Shadow in Serenity (26 page)

F
rom 1983 to 1995, I wrote romance novels and women’s fiction for publishers such as Harlequin, Silhouette, Dell, and HarperCollins. As many of you know, I came under intense conviction at the end of that period, and decided to leave that career to write for the Christian market. I believed that God had given me a unique gift as a storyteller, and that I hadn’t been using that gift as He intended. I started over with a Christian publisher, writing suspense instead of romance, and began using my real name — Terri Blackstock. I literally had to start over from scratch building my readership, but it was worth it to me so my readers wouldn’t get confused about what I’d written when.

The last book I wrote for HarperCollins was the original version of this book, under a different name. Since my heart was already shifting toward Christian themes, I included those in that book, but some of them were edited out in an attempt to make it more “ecumenical.” The original also contained some scenes that weren’t completely appropriate for a Christian audience.

Despite my change of heart about what I was writing, this book has always had a special place in my heart. I was proud of this story and loved the characters as if they were
my friends, and more than once I wished that my current readers could read and enjoy it.

When I was able to get the rights back, I had the opportunity to rewrite it. Technology had changed as much as my world view, so I did quite a bit of revising. When it came time to name it, my Facebook readers chose the title from several choices I gave them.

I really hope that you’ve been able to enjoy this story of redemption. Even as I rewrote it, I feared that some of my readers might feel that I was glorifying crime. I hope that’s not the case. Instead, what I wanted to do was glorify Christ and his power to wipe the slate clean. The Bible tells us in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” His crucifixion paid the debt for our sins, and allowed us to start over new, as clean and pure as newborn babes. I hope you’ll agree that Logan Brisco’s journey illustrates that.

Thanks for reading my books and passing them on to your friends. That’s why my readership has grown since my first Christian novel came out in 1995. I value you more than you can ever know.

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what
is
the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14 – 19 NKJV).

1. If someone like Carny Sullivan or Logan Brisco came to your church, would you reject them or disciple them? Gossip about them or love them? What difference could your approach make in their lives?

2. If you sensed someone was conning people you loved, how would you react? What is that fine line between loving the lost and holding people accountable?

3. Have you ever known someone who you thought was unredeemable, then they were redeemed? Share that story.

4. Although you knew all along that Logan Brisco was a fraud, were there times when you were willing to forgive him and root for his relationship with Carny? Why or why not?

5. What does true change look like? Discuss the signs and evidence that someone has truly repented.

6. Should the town have forgiven Logan for his past and continued with the plan to invest in the park?

7. What positive effect did Logan have on Jason? What impact did Jason have on Logan?

8. How does God use the “baggage” of our past for the purposes he has for us today?

9. Have you ever been to or lived in a town like Serenity, Texas? Do such communities exist? What makes them so attractive? Is there anything you can do to make your community more like Serenity?

M
any years ago I published a version of this book in the general market under another title and with a pseudonym. (You can read more about that in my “Note From the Author” at the end of this book.) It was my last book to be published before I changed to the Christian market, where I could write books that impacted lives in an eternal way. When I submitted proposals for my first suspense novels to Zondervan back in 1994, Dave Lambert was the editor who offered me a four-book contract. He has since edited almost all of my books. And when I decided to rewrite and update this one, he edited it too.

Another person who’s been in my life since I left the general market is Sue Brower at Zondervan, who used to market my books and currently serves as Acquisitions Editor. She’s the one who decides which of my ideas will make it to print.

Both of these people have been constant encouragers, teachers, and friends over the years. I should thank them in every book, but especially this one, since this book marks a full-circle moment in my career.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart, Dave and Sue. I couldn’t have done any of what I do without your support and guidance.

TERRI BLACKSTOCK
(
www.terriblackstock.com
) has sold six million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestseller. She is the award-winning author of Intervention, Vicious Cycle, and Predator, as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the Sun Coast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series.

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

Shadow in Serenity

Predator

Double Minds

Soul Restoration

Emerald Windows

Intervention Series

1 |
Intervention

2 |
Vicious Cycle

A Restoration Novel Series

1 |
Last Light

2 |
Night Light

3 |
True Light

4 |
Dawn’s Light

Cape Refuge Series

1 |
Cape Refuge

2 |
Southern Storm

3 |
River’s Edge

4 |
Breaker’s Reef

Newpointe 911

1 |
Private Justice

2 |
Shadow of Doubt

3 |
Word of Honor

4 |
Trial by Fire

5 |
Line of Duty

Sun Coast Chronicles

1 |
Evidence of Mercy

2 |
Justifiable Means

3 |
Ulterior Motives

4 |
Presumption of Guilt

Second Chances

1 |
Never Again Good-bye

2 |
When Dreams Cross

3 |
Blind Trust

4 |
Broken Wings

With Beverly LaHaye

1 |
Seasons Under Heaven

2 |
Showers in Season

3 |
Times and Seasons

4 |
Season of Blessing

Novellas

Seaside

Other Books

Miracles (The Listener/The Gifted)

The Listener

The Gifted

The Heart Reader of Franklin High

The Gifted Sophomores

Covenant Child

Sweet Delights

ZONDERVAN

Shadow in Serenity
Copyright © 2011 by Terri Blackstock

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

EPub Edition © AUGUST 2011 ISBN: 978-0-310-33234-3

Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Blackstock, Terri, 1957-

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.
www.alivecommunications.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover photo: Abi Massey / Getty Images®

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 /DCI/ 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Founded in 1931, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins
Publishers,
is the leading international Christian communications company, producing best-selling Bibles, books, new media products, a growing line of gift products and award-winning children’s products. The world’s largest Bible publisher, Zondervan (
www.zondervan.com
) holds exclusive publishing rights to the
New International Version of the Bible
and has distributed more than 150 million copies worldwide. It is also one of the top Christian publishers in the world, selling its award-winning books through Christian retailers, general market bookstores, mass merchandisers, specialty retailers, and the Internet. Zondervan has received a total of 68 Gold Medallion awards for its books, more than any other publisher.

Free Online Resources at
www.zondervan.com/hello

	Zondervan AuthorTracker: Be notified whenever your favorite authors publish new books, go on tour, or post an update about what’s happening in their lives.
	Daily Bible Verses and Devotions: Enrich your life with daily Bible verses or devotions that help you start every morning focused on God.
	Free Email Publications: Sign up for newsletters on fiction, Christian living, church ministry, parenting, and more.
	Zondervan Bible Search: Find and compare Bible passages in a variety of translations at www.zondervanbiblesearch.com .
	Other Benefits: Register yourself to receive online benefits like coupons and special offers, or to participate in research.