each time I ordered reprints, I modified the story, changing some things to fit the historical time frame more accurately. I’m sure if I looked at it again, there would be more things I could change.

However, I’m not sure I want to make any more changes. A lot of you love the Courage series as is, even though there were many mistakes in the original. I don’t want to mess with a good thing. I’m debating whether to edit and update it in an effort to find a home for the series, or to leave them as is, and continue selling them myself.

In 2019, I had a new cover designed. The reason for the change is because in the original cover, the barn is too modern-looking and in too good shape to depict the one in the story. Both the old cover and new cover are pictured below:

My poll today is twofold:

1. Should I rewrite and update Courage to Hope and try to find an agent and/or publisher for it, or leave it as is and continue to sell the books myself?

2. If I continue to self-publish, which cover do you suggest I use for reprints?

With either option, the biggest cost is marketing. Finding a publisher might mean more exposure and sales, but self-publishing means I can keep the story intact and move forward. Book 7 is already underway, and there is an outline for future books with the same characters.

If you’ve read the Courage series and have an opinion on either point, please leave a comment below, or on my personal or author Facebook pages. Your opinions are very important to me.

The theme for my blog in March is “SPRING BREAK.” With the disruption of routines due to Covid, I’m not sure how many schools will have spring break this year. Traditionally, it is a week off from school, giving families the opportunity to go away and spend time together. Today I’m talking about one of my favorite vacation spots and how it has inspired me in my writing career.

We discovered this quiet cabin, called Hemlock Haven, in August 2010. Good friends own the cabin and live just a short distance away from it. My husband and I visited there and thought it would make a very nice place to vacation. Shortly after that visit, he passed away. A few weeks later, my friends invited us to stay a night at the cabin. My kids and I enjoyed it so much that we went back many times.

The cabin became our spring break getaway. It had a full kitchen, so I could take food along with us to cook. I bought groceries that would last for a couple of days, and lots of junk food and sodas. The cabin is only a couple of miles from a small town with a grocery store and a couple of dollar stores, so we didn’t need to take food for every meal. There were a couple of restaurants in the small town, and we usually ate one meal out, and picked up pizza for another meal. The grocery store had a hot case deli, and we bought a meal there each time we visited. We also started the tradition of going to an Amish bakery on the way and getting homemade bread and jam to take with us.

The cabin had a TV with a DVD player, so we picked up new movies every time we went, at least one new release and others that the kids or I wanted to see. I don’t watch TV at home, but at the cabin, I wasn’t distracted and could enjoy a few hours of watching movies. While there, we went to the dollar stores in the town nearby and bought new DVD’s on their bargain racks and watched those, also.

My favorite part of being at the cabin was sitting on the high riverbank, watching and listening to the water flow past and the wind rustling in the trees. I always thought of one of my dad’s favorite hymns, “How Great Thou Art,” when I was there. At home, we live on a busy street, so being in the woods, without another house in sight, was a real treat for me.

There was a stereo at the cabin with some albums, and I enjoyed listening to oldies’ music while sitting in the enclosed back porch. On each visit, I took my Bible, a hymnal and a notebook. I did a lot of journaling and inner reflection while I stayed there. Time away from my everyday routine cleared my head. God showed me different things about my life that I could take back home with me and work on.

The cabin retreat also inspired my writing. In 2011, a year after my husband passed away, I started a new book in an ongoing series while at the cabin. When I went home after that visit, I finished the story in three weeks. It was very emotional and had a lovely scene at the end with a memorial service, which I’m sure was inspired in part by my own loss.

During another visit, I started a short story that took place at a cabin like that one. The story morphed into a complete novel that became the first in a series.

Since my good friend lives just a short walk through the woods from the cabin, I never felt like we were totally alone there. We always tried to fit in a visit while we were there. The cabin was a secure vacation spot, not far from home, and yet it was a quiet getaway. A couple of years ago, the cabin no longer was available, but by that time, my kids had outgrown the enjoyment of spending a couple of days “unplugged.”

The cabin, Hemlock Haven, was truly a haven of rest for me during some difficult years. I’m thankful for the time that I spent there with my kids, getting to know them better, and the fun memories that we share. I’m also thankful for the inspiration that came from spending time in the beautiful, quiet setting and finding a retreat from the routines of life.

Following February’s theme of “HEARTS,” today’s featured book is When Hearts Collide by Sara Beth Williams.

Inspiration behind the Book:

The more books I read, no matter the genre, the more I am drawn to authentic, broken characters, who long for a second chance – both in love and in life. This is the essence of When Hearts Collide.  Both Lacey and Jay long for a second chance.

I remember, junior year in high school, sitting in the balcony at a memorial service for a young high school kid who died in a car accident. Many of my early drafts were recreations of that very event. The car accident, the memorial service, how the family reacted, who might have been involved. Even now, in the final draft, you’ll read images and references of the memorial service. Over the years, the car accident itself morphed into something much different. But the essence of this story is that God redeems.

I hope you truly enjoy this story full of romance, faith, forgiveness, and second chances.

About the Book:

A reckless mistake landed Jacob “Jay” Mathews behind bars, but it was his inescapable guilt that led him to God. Upon his release, with the help of a spiritual mentor and friend, he strives to move forward with his life. Determined to graduate college, get a job, and follow God’s word, the last thing Jay needs or wants is a girlfriend. Until he meets Lacey Bennett.

When fervent prayers for reconciliation between her divorced parents go unanswered, and her older sister tragically dies, Lacey questions how God could allow such tragedies to befall her family. Turning her back on her past and God, she focuses on her future. College and theater are her ultimate goals; falling for the one type of guy she swore to avoid—a Christian—is not. No matter how much she wants to resist, Jay is irresistible.

As their relationship deepens, Jay struggles with Lacey’s unresolved anger and her unwillingness to even discuss faith. All he wants to do is reveal how God changed his life, but doing so would mean revealing his status as an ex convict. Finally, as she begins to rekindle her faith, past secrets collide, threatening to destroy everything they’ve built. Now, Jay must rely on his faith more than he ever has before. Can they learn to forgive—or is their relationship fractured beyond repair?

Excerpt:

A special extended Valentine’s Day excerpt: – They’re on a picnic for Valentine’s Day.

Jay reached for his backpack and dug out a spiral-bound notebook from the bottom. “I want to show you something,” he said in her ear. Carefully, with her body still leaning against his, he placed it on her lap and flipped it open.

“What’s this?”

“When I finally enrolled in college, I made a list of things I’d never done before. Stuff I’d always wanted to do that I didn’t get to do as a kid.”

“Why?” She flipped through the pages, finding most of them blank. Then she flipped back to the list he’d made.

“I didn’t even know my dad. He left when I was two or three. After that, my mom—let’s just say, she was not on the list for Mom of the Year.” He bit the inside of his cheek. “Anyway…” He leaned to the side, resting on one elbow. A small rock beneath the blanket cut into his skin so he readjusted. “I didn’t have the opportunity to do much of anything as a kid, even in foster care. Living with my half-brother Patrick later on, it was a stable situation, but all he did was work.”

 He cleared his throat, his glance darting away, focusing on the way the grasses bent with the wind. That much was true, in a sense. He frowned, contemplating where Patrick might be now. Was he still here in California?

“I’m sorry.” Compassion shone in her eyes.

Jay held a palm to her cheek, letting her hair brush over his skin. “After I met Matt and found Christ, I was really motivated to make a better life for myself in every way possible. So, I did. And I made this list as part of that effort.”

He swallowed and clamped his mouth shut. Too much rambling could lead to disaster. He was already treading across thin ice bringing up his past at all.

Lacey studied the list, which spanned a few pages. After reading the first page, she glanced up at him with a grin. “We’ve done a lot of these things together.” He nodded once, his head resting against the palm of his hand. “Ice skating, bike riding, going out to ice cream, going to the river, eating out at a nice restaurant…” A gust of wind blew through her hair and ruffled the pages of the notebook. She smoothed them open again. “You never did any of these things when you were younger? Not even with foster families?”

He readjusted, sitting upright again. “I never had the money to take girls out to ice cream or restaurants. I didn’t hang out with that kind of crowd anyway. If I went out, it was to a party to get drunk.”

“I didn’t know you used to drink… Why didn’t you have money? Didn’t you say you worked during high school?”

He exhaled slowly, carefully, an itching fear climbing up his spine. “I had a job at a library, yeah, but it was only part-time. Before I was old enough to work, I ran with the wrong kind of people, and was invited to a lot of parties, even at such a young age.” He pushed back the acid-like feelings of disgust. He hated thinking about the old him, the old way of life. I am a new creation in Christ. “But I stopped all that. I never want to go back to that kind of lifestyle again.”

The pinch between her brows inferred she seemed doubtful of the details of his story—and much too curious. He clamped his mouth shut again, lest he carry on a bigger lie. This was not why he had brought the notebook to show her.

What, did you think she wouldn’t have questions for you?

With a mental fist, he pounded down the doubts, pushed the notebook aside, and cradled her in his arms. Her fresh, familiar scent of coffee, and a hint of watermelon shampoo mingled with the smell of earth around them. “Every date we’ve been on means the world to me. Not just because I am finally experiencing new things in life, but because I get to experience life with you.”

She giggled as he eyed her lips and captured them in a sweet, lingering kiss.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of getting to know you,” he breathed between kisses. “And I don’t want to stop anytime soon.”

She leaned away at last and studied the pages of his notebook. “So, does this mean you want to travel the world with me?”

“I can dream.”

“Let’s not rush things.”

He laughed and kissed her again. “You are special to me,” he murmured, burying his face in her hair.

“You are, too.”

He kissed her one last time before she turned and refocused on the water, leaning back against his chest.

About the Author:

Sara Beth Williams is a wife, mother of two daughters, and temporary caretaker of a lovable old lady pit and a spunky Pomeranian-Shih Tzu mix. She lives in Northern California. When she’s not held hostage by the keyboard, she enjoys music, teaching, reading and spending time with her family. She is all about connecting with readers! Find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Bookbub.

Receive a FREE short story when you sign up for her newsletter.

Where to find Sara Beth Williams:

Amazon / Goodreads / Bookbub / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

 Website / MeWe

Anchor My Heart, the sequel to When Hearts Collide, will be released on March 16.

PRE ORDER PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY: ANCHOR MY HEART

Enter to win a grand prize pack full of books and bookish swag. THREE winners will be chosen total. All chosen winners will be invited to join me on a Zoom coffee or tea date.

Pre Order Anchor My Heart HERE

Click here to find out all the info you need to enter to Win

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Momo, who came to us a few years ago by way of a feral cat mom, and who found a forever home with my nephew and his wife.

You first met these two kittens a few years ago. Born last May to a feral mother cat, the kittens survived a fiery start. We brought them into our home and tamed them.

They found a forever home with some of our family.

The male tiger-striped one is Momo, after the pet lemur from the Avatar cartoon.

And the female gray one is named Eevee, from the Pokemon.

As you can see, both Eevee and Momo are happy and healthy in their forever home.