Nantucket Romance 3-in-1 Bundle (32 page)
5. Sam’s biggest fear was being abandoned. How did that fear affect her relationship with Caden? What is your biggest fear, and how has it impacted the way you live?
6. Sam felt she wasn’t good enough for Landon because of the harmful things she’d done in the past. Have you ever felt that way toward God? What does Psalm 103:12 say about our past transgressions?
7. Sam’s stepfather made claims that repeatedly played like a tape in her head, influencing her choices. What cruel or misleading words were said to you as a child that still influence your choices or attitudes? How can you change these destructive thoughts? How can you use words to positively influence others around you?
8. Landon told Sam that his love was a gift, not something to be earned. Why is it sometimes hard for us to understand that God’s love is a free gift with no strings attached?
An Interview with Denise Hunter
Thomas Nelson Fiction: Tell us a little about yourself. How didyou get started writing?
Denise Hunter: I’m a Midwestern girl, married to a wonderful man, and I have three terrific boys. When I was a child, my mother took me to the library regularly, and I was introduced to the world of fiction. In my elementary years, I wore out our school library’s Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and throughout my middle school years and into high school, I always had my nose in a book. (Still do—just ask my husband.)
In my early twenties, I began to wonder if I could write a novel. I had two of my children at that time, and when my grandfather became very ill, we were told he was going to pass away soon. I visited him in the hospital, and as I watched him lying on the bed, I recalled the many things he had done for Christ during his long life. I knew he’d lived a full life with few regrets, and I wanted to be able to feel that way when my life drew to a close. On my long drive home, I decided I was going to stop wondering if I could write a book and just do it. I wrote my first novels during my children’s nap times.
TNF: What was your inspiration for writing
Surrender Bay
?
Denise: My earliest vision of the story was simply about best friends who fall in love. The story evolved as it brewed in my head for almost a year and as I brainstormed with my writing buddies (authors Colleen Coble, Diann Hunt, and Kristin Billerbeck). But
Surrender Bay
truly took on a new dimension when the Thomas Nelson staff suggested making the romance in the story a picture of the romance between us and God. The story grew, bit by bit, from there, with lots of brain-racking, hair-pulling, praying, and rewriting.
TNF: There is no overt Christianity in the story. Why did youwrite it as an allegory?
Denise: I love the way Jesus told stories. His parables made His listeners think for themselves and draw their own conclusions. In His story of the prodigal son, Jesus never said, “Listen, folks, the father in the story is God, and the prodigal son is you.” The son never had a “come to Jesus” moment; he simply returned to his father and was welcomed home with open arms. Jesus required the listeners to draw the connection for a reason.
An allegory allows us to see the familiar in a fresh and powerful way, and that’s what I hoped to do with
Surrender Bay
.
TNF: What would you like readers to take away from this story?
Denise: I hope readers walk away from this story with a fresh view of the way God pursues us. I hope women find comfort in the kind of love He has for them, the kind that never fails, the kind that puts our sins as far as the east is from the west. “He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
TNF: Nantucket sounds like a beautiful place to visit. Did you gothere to do research?
Denise: Nantucket is a lovely island, a truly unique place. My family went with me for a brief visit so I could do some research as part of our vacation last year. I was so inspired, I sat on the beach and wrote the first pages of the story while my kids and husband frolicked in the water. The quaint town, the history, the cobblestone streets, and the people really make this an ideal setting for a novel.
TNF: Is
Surrender Bay
part of a series?
Denise: Yes and no.
Surrender Bay
is the first of four books that will be set on Nantucket, romance novels that will reflect the attributes of God listed in Zephaniah 3:17. The books will feature different characters, though, and stand completely on their own. I’m hoping they’ll necessitate another research trip to Nantucket.
W
ith grateful appreciation to all the people who had a hand in making this book happen: Amanda Bostic and all the wonderful people at Thomas Nelson. What an amazing group of talented people! I’m so blessed to be a part of your team. Agent extraordinaire Karen Solem. Erin Healy, who makes me look like a better writer than I am. My awesome brainstorming friends, Colleen Coble, Diann Hunt, and Kristin Billerbeck; I can’t imagine doing this writing thing without you. BarlowGirl, whose song “I Need You to Love Me” inspired me time and time again during the writing of this story. Jim Bell and Cara Putnam, for their help concerning legal matters. Denny and Joy Geiger for help on research. Thanks to my husband, Kevin, and my boys, who had to put up with deadline madness and edits on the way home from vacation. You are a blessing from above!
Reviews for Denise Hunter’s Past Novels
“. . . a romantic adventure about unconditional love and forgiveness.”
—
Library Journal
review of
Surrender Bay
“Hunter’s characters are well drawn and familiar. [W]ill appeal to all women readers with the taste for a good love story.”
—
Foreword
magazine review of
Surrender Bay
“[In
Surrender Bay
], Denise has turned the spotlight on the depth of God’s love for His children in a story that will remain with you long after the last page is read.”
—RelzReviewz
“No one can write a story that grips the heart like Denise Hunter. If you like Karen Kingsbury or Nicholas Sparks, this is an author you’ll love.”
—Colleen Coble, author of
Abomination
and
Anathema
“In
Finding Faith
Denise Hunter once again brings me to tears with her thought-provoking story. For depth and emotion, this author always hits her mark.”
—Kristin Billerbeck, author of
Split Ends
“
Saving Grace
kept me turning pages from the minute I opened the cover and kept me up way past my bedtime . . . A story of triumph over heartache.”
—Deborah Raney, author of
A Nest of Sparrows
“You absolutely have to read
Mending Places
. . .”
—
Dancing Word
“[
Finding Faith
] kept me in tears as the characters struggled to find truth. A captivating story that will touch every woman’s heart.”
—Diann Mills, Writing Coach and author of sixteen books
Other novels by Denise Hunter include
Surrender Bay
Finding Faith
Saving Grace
Mending Places
© 2008 Denise Hunter
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hunter, Denise, 1968
The convenient groom / by Denise Hunter.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-59554-258-2 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-59554-258-8
1. Women authors—Fiction. 2. Marriage counselors—Fiction . 3. Radio personalities—Fiction. 4. Advice columnists—Fiction. 5. Weddings—Fiction. 6. Temporary marriage—Fiction. 7. Nantucket Island (Mass.)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3608.U5925C66 2008
813'.6--dc22
2008003380
Printed in the United States of America
07 08 09 10 11 QW 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Jesus, my tower of strength,
my shelter in the storm
Contents
“The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
Psalm 31:16
Dating is like shopping for a garment.
Everything looks great in the display
window. Once inside the store, some of
the dazzle disappears.