When I told a few writing buddies and friends that my next book would feature a country music star as the hero, they were shocked. Why? In real life and when I read, I like the everyday man. I've never been a person to have celebrity crushes. (Okay, there was that one in middle school.) So then, why does my first Christian Contemporary feature a celebrity as the protagonist?

This past spring, a close friend became a Christian. She was trying to change her reading habits, and she enjoyed rockstar romances.  When she asked me for suggestions of Christian books with that theme, I was dumbfounded. Now, had she asked me small town heroes, I could have named off any number. Fortunately, there are wonderful communities of avid readers out there, whom I went to for help.  They gave a nice list, but as I soon found out, it's a market with not many titles.

Later that same week, I was at the park, taking a walk with my children.  I was struggling with my son, (a very strong-willed three-year-old) attempting to sway him away from the pond after a half hour of watching the turtles. Before I won the battle, a man showed up with a little girl.  He had a bag of bread, which they used to feed the ducks.  

As a writer, the wheels of imagination never stop turning and I'm always curious about people's lives. I finally convinced my son to walk again, but as we continued, my mind was racing.  Inspiration had arrived. Why not write a story for my friend and make it about a Christian rocker who was also a single dad?  

But characters and stories tend to take on a life of their own. Bryce's character just didn't fit the mold of a rocker, so he was a country music star instead.  He's down-to-earth and has a heart the size of Texas but has made a lot of mistakes along the way.  Still trying to get his life together, he doesn't need any more complications.

Then Sophie comes along. Ah.  There is so much of me in her that I related to her so well. Sheltered and innocent, she's the last person one would imagine in a relationship with Bryce.  However, a chance meeting brings them together, and something clicks. Finding each other was easy; holding on would be a different story.

Set in the fictional small town of Oden Bridge, Louisiana, Come to Me Alive is the story of redemption, acceptance and unfailing love. 

Come to Me Alive releases October 20 and right now, you can pre-order it on Amazon for a special pre-release price of $0.99

Available for Purchase Here

Blurb:

Bryce Landry, country music’s hottest star, has it all, or so everyone on the outside thinks. They can’t see his struggle to discover himself, to find his place in unfamiliar territories, both as a dad and as a Christian. He takes a month off and escapes to the small town of Oden Bridge, Louisiana, where his daughter lives with his grandparents.

Sophie Thatcher has never been a risk taker, but she has no complaints and never thought her life lacked until her boyfriend of three years breaks off their relationship. Only then, does she begin to question what she’s missed by always playing it safe.  Meeting Bryce is a call to action. She can let fear rule or trust in faith, which means taking the biggest risk of her life.

As the weeks and months pass, they discover finding each other was easy, but holding will be a different story.

Come to Me Alive releases October 20, 2015 and will be available for preordering this week.

Stay tuned later this week to find out what my inspiration was for this story!