| Shannon Trent has dedicated her life to ministering to teens, even as she hides secrets that haunt her past. Born into privilege, she’s built a simpler life away from the expectations of her influential family. She’s content on her own, believing that to open her heart would mean unearthing her deepest shame. But when her charming neighbor stirs feelings she’s never allowed herself to entertain, his lack of faith provides the perfect excuse to keep her distance. Hunter Kavanaugh has spent years chasing his dream career. But when his mother’s sudden death leaves him the sole guardian of his teenage sister, his carefully curated world begins to crumble. Struggling with grief, anger at God, and the demands of his job, Hunter is surprised when Shannon’s unwavering faith begins to resonate with him—and her ability to connect with his sister draws him closer. As Hunter and Shannon navigate their growing bond, unexpected challenges force them to confront their fears and priorities. Both must either choose to trust God’s plan is far greater than their own, or risk losing the love of a lifetime. |  |
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 10, 2025
Release Date: June 10, 2025
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Interview with Lori
1. Which author has most influenced your own writing?
That’s a good question. And I’d have to say it depends on what I’m writing. They say to read what you write, so I read a lot of contemporary romance. I read other genres, as well, but that’s the one I focus on so I can learn from those better than I am. I love Melissa Tagg, who writes some heavy subject matter at times yet always with a bit of humor. I absolutely loved Becky Wade’s Misty River Romance Series, and Nicole Deese is another one whose writing resonates with me. My new series that debuts in October is a romantic suspense series, so I’ve been reading a lot of Robin Patchen and Dani Pettrey. My series will lean more heavily on romance than anything really dark, but they will all have a suspense thread, so I’ve still learned a lot from those two authors about weaving an intricate suspense plot.
That’s a good question. And I’d have to say it depends on what I’m writing. They say to read what you write, so I read a lot of contemporary romance. I read other genres, as well, but that’s the one I focus on so I can learn from those better than I am. I love Melissa Tagg, who writes some heavy subject matter at times yet always with a bit of humor. I absolutely loved Becky Wade’s Misty River Romance Series, and Nicole Deese is another one whose writing resonates with me. My new series that debuts in October is a romantic suspense series, so I’ve been reading a lot of Robin Patchen and Dani Pettrey. My series will lean more heavily on romance than anything really dark, but they will all have a suspense thread, so I’ve still learned a lot from those two authors about weaving an intricate suspense plot.
2. Tell us something funny, sad, embarrassing, whatever, that happened involving this book.
I needed my characters to meet, obviously, and in chapter one. But I didn’t really want to do the quintessential meet-cute. It wasn’t exactly meet-ugly, but Hunter didn’t leave the best impression on Shannon. A later meeting went a bit better, until an untimely phone call put him back at square one. But if the reader will give him the benefit of the doubt and read on to chapter two, I think they’ll see a more tender side of Hunter.
I needed my characters to meet, obviously, and in chapter one. But I didn’t really want to do the quintessential meet-cute. It wasn’t exactly meet-ugly, but Hunter didn’t leave the best impression on Shannon. A later meeting went a bit better, until an untimely phone call put him back at square one. But if the reader will give him the benefit of the doubt and read on to chapter two, I think they’ll see a more tender side of Hunter.
3. Tell us a little about yourself, your family, friends.
I’ve been married to my husband for 32 years, and we have one daughter, a son-in-love, and a grand-dog, all of whom we absolutely adore. Our daughter was five when we moved from Gilbert, Arizona, to Georgetown, Texas, just a smidge north of Austin, in 2005. And this is where I found home. I love it here and don’t plan to ever leave. We may move up to the Dallas/Fort Worth area at some point to be closer to our daughter and her husband, but that’ll be a bit in the future. I’m an only child, but my husband has two sisters and a brother, and I consider them all my siblings. I love them with my whole heart as well as their spouses and kiddos. The “kids” are all adults now, and when we get together for our family reunion every two years, it’s a blast seeing them all together. Especially now that babies are coming. As far as my friends go, most of my closest friends are also writers. We just get each other. I don’t know how else to explain it. We can be a bit of a strange lot, so it’s nice to spend time with folks who understand why we have voices and people running around in our heads. My husband and I also lead a small group from church, and we’ve been with these couples for coming on ten years now. We love them with all our hearts, and I’d say they’re our closest friends.
I’ve been married to my husband for 32 years, and we have one daughter, a son-in-love, and a grand-dog, all of whom we absolutely adore. Our daughter was five when we moved from Gilbert, Arizona, to Georgetown, Texas, just a smidge north of Austin, in 2005. And this is where I found home. I love it here and don’t plan to ever leave. We may move up to the Dallas/Fort Worth area at some point to be closer to our daughter and her husband, but that’ll be a bit in the future. I’m an only child, but my husband has two sisters and a brother, and I consider them all my siblings. I love them with my whole heart as well as their spouses and kiddos. The “kids” are all adults now, and when we get together for our family reunion every two years, it’s a blast seeing them all together. Especially now that babies are coming. As far as my friends go, most of my closest friends are also writers. We just get each other. I don’t know how else to explain it. We can be a bit of a strange lot, so it’s nice to spend time with folks who understand why we have voices and people running around in our heads. My husband and I also lead a small group from church, and we’ve been with these couples for coming on ten years now. We love them with all our hearts, and I’d say they’re our closest friends.
4. If you could change one thing in your life, past or present, what would it be?
Oh, I think we all have things we wish we could go back and change. There are things I’d do differently as a wife and mother, maybe have taken a different career path to find something I really loved doing. But the thing I wish I could change the most is to start this writing gig a lot younger. I was in my late 30’s when I finally started pursuing my dream of being an author, and while that’s not old, I wish I’d started a decade before. Then, in 2009, our family went through a difficult time after a job lay-off, and I quit writing. For eleven years! When I came back to it in 2020, so much had changed, and I had to do a bit of catching up. But I’m so happy I did the hard work and stuck with it because now I’m living the dream. Literally.
Oh, I think we all have things we wish we could go back and change. There are things I’d do differently as a wife and mother, maybe have taken a different career path to find something I really loved doing. But the thing I wish I could change the most is to start this writing gig a lot younger. I was in my late 30’s when I finally started pursuing my dream of being an author, and while that’s not old, I wish I’d started a decade before. Then, in 2009, our family went through a difficult time after a job lay-off, and I quit writing. For eleven years! When I came back to it in 2020, so much had changed, and I had to do a bit of catching up. But I’m so happy I did the hard work and stuck with it because now I’m living the dream. Literally.
5. What one piece of advice would you like to give readers?
Don’t be me. Don’t quit. Ever. Stick with it, if it’s truly your calling and your passion. It’s not easy. You’ll have times you wonder if you have what it takes or if you’re just fooling yourself. You’ll have times you hate that manuscript you’ve been writing and rewriting for a year, maybe two years, maybe more. But stick with it. You’re learning from every word you put to paper. You’ll have times your characters quit talking to you and you have no idea where to go next. But keep writing, even if it’s garbage that will never make it into the book. Write a conversation with them. Put them in an awkward, silly, or dangerous situation and see how they handle it. They’ll come back, I promise, because they want their story told as badly as you want to write it. All that to say—DON’T. GIVE. UP ... EVER. If you’re called to this journey as a Christian writer, God will walk with you through it. But the enemy doesn’t want you to succeed. He doesn’t want that message going out into the world, so he’ll use all the weapons at his disposal to thwart you. But you’re the one God called to send it. To tell this story. To touch lives and bring glory to Him. Remember who you are. Remember Who called you. And DON’T. GIVE. UP.
Don’t be me. Don’t quit. Ever. Stick with it, if it’s truly your calling and your passion. It’s not easy. You’ll have times you wonder if you have what it takes or if you’re just fooling yourself. You’ll have times you hate that manuscript you’ve been writing and rewriting for a year, maybe two years, maybe more. But stick with it. You’re learning from every word you put to paper. You’ll have times your characters quit talking to you and you have no idea where to go next. But keep writing, even if it’s garbage that will never make it into the book. Write a conversation with them. Put them in an awkward, silly, or dangerous situation and see how they handle it. They’ll come back, I promise, because they want their story told as badly as you want to write it. All that to say—DON’T. GIVE. UP ... EVER. If you’re called to this journey as a Christian writer, God will walk with you through it. But the enemy doesn’t want you to succeed. He doesn’t want that message going out into the world, so he’ll use all the weapons at his disposal to thwart you. But you’re the one God called to send it. To tell this story. To touch lives and bring glory to Him. Remember who you are. Remember Who called you. And DON’T. GIVE. UP.
More from Lori
As soon as Shannon Trent showed up in chapter one of my debut novel, Love’s True Calling, I knew she had a story. That there was something underneath all that joy and spunk that haunted her. That she felt she had to hide.
Although born to a life of privilege, she doesn’t want her name to be the measure of her worth. Determined to live a simpler life, she dials in to her faith, only wanting to be and do whatever God says she should be and do.
Hunter Kavanaugh, on the other hand, has overcome the instability of his teenage years to forge his own path. He’s made something of himself by his own grit and determination, and he measures his worth in terms of his success and the things it provides him.
When these two literally run into each other outside their building, his grumpy disposition, and obvious high-powered job, leave Shannon unimpressed. No matter how handsome he might be, she has no intention of getting to know this neighbor any better.
But God …
When these two meet up again, a friendship blossoms. Her heart threatens to take her somewhere she’s never been before, but his unbelief gives her the perfect reason to keep her emotional distance.
When God gave me this story concept, I was a little intimidated. Would I be able to convey the heart of a good man who didn’t have faith? Would I be able to flesh out a woman who had an abundance of faith yet still harbored shame from her past?
But as I started writing this story, I fell in love with these two and their journey to discover the true measure of their worth … and the true measure of love.
Although born to a life of privilege, she doesn’t want her name to be the measure of her worth. Determined to live a simpler life, she dials in to her faith, only wanting to be and do whatever God says she should be and do.
Hunter Kavanaugh, on the other hand, has overcome the instability of his teenage years to forge his own path. He’s made something of himself by his own grit and determination, and he measures his worth in terms of his success and the things it provides him.
When these two literally run into each other outside their building, his grumpy disposition, and obvious high-powered job, leave Shannon unimpressed. No matter how handsome he might be, she has no intention of getting to know this neighbor any better.
But God …
When these two meet up again, a friendship blossoms. Her heart threatens to take her somewhere she’s never been before, but his unbelief gives her the perfect reason to keep her emotional distance.
When God gave me this story concept, I was a little intimidated. Would I be able to convey the heart of a good man who didn’t have faith? Would I be able to flesh out a woman who had an abundance of faith yet still harbored shame from her past?
But as I started writing this story, I fell in love with these two and their journey to discover the true measure of their worth … and the true measure of love.
 Lori DeJong | Lori DeJong (pronounced DeeYung) is an award-winning contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of thirty-plus years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter graduated from college and settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with her husband, and the sweetest grand-dog ever. Lori loves to write about love and romance and all that fun stuff, with a firm foundation of faith. Clean but sassy, sparkly, and even goose-bumpy romance, with God in the middle and characters seeking and learning and changing, couldn’t be more heartwarming or spine-tingly. |
Lori’s debut novel, “Love’s True Calling”, Book One of her True Calling Series, was the 2020 winner of the Scrivenings Press
Novel Starts Contest, winner of the 2022 ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year,
and a doubl-finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards. “Love’s True Home” was released in 2024 and is a 2025 Selah Awards finalist.
Novel Starts Contest, winner of the 2022 ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year,
and a doubl-finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards. “Love’s True Home” was released in 2024 and is a 2025 Selah Awards finalist.
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Lori is giving away the grand prize of
a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!
a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
Blog Stops
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Simple Harvest Reads, August 3 (Author Interview)
Holly’s Book Corner, August 4
Artistic Nobody, August 5 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 6
Guild Master, August 7 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 8
Fiction Book Lover, August 9 (Author Interview)
Pause for Tales, August 10
Vicky Sluiter, August 11 (Author Interview)
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, August 11
Texas Book-aholic, August 12
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 12
For the Love of Literature, August 13 (Author Interview)
Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 14 (Author Interview)
Blossoms and Blessings, August 15 (Author Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, August 3 (Author Interview)
Holly’s Book Corner, August 4
Artistic Nobody, August 5 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 6
Guild Master, August 7 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 8
Fiction Book Lover, August 9 (Author Interview)
Pause for Tales, August 10
Vicky Sluiter, August 11 (Author Interview)
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, August 11
Texas Book-aholic, August 12
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 12
For the Love of Literature, August 13 (Author Interview)
Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 14 (Author Interview)
Blossoms and Blessings, August 15 (Author Interview)
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