SUSPENSE AUTHOR

Sara Davison

I never intentionally set out to write romantic suspense, but when I first started seriously writing about fifteen years ago, that’s what came out. Likely because that genre has always been my favourite to read. I love the edge-of-your-seat, adrenaline-pumping thrill of suspense. But I also love a good love story. There’s something powerful about a book or movie that includes a deep, self-sacrificing love between a man and a woman, even if they don’t end up together in the end. Gone With the Wind, for example, would still have been a good movie, even if it had only been about a woman trying to save her family’s land and survive the Civil War by any means possible. However, adding in Rhett’s love for Scarlet and Scarlet’s belated realization that she loves him too moves the movie from interesting to an unforgettable classic. And Casablanca would have been fascinating if Rick had risked everything to help a leader of the resistance escape the Nazis. But is that the part that sticks in your mind after seeing the movie or was it (spoiler alert) his sacrifice of the woman he loved that makes the story so memorable? The Sound of Music could have been a cute comedy about a nun in training and a bunch of unruly kids, but … well, you get the idea.

Which is another reason I include romance in my suspense novels—it ups the tension because, if the person he or she loves is at risk, the hero or heroine has so much more to lose. And readers are that much more invested in finding out, not only if they survive, but if, in the end, they can overcome all the obstacles and find a way to be together. In this case, romance is a tool I use as a suspense author to raise the stakes for both my characters and my readers.

Finally, as with Song of Solomon, a beautiful love story between a man and a woman mirrors the love story between God and humanity. While a pale reflection of God’s perfect, unconditional, sacred love for us, human love is a reminder that we are the bride of Christ, chosen and cherished by one who was willing to die to save us.

And that alone may be reason enough.

Author Sara Davison

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A Message from Sara

God never promised believers that life would be easy, He promised us that he would never leave us or forsake us. Whatever we are going through, He is with us and we are never alone.

I hope and pray that you remember that you are not alone when you are going through tough times. We often don't understand why God allows certain things to happen to us or those we love, but we can trust that He is good, that He is sovereign and in control, and that He will never leave us.

Recently I have had the heartbreaking privilege of walking alongside two close friends whose marriages were ending. In each case, my friend had no desire to get divorced and had never believed she would find herself in this situation. Unfortunately, no other recourse was possible due to horrific breaches of trust and lack of remorse. I grieved for and with my friends, and reminded them (when the timing was right) that God was still good and that He would walk this path with them and somehow redeem what they were going through for His glory. 

In times like these, when your heart is heavy for people you love, and there are no answers to the questions they are asking, sometimes the only comfort lies in knowing you are not alone. As C.S. Lewis said, “I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?” Very often God doesn’t answer our questions, or the questions of those we care for so deeply. Then all we can do is trust that His heart aches with ours, that He is always with us, and that one day He will set all things right.

Three Dreamers Press

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