What Lies Beneath?

The question is one I am sure all of us have asked many times about a number of things. If you are Michelle Pfeiffer then you know a murdering Harrison Ford is lurking beneath the surface of your suburban life. If you are the rock group, Breaking Benjamin, then you’re searching beneath a twisted smile in a Dear Agony Album. If you are a Criminal Minds’ BAU star then you’re deep into the hidden horrors of a killer’s psyche. And LOL if you happen to be in the Highlands with bagpipes then perhaps you are staring at Loch Ness wondering if the legendary monster really lives beneath the murky waves.

In some way we all wonder what lies beneath the surface of what we see. What truths lie beneath the headlines of a gripping news story or an explosive scandal? Finding the answers to that question is never easy because life if not black and white, and there are a multitude of layers coloring the answers.

So, whenever I sit down and write a book, I always ask myself “What lies beneath?” What lies beneath, the façade of a character? The dynamics of the plot? The world in which the story is set? The answers I find often reach into the very heart of the story I tell. In Midnight Secrets, my April 12th the release under the name Jennifer St. Giles, there is a killer lurking beneath the surface of Sean and Alex Killdarens’ lives, a malignant evil that has manipulated an ancient curse to leave both men without hope of love or a future. They are doomed to lives of tortured loneliness. Cassie Andrews and her sisters turn the Killdarens’ world upside down when they come to investigate the disappearance of their cousin. Because of the sisters’ unfailing belief in love and hope and their relentless search for the truth, they change the lives of everyone around them. The theme in all three of the Killdaren Books, Midnight Secrets, Darkest Dreams, and Silken Shadows centers on the power of love and the miracle it brings to life. Love hopes all things. Love heals all things. Love conquers all things.

What has been your experience with the power of love in your life?

In my Silent Warrior Series under the J.L. Saint name, there are underlying themes to each book. When I settled on the title of Collateral Damage, for book one I was drawn to explore the deeper meanings beneath phrase that had been born from war.

The military defines collateral damage as "[the] unintentional damage or incidental damage affecting facilities, equipment, or personnel, occurring as a result of military actions directed against targeted enemy forces or facilities. Such damage can occur to friendly, neutral, and even enemy forces. Since its inception, collateral damage has come to mean so much more and is now applied to many areas of life.

Put simply, every action a person takes has intent, something they are trying to accomplish, and ninety-nine percent of the time there is a world of unintentional consequences as a result of that action.

In my story, Jack Hunter, Lauren Collins and her twin sons are victims of collateral damage, and not just in regards to the injuries Jack suffers on a military mission in Lebanon. Lauren and her sons’ lives are torn apart by the decisions made by her soon to be ex. It is a stark fact in life that all of us are affected by the collateral damage from the choices other people make. And others are damaged by the choices we make, too. As Lauren and Jack realize this in their lives, they also learn from each other one very important thing. How they deal with the fallout of the collateral damage is what determines the quality of their future.

Can you see this in your own life?

Invite you to check out my stories. Midnight Secrets is a historical murder mystery with brooding suspense and a touch of the paranormal. Collateral Damage is a fast paced contemporary romantic thriller featuring military hero Jack Hunter.

The sequels to both of these books will be out in ebook this year. Darkest Dreams, Killdaren Book 2, will be released in August 2011. And Tactical Deception, Silent Warrior Series Book 2 will be released on November 2011.

Look for Collateral Damage in print on 11/1/11 Look for Killdaren Series Book 3, Silken Shadows on February 2012

Check out my Southern Bad Boys, The Weldon Brothers. Wild Irish and Smooth Irish by Jennifer Saints on SALE now at Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook.

Dream, Believe, Create, Inspire, Heal, Love
JL Saint aka Jennifer St. Giles aka Jennifer Saints.

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