Now in paperback Justice with Emily Conrad

About Justice

Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it. Brooklyn can’t bring herself to name the father as she wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake. If Harold Keen, the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop, has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both. Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?

Released from Pelican Ventures last March, Justice is now available in print! $16.99

Amazon 

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Read my review here

What do you love about Justice?

I love the way the circumstances of the novel challenged my faith. As I wrote, I studied some tough questions about suffering, marriage, justice, and forgiveness. I hope the way this reflects in the characters’ lives and actions is as encouraging to readers as it was to me throughout the drafting process.

Introduce us to your sidekick.

I have two sidekicks—my dogs. Luther is a coonhound mix. When he’s up and moving, he’s a troublemaker, but he also really likes to be comfortable, so he spends a good portion of his day curled up in the papasan chair next to my desk. Our pit mix Sadie, is older and quieter. Sometimes she naps nearby, other times, she looks for a quiet corner farther from Luther’s habit of barking at passersby on the sidewalk outside the window.

Share something you learned from researching.

In Justice, a character is coping with the aftermath of a sexual assault. I learned that the number of women who face this is much higher than I ever suspected. Rainn.org reports that 1 in 6 American women have experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes. Find that statistic and other resources here: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

It’s my prayer that Justice deals with this sensitive and important topic well and in a way that offers hope.

What do you hope readers will tell others?

I hope readers will tell others the story hooked them and left them thinking long after they turned the last page.

What are you reading now?

It’s not very glamorous, but I’m reading a book on the mechanics of punctuation, Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors by Kathy Ide. It’s important for writers to know the basics.

What's next for you?

I’m drafting a series of Christian romances where each novel follows a different member of a rock band. These have been so fun to write, and I hope someday they find a publisher!

Bio

Emily Conrad lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two rescue dogs. She loves Jesus and enjoys road trips to the mountains, crafting stories, and drinking coffee. (It’s no coincidence her debut novel is set mostly in a coffee shop!) She offers free short stories on her website and loves to connect with readers on social media.

www.emilyconradauthor.com

facebook.com/emilyconradauthor

Instagram.com/emilyrconrad

Twitter.com/emilyrconrad

Emily Conrad and Justice

Justice by Emily Conrad

Christian romance

Pelican Ventures

March 2018

Ebook $4.99

Buy on Amazon 

Buy on Barnes and Noble

About the Book

Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it. As Brooklyn wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake, she can't bring herself to tell him the truth. To make matters worse, if the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both. Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?

My review

At the core, this story’s title is the one-word bare truth of each character’s reality. Revenge, payback, responsibility, love, forgiveness, and loss all expose the depth of faith and steer the course toward Justice.

Friends from childhood, Jake and Brooklyn can’t seem to figure out what being in love with each other might look like. Their buddies and parents all expected them to marry long since, but Jake and Brooklyn explore relationships with others while they learn to navigate the scary world of responsible adulthood. When the time is finally right for them to move toward each other, crisis inflamed with outside jealousy steps between them. It takes ever-maturing belief to weather the storms, and a lot of help from their friends in an attempt to step back and find the bigger picture.

Jake is a driven young man, full of life and faith, overcoming the devastating death of his father and rising above to operate a popular business while making a difference, or trying to, in the lives of young people at church. Jake tries to follow in the footsteps of his bigger-than-life father, as well as fight the good fight of faith and hormones in the teenagers he wants to influence. He just can’t seem to work up the courage to show his longtime female buddy how he feels. Brooklyn is a naïve young woman who tortures herself by living in the shadow of her dysfunctional and cruel mother. She tries to convince herself that she’s not good enough for anyone, especially God, but has the sense to reach out to a wonderful group of women role models and finally, the person she’s leaned on for most of her life, Jake. When everything goes south, it’s grow up or shut up time. Jake falls back on his deep-seated anger while Brooklyn begins to understand the meaning and sacrifice of forgiveness. Watching their journeys crisscross and wander is a delight. Well-done.

Most of the side stories are woven beautifully into the thread of the story; the biggest one, that of the business competitor, feels a little like a shiny thread that is rough against the grain. While it’s more realistic to be on the side of the victim and not truly understand the hows of the vengeance-seeking little demagogue, I am left feeling a little puzzled. It’s like the scratchy tag on the inside of your shirt. Jake has some growing-up to do, and his business rival helps him learn, on a lesser scale, the lesson in forgiveness that Brooklyn is teaching him through her own faith expedition.

Told through multiple viewpoints, this debut novel is rich in Christian faith portrayal, and not shy about the depth and realities of sin. The characters have great dialog and emotional depth which spoke to me. Those who read deeply inspirational romantic fiction will find much to love about Justice.

About the Author

Emily Conrad writes Christian fiction. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two 60+ pound rescue dogs. Some of her favorite things (other than Jesus and writing, of course) are coffee, walks, and road trips to the mountains. She also blogs and offers free short stories at EmilyConradAuthor.com.