On writing my way out of a corner

I don't start off intending to write issue-driven stories. By that I mean that I don't think of a charged issue and decide to write a story around the topic. Instead, the issues that crop up in my books come about organically from the lives of the characters. (Kind of an artsy, overused word, but you get the pic. Right?)

The reviews of Fade to Blue are beginning to appear, and I'm told that my next Otter Bay Novel will actually start showing up on shelves early. While I didn't write this book to be controversial, I did write myself into a corner at one point. If this was a book for the general market, I probably could have moved on more easily (although it would have nagged at me). But it's not. Her faith is the point on which heroine Suz Mitchell pivots.

Thankfully ~ as I wrestled to the point of a near-ulcer over the issue ~ my pastor delivered a sermon that provided the perspective necessary to finding my way out of that corner. No peptic medication needed! :)

I love this book and hope readers do too. I don't read reviews unless they're sent to me, however, as this one was from Author's Choice Reviews. It touched me that the reviewer mentioned one particular issue that cropped up in the book, one that can provoke controversy, especially in the Christian community. Here's a snippet: A story of two futures and learning to listen to God's leading. Clear teaching on divorce while revealing the heart of God for healing and restoration. And it all takes place on a beautiful California coast.

The review doesn't give anything away--and neither will I. But if you'd like to read an excerpt for yourself, you can do just that on Amazon. First pages of Fade to Blue.

Happy reading ~ and have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are :-)