TOUCHES OF TIME AND A COLD CASE MURDER

TOUCHES OF TIME

Interview with Author Loree Peery

Does she have a story to tell!

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2. Q. Why did you choose that title when your book contains things that give us chills?

A. This title evolved from “Murder on a County Road”; “Unfinished Business”; “Ultimate Answer”; “Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow”; and “The Touch of Time.” I’ve never considered a reason for the title I stayed with, other that it seemed the right one.

Sarah is touched by her mother’s journals from time past. In the present, her heart is touched by Ford’s unselfishness and desire to protect her. She’s also touched by the life in her womb, which represents her future. Most of all, she’s touched by God’s timing.

2. Q  Tell us about your character, Sarah, who tries to solve a cold-case murder.

A. At the beginning of the story, Sarah is grieving. She lost her best friend and the father of her baby a few months back. Now she’s getting over the numbness of her mother’s death, and starts to feel again. She also stands by a promise she made.

3. Q.   How did your character, investigator Ford Melcher, become interested in the old unsolved case?

A. His job with the Nebraska State Patrol is investigating cold cases. Soon after meeting Sarah, he wonders if her grandfather’s case might be linked to the case he’s actively working on, due to location and decade.

4. Q   ow does he treat this amateur trying to unravel crimes the pros couldn’t?

A. Since Ford is immediately drawn to Sarah on a personal level, he reminds her he’s the professional and she should leave the sleuthing up to him. He can’t help but be protective, it’s his nature as well as his job 

Q. I’m guessing there is romance in here somewhere. What characteristic makes your characters lovable?

A. Sarah is unselfish in her quest, motivated by her mother’s dying wish. She wants the unknown to be dealt with so her whole family can go on. She seeks to weather the storm and come out stronger.

Ford is compassionate, yet worthy of respect. An optimist, he wants the best for others, and empathizes more than he should with family members of victims. He’s a victor in Christ, no matter how his cases turn out.

   Q. Since the story reflects some similar events in your life, were you able to go through police        records about your father’s death?

A. Unfortunately, no. I requested to see the autopsy report, but the only thing I ever had in hand was the death certificate, after my mother passed.

Q. . Does the victim in your story die the same way your father did? How did it affect you to fictionalize such a tragedy?

A. Yes, to your first question. As per your second, the churning twist to my stomach and the sting of tears is enough of an answer. I had that same reaction every time I wrote about it, and now, each time I read it.

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8. Q. When and why did you become a writer?

A. The spark came to life a long time ago, in the mid-eighties. I tried my hand at romances and submitted extremely rough drafts to popular magazines. They were rejected, of course. I set out to learn all I could. The first published, as with Lena in Touches of Time, was a testimony to a Christian magazine. I had more nonfiction printed in academic journals and anthologies. I completed novels, and signed my first Christian romance contract in 2010.

8. Q. What is your goal from here?

A.I believe I’m called to continue writing romance. Working writers always have stories in various stages, right now I have four.

9. Q.  Anything else you’d like your readers to know?

A. I’ve read Psalm 37 many times over the years. Verse three proved true—I became a published author only after I quit trying on my own strength, and made God first in everything. Then He granted the desire of my heart. I often tell myself to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him, verse seven. Verse ten speaks to me as far as Dad’s killer is concerned. “Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more,” (NASB). The Lord loves justice, as stated in verse 28, and he doesn’t forsake me. So I will strive to be faithful.

As for you readers with a desire of your own heart, never give up. God has probably placed that dream within you, and He’ll equip you to finish the task. Pray your desire is His plan for you. Be determine and disciplined. Continue to learn.

Thank you, Ada, for inviting me here today.

Bio

Christian romance author LoRee Peery attempts to see God’s presence every day. Often that gift comes from nature, when the call of a cardinal draws her to look for the distinctive flash of crimson. A meadowlark’s melody always transports her to the farm where she grew up. A rainbow holds special significance, since one appeared over her father’s grave the day of his funeral, assuring her of the Lord’s presence. She clings to I John 5:4 and prays her blended family and dozen grandchildren see that faith. Find LoRee at www.loreepeery.com or Pelican Book Group http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk

LINK TO THE BOOK: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C6B0GAY

Blurb

A decades-old unsolved homicide.

A grieving single mother-to-be.

A cold-case investigator.

Sarah Bishop goes through her deceased mother’s belongings and becomes immersed in the details of her grandfather’s unsolved homicide. Determined to find who was responsible, for the sake of her unborn baby, Sarah vows to seek out the answers her mother had failed to find.

Cold Case Investigator Ford Melcher is intrigued by Sarah’s dogged drive to solve the old mystery. His current case has reached a frustrating dead end, but he comes to believe it is somehow linked to Sarah’s quest. His desire to protect her from further hurt is put to the test, especially when he has secrets he’d rather not disclose.

Answers could remain elusive as to who struck Sarah’s grandfather and left him in a ditch. Will the search for those answers open doors for her to discover the life God planned? Can she accept that plan if it includes a man who wasn’t forthright with information?