Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #23

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

• The hunt is ON! Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.

• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).

• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/15 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.

• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

Welcome to my tiny little piece of the web!

My name is Suzanne Woods Fisher. I enjoy writing stories that take you to places you’ve never visited — ones with characters that seem like old friends. But most of all, I want to write books that make readers think, long after they’ve finished reading.

My newest release is a women’s fiction title called On a Coastal Breeze. It’s the second in my ‘Three Sisters Island’ series, a story about the Grayson family. Paul Grayson has a sense that his young adult daughters are growing estranged, so he does something drastic. He buys a bankrupt island off the coast of Maine.

On a Summer Tide kicks off the series, as the daughters head up to Maine, thinking their dad has premature senility. But don’t count this dad out too quickly. There’s just something about this island that makes his daughters slow down and rethink a few things.

Book 2, On a Coastal Breeze, shows the family settling into island life, particularly Maddie, the middle daughter.

Here’s a sneak peek:

For Madison Grayson, life is good. Newly licensed as a marriage and family therapist, she can’t wait to start her practice. Despite the unfortunate shortage of eligible bachelors on the island–they’re all too young, too old, or too weird–Maddie feels like she’s finally found her sweet spot. Not even one panic attack in the last year. Not one.

And then Ricky O’Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again–the one who’d been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance–parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O’Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island.

Time to panic…

********

There’s just something about an island, don’t you think? Large or small, it’s a genuine escape from reality. A world apart from the ordinary. Islands aren’t easy to get to, or convenient, plus they require loads of advance planning (groceries, for one!) due to geographical limitations. Yet, somehow, once you’re there, you don’t want to leave.

So what happens to you on an island? I think it’s your soul. It finds rest.

We all need that kind of “soul rest” found on an island. It’s a fundamental need God hardwired into our bodies, minds, and souls, one He modeled by resting after Creation. Science confirms the need for bodies to have time off from workouts to the point where you can stall fitness—or worse, reverse it when you don’t give your body a day of rest.

That scientific finding isn’t just for our bodies, but also for our minds. I’m kind of an Energizer bunny-type—I keep going and going and going, even on vacation. I’ve been known to wake up at 4 am and slip quietly off somewhere with my computer, to hit my word count before the day gets underway.

But then a curious thing happened. Two years ago, I explored remote islands off the coast of Maine to research the ‘Three Sisters Island’ series. The minute I stepped off the ferry and onto the island, magic began. Crisp ocean air acted like an elixir, curing everything. The stress I brought along with me started to evaporate, like a wisp of steam from a cup of hot tea. I felt happier, more positive, more balanced. Locals, I noticed, had a nonchalant attitude toward time. Ironically, there seemed to be plenty of it. I appreciated the little things—finding seashells, watching waves, gazing at stars. Life just started to slow down.

The experience changed me, and it changed the stories.

Here’s the tricky thing I’ve been working on ever since that first research trip. Is it possible to bring that island-sense-of-well-being back home and into the daily grind? It’s not easy, and it takes intention to prioritize soul-rest, but I think it can be done. I know it can. And if I can do it, you can do it.

Tonight, try to re-claim that island feeling. Turn your phone to silent. Linger over dinner. After the dishes are put away, pick up a book, one like On a Coastal Breeze, that gives you a dose of summer by the sea.

After all, there’s just something about an island—any island—that’s good for your soul.

Here’s the Stop #23 Basics:
If you’re interested, you can order On a Coastal Breeze on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD or at your local bookstore!

Clue to Write Down: even

Link to Stop #24, the Next Stop on the Loop: Elizabeth Goddard’s site!

But wait! Before you go, I’m offering  3 copies of On a Summer Tide — book one in my Three Sisters Island series— to 3 lucky winners! All you have to do to enter is sign up via the Rafflecopter below to get my e-newsletter (or note that you’re already a subscriber). Additional points for those who follow me as an author on BookBub, Facebook, GoodReads, or on Instagram! And more points if you sign up for the daily Amish Proverbs! (USA only)