No Where To Run Interview

Today we're welcoming Marie Parnell, the heroine of NOWHERE TO RUN, by Valerie Hansen, a Love Inspired Suspense for October 2008. Wow, you've just had quite an adventure.

"I'll say!"

1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be in the midst of such suspense.

"I chose to trust the wrong man five years ago and thought I had seen the last of him till he showed up at my door one night and tried to convince that me my life - and that of our daughter, Patty - was in danger. I thought he was playing games with me and lying the way he used to until I actually saw him being kidnapped!"

2. So, during the book you met Seth Whitfield. Tell us a bit about him. What was your first impression? When did you know it was love?

"I didn't believe anything Seth said at first. He seemed too good, too handy, to be for real. And when my car broke down in this little town of Serenity, I was sure that man was part of the plot to overtake and harm Patty and me. It took the other threats which kept piling up to bring me to the place where I began to fall for Seth. That would have been easier if he hadn't been hiding plenty of dangerous secrets of his own."

3. What strengths/skills do you have? What is your greatest weakness?

"I guess you could say my strength is that of any mother who's desperately trying to protect her innocent child. I never give up. I may make mistakes along the way but I never quit."

4. What scares you?

"I thought nothing scared me until Patty and I were being chased from Louisianna to Arkansas by the same men who had been after my ex. When he came to warn me, they thought he'd given me something they wanted back and I was afraid I'd never be totally free or really safe, again."


5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

"I used to think I wished I'd never been involved with my ex but now that I think about it, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have my dear little Patty. And, I wouldn't have run toward Arkansas to protect her so I'd never have met Seth. Besides, we can't change the past, we can only live with it and do our best in the future."

6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story?

"I had been a backslider until I was pregnant with Patty. After she was born, I decided that she needed to be raised in the church. Taking her to Sunday school helped bring me back to the faith of my youth and I'm now a member of a local congregation. Or I was, till I had to run for my life. One thing that really bothered me was having to leave Baton Rouge without even saying goodbye to my Christian friends. It will be good to finally contact them, when it's safe again, and let them know I found happiness, even though it was sure the hard way to go about it!"

7. Where are you in your faith at the end of the story?

"By the end, my faith has been sorely tried, as have I, and is much stronger than it was at the beginning. I didn't think that was possible but it certainly was."

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant.

"It's Proverbs 2: 7-8 'The Lord holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.' I know that's a lot to expect, and there's still much I don't understand, but I do trust the Lord in ALL things, not just when my life is going according to my plans. I think that's the key to happiness."

9. If you could be a dessert what would you be and why?

"A dessert? I'd lots rather eat one than be one! I suppose it should be something that's good for you if I have to actually be it. In that case, I'd like to be some fruit like an orange that's sweet yet does good things for those who consume it. Kind of like being the author of Christian books."

Thank you Valerie for sharing Marie with us. This book so exciting. Can't wait to read it.