About the Book

Book: Ransomed Peace

Author: Kathleen J. Robison

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: June 11, 2024

When romance fails the romance writer…

After being terrorized in an abusive relationship, Roxanne Cook finally feels like she’s starting to heal. Even though her mother is ill, her return to Bay Town and the arrest of her ex-boyfriend has allowed anxieties to slip away and has renewed her faith in God. Even her faith in romance seems to be restored as she develops a school-girl crush on a certain Max Tippet.

Everything comes crashing down, however, when Roxanne finds out her ex-boyfriend is released from jail. As her new-found peace unravels, Roxanne realizes that shedding her fears isn’t the same as facing them.

How will she trust in God to provide her the courage to escape the cycle that almost killed her?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Kathleen is an Okinawan-American. Born in Okinawa, raised in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Singapore. Her travels lend themselves to the settings in her books, and her large family provides fun fodder for her characters. She and her Pastor husband have eight adult children. Seven are married, blessing them with sixteen grandchildren, and more on the way! Her ethnically diverse family of 33 plus personalities presents many opportunities to write about God’s amazing love amid trials, tragedies, and blessings. He is the one true inspiration and hope for us all.

More from Kathleen

For some, Ransomed Peace may be a hard story to read. It was a hard story to write. But rest assured, it’s a romance, and I guarantee a happily ever after! One of my favorite passages in the bible teaches that beauty from ashes lends hope that rises from hardships. Ransomed Peace begins with domestic violence. By God’s grace, I’ve never been a victim of it, but someone very close to me was. It was long ago, and unfortunately, at the time, I had no idea how to help her other than to aid in her rescue and give her refuge from the situation. But even then, that wasn’t the solution. Fortunately, today, many programs, housing, and counseling are available for those who suffer this horrible crime, but it continues and can happen to anyone. I encourage victims to seek professional help. It is as close as the internet or your local church body. Here’s the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-7233.

In Ransomed Peace, the main character, Roxanne, is a victim. As in all my books, God is the ultimate answer to any problem. But just as Roxanne was urged to seek help, I urge all victims to take action. Especially preventative action. Drawing and staying close to the Lord through His Word, prayer, and relationship with other God-fearing believers will aid in avoiding toxic people. Together, we can learn to follow and obey God’s guidance, allowing us to make the right choices in relationships. Sometimes, such as in the case of children, a choice is not possible, but God’s help always is. As we step in and walk alongside victims, we have the opportunity to help them to seek Jesus. His solution is eternal.

In my Romantic Suspense books, I choose to write about difficult real-life situations because, as a Pastor’s wife, I’ve prayed and walked with many women. Nobody’s life is perfect or ideal, and everyone suffers something. A reader wrote to me once, sharing how my book had encouraged her to walk with the Lord in areas of her life she hadn’t thought about before. She was secure in her salvation, yet she said it wasn’t until she read one of my books that she realized that living a life of purpose in all areas was possible. And it is! That’s the non-fiction part of my books. Whether our difficulties are past or present, we always need to be pointed to God’s Word in everything, not just for bliss on earth, which is never going to happen, but for the hope of our future with Him in heaven one day.

Sometimes, we are victims of circumstance and are blindsided by a force we can’t seem to contend with. Sometimes, we suffer the consequences of violence because of a bad decision we’ve made, yet it is still unjustly deserved. Whatever the cause, God loves us, and Jesus knows and feels our plight. He lived it, and there is a way out. God’s plan is for us to live for His glory.

I pray my books will inspire all to seek Him and follow Him in every phase of life. “To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;” Isaiah 61:3. Giving Him the ashes from our tragedies so He can restore joy for His praise is to live with joy over the blessings, and to find joy in Him through our sufferings.

The Lord uses people to help us live a life worthy of Him, in good times and bad. But we can’t do it alone. That’s why I created Bay Town. A community that represents real life in some way. As you read the Bay Town Series, I hope you’ll be inspired and encouraged by the characters that help one another. Trustworthy authority figures like Chief Bert and Pastor Desmond and good role models like Melanie Thompson Brooks and Max Tippet. And you’ll love the little comic relief provided through Tina, Lyla, and Bethie Cook. At some point, you’ll meet the same people in each book and hopefully come to love them as I have. Each story is unique, and each stands alone, championing themes of hope! As you read the series, you’ll become a part of Bay Town. A community that lives to watch out for one another and purposes to love and serve God.

Interview with Kathleen

How long does it take you to write a book?

I’m a fairly prolific writer. I take part in Nanowrimo, National Novel Writing Month every April, July and November and write 50,000 words each time. That gives me a good start on book, or a completed novellette three times a year. To date I have ten of novels/novelettes published and about thirty novels in various stages of completion. It’s the editing that bogs me down!

What is your real-life work schedule like when writing? 

As an older writer, I have time on my hands, but my grandchildren come first. Still, I’m an early riser, so after my morning devotions with the Lord, I write or edit for about four hours a morning, pretty much uninterrupted. After lunch with my hubby, I spend the afternoons writing blog posts, answering emails, sending out books and doing publicity stuff on social media. Now if I’m needed for babysitting all that goes out the window and it’s playtime.

What does your family think of your writing?

That’s a funny question. My three adult girls and some of my daughters-in-law are a bit embarrassed that I write romance. I read one scene aloud to them from my first book in the Bay Town Series, Shattered Guilt and they literally blushed! I write clean fiction, but I’m a hopeless romantic and I think my words were a little swoony for them. I suspect it had more to do with “Mom” writing it.

Funny story: When I drafted that first book, my boys would laugh and say, “Mom’s writing a book about human trafficking with no bad language, no graphic violence and no sex.” And they’re right. I want to honor the Lord in all I do, but I want my stories to convey real-life struggles and honesty.

Have you experienced writer’s block, and how do you handle it?

Fortunately, I have not. If anything, I need to turn off the creative juices. My mind is always conjuring up stories, and I’m anxious to get the thoughts down on paper. The Lord always seems to drive me to tell of His love and hope through various people and their trials.

Although, with one manuscript, I wanted to throw the whole thing out and start over! I’m thankful the Lord used my critique group and reader friends to stop me from doing that! It actually was this manuscript for Ransomed Peace. I love what a recent reader wrote me. “It was just WOW!”

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I’m preparing to write a historical fiction love-story about an Okinawan woman who survived WWII and my research has opened my mind to the hardships my mother faced. Though she told us some stories, I never realized what a survivor she was. However, this isn’t her story, but she owned the hardships, trials and tragedies that she and many women like her did. My fingers are itching to write the story and share the surprising things most people don’t know about when the bloodiest battle in the pacific commenced and ended in four short months in 1945 on the Ryukyu islands. The fact that the Lord saved her is a story in itself!

Thank you, Gina. As always, your interest in my writing is encouraging. Thank you for allowing me to share how the Lord works in all of us.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 8

Artistic Nobody, July 9 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 10

Stories By Gina, July 11 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 12

For the Love of Literature, July 13 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 13

lakesidelivingsite, July 14

Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 15 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 16

Beauty in the Binding, July 17 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, July 18

Guild Master, July 19 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, July 19

An Author’s Take, July 20

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 21 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2cd01/ransomed-peace-celebration-tour-giveaway