Experience THE RISING ~ Lynn Chandler Willis

Today I'm excited to introduce you to Lynn Chandler-Willis. Lynn's debut release, THE RISING, is this week's featured release from Pelican Book Group, and what an outstanding concept! Before I dive in to specifics, I want you to get to know Lynn. She's a welcome addition to the PBG family, and I'm delighted to have her join us at the blog!!

ABOUT LYNN:

Lynn Chandler-Willis has worked in the corporate world (hated it!), the television news business (fun job) and the newspaper industry (not a fan of the word "apparently" and phrase "according to"). She keeps coming back to fiction because she likes making stuff up and you just can't do that in the newspaper or television news business.

She was born, raised, and continues to live in the heart of North Carolina within walking distance to her kids and their spouses and her nine grandchildren. She shares her home, and heart, with Sam the cocker spaniel.

She is the author of the best-selling true crime book, Unholy Covenant. The Rising is her debut novel.

 

OK, Lynn, straight away, I have to tell you, we're sisters of a sort. I worked for a number of years at the ABC-TV affiliate in Flint, MI as an associate producer and writer. Loved the energy and humming vibe of being in a newsroom - hated the weird hours when trying to raise a family, so I changed career paths. 

 

Tell me about what led you to write THE RISING. It's an amazing concept (blurb and excerpt follows!).

 

ABOUT THE RISING

 

The idea for The Rising came to me, in all places, at the grocery store. And I mean it hit me like the proverbial brick. I stopped pushing the cart and just stood there in the middle of the aisle playing the “what if” game.

 

What if...a non-believer comes face-to-face with a miracle. Can they still deny God? When there is no other explanation, can they still question God's existence? And taking it one step further, how can you question a miracle when its shared by an innocent child? They know no better.

 

I started working the idea from that point, knowing I wanted a main character to be broken and vulnerable, but too stubborn to admit it.

Amazing inspiration, Lynn. I love those moments of God-speak!

 

 

BLURB

 

A little boy, beaten and left to die in an alley.  A cop with a personal life out of control. When their worlds collide, God intervenes.

 

Detective Ellie Saunders's homicide investigation takes a dramatic turn when a young victim "wakes up" in the morgue. The child has no memory prior to his "rising" except walking with his father along a shiny road.

 

Ellie likes dealing with facts. She'd rather leave all the God-talk to her father, a retired minister, and to her partner, Jesse, a former vice cop with an annoying habit of inserting himself into her life. But will the facts she follows puts Ellie's life in mortal danger? And will she finally allow God into her heart forever?

 

EXCERPT

 

“Jack told me you were at lunch. Caper’s is one of my favorites, so I thought I’d take a chance.” He winked at her then sidled closer. “Anyway, I was thinking about your dead kid—“

“He’s not dead.”

A waitress slammed a sandwich down in front of Ellie, and Jesse helped himself to a homemade chip.

“OK, so he’s not dead. You have sent his picture to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children?”

She huffed. “Did Jack send you?”

“No, Jack didn’t send me. I was just thinking if the center didn’t get a hit, I’ve got a few connections with the FBI, and they’ve got some really cool equipment.”

Ellie pulled a piece of bacon from her sandwich and chewed on one end. “Thanks, but no thanks. I really don’t want the Feds involved.”

Jesse snatched another chip and shook his head. “No black suit with shades is going to swoop in and take your case, Detective Saunders.” He grinned and helped himself to another chip. “I thought we could get them to run his picture through the facial recognition scannhttp://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/the-risinger. Maybe we’ll get a hit.”

What was with all the we stuff? The case was complicated enough. The last thing she needed was Jesse involved. She didn’t need a constant reminder of her downward spiral.

 

Like I said, friends, amazing concept and fantastic writing. Grab your copy of The Rising right here:

Pelican Book Group  ~  Amazon.com  ~  Barnes & Noble

Happy reading, and blessings!

Marianne