INTO THE DEEP INTERVIEW

Today we're welcoming Nikki Hoffman, the heroine of Into the Deep, Virginia Smith, October 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 should have known better than to go on vacation alone. One minute I was in a luxurious condo in Key West, Florida, and the next thing I knew I’d been dragged into a nightmare, with a terrifying Mexican drug cartel, and a crooked senator, and worst of all, my ex-boyfriend!

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

Actually, I met Ben four years ago in Cozumel, Mexico. I walked into his scuba diving shop and it really was love at first sight for both of us. Within a week I had quit my job and moved to Mexico to be with him. But then life slapped me in the face, and I came to my senses. I left Ben and went home, and I didn’t have any contact with him at all for three years. See, I have this secret that I don’t ever want him to discover – when I left him in Cozumel, I was pregnant with our son. So when I ran into Ben on the boat dock in Key West, I was stunned!

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

I guess my greatest strength is my loyalty. Ben probably wouldn’t agree to that when this story started, but I think he’ll come to realize it in time. My greatest weakness? I’m not very adventurous. That’s a major handicap when you’re in love with a scuba diver!

4. What scares you?

Sharks! They terrify me. And I don’t just mean the ones that live in the water, either.
5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d be more daring, more willing to take chances, like Ben is. Of course, I don’t want to go overboard with that. I’m a single mother, and I take my responsibilities to my son seriously. But I do wish I could be a little less cautious, a little more adventurous.

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

I came to the Lord four years ago in Cozumel, shortly after I found out I was pregnant, and my faith has grown. I do believe in the power of prayer, but so far that belief has been theoretical.

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

God has proved that He really is all-powerful, and He really does answer prayer in a big way! My beliefs have been proven, and my faith is stronger than it has ever been.

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant.
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Psalms 139:7-8

That verse describes Ben’s life perfectly. He started running from God when he was a boy, and he ran as far as he could. And of course since he’s a scuba diver, he’s been to some pretty deep depths! But God always knows where we are, and He will always find us. We both discovered that!

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

I’d be a pineapple sundae, because pineapples are my favorite fruit, and I drink pineapple juice constantly. Ben introduced me to pineapple juice when we lived in Cozumel, and it has always reminded me of him. If I were a dessert, I’d want to be reminded of Ben always.

Thank you Virginia for sharing Nikki with us. This sounds like an exciting read!

FEATURED BOOK: INTO THE DEEP BY VIRGINIA SMITH

When Ben Dearinger got hold of a flash drive carrying deadly secrets, the scuba diver did the only thing he could. He buried it—fathoms deep. Now a drug cartel wants the evidence back, and they're willing to threaten Ben's ex-girlfriend Nikki Hoffman to get it. Although Nikki caused him no end of heartache, forgetting her has been impossible, and Ben would risk anything to protect her. But what will he do when he discovers her secret—that he's the father of her child?"

Today we're welcoming Caitlin, the heroine of Scent of Murder, by Virginia Smith,

which was just released earlier this month. 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 flutist, and a member of a classical music trio with my friends Jazzy and Liz. They’re both getting married soon, so our trio is breaking up, but we booked one final engagement to play at a wedding in Little Nashville, an artist colony in the Blue Hills of Indiana. We were supposed to all go up a few days early to spend some time together shopping in all those adorable, quaint little shops, but both my friends bowed out at the last minute. I admit, I was feeling a little hurt by their desertion, because my long-time boyfriend just dumped me for someone else and I was looking forward to some girl time to help me gain some perspective. So I went ahead by myself. They were supposed to join me in time for the wedding, but before then… well, it’s a long story. I got pulled into a horrible situation involving the murder of a local man.


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

Funny thing about the way I met Chase. On the drive up to Indiana, I was praying and I felt led to proclaim a “dateless year,” where I wouldn’t go out on a date for a full year. I mean, I knew I was vulnerable, and I didn’t want to fall for a rebound guy, you know? But as soon as I pulled into town, I saw a sign for a scented candle factory that gave free tours. I figured that was a good way to kill an hour or so before I could check in to the hotel. Chase was a member of the family who owned the factory, and he ended up giving me the tour. Ah, he is amazingly handsome. Doesn’t it just figure I’d meet him after I decided not to go out with anyone for a year?

At the end of our ordeal, we both realized that what we felt for each other was more than friendship. But I’d made this oath! I feel strongly in standing behind your promises. So… well, you’ll have to see what we ended up doing.

3. What strengths/skills do you have? What is your greatest weakness?
It’s funny, but Chase and I talked about this during the course of my trip to Little Nashville. I’m a nurturer. I guess that’s why I chose to teach music to kids as a profession. And, of course, I’m a Christian, so I hope my faith is one of my strengths. It certainly was tested during my ordeal in Indiana!

4. What scares you?

Being alone in life scares me. I definitely don’t want to end up alone. But you know, it’s funny. When my life was in danger, I realized that there’s something worse than being alone, and that’s not having heaven to look forward to. I don’t have to worry about that, because even in the darkest hour, Jesus was with me. Times of crisis emphasize the strength of our faith, and in the process, the exercising of faith strengthens it.

5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d give myself a real goal. When Chase was talking about all his plans for buying and improving the family business, I felt a little strange. He asked me if I wanted to play my flute professionally with the symphony, and I was embarrassed to tell him no. The thing I’ve always wanted most is to be a wife and mom. Sounds sort of silly, doesn’t it?
6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story?

My faith is strong. I believe strongly in prayer, and in God’s hand in our day-to-day lives. I’ve proved that in the first two episodes of our classical trio, A Taste of Murder and Murder at Eagle Summit. When we have a crisis, my friends rely on me to pray with them.

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

I’ve learned that God really does hear our prayers. Not only our prayers, but the desires of our hearts. He knew what I needed to be satisfied and happy in life all along, and He gave it to me.

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant.
The scripture is “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” When my life was in danger -- and I mean really in danger -- all I could think about was how God loved everyone enough to send His son to die for them. As my preacher once said, if the only person in the world had been the vilest of sinners, Jesus would have still died for them. That’s what kept coming to my mind. I was able to show mercy to the man who held my life in his hand, because I had an inner surety of Jesus’ love for him. It really was an amazing thing.

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

This question is addressed in the book! Chase and I were sitting in an ice cream parlor and he told me how preference in ice cream is supposed to be an indicator of personality. I love Rocky Road ice cream. Chase says that’s because it’s a blend of flavors, which means I’m not satisfied with anything plain. I have a wide range of interests and enjoy variety in life.

Wonderful premise, can't wait to read this book!! Thank you Virginia for sharing Caitlin with us today.

Murder at Eagle Summit Interview

Today we're welcoming Liz Carmichael, the heroine of Murder at Eagle Summit. Wow, you've just had quite an adventure.

I sure have. Who knew a ski resort could turn out to be such a frightening place!


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

I’m a classical musician, and though I live in Kentucky now, I went to school at the University of Utah, where my family lives. My cousin and I have had a pact since we were girls – she’ll sing at my wedding, and I’ll play at hers. So when she and her fiancé decided to have a romantic winter wedding at the ski resort where we spent so much time during college, my friends Jazzy and Caitlin and I packed up our instruments and headed west so our trio could play. Of course I was looking forward to attending my cousin’s wedding, but there was a little matter of turning over a family heirloom, and I dreaded that. And I definitely didn’t want to see the best man, Tim Richards.

2. So, you knew Tim before? Why didn’t you want to see him again?

Well, it’s a little embarrassing. Tim and I were college sweethearts, and we got engaged during our senior year. But I got cold feet. We didn’t part on the best of terms, so I definitely wasn’t looking forward to seeing him again.

And the circumstances when I did see him were a bit of a shock. Tim is now a deputy sheriff in Park City, Utah. The first morning after I arrived for the wedding, a frozen body was found on the ski lift that runs right outside my room’s balcony. During the night I might have seen the victim – or maybe it was the murderer – and that’s bad enough. But even worse, I had to be interrogated by my ex-fiancé! Not a good start to a family wedding weekend.


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

I’m really independent, and I think that’s a strength. Also, I’m normally level-headed, and I tend to stay calm during stressful times. I accomplish this with a bit of an acerbic tongue, which I inherited from my grandmother. She’s another person I wasn’t looking forward to seeing in Park City, because I knew she would take every opportunity to remind me how I embarrassed her when I broke off my engagement with Tim. If you ask my grandmother, she’ll tell you my greatest weakness is my unreliability, and she’ll hold up my failed engagement as an example.

But personally, I don’t think I’m unreliable at all. If I have a fault, it’s that I carry independence to an extreme. I wield it like a shield, so much that I have trouble accepting help from anyone else even when my life is in danger. Not good, especially in the situation I found myself in at Eagle Summit.


4. What scares you?

If you’d asked me that question a year ago, I would have said, “What’s there to be afraid of?” But I’ve had a couple of encounters with some pretty frightening people recently, and now people with a personal agenda and no conscience scare me.

Another thing that scares me—though I don’t admit this, even to myself—is the suspicion that I made a terrible mistake when I broke up with Tim. What if he was my only chance at happiness? What if I never meet anyone else who can measure up to him? I don’t want to end up like my grandmother, alone in my old age, cranky and sarcastic.


5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d have a stronger faith, like my friend Caitlin. Her faith is so out there, you know? When something scary happens, like when we thought our room may have been searched at Eagle Summit Lodge, her first reaction was to pray. She’s always that way. I wish my first thought was to turn to the Lord instead of plowing into a situation with stubborn determination that usually ends up getting me in trouble.


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

I’m a Christian, but I’m hiding some secrets – from my friends, from myself, even from the Lord. I don’t want to face a painful truth about my past actions, so I don’t think about it.


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

In an odd way, I’m grateful for the horrible things that happened at Eagle Summit, because they forced me to open up to my friends about my past. And when I did, Caitlin and Jazzy prayed with me. It was like their prayers and their encouragement cleared out some things that had been clogging my prayer life.

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant.
"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7, NIV)
I had some dirty secrets in my past, secrets that made me feel unclean. Now they’re all out in the open, and I’ve been forgiven, both by God and by Tim. (Oops! Did I give anything away?)
And, of course, there’s the reference to snow, which is all over the setting of this story.


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

Nobody could ever call me sweet. I’m too straight-forward, and occasionally a bit sarcastic. So I’d have to be a dark chocolate mousse, bittersweet and so deliciously rich you can only handle a few bites before you push it back and say, “That’s enough!” And yet, just recently I’ve softened a bit. So maybe you could plop a dollop of cream on top – thick, sweet, and white as snow, of course!

By the way, if you’d like to see a video about my experience in Murder at Eagle Summit, check out my friend Virginia Smith’s website. I told her my story, and she insisted on making a home movie out of it. Don’t tell her I said so, but it’s not half bad. www.virginiasmith.org

Wow, this sounds like a riveting story. Can't wait. Love the video. Very fun.