About the Book
Book: Shadowed Doubt
Author: Kathleen J. Robison
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
Release Date: June 13, 2023
Is street smart enough to save a life and protect a family?
Finally recovering after the abduction of her mother by a human trafficking ring and the mysterious death of her father years ago, Lacey Thompson wants to live again. But things aren’t panning out. Exclusion from Fashion Design School leaves Lacey nursing rejection when a young stranger shows up in Bay Town. He’s brash but beautiful, and Lacey senses she shouldn’t get involved, but she can’t help it.
Wade Bodine Gardner is heir to Gardner Hotel Enterprises. As a long-lost family member discovered on the streets of New Orleans, Wade is living a second chance. Life is good, especially when he meets Lacey Thompson. But his past comes back to haunt him. The man who raised him is released from jail…the man who killed his mother. Beau Bodine wants a piece of the action and will stop at nothing to get Wade’s inheritance. Stalking Lacey is his first plan of action. How far will Beau go?
Instead of fighting their battles together, Lacey and Wade battle each other. Will Lacey draw on what got her through before? Can Wade learn to trust God and Lacey? It’s a race against time to save those whom he loves.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Kathleen is an Okinawan-American. Born in Okinawa, raised in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Singapore. Her travels lend themselves to the settings in her books, and her large family provides fun fodder for her characters. She and her Pastor husband have eight adult children. Seven are married, blessing them with sixteen grandchildren, and more on the way! Her ethnically diverse family of 33 plus personalities presents many opportunities to write about God’s amazing love amid trials, tragedies, and blessings. He is the one true inspiration and hope for us all.
More from Kathleen
Writing Shadowed Doubt took a different turn than my other books. I began writing a story about Lacey, Melanie Thompson’s young daughter. But since I write Romantic Suspense, she had to be old enough to be romanced! My husband says that would be age thirty for our youngest daughter, and he’s only half kidding.
But if you read the prequel, Revived Hope, and Book One, Shattered Guilt, you have a complete sketch of this delightful young girl. You don’t have to read those to enjoy Shadowed Doubt, but I hope you will. I think you’ll enjoy the small-town community of characters. Still, like all the Bay Town Series books, I aspire to make them stand-alone, and this book is no different. So you’ll meet Lacey as a young adult, ready to tackle the world.
I have three grown daughters (and five married sons), so watching them grow in their faith, and navigate college, relationships, and marriage, helped me to write Shadowed Doubt and Lacey’s story. Except for the fictional trauma in this story, I portrayed real-life heartache and doubts about what young women experience as they grow up in their faith in our almighty, sovereign God. Even those raised in a loving Christian home struggle with life, especially in today’s dark world. The important thing is to never give up. The Bible calls it perseverance. Trusting in our risen Savior for all things, even things out of our reach, until He gives a clear no.
Doubting is a big part of life. Wouldn’t you agree? We question ourselves, our family, friends and especially every life choices. But as a Christian, doubting God is the most difficult to admit. Without voicing those words out loud, I sometimes doubt that my prayers will be answered in the affirmative. In this book, Lacey definitely experienced this. She often felt like a yo-yo. It’s a lesson her love interest, Wade, also shared. His difficulty? He grew up in a very broken home and on the streets.
Relying on a solid foundation, Lacey trusted in God’s sovereignty and wanted His will above her desires. Something she also prayed for Wade, but sometimes she prayed, not really believing herself worthy of God’s best. But that’s the enemy at work. With spiritual mentors, Lacey came back around, knowing with all her mind and heart that she was worthy because of Jesus’ sacrifice. That she had no doubt. I pray that when doubts arise in your heart, you’ll go straight to God’s Word and be reminded of His height, depth, width and breadth of His love for you. It’s what Shadowed Doubt is all about.
Interview with the Author
- What was your hardest scene to write?
Definitely, a coming-to-faith scene. I hope I’m not scaring readers away here, but it was crucial to Shadowed Doubt. Writing about someone’s turmoil in recognizing Jesus
as Savior is so challenging. I wanted to be true to my beliefs but also theologically correct. So I reworked that scene often, careful not to come across as “too preachy” or too lengthy. I’m trusting that readers will hear God’s truth, not mine. In Shadowed Doubt, the scene is about the romantic interest of my protagonist. He’s really struggling at dinner with friends. One character is overzealous; she’s supposed to be, with good reason. Another is more concerned about frightening the searching person away, and the third is the main character dealing with anger mixed with compassion for the person in question. Professions of faith don’t come in tidy little packages, and this one doesn’t either, but a humble heart of confession, repentance, and gratitude goes a long way!
- What is your favorite childhood book?
My parents didn’t read to me, and I wasn’t much of a reader. But when my own children were born, I read to them every night. As a homeschool mom, I think I was guilted into it! Seriously, I learned to love reading, especially to my kids. The book I still buy for every baby shower and all my grandchildren is Favorite Parables of the Bible by Nick Butterworth and Nick Inkpen. I love the drawings as much as the simple retellings, and I even presented one of the stories with my then two-year old (now thirty) at a church talent show. I read, and he acted out the story. Nothing like introducing Jesus early in their lives.
- If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
Read! Read! Read! I had to make up for lost time when I started writing, so I read like crazy. I learned so much about the craft when I got lost in a good book; it made me want to go back and study every chapter when I finished. As I stated, I wasn’t much of a reader, but movies made me a hopeless romantic. When I saw Camelot and Wuthering Heights with Sir Laurence Olivier, I anxiously bought the books. Was I in for a shock! Reading Morte de’ Author and Wuthering Heights …unabridged about did me in. Reading King James was easier. Maybe that’s why I quit there. But, as an adult, and a new Christian, I sucked up every non-fiction book about faith that I could. I take that back, every recommended book by respected pastors and bible study teachers. My pastor’s wife started my library, and when my husband became a pastor, our biblical bookshelves expanded. Still, I never read Christian Fiction until I discovered Colleen Coble and my world opened up.
- What comes first, the plot or characters?
Most of the time, the characters come first. I people-watch, and ideas pop into my head all the time. I play a game with my husband. When I see an interesting person at the airport, coffee shop, or just out shopping, I conjure up a story about them. What’s their past? Where do they come from? Why are they happy or sad? Then I ask hubby. Our stories are so vastly different, and he shakes his head at me, wondering how in the world I came up with that. I remind him that’s why I’m the writer! But his life experiences ground the reality into my outlandish characters. I can still picture the first time I saw Carol Scape from Restored Grace (Book Two in the Bay Town Series). It was at Los Angeles International Airport when I said goodbye to my missionary son and his family. What in the world, and what a woman! Her whole persona took me out of my farewell sadness of the moment.
- What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Oh my. There’s not enough time in the day, and it seems I’m always writing, marketing, or doing some aspect of that. That’s why I try to arise early, and I have to grab a Sunday afternoon to enjoy my myriad of hobbies. I love gardening outdoors and fiddling with too many indoor plants. I knit, crochet, embroider and sew. I’m a multitasker, so I’m usually doing that while watching TV with my hubby. I’m a want-to-be crafter, so I have tons of unfinished projects! I purposefully make time to visit with friends as well. My grandchildren also consume most of my free daytime. We paint rocks, play baseball, pretend to cook, and always squeeze lemons for pitchers full of lemonade. Life is full, and I’m so grateful to the Lord for His blessings.
Thank you so much, Denise. I appreciate this chance to share a bit about my writing life. It’s such a joy to be able to encourage and share faith in this hurting world. God is our strength and our true hope.
Blog Stops
Artistic Nobody, July 26 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 26
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 27
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 28
Locks, Hooks and Books, July 29
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 30
Texas Book-aholic, July 31
The Book Club Network, August 1
Guild Master, August 2 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 3
Blogging With Carol, August 4
Betti Mace, August 5
For Him and My Family, August 6
Holly’s Book Corner, August 7
Stories By Gina, August 8 (Author Interview)
Books Less Travelled, August 8
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/26d55/shadowed-doubt-celebration-tour-giveaway