About the Book
Book: Shaded Goodness
Author: Kathleen J. Robison
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: June 10, 2025
Jacquie Dupre has worked tirelessly to give her daughter, Destiny, a future free from the mistakes of her past. But when Mickey, her ex-husband returns to Bay Town, her carefully built world begins to crumble. He claims he’s changed. He’s conquered his addiction that destroyed too many lives, but can Jacquie believe him? As old wounds resurface and a dangerous figure from their past threatens their fragile peace, Jacquie must confront her deepest fears—about Mickey, about love, and about God. Can faith truly heal, can goodness prevail, or will their future be forever shaded by their past?
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About the Author
Kathleen J. Robison weaves tales that inspire a walk of faith and a reliance on God’s guidance through life’s trials. With endearing characters, her stories are a testament to the resilience of broken lives, revived through hope and renewed through God’s grace. Kathleen and her husband call Southern California home residing near the beach and find their most joy in the company of their nineteen and counting grandchildren.
More from Kathleen
Have you ever heard of a Shoofly? The word conjures up an annoying, buzzing insect, but a Shoofly is a magnificent white, wooden, raised gazebo-like structure built around giant oaks and sycamore trees. Back in the 1800s, in the south, they elegantly dotted the coastline of Mississippi. Almost every vacation boarding house boasted one. A relaxing venue for people to gather while avoiding the large horse flies that tended to hover closer to the ground, pestering guests and residents. The raised platform also allowed guests to enjoy the ocean breezes on sweltering hot summer days. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, due to storms, hurricanes, and erosion, Shooflys all but disappeared in the 1900s. Yet in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, the setting of my Bay Town Books, you can visit a Shoofly today in the local park downtown. In 1989, a group of town women decided to resurrect the nostalgic structure and had one built. It was completed nearly one hundred years after the near extinction of most of the iconic Shooflys along the Gulf Coast. It’s a key setting in my book, Shaded Goodness.
Recently, my childhood friend returned to visit Bay St. Louis. I asked him to take a picture of the Shoofly, and his wife took the shot above of him waving from the deck. He remembers visiting my family in Bay St. Louis sixty years ago, and he said it still has the charm and hasn’t changed or grown much. Except that it’s now an artisan’s dream! Can you imagine? I can. It’s why I set my romantic suspense series in the fictional setting of Bay Town, inspired by Bay St. Louis. Shaded Goodness is the last in the book series.
“You got to forgive him, Jacquie. And no, I haven’t seen him. But I have been talking to Pastor Roland, and it’s a dark spot, one of many in my soul.”
“Dark spots? Is that what you call ’em?” Jacquie threw up her hands. “I can’t even go there. That man killed –”
Themes of forgiveness, second chances, and redemption are woven throughout Shaded Goodness. It was a joy to write because the male protagonist in this book was inspired by the character of my deceased ex-brother-in-law. Shaded Goodness is entirely fictional, but I loved using Mickey’s good traits to craft his character. He was a truly good soul who sadly made poor choices throughout his life. I like to think that if he had lived long enough, his life might have turned out like Mickey’s in this book, happily ever after. That’s why I enjoyed writing this story, as it allowed me to give Mickey a life of redemption here on earth, and I’m grateful that he’s living it in eternity. His love for the Lord in his last years proved contagious, just like his Christ-indwelling goodness. All glory to the Lord.
I pray for my readers that, as in all my books, you will be encouraged in your faith. That’s why I like writing about second chances and reconciliation. Because God is all about that, isn’t he? The Bay Town Series is a collection of stand-alone books. Still, the returning characters, after facing their own troubles and tragedies, help their neighbors as they face similar trials. 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 instructs us to do just that. Some characters choose the right path, and some don’t, just like in real life. But God’s promised hope is extended to all.
Shaded Goodness comes full circle from book one. Melanie Thompson Brooks champions through tragedy in the prequel and in Shattered Guilt. Her growth enables her to serve as the guiding voice to Jacquie Dupree in Shaded Goodness. With similar backgrounds, the pain of their pasts threatens to unravel their future. You won’t need to read Shattered Guilt, Book One, to enjoy Shaded Goodness, Book Five, but I think you’ll want to go back and get to know the lovely people of Bay Town through Restored Grace (First Place in the National Excellence in Writing competition), Shadowed Doubt, and Ransomed Peace. I think you’ll find some good friends and wish they really were your neighbors.
I hope you’ll fall in love with the setting where I lived for a short time as a child. It’s why I set my books in the deep south of Mississippi. Where life was slower, and the small-town community came together for events and rallied and prayed for one another during difficulties, much like the body of Christ should. Come on down to Bay Town; it just may become home.
Author Interview
- What was your hardest scene to write?
In Shaded Goodness, it was the climax. I had many characters and plot twists that traversed numerous trials throughout the story. They all deserved resolution, so my climax was an explosive suspenseful scene. Fortunately, a couple early readers shared with me how much they liked the wrap-up. They had no idea how the characters would or could intertwine and were awed at the way it all came together. Praise God!
- What is your favorite childhood book?
Interestingly, I wasn’t a reader growing up! But I was surrounded by readers in the family. I did read a few books, and although it wasn’t a childhood book, I read Wuthering Heights in my teens. It was so difficult, but because I loved the movie, I trudged through it and wasn’t disappointed. I love bittersweet romance even more than happily ever after, so that book wrenched my heart and I cried for Heathcliff, Katherine and all the characters and their tragic struggles.
- If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
I definitely would have read a lot more, and I would have taken English and writing classes. I’m not your classic; I’ve always wanted to be a writer or author. Writing came late in life for me after my kids were grown, and God has directed me ever since. He’s also been very gracious in my journey, as I was totally unprepared. I continue to learn the craft through the works of other authors, both fiction and non-fiction. I devour books, and I write, write, write!
- What comes first, the plot or characters?
I’d say most often the plot. Ever since I was a child, I was a daydreamer. I kept myself occupied with stories I made up in my head. Most definitely a hopeless romantic. But over the years, those stories keep coming! Currently, my idea journal for story premises is overflowing, I hear a song, notice a person or scenario out and about, and I can’t wait to go home and craft a story.
- Who is the author you most admire in your genre?
Patricia Bradley. Like me, she’s published later in life but writes prolifically. She has quite a few series, and when I discovered her, I read practically everything she wrote. She’s one of the few Romantic Suspense authors where the romance between the characters doesn’t take a back seat to the suspense, and they are crafted so well. I like that. Characters and relationships drive me. That must be why I thrust them into impossible situations whereby my readers root for their deliverance but have no idea how it may come about. At least that’s the goal, and Patricia Bradley does it masterfully.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 26
Stories By Gina, August 27 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 28
Simple Harvest Reads, August 29 (Author Interview)
Artistic Nobody, August 30 (Author Interview)
Fiction Book Lover, August 30
Guild Master, August 31 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 1
Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 2 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, September 3
Blossoms and Blessings, September 4 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, September 5
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, September 6 (Author Interview)
A Reader’s Brain , September 7 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 7
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 8 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.