PROTECTING HER CHILD INTERVIEW

Today we're welcoming Pete Worth, the hero of PROTECTING HER CHILD, by Debby Giusti, May 2009. 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.

Everything happens for a reason, and looking back, it’s easy to see God’s hand was guiding me. Growing up, Eve had been like a mother to me so when I saw her struggling I had to help. That meant trying to find the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-four years ago. Young and unmarried, Eve had been forced to comply with her parents’ demand to find a home for the baby. At the time, no one knew Von Hippel-Lindau Disease would produce tumors throughout Eve’s body, eventually turning malignant. As much as Eve wanted to reconnect with her daughter, she also needed to warn Meredith about the life-threatening illness she may have inherited.

I went into research to find answers to VHL and to help all those who suffer from the disease, especially Eve. When I found Meredith – a pregnant widow on the run – I knew my main priority was to keep her safe from both VHL and the men who wanted her dead.

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

What’s Meredith like? Her smile reminds me of sunshine and soft, summer breezes over the South Georgia seaside where we first met. She makes my soul sing and my spirit soar, and without her I’d be lost. But she’s also strong and resourceful as well as determined and committed to protecting those she loves.

I fell in love with Meredith the instant I saw her, although I didn’t know it at the time. I just knew she was special and made me feel like I could and would do anything to keep her and her unborn child safe.

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

As I said, my background’s medical research, and I’ve been in the military so I can take care of myself, which helped when Meredith and I were on the run. Because of what happened in the past, I’d always been a loner and carried some of the bitterness of that earlier time with me. By saving Meredith, I was also able to save myself. Once I learned the truth, I had my own healing of sorts.

My weakness had been my stubborn independence. When I met Meredith all that changed. I need her in my life. Actually, the way I feel now is that she is my life.

4. What scares you?

Not knowing whether Meredith had VHL scared me, and of course, when her life was in danger and I couldn’t find her, I didn’t know what to do. That’s when I had to turn to God. Since then, I’ve put my trust in Him.

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

If I could go back in time, I never would have broken ties with Eve. She had been so important to me as a child, but my own pain and hurt got in the way. Probably pride too.

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

At the onset of the story, I didn’t need God. I could take care of myself. That’s a foolish way to think, and as you can imagine, I had a lot to learn.

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

Thankfully, Meredith and Eve helped me turn back to the Lord and accept his forgiveness and love. I now know that if I put Him first, everything else falls into place.

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

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. --Jeremiah 1:5

God is the Divine Creator. He fashioned all of us in His image and likeness. Man is inherently good, but we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Once I accepted the Lord, I was overwhelmed with love for the Father, for Eve, the baby and especially for Meredith.

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

Dessert? Apple pie a la mode. I’m patriotic and dedicated to the USA where dreams do come true. Mine did. I hope yours will too.

To learn more about Debby Giusti and her books, go to www.DebbyGiusti.com

April the Month of Sacrifice

by Barbara Phinney,

This year, Easter falls in the month of April, and as with the rebirth of the land up here above the equator shows us, we're ready for a rebirth in our own lives.
Which means sacrifice.
In fact, as in our books, where the hero and heroine sacrifice something for the love of the other, I have found myself doing the same thing.
My daughter is whipping me into shape. (I told her that ROUND is a shape!)
My husband and I are off to Florida in two weeks and my daughter is determined that I look my best. She's got me on a diet she read about in her Self magazine. While she says she can feel the pounds dropping off her (she's 19, for goodness' sake. Cutting out one fancy cappiccino will do that), I'm looking at the itty bitty portion of food she's made for me and thinking that pounds aren't falling off me, it's tears of sadness!
But this is the month of sacrifices. I must make some, and even in my writing, I need to make some. I have a deadline coming up and I need to set aside the things I like to do in order to focus on my manuscript.
I need to show my readers that my characters are worth rooting for, that they have learned valuable lessons in the course of the story, and that the bad guys don't get ahead.
We sacrifice all the time. But we must also remember the ultimate sacrifice God made for us, by sending His only Son to take the blame for all our sins.
We can't match that, but we can sacrifice things in our daily lives. Things we don't really need and that aren't good for us, but what we want just the same.
Things like all that food I was eating. And the time I was wasting instead of working on my manuscript.
Time to rethink our lives and what we're doing that isn't healthy for us.
Time to thank God for all He's given us.

The Lion and the Lamb

This month the Craftie Ladies have applied the saying about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb to writing Love Inspired Suspense. The lion/lamb extremes are especially applicable to the suspense and romance arcs in our stories. On the one hand, we need to put our characters into life-threatening situations, but we also must ensure they fall head over heels in love. Adequately developing each arc can be difficult.

I write stories that take place over a short period of time. The hero and heroine are thrown together and, within the opening pages, embark on an adventure sometimes before they have time to catch their breath. While they need to be aware of the escalating danger, they also need to be aware of that special new person in their lives.

In order to set up a believable romance, the first meeting is important. That initial interaction between the hero and heroine must reveal both the attraction and the danger. Is there apprehension? Rivalry? Wariness? Reservation? Or love at first sight? For me, striking the right balance demands attention to detail and lots of rewrites.

The next time you read a story or write one, focus on the first-meeting scene. Despite the changing conditions of the unfolding story, the reader should recognize the attraction between the characters and the romance that is sure to follow.

May your life be enhanced by the books you read!

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/

http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

Fierce Heroes...and their softer sides.

Everyone loves a strong hero (at least I do) and so to keep in our theme of March Madness: In like a lion and out like a lamb, I thought I'd talk about strong heroes and what brings them to their knees.

For instance, take Gil Waite, the hero in Her Only Protector. Being a bounty hunter lends itself to being pretty brave right from the get go. If you've ever seen those bounty hunter series on cable, then you know these guys (and gals) go into dangerous places in search of fugitives who are doing their best NOT to get caught. Sometimes with a gun pointed in their face for their troubles. I don't know that you could call them fearless, because let's face it, you're stupid not to fear the unknown where criminals are concern. But you'd definitely call them brave, ready to take on any challenge. That why many times you see these guys (and gals) out playing hard and getting dirty. They live on the edge.

Now, introduce a baby into their lives and this fierce lion turns to a little lamb. If you have any doubt, just look at the cover of Her Only Protector. In Her Only Protector, Gil is big and bad when he's after Cash Montgomery. But faced with Cash's sister Sonny and Cash's baby in tow and the fierce hunter turns into the fierce protector.

What is your favorite story of fierce hero turning to mush because of a woman and/or baby? I know there are many. Remember, if you leave a comment you'll be entered into our drawing to receive 4 Love Inspired Suspense books for March. (Leave an email address so we can contact you if you win!) And you can always order Love Inspired Books from Amazon.com using our link at the top of the page.

Until next time, many blessings, Lisa Mondello

What does a hero look like?

A hero is a big muscular guy who runs into burning buildings, hacks down doors with an ax and makes the big save, right? Sure, that’s a hero for sure but my newest book, Flashover, takes a deeper look. What if the firefighter was a woman? And what if her entire identity/self worth was wrapped up in her high profile job? And what if she was injured in an arson fire and taken off duty for a while?
Since my husband is in the fire service, I am somewhat familiar with the culture. Many little boys (and even a few girls) from the time they are preschoolers, look up to firefighters as larger than life heroes and indeed, they are. I won’t ever forget watching the towers fall on 9/11, knowing that scores of firefighters had just fought their way through the smoke and debris into the building to begin rescue efforts. I kept asking my husband over and over as the structures crumbled and fell. “But they’ll get out won’t they?” He didn’t answer me because he knows the code. Firefighters are first in, last out. They are heroes, without question, willing to lay down their lives for complete strangers.
But not all heroes wear badges and charge in with sirens screaming. Day to day, we are surrounded by them. Regular folks with nobility of spirit. Sometimes it takes real courage to stand quietly beside someone else, with no applause, no adulation from the masses. Sometimes it is the steadfast heart, the resolve to do the right thing even when no one is looking, the decision to love thy neighbor when it’s so very hard to do, that makes a hero out of an ordinary Joe or Jane.
One of the greatest heroes I’ve ever encountered is a woman whose name I don’t even know. She saw my distress, my terror for myself and my unborn child and she left her desk to come and hold my hand. I never knew her name. I don’t think she ever really knew mine. But I won’t forget that day, the gentle squeeze of her hand and her decision to be a hero for me in that moment.
The Bible says, “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12
What better defines a hero than that?