âI came over to see how you were after yesterdayâs fire, and to show you something. This was in yesterdayâs paper.â Colleen handed Lucia a clipping she had pulled from her purse.
Lucia read the large ad. ââLet fire come down from Heaven and consume you, for our God is a consuming fire.ââ
âI checked, and nobody knows who paid for this. But I think this is related to the fire at the hospital.â Colleen raised a hand. âAnd I knew this was a Bible verse even if I couldnât figure out which one, so I called Pastor Dawson and found out itâs actually two verses. So, whoever bought the ad was sending someone a message, donât you think?â
FAITH AT THE CROSSROADS: Can faith and love sustain two families against a diabolical enemy?
A TIME TO PROTECTâLois Richer (LIS#13)
THE DANGER WITHINâValerie Hansen (LIS#15) THROUGH THE FIREâSharon Mignerey (LIS#17) IN THE ENEMYâS SIGHTSâMarta Perry (LIS#19) STRICTLY CONFIDENTIALâTerri Reed (LIS#21) HEARTS ON THE LINEâMargaret Daley (LIS#23)
SHARON MIGNEREY
lives in Colorado with her husband, a couple of dogs and a cat. From the time she figured out that spelling words could be turned into stories, she knew being a writer was what she wanted. Her first novel garnered several awards, first as an unpublished manuscript when she won RWAâs Golden Heart Award in 1995, and later as a published work in 1997 when she won the National Readerâs Choice Award and The Heart of Romance Readerâs Choice Award. With each new book out, sheâs as thrilled as she was with that first one.
When sheâs not writing, she loves enjoying the Colorado sunshine, whether along the South Platte River near her home or at the family cabin in the Four Corners region. Even more, she loves spending time with her daughters and granddaughter.
She loves hearing from readers, and you can write to her in care of Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.
Through the Fire
Sharon Mignerey
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Sharon Mignerey for her contribution to the FAITH AT THE CROSSROADS series.
As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.
âMatthew 8:13
To Susan Litman, editor extraordinaire
My thanks to:
Carol Steward for answering dozens of questions about Sam Vance (Finding Amy, LI#263 8/04). I hope I did justice to Luciaâs big brother. For those thousand and one things I didnât know about firefighting and firefighters, Sue Richardson, Fire Fighter Paramedic (Colorado Springs), and Joe Whitensand, Retired Fire Chief, were generous beyond call. The good stuff is all theirs and the mistakes are all mine. Celeste Mignerey and Paul N. Black, Ph.D. filled in all those little details about safety and precautionary systems in large buildings and hospital settings. As always, you two are an awesome resource, and I couldnât have done this without you. Robin, Steve, Denée, Karen G., Amy, Daniele, Danicaâmy amazing first readers and critique partners. You guys are the best.
My fellow authors in this series, Lois Richer, Valerie Hansen, Marta Perry, Terri Reed and Margaret Daley. You each made this wonderful journey one to be remembered. Blessings to each of you.
Rafael âRafeâ WrightâHe saved Luciaâs life once by being in the right place at the right time. Was the gorgeous smoke jumper also the ârightâ man for her?
Lucia VanceâThe female firefighter was tired of being coddled and protected by her family. She felt secure with Rafe, but his nearness also stirred feelings for love sheâd thought long buriedâ¦.
Neil OâBrienâWas there more to the battalion chiefâs animosity toward Lucia beyond his accusations that her father the mayor got her her job?
El Jéfe/The ChiefâHis name kept coming up in investigations. Was he somehow connected to Baltasar Escalante, the drug lord whose body was never recovered following his plane crash?
Dear Reader,
I suspect Iâm not the first author to write to you that writing a novel is easier than writing a letter to you. Letters should be personal, and since we havenât met, this one cannot be as personal as I would like. Even so, thank you for choosing this book where youâll spend a few hours escaping into a world where hope prevails.
That sense of hopeâ¦of faith, evenâ¦is my favorite thing about romance novels. Whatever challenges characters face within the pages, they move forward in faith, hoping things will work out. That moving forward in faith is the reason why I chose the particular Biblical quote that I did. âAs thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.â Matthew 8:13.
For any of us embarking on a new endeavor or going through a difficult time, it may be hard to predict a successful outcome. If youâre at all like me, youâd love the certainty of a happy ending. For me, thatâs where faith steps in, where I do my best to move forward as though the thing is already done. Itâs the same for Lucia Vance and Rafael Wright in Through the Fire. They canât be certain the challenges they face will be successfully overcomeâall they can do is move forward in faith.