May 2018
Kindle book $2.99
About the Book
Tempest. Stella. Cherise. Fate brought them
together, but can their friendship survive the tangled web of danger and
deception that threatens their very lives?
Tempest Ross dreams about moving back to
California some day – both the place of her birth and her parents’ tragic
death. When she agrees to pretend to be her friend Cherise for an afternoon, a
tangled web of lies develops from which she can’t escape. Complicated by the
unwelcome advances of Cherise’s playboy brother and her own attraction to a
mysterious man, Tempest’s faith in God is tested to the limits.
Stella Crayton has high ideals about saving
the planet and plans to start with her father’s ranch. Then she finds out her
father has been keeping a dangerous secret. At the same time, her own errant
emotions take over as she falls in love with two brothers at the same time. Add
to this her best friend’s disappearance, and questions about God set this no-nonsense
Texas girl in a tailspin.
Cherise Hillyer just wants to have fun,
which in her books means having a good looking man in tow. The typical rich
girl, she usually gets what she wants, even if she has to lie to get it.
Desperate for her latest flame who has left for Rome, Cherise convinces her
friends to cover for her while she takes off after her Italian lover. She doesn’t
know she’ll soon become embroiled in an international conspiracy of lies and
deceit that will threaten her life.
Three
Strand Cord is a story of intrigue and romance told
from three different points of view, all coming together to prove that when it
comes to true friendship, ‘a three strand cord is not easily broken.’
10 Fun Facts About Tracy Krauss:
I’ve moved more than 30 times
I’ve lived in several locations north of
the 60th parallel
I homeschooled for nine years
I’m a peanut butter-a-holic
I’m also a playwright and my stage plays
have been performed across N.A.
I was once stampeded by a herd of wild
buffalo
I’ve been inches away from a polar bear in
the wild on more than one occasion (with something like a car window in
between, of course!)
I’m a Sci-fi nerd and used to be a
‘Trekkie’. (Maybe I still am… )
In my ‘spare’ time when not writing, I like
to paint
I majored in Intaglio printmaking at
University (Fine Art Department)
My Review of Three Strand Cord
Tracy Krauss gives her fans a new novel of friendship that
takes her readers on a tumultuous ride across the United States and across the
ocean to Italy.
Three friends who met at boarding school come from very
different backgrounds. Tempest, the naïve orphan, Stella the cowgirl, and
Cherise the spoiled rich daughter. All have secrets, weaknesses and strengths
that draw them together and, as iron sharpens iron, helps make them want to be
better.
The first half of the book is divided into three segments as
each girl shares current events. Tempest wants to reconnect with her past, and
when an unexpected opportunity falls in her lap, she reluctantly pushes aside
her conviction of newfound faith to participate in a lie. She becomes an
unwitting pawn in a game perpetrated by her friend Cherise’s equally spoiled
brother. Stella, having completed a masters degree in environmental science,
returns home to the Texas ranch where she was raised. Her complicated
relationship with her stepmother and her best friends, the foreman’s sons,
create tension, exacerbated when she stumbles on the not-too-subtle secret
shame of the land she’s loved all her love. When Stella realizes her friends
have grown up and no longer consider her a kid, either, all’s fair in love and
war. The ranch becomes both battleground and haven when Tempest needs a safe
harbor. Both Tempest and Stella’s devout housekeeper help Stella to reexamine
her absent faith. Cherise lives in the moment, doing exactly what she pleases
and forcing everyone around her to bow to her wishes. When she follows her
Italian lover, she gets a rude awakening. But going home is impossible when
she’s caught up in international intrigue. A secret phone call to Tempest sets
up a risky rescue attempt.
Although there will be more stories in this series of
friendship adventures, A Three Strand Cord is a complete story. Initially told
from the three friends’ viewpoints, the second half of the story comes together
beautifully as each of the three learn to rely on dependence and trust in each
other and the Lord.
While inspirational, some of the situations in the story
portray sexual situations and violence, as well as pet death. A Three Strand
Cord is a big story, from the east to west coast US and Texas, as well as
Italy, and covers a lot of action. With three very different personalities in
the main characters, readers of contemporary romance with suspense and action
will find the book a breathless read.
About the author:
Tracy
Krauss
is an award winning author, artist, playwright, speaker, teacher, mother,
grandmother,
and pastor’s wife – not necessarily in that order! She writes contemporary Christian romance with a twist of suspense and a
touch of humor. Her books strike a chord with those looking for a hard hitting
yet thought provoking read – no sugar added. Her work has won multiple awards
and has been on Amazon’s bestsellers’ lists.
She also writes stage plays tailored to a high school audience, and has
contributed to several anthologies, devotional books, and one illustrated
children’s book.
She is on the executive of ICWF (Inscribe
Christian Writers Fellowship), a Canada wide organization for writers of
Christian faith. She is also an active member of The Word Guild, The
Playwrights Guild, and ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). An avid
reader, Tracy reviews books and posts most of these online at amazon,
goodreads, and on her blog. She is also a regular contributor to several other
blogs.
Originally from Mossbank, Saskatchewan, a
small prairie town, Tracy received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of
Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and teaches Secondary School English, Drama and Art –
all things she is passionate about. She has been involved in local theatre as a
director, playwright and actress for more than thirty years and has written and
directed dozens of stage plays, several of which have found homes with well
known US play publishing houses.
Apart from her many personal creative
pursuits, she leads worship at her local church. She and her husband, an
ordained minister with the PAOC, have lived in five provinces and territories
including many remote and unique places in Canada's far north such as
Churchill, Manitoba – polar bear capital of the world; the Yukon – home of the
Klondike Gold Rush; and the North West Territories. They have four grown
children and now reside in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, waterfall capital of
British Columbia, where she continues to pursue all of her creative interests.
