We’ve always been fans of Mercy Ships and have followed
their work for years. One day Lynne was scrolling through her Facebook feed and
saw a Mercy Ship story about a boy suffering from a disease that had morphed
his body into the shape of a Z. His before and after story was amazing. Because
volunteers had dared to bring medical care to a third-world country, this boy
had received the gift of straight legs. While all of this good was going on, pirates
were really upping their attack game on passing ships and a deadly Ebola
outbreak had made its way to the States and set off global panic. The three
elements collided and PORT OF ORIGIN
was the result.
James and I have
loved the work of Mercy Ships since the beginning. Another dear friend of mine
was on one of the first two. She shared miraculous stories that God brought
about for their team. How did you feel as a team because your story so closely
resembles what is going on right now?
The concept of a killer virus on a medical ship was actually
fleshed out in a 2009 book series proposal we were shopping. When we didn’t get
the opportunity to finish the series, we set the project aside. In 2017 we
released the first book in the series (Ghost
Heart). That book did so well we decided to write the rest of the series.
Due to life setbacks, we didn’t finish the book until December of 2019. Last
year, Covid-19 wasn’t even a blip on the map. All of our research was based on a
combination of the 2014 Ebola outbreak and pure speculation. Imagine our
surprise when, just a month after the book was finished, we started hearing of
a rogue virus causing cruise ships to port with hundreds of ill passengers. The
day the military medical ship sailed into New
York City ’s port to rescue the dying, we thought we
would cry.
One way our story differs from our current world crisis is
that we believe in hope. No matter how dark any of our struggles seem, we
believe God is sovereign and He is in control. Port of Origin, while eerily
close to the times in which we are living, is filled with wonderful, brave
people, and lots of hope.
How did collaborating
with this team impact you?
LYNNE: First, we decided we wanted our hero and heroine to
each have a distinctive voice. The easiest way to achieve their separate voices
was for each of us to choose which one we wanted to write. Next, it made sense
for Lisa to write the scenes involving African characters since she lives
there. Because of my connections to the medical world through my daughter and
my husband, I did the research and writing for those scenes.
LISA: Once we decided on who was going to write which
characters, it allowed us to focus on that part of the story line, and one each
specific character’s backstory and personalities. Watching the story come
together was really exciting.
What is the hardest
thing about writing as a team?
When we began to delve into the research, we were really surprised
by what we found. For example, it was sobering to discover that vast amounts of
money have been made by the stripping of Africa’s natural resources, but little
of that financial gain has trickled down to Africa ’s
impoverished population. As individual writers, Lisa and I don’t always see things
the same way. But in the give and take of coming to a workable solution, we’ve
both been surprised by how much we’ve grown. We’ve really come to appreciate
each other’s strengths. And we’ve both come to realize that we need a really
good editor because neither of us will win any awards for grammar.
What are you reading
right now?
LYNNE: I always have a book going. I just finished JoJo
Moyes’ Giver of the Stars. Such a
fascinating and rich story set during the Depression. I love Paulette Jiles and
have recently finished News of the World
and The Color of Lightning.
LISA: I’ve just started James R. Hannibal’s The Gryphon Heist.
I always love to see
what book the authors I interview are reading. They give me ideas about what
books I want to read. How did you choose your characters’ names?
We love our character names to have meaning. We do a lot of
searching through name lists and when something rings a bell, we look up the
meaning. For example, our hero Josiah is a broken man. We picked this name
because it means Jehovah heals. Sometimes we love to honor people we know and
use part of their name. When you read our books, you’ll find them sprinkled
with tributes to people we love.
Would you want to
work on another book together?
We are. We’ve got two more books planned for this year. Lethal Outbreak releases in the Dangerous Deceptions box set with 7
other new books by award-winning authors on October 13. We hope to release
Death Triangle, the fourth book in the series, by the end of 2020 or early
2021.
Two fathers go to war to save their children. If the woman
in the middle can’t convince them to work together, the winner of this conflict
will be a deadly virus intent on destroying the world.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Off the Coast of Cameroon , Central Africa
Since ancient times, the sea had been generous. Tuna.
Sardines. Ocean prawns big as a man’s hand. But those days of plenty had
vanished in the wake of the foreign trawlers whose illegal fishing practices
were destroying the coastline’s natural resources. Dabir watched the moon slip
behind a veil of clouds, leaving him and his brothers to navigate the vast Atlantic in an eerie shroud of darkness. From his
position at the end of the boat, he could see little beyond the shadowy
silhouettes of his father and his two younger brothers.
He stopped rowing for a moment as he waited for the sharp
tug of the nylon fishing net that would signal the night’s first catch. A wave
smashed against the side of the narrow craft, reminding him of the dangers of
straying too far into the open waters. He searched for the light of the
trawlers that swept the sea’s floor with their ghostlike underwater lights
while their wide metal jaws devoured everything in sight, but tonight there was
no sign of the floodlights used to lure the fish into their nets. Which meant
the deadly boats could be anywhere, trying to avoid the overworked coastal
patrols searching in vain for those illegal vessels that strayed into the zone
reserved for the smaller vessels. All Dabir could do was pray his father’s boat
steered clear of the stealthy trawlers that prowled the darkness. And pray that
they would catch enough fish to feed their family another day.
Where can our readers
find you on the Internet?
Together we have a Harris/Gentry Suspense Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/harrisgentrysuspense/?ref=bookmarks
LISA: www.lisaharriswrites.com
Twitter: @heartofafrica
Facebook: AuthorLisaHarris
LYNNE: www.lynnegentry.com
Thank you, Lynne and
Lisa, for allowing me to help you market your books. I know my blog readers are
as interested in them as I am.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Port Of Origin: A Medical Thriller (Agents Of Mercy) - PaperbackPort Of Origin: A Medical Thriller (Agents Of Mercy Book 2) - Kindle
If you missed the first book in the series and want to read both of them:
Agents Of Mercy (2 Book Series) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.
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21 comments:
Lisa Harris is a FAVE author for me! I would love to read this book by her and Lynne.
Thanks for your giveaway, Lena!
Jackie in GA
Thanks so much for having us on your blog, Lena, and Jackie you made my day! :-)
What a book! I would love to read it!
Melanie Backus, TX
So glad to hear from you Melanie. Hope you are well. Yes, girl. You'd love this. Jackie, I hope you do read this book. Let us hear from both of you after you do.
Collaborative stories are so fascinating. And I love Lisa Harris’ books (Lynn Gentry is a new-to-me author). Thanks for the opportunity.
Mindy from NJ
Mindy, I'm glad you're a Lisa Harris fan. I've learned so much working with her. I hope you'll check our stories out.
Thank you so much for sharing . I enjoyed reading about the new collaboration. Have a blessed weekend.
Lucy from WV
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, Lucy. Hope you'll check out Port of Origin.
Missouri USA jarning67(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting ladies!! Love seeing you all here! The collaboration has definitely been a blessing to both of us!
This book sounds like a real page turner that I would enjoy reading. I think it's great when talented authors can collaborate on a story together.
marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
Maryann in New York
Hey Lena, Lisa and Lynne! I LOVED "Ghost Heart"! I'm so excited that Lisa and Lynne have co-authored another amazing story!
Caryl K in TEXAS
Maryann and Caryl, Lisa and I enjoy working together. So many wonderful things of come of our friendship. Good to hear from both of you. Can't wait for you to read Port of Origin.
So so looking forward to reading this book. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
Lourdes in Long Island, NY
We love readers who love to read, Lourdes. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Conway SC.
Love reading through your comments! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Sounds great. Thanks for the chance. FL
Thanks, Nancy. Hope you'll check out Port of Origin.
Thanks for the chance to win!
-Melissa from TN
Jackie Smith said...
Love Lisa's books and would love to read this one! Thanks, Lena!
Jackie in GA
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