Carol James | Let’s Chat | No Longer a Captive

As an Air Force brat, the longest Carol James ever lived in one place was a year and a half. Maybe that’s why, when she and her husband bought their first home forty-two years ago, they stayed put. She lives in a town outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.

Loving intriguing stories with happy endings, she writes Redemptive Romance. Her debut novel, Rescuing Faith, was a number one Amazon best-seller. Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter and learn about new releases: www.carol-james.com

Recently, Carol allowed Zoe to establish Instagram and Facebook pages with two of her dog friends, Sandy and Brody. Follow them at 3 Dogs and Their Authors to discover the behind the scenes info about being a writer’s dog.

When she’s not walking Zoe, Carol enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, as well as traveling. On Sundays, she loves serving in the production department at her church. And most days, in the late hours of the night, you’ll find her bringing her newest novel to life.

The Journey from Idea to Publication: No Longer a Captive by Carol James

One question people always ask me is, “Where do you get the ideas for your books?” Oh, ideas hover all around us. We need only open our eyes and see the common and everyday through the lenses of our faith. Oftentimes I’ll hear a song, read a Bible verse, or listen to a sermon. And one small phrase will reach out and grab my imagination. Thus was the case with No Longer a Captive.

Several years ago, my husband and I began attending a large church near our home. We’d heard people talk about the inspiring sermons their pastor, Buddy Hoffman, preached. So when the time came for us to change churches, we knew exactly where we wanted to go.

Buddy was unlike any preacher I had ever heard. He had a folksy manner, and he absolutely delighted in tripping all over the English language. Once he told us about a recent mission trip to Asia where he saw Kubotas (i.e. pagodas) dotting the landscape. A picture of a hill covered with riding mowers and tractors popped into my mind.

One Sunday morning, he preached about forgiveness.

Ten years later, I don’t remember the major points of the sermon. I remember only one statement he made. “Unforgiveness is a prison.” My English-major self tensed, knowing unforgiveness wasn’t even a word. My husband would have called it a Buddy-ism. But it didn’t matter that unforgiveness wasn’t listed in the dictionary or that spell-check would underline it. That brief statement carried a depth of meaning that entire books might not. Later, in the same service, our worship pastor led us in the song “No Longer Slaves.” And from this service, the idea for No Longer a Captive was born.

I truly believe one of the hardest things God asks Christians to do is to forgive. Anyone who’s ever parented children knows forgiveness doesn’t come naturally. It’s often easier to forgive the penitent, but forgiving someone who’s not sorry, who doesn’t care? That can be tough. It’s sometimes easier to sweep the wrong aside. Try to forget it and go on with life. But forgiveness is active. It’s not enough to simply push the wrong down into your heart rather than dealing with it.

As humans we often seek justice instead of grace.

If someone has hurt us, our carnal selves can want them to be hurt––to feel the pain we felt. But the unwillingness to forgive actually makes us prisoners of our own pain.

In No Longer a Captive, Ethne is trapped in a prison of “unforgiveness.” She’s spent most of her life running away from the pain her father’s behavior caused. She searches for peace through forgetting. But the only way she can find it is to come to terms with the hurt her father caused. For her to find freedom, she must forgive him as she has been forgiven. And true freedom comes from only one place.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:36

No Longer a Captive

When Ethne O’Connor’s brother, Sean, tells her of their father’s unexpected death, he asks her to do something she promised herself she’d never do. Come back home.

A victim of childhood abuse, Ethne left her father and the small Texas town of Crescent Bluff ten years earlier on the night of her high school graduation. She’s determined to end the cycle of abuse and believes the only way to do that is remain single. If she has no husband, she’ll never have children that can be abused.

Then she meets Daniel Spenser, a handsome doctor with chocolate-kiss eyes. Daniel understands her past in a way no one else she knows does. He’s lived it.

Will Daniel be able to help Ethne break the chains of captivity around her heart?

And will God release her from her past, to be free to trust the man she comes to love?

Purchase Links for No Longer a Captive

Amazon: No Longer a Captive Amazon

Pelican: No Longer a Captive Pelican

B&N: No Longer a Captive B&N

KOBO: No Longer a Captive KOBO

A Covert Cowboy Christmas

If you’re looking for something uplifting for the Christmas season, check out this year’s Christmas novella, A Covert Cowboy Christmas. It will be available December 1, but preorder now: Amazon. 

A December ice storm destroys Rebekah Kingston’s Christmas plans. The power is out and the West Texas roads are closed indefinitely. So, she’s forced to spend Christmas at her brother Braden’s ranch instead of at home with her parents.

But Rebekah and Braden are not alone. Also stranded is an annoyingly chatty ranch hand, Dirk Sims. While Rebekah is certain she’s met him before, Dirk insists she’s mistaken. 

However when Rebekah inadvertently eavesdrops on one of Dirk’s phone conversations, she discovers his lie. Dirk is not who he seems. This Christmas just got interesting.

 Purchase links for A Covert Cowboy Christmas by Carol James

Amazon: A Covert Cowboy Christmas Amazon

Pelican: A Covert Cowboy Christmas Pelican

B&N: A Covert Cowboy Christmas B&N

KOBO: A Covert Cowboy Christmas KOBO