He Rescued Her Once~But. . .

The firefighter rescued her once…

But can they outrun the dangers?

A peaceful vacation is what Haley Gordon needs to put her troubles behind her. Instead, she finds herself fighting for her life against a raging forest fire. 

Forest Service firefighter Kendall Simpson vows to protect Haley—although he has questions about her story. But with the firestorm out of control and news of escaped convicts on the mountain, can Haley and Kendall trust each other enough to survive?

Award-winning author Loretta Eidson lives by the motto ‘never a dull moment,’ especially with her four children, thirteen grandchildren, and four great-grands. Her love of reading began during the required library time in middle school, where she devoured Phyllis Whitney’s mystery novels before she moved on to suspense author Frank Peretti. She left her eighteen-year administrative assistant position at her church to pursue the dream of writing inspirational romantic suspense. She has multiple short stories in anthologies, but her heart is writing romantic suspense. She believes in the power of prayer and loves putting her hero and heroine in realistic predicaments where they must trust God to pull them through.

She is the author of three novels published by Love Inspired Suspense. Pursued in the Wilderness, Blue Ridge Mountain Escape, and The Marine’s Deadly Reunion.

Loretta’s literary agent is Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

You can connect with Loretta on her Facebook author page www.facebook.com/lorettaeidsonauthor or her quarterly newsletter lorrettae.staging.wpengine.com/newsletter-signup/

Attitude Matters!

 Loretta Eidson

Throughout the 2020 pandemic and presidential election, social media became a sounding board for a multitude of complaints. Rants took over like weeds in a garden. Anger, frustrations, and disgruntled opinions sent friction throughout the airwaves.

Voicing those opinions on social media only stirred more dissatisfaction and caused heated responses. People blocked or unfriended followers who disagreed with them, calling them names, and belittling their opinions. Some went on the rampage, scrounging for more souls to jump on the tirade train.

Why Trust God with Your Writing?

By Loretta Eidson

Imagine there’s no one in the world to communicate with other than God. He’d be your best friend and go-to person for everything. He’d be accessible anytime you needed to talk, or he’d sit with you when you didn’t feel like saying a word. Just knowing he was there would offer comfort. You’d trust him with your heart and life.

Isn’t that the relationship we long for in a true friend?

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” Proverbs 18:24 (NIV).

Becoming an author is exciting and rewarding, but the long hours it takes to draw from within, put words on a page, and be creative turns the task into an isolated event. Along the way, weariness creeps in, and writer's block rears its ugly head. It’s time to escape solitude and seek help.

Every author will step out of seclusion at some point to ask questions or brainstorm a scene with a trusted friend, mentor, or colleague who assists with thought-provoking suggestions. With their help your return to the keyboard with a new vision.

Writers can help one another by bouncing ideas around, but we need a wiser one who inspires beyond the human imagination—God.

“Ask, and it will be given to you, Seek, and you will find, Knock, and the door will be open to you” Matthew 7:7 (NIV).

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5 (NIV).

So, why trust God with your writing?

1.      He inspires creative ideas.

2.      He grants wisdom.

3.      He listens to your frustrations and calms your fears.

4.      He helps overcome the disappointment of rejections.

5.      He helps break through writer’s block.

6.      He gives insight and discernment in your professional needs as an author.

7.      He opens doors of opportunity for you to walk through.

The list goes on and on, but the main thing to remember is that while you interact with readers, agents, and editors, there’s no greater author than God himself. He is all wisdom and knowledge.

On a personal note, I prayed for God to send me an agent who loved him as much as I do. I’d met with agents at conferences until I found one that met with my request, but I needed God’s confirmation and his help. I continued to pray.

After entering a contest and becoming a finalist, I was contacted by the contest coordinator who informed me that an agent was interested in speaking with me. God answered my prayer when the one I’d asked for, Tamela Hancock Murray, became my agent.

Whatever you do be sure to maintain your focus on the call he placed on your life as an author, study the Bible, and pray daily. He has a plan and a future for you. Trust him in all things.

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Loretta Eidson writes romantic suspense. She won first place in romantic suspense in the Foundations Awards at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and was a finalist in the 2018 ACFW Genesis, and a finalist in the 2018 Fabulous Five. She was a double finalist in the 2017 Daphne du Maurier contest. Loretta lives in North Mississippi with her husband Kenneth, a retired Memphis Police Captain. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her four grown children and twelve grandchildren. Social media links: www.lorettaeidson.com www.facebook.com/loretta.eidson.7 www.twitter.com/lorettajeidson https://www.instagram.com/lorettaeidson/

Room to Roam

By Loretta Eidson

Why do I write fiction? Because fiction gives my mind room to roam, room to be creative, room to develop tension, face anger and resentments, and room to resolve problems that mend broken lives.

What fun it is to allow my thoughts to expand beyond the barriers of my mental safe zone? Writing romantic suspense blends spine-tingling action with tears and laughter, ending with hearts filled with love. “Happily ever after” is always a welcomed, satisfying ending.

I have progressively learned to broaden my creative juices to come up with novel ideas. Several years ago, while I was taking the Journeyman class with The Christian Writers Guild by Jerry Jenkins, one of the lessons instructed me to read the headlines and titles in newspapers and magazines. The next step was to read between the lines of these titles and ask, “What if?”

For example, one title was, “Businessmen Deposit Large Sums as Investments.”

I read between the lines:

What if the businessmen deposited their money and didn’t know their investments went toward the purchase of illegal weapons?

What if the vice president of the bank was involved with the cartel trafficking these illegal weapons?

What if the ATF had to put undercover agents into the streets of Memphis to find and expose the cartel who were buying, selling, and transporting illegal weapons?

What if someone in the ATF was a rogue agent involved with the cartel?

Asking these questions resulted in the birth of Fatal Assignment, the first book in my Impending Judgment trilogy. It grew from one to three novels as my imagination expanded and allowed new, exciting ideas to pop into my head.

Since then, I’ve continued to ask “what if” every time I read a magazine or newspaper because I discovered creativity is only a thought away. One idea built upon another forms a variety of scenarios and sends adrenaline soaring.

In my novel Breathing Shadows, the second book of my trilogy, Jenny mourns for years over her fiancee's death. She learns after a near-death experience and frightening shadows outside her window that her fiancee staged his own death to become a notorious drug lord. He’d chosen drugs over her. Billy, an ATF agent, is in love with Jenny. He struggles to protect her from the cartel and from a stalker—the story goes on to include more tension, several twists, and mixed emotions.

Although I’m unpublished at this time, my award of first place for Breathing Shadows in the romantic suspense category of the Foundations Awards at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference confirmed I have successfully increased my imagination and created an exciting story.

I will continue to utilize my “room to roam” theory each time I start a new manuscript. As the old saying goes, “the sky is the limit.”

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Loretta Eidson writes romantic suspense. She has won and been a finalist in a number of writing contest, including: first place in romantic suspense in the Foundations Awards at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, was a finalist in the 2018 Fabulous Five, a semi-finalist in the 2018 Genesis, a double finalist in the 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence, won first place in romantic suspense in the 2014 Novel Rocket Contest, a 2014 Genesis finalist, and a 2013 and 2015 Genesis semi-finalist. Loretta lives in North Mississippi with her husband Kenneth, a retired Memphis Police Captain. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her four grown children and twelve grandchildren. She loves dark chocolate, salted caramel lava cake, and hot buttered popcorn. You can connect with her online: www.lorettaeidson.com  www.facebook.com/loretta.eidson.7   www.twitter.com/lorettajeidson