It's a Book Birthday! Also, Life Comes at You Fast...

An attempted abduction. A shocking murder. And a suspect list growing longer…
After Angie Garcia is attacked on her ranch near the Grand Canyon, uncovering the culprit becomes her biggest challenge. And she’ll have to work with the last man she wants to see—Special Agent Lincoln Tucker—to investigate potential suspects. But with attacks escalating and a ranch hand missing, can they dig up the truth that links Angie to a perilous secret—and a ruthless killer—before it’s too late?

It's party time, y'all! This week, Hidden in the Canyon hit the shelves. First of all, can we talk about what an amazing job the cover artists over at HarperCollins/Harlequin did? They absolutely wowed me with this gorgeous cover highlighting a key scene in the book, which features the Desert View Watchtower at the Grand Canyon.

Seriously, those designers deserve a hand. I can't wait to frame this one for my wall!

This book came about as an idea while I was writing Witness in Peril, which takes place on the same ranch in the Grand Canyon. Angie was the sister of that book's hero, and Linc was his teammate and best friend. I kind of loved Linc as a character, and things got interesting when he arrived at the house one day and this happened...

    Ivy jerked her head to the side in an attempt to reset her rogue thoughts. “Jacob is outside. He’s on the phone with Linc making sure he’s safely headed this way. He took a more circuitous route back.” Unsure of how much Angie knew about the situation, Ivy chose her words carefully.
    “Linc’s coming here?” Angie tugged her auburn hair into a ponytail and dropped it again, then pulled the curtain back to glance out the window.
    “Eventually.”
    “Hmm.” Letting the curtain fall back into place, Angie angled on the couch to watch Wren. “He never comes out to the ranch anymore.”
    Clearly, Angie knew Linc fairly well. Something in the tone of her voice said his absence bothered her.
    Interesting. 

Yep, interesting.  Because until I typed it, I didn't see it coming. I had no idea Jacob's sister and his best friend had a secret. It wasn't until Angie pulled the curtain back and said what she said that I realized they had a shared past that no one else knew about.  

Interesting.

Writing happens that way sometimes. We'll be going along, tapping on our keyboards, certain of our plans and then someone says or does something that throws a whole new spin on the story... or creates an entirely new story.  It's like God says, "Hey, here's a new idea for you..." and off we go together on an adventure.

It just hit me as I typed that sentence that life can be that way. We can be going along, working our plan, then something throws a whole new spin on our story.  And off we go together with God on an adventure.  Sometimes it's fun. Other times it's to a place we never wanted to go. I'm on one of those "never wanted to go there" adventures as you read this, as my dad had a fourth post-cancer surgery this week. Hopefully, he'll get to go home today and, hopefully, this will be the last surgery. 

But do you know what? No matter how winding the path gets, I'm finding that there is beauty along the way. That God meets us at every step. We might not always see it in the moment, but when we look back, we find those times when He was right there all along, even when we felt alone.

Like the book and like life, this post took a turn I didn't see coming, but that's okay. I think I needed the reminder, and maybe someone reading does, too.  

Let's turn it back to book talk though! This is my third "book trip" to the Grand Canyon. What's your favorite setting to read about in a book? Comment below and, on Monday, I'll choose a random comment to win a copy of Hidden in the Canyon! US winner can choose a hard copy or an ebook. Overseas will receive an ebook.