THE CAPTAIN'S QUEST - Lorri Dudley - One Free Book

Welcome back, Lorri. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about? Writing an island series has allowed me to illustrate the lengths God is willing to go to reach His beloved children. He will meet you wherever you are, chase you to a far-off island, if need be, to get your attention. He sees you, and His love for you surpasses all knowledge and understanding. I often pray Ephesians 3:18 over my readers that they may grasp just how wide, long, high, and deep the love of Christ is for them. Some other sub-themes are fear, forgiveness, and surrender.

The Captain’s Quest touches on how God never leaves us. Priscilla struggles with the anxiety of being alone. She learns God's always with her, filling her with His strength to face her greatest fears together.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

The Marquis's Pursuit is the next in the series, where the story's hero is young Max (now grown-up) from my first book, The Duke's Refuge. He returns to Nevis for its healing springs in a desperate attempt to save his friend dying from consumption. Max's hopes wash away as secrets unravel about the hotel, its springs, and its beautiful caretaker. However, God works in mysterious ways, in this case, for love and redemption.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why? I would love to have dinner with Bob Goff. After reading several of his books, my favorite being Love Does, and watching him speak online, I can imagine a night of holding my side due to uncontrollable laughter, followed by a call to action, and a sendoff with Godly purpose. He's hysterical in his delivery and has the craziest stories, driven by a passion for loving people and loving God, which coincides with my tag line: love because you are loved.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why? I've always had a fascination with Deborah from the book of Judges. A wise prophetess, she not only shared God's word with the Israelites but stood on her faith and took action. I'd love to hear how she juggled work and home life and handled a leadership role in a male-dominated culture. Most of all, I'd like to ask her wisdom on raising boys into men since I have three of my own on the cusp of manhood. Deborah had warned Barak that the glory of battle would go to a woman because of his lack of faith. Barak had refused to go into battle without Deborah, and so God let the glory go to Jael, wife of a clan leader, who put a tent spike through the head of their enemy. I'd love to have the wisdom to forewarn my boys so they don't waver in their faith and can be bold leaders for God's kingdom, but also the insite to know when to step aside and let them learn from their own mistakes.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers? Be tenacious. This is a challenging industry to break into, but there are readers out there who will love your stories. There were many times when I questioned God if I was trying to do something outside His will. But He was faithful, giving me just enough encouragement to keep going, whether it was placing in a contest or the lyrics of a worship song.

Use rejection to learn. I have a love/hate relationship with James 1:2-4, where it says to consider it pure joy when you face trials because the testing of your faith develops perseverance, and perseverance will make us mature and complete, not lacking in anything. It's a lot easier to look back on the trials and appreciate how they helped you grow. There is nothing like feedback on your own writing to help you develop as a writer. Seek it out. I had to set aside the critiques sometimes for a day, sometimes for a month, to look at them objectively and learn from them. Take the time you need, but use the critiques wisely.

Use every opportunity. It can be scary, especially for introverts, to reach out to other writers, but it was an author friend who connected me with Misty Beller at Wild Heart Books, and I'm so glad she did. Writers conferences are great ways to congregate with other authors, but you must make the most of it—reach out, strike up conversations, reach out through social media afterward, read their books. I met all of my critique partners at conferences because I asked them if they'd be willing to swap some chapters.

Tell us about the featured book.

Pricilla Middleton is Lottie's friend from The Merchant's Yield.

Pricilla attends the Lemoore house party to establish a new friendship to fill the void of Lottie's departure. However, Priscilla's new friend lands Priscilla in a heap of trouble, and her only chance to keep from becoming a gossip column headline is to sneak aboard her brother's ship and pretend she'd been visiting him instead of taking part in the debacle. Before she can speak to her brother, the ship sets sail, and the captain is not at all who she expects.
Captain Tobias Prescott, son of an infamous war hero, has been assigned a critical mission to deploy warships in St. Kitts for battle in New Orleans. Unfortunately, his orders require him to assume command of Middleton's ship, and he must weigh anchor the instant the former captain is escorted down the gangplank. When they reach open waters, the last thing he expects is to find a woman hiding in the captain's cabin, yet his mission is too urgent to return her to England.
​The Middleton name has always brought Tobias trouble, and Pricilla is no exception. As the waters clear and the temperature warms, the danger escalates too. Yet Tobias discovers the intuitive and strong woman who struggles to hide her anxiety is nothing like her disloyal brother. He may lose the opportunity to help his country, but perhaps he can still save the woman who's rescued his heart.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Uncover the French infiltrators and compromise their mission.

Letter from his superiors to Admiral Middleton

England, November 18, 1814

Why did I agree to this? Priscilla Leah Middleton pressed her loo mask tighter against her face. Other dancer's skirts swirled around her like colorful pinwheels, roused by the music boisterous and emboldened by the anonymity gained from their striking costumes. Greek Gods, bright bird plumage, historical heroes, or her own Little Bo-peep costume did nothing to diminish unease pricking her conscience.

Was she that desperate for a close friendship, enough to relent to Nellie's whimsical woes of heartache? They'd only become acquainted in the past few months, and in that time, Nellie seemed determined to entangle them in a scandal.

The violinist concerto finished its movement, and dancers changed direction. Distracted, Priscilla would have continued straight, but her dance partner's robust frame saved her from embarrassing herself. She flashed her gratitude.

Her stately partner returned her smile, but even behind his mask, she could tell it didn't reach his eyes.

The rapping on her conscience intensified, bottling pressure. "It is quite a party, is it not?" she blurted, although conversing while dancing would be difficult.

"Quite." His gaze floated above her, scanning the room.

A flood gate of nervous prattle opened. "Does Lady Lemoore always entertain such interesting groups of people? I recognize politicians mixing with opera singers, military officers speaking to notorious rakes and gamblers. This is quite…"

"Indeed." A coldness shone in his gaze.

Her breath hitched. Had he taken offense to her statement? Perhaps he fit into a latter category. "I love a good party, dancing, meeting interesting people, matchmaking among friends. It's thrilling. Don't you agree?"

As though unaware she'd spoken, his attention drifted to the far corner.

At least she'd learned something about this man Nellie had insisted Priscilla partner for a dance—he wasn't a conservationist.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://lorridudley.com

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lorri-dudley

Facebook: https://facebook.com/lorri.dudley.14

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/lorridudley14/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lorridudley/?hl=en

Thank you, Lorri, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’ve loved the previous books in the series. I’m really looking forward to reading this one, too.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3wPvI6O - Paperback

https://amzn.to/3wMUbd5 - Kindle

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