Author Spotlight - Excerpt from: Safe & Sound

We hope you've enjoyed Christina's week in the spotlight. Leave a comment today, Saturday, Sunday along with your email address and we'll pick one winner to receive a PDF copy of Safe and Sound and a mini stocking with a military theme. Enjoy the excerpt!

Moderator Steph

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EXCERPT:

Safe and Sound by Christina Freeburn

Katrina fled down the small hallway leading to the back door. She slammed her hand onto the bar and the door shot open. Run. Don't look back. The pace of the words matched her heartbeat and she sprinted down the sidewalk.

Footfalls sounded behind her.

She pushed past people. Knocked into a young mother.

"What's your problem, lady?"

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Katrina ran. She couldn't waste her breaths on words. She had a few precious moments, one last time to outrun the past coming back to claim her. She scanned the area for a place to hide or seek help.

Across the street was an alley leading to the fire station. Safety. Katrina surged forward. A horn blared. Brakes squealed. She pivoted away from the car and leapt onto the sidewalk.

A twinge in her ankle sent her reeling forward. She grasped onto a parking meter and regained her balance. Ignoring the pain in her foot, she pounded down the sidewalk and made it to the opening of the alley.

Darkness surrounded her. She fought the instinct to stop instead of plunging into the damp, musty pathway. She was too close to change plans now. This was her one way to freedom and hope. A hand bit into her shoulder. She screamed and twisted. Her injured foot slid on something slick. The man tightened his grasp. He lifted her and pushed her against the building.

"You made this so easy." He pressed into her back, his body holding her against the brick.

Katrina stomped on his foot and jabbed her elbow into his stomach. He sucked in a breath but the pressure against her didn't decrease. A hand inched down her stomach and rested at the waistband of her jeans.

"How should I make this look? An assault? Robbery gone bad." He twisted her arm behind her back. "Let's just go with dumping you in the middle of nowhere. Don't have to worry about anyone looking for you. You're already dead."

Author Spotlight - Christina Freeburn talks about writing a Holiday Setting

I love the holiday season: the decorating, the baking (not so keen on the 'regular' cooking), the wrapping, and even the shopping. And the reading. From Thanksgiving until January 8, I only read holiday themed or set stories. Since I adore these types of books, it seemed like a natural fit for me to write one. I like combining my 'loves' into my stories, but I was always afraid to use this time frame for a book.

Could I do the season justice? Would the season work as part of the story or would it feel forced...like I was writing a holiday setting story just for the sake of writing a holiday setting not that it mattered to the plot? Would I start and find out I couldn't pull it off?

For me, it was important that the story blended with the time frame. This time of year is filled with so wonder, love, forgiveness and renewal, it was important I did it justice. When I started Safe and Sound, I realized the emotions of the season fit with the emotions and changes the hero and heroine would explore and experience.

As I wrote, I found the setting really helped bring the story to life and I had made the right choice and was glad I put fear aside and gave it a try.

Author Spotlight - Character Interview with Hannah from Safe & Sound

Author: How did you come to this point in your life?

Hannah: I had no other option. I've made some very bad choices in my life so I understand why people don't trust or believe in me. There was no reason for a community to believe over a long-time member. Plus, the situation I found myself in started when I went against my husband's advice. When the worst happened, I did the only thing I could to protect Connor and myself...run.

Author: What lead you to make the changes you did in your life?

Hannah: The truth is kind of painful...basically I got caught. I don't know if I'd have faced the past if the man I wanted to outrun hadn't found me.

Author: What is your favorite quote or Bible verse.

Hannah: Psalm 10:17: "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry." For so long, I've struggled through life by myself that it gave me hope to know God listened to me and wanted to encourage me. Especially after all the wrong I had done.

Author: What are you plans for the future?

Hannah: I think for now, I'm going to focus on the present. I've lived so long in the past, dreaded the future, I gave no attention to the present. I think for now the best thing is to brace what is before me and no longer focus on what was or what could be.

Author Spotlight - Christina Freeburn talks about Family Dynamics

Family. It's where we learn about relationships and start to feel what our role is in life. For some people it's a good place, a soft place to land, the place we return when we feel lost and adrift. For others family is a place of hurt and where they feel the worst about themselves. In the New Beginnings Series, especially in Safe and Sound, I show two different families and how they handle the rough times that happen in life.

As with all relationships, sometimes people can disappoint us and the way it's handle can make the situation worse or better. Because of the way her family dealt with problems and the way they viewed her, Hannah believes running...saving others from her...is the best choice. Connor knows he can rely on his family to help him, but in doing so has to deal with a consequence he hadn't intended...his cousin's distrust of Hannah.

The Stratford family is a loving, supportive, and overly protective at times bunch. Sometimes those qualities are a positive and a source of strength, other times as cousins Alex and Connor find it's the beginning of a major conflict and division. Acting in someone else's best interest doesn't always go the way a person plans, nor perceived as a good thing. I had wanted to explore this type of situation in a book and fit in well with this book.

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Christina Freeburn

STEPH: I don't know much about "Safe and Sound." What's it about?

CHRISTINA: Book three of the New Beginning Series focuses on Connor Stratford who is still grieving the death of his wife. Hannah had gotten lost in a blizzard and the mountain claimed her. A woman's body was discovered after an explosion and Connor learned Hannah's death wasn't the accident everyone thought. One of the men responsible for Hannah's death is hunting down another woman. Connor decides to do everything in his power to save the young woman from the same fate as his wife. When the woman comes to Connor's home for shelter, he discovers the murderer's new target might actually be his wife.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

CHRISTINA: About six months.

STEPH: How much research did you have to do?

CHRISTINA: Most of the research I did for this book was about tracking and rescue dogs. I had done some for Led Astray as Connor made an appearance in that book but the research I did was minimal. Since Connor is a point of view character in Safe and Sound, I needed to do a little more in depth research as Connor trains the dogs. The surface research I did wasn't enough to get a feel for what Connor, or the dogs, could or would do in certain situations.

STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story within?

CHRISTINA: For me, the cover reflects the story because it features the cabin where Connor has secluded himself for the last four years and where Hannah goes to reclaim her life.

STEPH: Hannah is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weakness?

CHRISTINA: Hannah's strengths are her kind heart, seeing 'the big picture' and her willingness to do anything for others. Her willingness to do anything for others is also one of her weakness because at times she makes poor choices for herself if she feels it will benefit others. Hannah also brushes off the good qualities in herself too often.

STEPH: What does Connor find appealing about her?

CHRISTINA: He loves Hannah's willingness to freely give love and friendship even if it doesn't come back to her.

STEPH: What is the theme of the novel?

CHRISTINA: Trust and forgiving yourself. For some people, forgiving others is easy but forgiving 'ourself' is hard and almost impossible at times.

STEPH: As a writer, where do you draw inspiration from?

CHRISTINA: It can come from anywhere. Most of the times it's from a simple what if question that pops into my mind when I hear something on the news or out and about. For this story, the 'what if' popped into my head when I was editing Led Astray.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

CHRISTIN: 'regular' Kindle and a Kindle Fire though I mainly read on the 'regular' Kindle.

STEPH: Fun question: Do you have any thanksgiving traditions you'd like to share with us?

CHRISTINA: We're pretty much a go with the flow family when it comes to Thanksgiving, so don't really have any traditions...unless you count the bringing down the boxes of Christmas decorations from the attic the day after Thanksgiving.