VENDETTA - Lisa Harris - One Free Book

Dear Readers, Lisa Harris is a dear friend, and I love reading her books. I’m actually reading Vendetta right now. It’s hard to put down when I have to do something else. Before Lisa and her family went on the mission field in Africa, they were here for her husband to go to school. So I was privileged to mentor her before she became published.

Welcome back. Lisa. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else?

While it took me a long time to actually start writing, it was definitely something I always wanted to do. I was in my late twenties, though, when I finally decided to write my first book.

How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?

I can comfortably write about 20k a month, so it depends on the size of the book, but typically 3-4 months plus a couple months of editing.

How do you come up with themes for your stories?

I think for most books the themes have evolved while I’m writing. I typically have a setting, plot, and characters to begin with, then the theme comes to life more organically.

Do you have a schedule of when you write?

I have a word count I need to finish every day. My days are usually filled with a lot of other things I have to do, so there is never a specific schedule I follow. (Though that would be nice!)

How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?

Breaking it all down into small bites! I know what I need to get done everyday, and I really try to stay focused enough to do it. Life does often get in the way, so I also try to add a bit of padding to my schedule for when things happen that I can’t ignore.

What elements do you think make a great story line?

Characters the reader can relate to and sympathize with along with a plot that will throw them into some kind of conflict that has the reader rooting for them even when it seems like everything is lost.

Oh, yes. You do that very well. What was the hardest thing about writing a book?

There really are so many distractions that pull, so finding that balance can be hard. And then there is also the drive to make the next book better than the last book and really wanting to please readers!

How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?

I’m not sure exactly how many, but somewhere around thirty. As for a favorite ... each book represents a time in my life and a story from my heart, so it’s so hard to choose!

Do you have a favorite character?

I’m going to pick Nikki Boyd since I’m writing her story right now. While book one is the story coming out right now, I’m actually writing book three and I love this series. It’s different from series I’ve written in the past and I’m really enjoying the journey.

Tell us about the story.

Book one in the Nikki Boyd Files is set in the stunning Smoky Mountains. No one needs to push Nikki Boyd to excel on the Tennessee Missing Person Task Force. The case of her own missing sister, still unsolved after ten years, is the driving force in her work. When a Polaroid photo of a missing girl shows up at a crime scene, Nikki quickly recognizes similarities to the past. The closer she gets to the abductor, the more she feels that this case is getting personal, and that she is not the hunter at all—but actually the one being hunted.

Please give us a peek at the first page of the book for my readers.

Northeast Tennessee near the Obed River

The initial step off the sheer face of a three hundred-plus foot drop was always the most terrifying. Nikki Boyd leaned back into her harness as far as she could, locked her knees, then peered over the edge of the sandstone cliff that plunged into the ravine below. The terror faded, followed by a shot of pure adrenalin as she kicked off and lunged over the edge.

           

Legs horizontal to the rock face, Nikki shimmied down the side of the cliff, kicking loose a few rocks along the way. The stress of the past few weeks began to dissipate into the crisp morning air. A day climbing and repelling with Tyler had definitely been the right thing to do. They’d come, not to dismiss memories of Katie’s death, but to make new ones. Which was exactly what they were doing.

           

Halfway down, Nikki slowed to a stop. The rope had shifted and now ran over a sharp edge of the cliff wall. She caught her toes against a narrow ledge and fought to catch her balance. While perhaps not common, it was possible to severe a weighted rope on a decent.

           

“You okay?” Tyler hollered down at her.

           

“The rope moved and it’s running over a sharp edge.”

           

She’d been told by more than one experienced climber that they hated rappelling because it was the most dangerous part of the day. And this was why. No matter how much training and preparation, no matter how many times she checked her equipment, things could still go wrong. And all it took was one mistake. But all she needed to do was unweight the rope and move it to a safer place.

           

“Can you move it?” Tyler asked.

           

“I’m trying.”

           

“You’re going to have to take some of your weight off the rope.”

           

“Like I said, I’m trying.”

           

Her gloved fingers held onto a crack in the rock face while she searched for another crack for her feet. Her fingers cramped. A trail of blood dripped her arm. She didn’t even remember scraping it. Her feet finally found a narrow crevice, alleviating her weight on the rope enough to give it some slack. All she needed to do now was redirect the rope’s path.

           

Simple.

           

But she couldn’t get enough leverage to unweight the rope.

           

“Nikki?”

           

“Just a minute. . .” Sweat beaded across her forehead as she stood on her tiptoes, her fingertips pressed back into the crack, heart pounding against her chest.  

           

She’d heard plenty of stories about things like this happening. Freak accidents against the side of a sheer cliff. Climbers plunging to their deaths.  

           

You know this isn’t how I want to die, Jesus. . .

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

I have a brand new website about to be revealed thanks to my wonderful publisher, Revell. www.lisaharriswrites.com.

Thanks, Lena!!! Praying for your recovery.

Thank you, Lisa. Prayers from you and so many others have carried me through this recovery faster than the last time. I sometimes forget that I'm not completely healed and do too much.

And thank you for sharing this new book with us. I'm going to be looking for the next Nikki Boyd novel.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Vendetta - Christianbook.com,
Vendetta: A Novel (The Nikki Boyd Files) - Amazon
Vendetta (The Nikki Boyd Files Book #1): A Novel - Kindle

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