Risky Reunion Interview

Today we're welcoming Jackson McGraw, the hero of Risky Reunion—book five in the Protecting the Witness LIS continuity.

Wow, you've just had quite an adventure.


1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be in the midst of such suspense. I’m an FBI agent—Special Agent In Charge—in the Chicago Bureau. I’ve been trying all my career to make up for one mistake I made as a rookie. I didn’t protect a woman wanted by the mob. A woman I had fallen in love with. Because of that, Eloise Hill and her baby were injured in an attempt on their lives. So Ellie left the Witness Protection program. And she left her baby with me, to protect the little girl.

2. So, during the book you met Eloise Hill). Tell us a bit about her. What was your first impression? When did you know it was love? I first met Eloise after she witnessed the murder of her boyfriend (and the father of her baby) over twenty years ago in Chicago. I was a rookie assigned to protect her from the powerful Martino crime family. My first impression of Eloise—she had this gentle way about her. Her faith was strong, even back then. She loved her baby girl so much. I think I fell for Eloise the moment I met her. This was both a blessing and a distraction. Ultimately, my being so involved caused her to almost get killed. She was so afraid, she left her baby with a note asking me to find the baby a good home. I did that, but over the years I worried about Eloise. And for good reason. The mob still wants her dead after all this time. And they’re hot on her trail. But then, so am I. I will protect her this time.

3. What strengths/skills do you have? What is your greatest weakness? My greatest weakness is my inability to let go. I’ve thought about Eloise for over twenty years. I never dreamed we’d come full circle. I tried to let go but … I love her. My skills—strengths? I’m good at my job. It’s my life. I don’t have a life. I’ve been dedicated to taking out the Martino family since the night Ellie walked out of my life. But now, I have another goal—I want to make a life with the woman I’ve always loved.

4. What scares you? Failure.
5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I need a stronger faith in God. I try to control things and sometimes you just have to go on a leap of faith. Ellie is teaching me how to do that, I think.
6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story? My faith has always been shaky. I believe in God but I don’t always turn to him. From my office in Chicago, I can see a church steeple. I stare at that steeple and think things through. Maybe that’s my way of praying. I don’t know.

7. Where are you in your faith at the end of the story? At the end of the story, I am strong in my faith, thanks to Ellie and thanks to God’s grace. I am blessed because I now have my faith and the woman I love.

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant. “He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light.” Job 12:22. This verse shows that God is all knowing and all seeing. He reveals the evil in the world (and that’s where I come in) but he also reveals those dark places inside our souls and brings them into the light. This is what happens to me after finding Eloise again.

9. If you could be a dessert what would you be and why? A donut—because with donuts, people love all of it. Even the missing hole in the center. God loves us that way and replaces the donut hole with hope.


Thank you Lenora for sharing Jackson with us today. What great hero! And I can't wait to read the story.