YULETIDE DEFENDER Interview

Today we're welcoming Rachel Long, the heroine of Yuletide Defender, by Sandra Robbins, releasing December 2010.
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 a newspaper reporter for the Lake City Daily Beacon, and I’ve been writing about the murder of gang members in our town. The police thought it was rival gangs trying to kill each other off, but that all changed when I received a tip from a confidential source. He said he’d witnessed one of the murders, and it wasn’t committed by a gang member. He believed there was a vigilante who had committed the murders in hopes of sparking an all-out gang war. Of course this story was too good to pass up, and I soon found myself following every lead which led to my becoming the target of the vigilante.

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

When I first met Matt, I thought he was so handsome, and his clothes looked like they were very expensive. He could very well have passed for a fashion model instead of a police detective. It took me a while to realize the feeling I had for him was love. When the vigilante ran my car off the road and it sank in the lake, I knew I loved him and wanted to see him again.

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

I am dedicated to my work, and I love my family. I realize that someday my special needs sister is going to be my responsibility, and I’ve been very frugal. I save my money because I know it takes a lot to provide her with the things she needs.
As for a weakness, I’m afraid to trust men. My father deserted us when my sister was born, and every boy I ever brought home to meet my mother dropped me after they met my sister. I didn’t think Matt would be any different, but he was.
4. What scares you?

It scares me to think I may not be able to provide for my sister.
5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would be less cynical about people and why they do things. I suppose being a reporter and dealing with my father’s rejection of his family has left me afraid to trust people.
6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story?

My mother always made me go to church. When I got out on my own, I drifted away from God. At the beginning of the story, I believed in Him, but I didn’t see any need for Him in my life.

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

It was only through God’s protection that I survived the attempts on my life, and it was only because of God’s love that Matt came into my life. At the end of the story my life is recommitted to Him.
8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant.
The scripture is: And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Psalms 9:10.
Even though I had ignored God for years, He had never given up on me and hadn’t forsaken me. When I needed Him most, He was there to provide protection and love. When I realized that, I put my complete trust in Him.

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

I think I’d be a chocolate chip cookie. I think of them as a comfort food, and I want to be a comfort to my family, especially my sister. Some chocolate chip cookies are baked soft while others have a harder texture. I want my words and actions to be soft and inoffensive to others, but I want to have a tough streak that is willing to stand against wrongs and injustices. And like the chocolate chips that are hidden in the cookie, I think I have great morsels of love hidden inside me just waiting to be given to the person God has for me.


Sounds like a great read! Thank you Sandra for sharing Rachel with us.