About the Book:
In Show Me a Sign,
seventeen-year-old Nathan Boliva is under investigation by the FBI for a
kidnapping he didn’t commit. Deaf and beautiful Haylie Summers agreed to go on
a date with him, then disappeared the day before. When the Feds discover a text
was sent from Nathan’s cell phone, asking Haylie to meet him behind her garage,
Nathan becomes a prime suspect.
Tied and blindfolded,
Haylie struggles to grasp Nathan’s role in her captivity. He doesn’t seem like
the kind of guy who would kidnap her. Then again, if he didn't, who is holding
her hostage, and why?
Desperate to solve
the crime and rescue Haylie, Nathan and his best friend, Alec, set out at
midnight to gather intel…and end up with far more than they bargained for.
An action-packed
plunge into intrigue and danger
ISBN:
978-1-60290-385-2
Can
be purchased from: www.oaktara.com Will soon be available (November, I believe) online from Amazon, Target, and other major booksellers.
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, longing for a horse and
reading books by Marguarite Henry, Walter Farley, and Anna Sewell. A week after
receiving my BA in journalism, I was hired at a local newspaper. Seeing my
byline in every issue was a dream come true, but there was another goal to
attain – moving out west. A year after graduating I headed for the wide-open
spaces of New Mexico, where I worked in television for two years until my heart
lead me back home to Illinois. Love and marriage followed, along with a career
in public relations. Though my professional world involved writing, it didn’t
provide a release for the stories in my head. When they wouldn’t stay captive
any longer, I began a fiction journey, rough and rocky, but blessed with people
who loved, mentored, cheered, taught, critiqued, and believed in me.
For the past 13 years I’ve worked full time as the public
relations coordinator for the Schaumburg Library. I review books for The Book
Reporter and give travel presentations throughout the Chicago suburbs. I’m the
mother of two, stepmother of a married daughter, and wife of a police sergeant
(who helps me get my crime scenes right). And…I am a member of the ACFW and
Willow Creek Community Church.
Susan, what
do you love about this book?
That it’s
done and published! But I also love the relationship between my main character
and his best friend, which I modeled after my son and his friends. It gave me
the opportunity to mesh some humor into the drama. And I really like my other
main character, Haylie, who is held captive during most of the book. Haylie is
deaf, but I didn’t want the story to revolve around that because being deaf is not
what defines her. She is smart, brave, and sticks to her faith even when faced
with terrifying circumstances. I guess another aspect that I think/hope teens
will like is that the characters are not stereotype sanitized, purified,
saintly Christians. They’re real kids with real attitudes, desires,
insecurities, dreams and emotions.
Well they
get equal billing and have their own chapters, so I’ll have to do both. Nathan
is Peruvian-American, which I chose because I always include different
ethnicities in my books, and I happen to have Peruvian relatives. He’s got two
adopted greyhounds, Ruby and Cougar, which his mom brought home from the animal
shelter where she volunteers. Nathan doesn’t share the “ladies’ man” reputation
of his English friend, Alec, but he works up the courage to ask Haylie on a
date. Much to his surprise, she says yes. Unfortunately, she gets kidnapped
before that happens. Haylie is an “A” student whose mother is a scientist for
Zetalab, a high-energy physics research facility. Her stepdad is a zoo
veterinarian. Both of these occupations play a role in the book.
That it’s
on the New York Times Best Seller list…because that would mean it actually is.
Seriously, I hope they find it to be a “page-turner,” funny in some spots,
suspenseful in others, and that readers will grasp the subtle message that God
is with us, even when He’s not making it obvious. Even when those miracles we
ache for don’t seem to be coming our way. I also hope at least some readers
will see the author’s note about human trafficking and decide to take action,
or at least become more knowledgeable about an issue that breaks my heart.
Anyone living in the Schaumburg area is invited to my Book Launch Party at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9th at the Schaumburg Library. There will be cake, lots of prizes, and a self-defense demo. Plus a very short and hopefully funny PowerPoint I’m putting together. Show Me a Sign will be available at a discounted price ($10).
