The latest Quilts of Love release - Hidden in the Stars - out today!
Dealing with the loss
of a dream
Robin
Caroll’s new book tells of a young athlete robbed of everything she holds dear
Where do you turn when a dream you’ve cherished in your
heart for your entire life is completely shattered? In her new release, Hidden
in the Stars (Quilts of Love series from Abingdon Press/September 16, 2014/ISBN:9781426773600/$13.99),
Robin Caroll introduces us to a
young woman who must find the strength to continue living after losing
everything she cares about.
At 21 years
old, Sophia Montgomery has been working toward the goal of becoming an Olympic
gymnast since she was a young girl, but everything changes one night when she
is attacked in her mother’s home. Her attacker leaves her with career-ending
injuries and the inability to speak. Most tragically, he snuffs out her beloved
mother’s life. Reeling from the loss of her mother and her dreams, Sophia has
no choice but to accept her estranged grandmother’s invitation to come and live
in their family home.
Sophia’s sense of self has always been wrapped up in
her goals and aspirations, so now she is left wondering just who she is. “So often we begin to
believe our dreams define who we are,” Caroll says. “What we do becomes our identifier. I wanted to
portray a character who had worked hard for something all her life, something
her mother, who had once held a prestigious role in the Russian ballet, had
sacrificed much to help her attain, yet she had it snatched away with no hope
of reclaiming it. I think we (myself included) sometimes need to realize we
are, first and foremost, a child of God and not a dream or a goal.”
Meanwhile,
the killer is still on the loose, and detective Julian Frazier is hard at work
trying to crack the case. Julian goes back and forth between being attracted to
and frustrated by Sophia, who is young, beautiful and afraid, but who can’t
offer much to the case due to the loss of her voice. Caroll admits the injury
was written as a thinly veiled metaphor. “When we’re attacked, physically,
mentally or spiritually, we often feel we aren’t heard . . . that our cries for
help fall on deaf ears.”
Detective
Frazier is forced to hide his feelings as mere concern for a trauma victim and turns
his laser focus on finding the killer. Little do they know, though, that the key
to solving the case might be right in front of them, displayed in Sophia’s
mother’s special quilt, made from some of her most exquisite ballet costumes. Who
will finally realize the secret Sophia’s unwittingly been hiding in plain
sight? When the truth comes to light, will Sophia find her voice again? Or will
the murderer — still at large — silence her forever?
Caroll hopes readers of Hidden in the Stars will not only be entertained by this murder
mystery, threaded with themes of family ties and sacrifice, but that they will
also walk away from the book reminded that what others might mean for evil in
our lives, God can use for good.
The
premise of the Quilts of Love series is that quilts tell stories of
love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The series focuses
on the women who quilted all of these things into their family history.
Featuring contemporary and historical romances, as well as Amish fiction, women’s
fiction and the occasional light mystery, readers are drawn into the endearing
characters and touched by their stories.
A special
tradition the Quilts of Love authors have instituted with each release is the
donation of a quilt to their chosen charity or individual in need. Robin Caroll will be giving her quilt
to the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute. For more than 35 years, CARTI has
been bringing the fight to cancer with leading edge technology and
compassionate hearts, offering comprehensive cancer treatments to patients
throughout Arkansas. As the largest private cancer clinic in Arkansas, CARTI
provides a wide range of services that treat more than just cancer, believing
very strongly in caring for the patient as a whole – including the physical,
emotional and financial well-being of each patient.
CARTI will
be accepting the quilt to auction in their annual fundraiser, Festival of
Trees. “I chose CARTI because my mother-in-law was under their care during her
battle with cancer, and they were such a blessing to my husband’s family during
such an emotional time,” Caroll explains. “The appreciation for how CARTI
stepped in and oversaw everything and assisted the family will never be
forgotten.”
Keep up with the Quilts of Love
series online at: QuiltsOfLoveBooks.com ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Advance Praise for Hidden in the Stars
“Caroll is one of my favorite authors. She grabs
you from the first page and never lets go. Hidden
in the Stars is her best novel yet, and the heart-pounding suspense plot
kept me guessing all the way through. I'll be recommending this to everyone!”
~ Colleen Coble, author of Seagrass Pier and the Hope Beach series
“Caroll has written an engaging whodunit, with scenes that
unfold expertly and keep the action moving and suspense alive. And though the
romance plot line is sweetly written, the characters’ faith journeys are also
deeply explored. Fans of suspense will be pleased with this light but
entertaining read.”
~ Publishers
Weekly
About the Author
Robin Caroll is the author of 22 published novels. Her books have been
named finalists in contests such as the Carol Awards, HOLT Medallion, Daphne du
Maurier, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, Bookseller’s Best and Book of the Year.
She gives back to the writing community by serving as conference director for
American Christian Fiction Writers.
Born and raised in Louisiana, Caroll
is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell
stories to entertain others. An avid reader herself, she loves hearing from and
chatting with other readers.
When she isn’t writing, Caroll
spends time with her husband of more than 20 years, her three beautiful
daughters and two handsome grandsons and their character-filled pets at home in
Little Rock, Arkansas.
For
more information about Robin Caroll and her books, visit her online home at www.robincaroll.com. She is also active on Facebook and Twitter.
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