by Susan F Craft
I’m
happy to announce that my post-Revolutionary War inspirational suspense, Laurel, will be released this week by
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.
About Laurel
Desperate
to rescue their kidnapped daughter, Lilyan and Nicholas Xanthakos trek two
hundred miles through South Carolina mountains and backcountry wilderness,
fighting outlaws, hunger, sleeplessness, and despair. When the trail grows
cold, the couple battles guilt and personal shame; Lilyan for letting Laurel
out of her sight, and Nicholas for failing to keep his family safe.
They
track Laurel to the port of Charleston as post-Revolutionary War passions reach
fever pitch. There, Lilyan, a former
patriot spy, is charged for the murder of a British officer. She is thrown into
the Exchange Building dungeon and chained alongside prostitutes, thieves, and
murderers. Separated from her husband, she digs deep inside to re-ignite the
courage and faith that helped her survive the war. Determined to free his wife at any cost,
Nicholas finds himself forced back into a life of violence he thought he’d left
behind.
Following
a rumor that Laurel may be aboard a freighter bound for Baltimore, Lilyan and
Nicholas secure passage on a departing schooner, but two days into the voyage,
a storm blows their ship aground on Diamond Shoals. As the ship founders, both
are swept overboard.
Will
their love for each other and their faith sustain them as they await word of
their missing child? Or is Laurel lost to them forever?
I was asked the question, “If you could
have dinner with one of your characters, who would it be and why?”
I’d
have dinner with Nicholas Xanthakos. I have a place in my heart for this
gorgeous Greek who embodies all the traits you want in a hero—bravery,
gentleness, honor, faith. (No need to tell my husband—he knows already J)
Here’s how Lilyan describes her husband
in Laurel:
She
turned over and watched her husband’s chest rise and fall in his slumber,
observing him as he lay in a partial shadow cast from the moonlight. His hands
that could wield a knife with deadly accuracy—and yet gently rock a cradle. His
arms that could sling an axe for hours—but also encircle his child and wife in
a tender embrace. His broad shoulders that could bear the weight of a felled
tree, and yet they provided a nestling place for his wife’s head. His firm chin
that jutted out in moments of white-hot anger—but also nuzzled into his
daughter’s feathery curls. Lips that shouted orders so harshly grown men
cringed but also whispered endearments to his wife in their most intimate
moments. She regretted the furrow that creased his brow, the only outward sign
of how much he missed his koukla—his little doll.
Susan F. Craft writes historical romantic suspense. Her
Revolutionary War novel, The Chamomile,
won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick. Susan recently
retired after a 45-year career as a communications director, editor, and
proofreader. To assist authors to “get it right about horses in their works,”
Susan worked with the Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation to compile A Writer's Guide to Horses (also known
as An Equestrian Writer’s Guide) that
can be found at www.lrgaf.org.
Forty-five years ago, she married her high school sweetheart, and they have two
adult children, one granddaughter, and a granddog. An admitted history nerd,
she enjoys researching for her novels, painting, singing, listening to music,
and sitting on her porch watching the rabbits and geese eat her daylilies.
As
always, to God alone be the glory.
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