One Smooth Stone by Marcia Lee Laycock

Hi Friends,

I came across a novel lately that intrigued me, and I wanted to tell you about it. It's sitting here on my desk, and I'm hoping to read it very soon, but I wanted to post on it now, before time got away from me.

So, here it is. It's called ONE SMOOTH STONE, written by Canadian author Marcia Lee Laycock.

Here's a bit about it:

Alex Donnelly is on the run, trying to hide from his past life, the police and from God. He picks a good place to hide – the wilderness of the Yukon in northern Canada. When a lawyer shows up at his cabin one day, Alex has a hard time believing the news he has come to deliver – that he has inherited a large sum of money. But Alex’s need to find out who his parents were drives him to return to the city where he was born. It is there he discovers something so disturbing it makes him run back to hide in the north, but God has a few divine appointments waiting for him there. One is with another man who is also hiding in the wilderness and the other is with a grizzly bear.

Here's more info from the author herself:

Q: Why do you write in this genre (what do you love about it?) and do you write in other genres as well?

A: This was my first go at the contemporary genre – the story I wanted to tell fit well in that category, though some have said it fits well in the suspense genre too. I have also written a fantasy for young adults (not published yet, though an editor is interested) and two non-fiction devotional books (Essence Publishing).
Q: Why did you write this novel?

A: The germ of the idea came when a woman from a local Pregnancy Care Centre spoke at our church. While chatting with her she said, “Can you imagine what it would be like for someone to discover his mother had tried to abort him?” I did imagine and the character of Alex Donnelly emerged.

Q: Please share a significant moment for you as you were writing the book (either personally or professionally).

A: Hmm – interesting question. Writing some of the abuse scenes in the book were difficult for personal reasons. Professionally, seeing how God brought people to mind who could help with some of the details in the book – a policeman, a paralegal, for instance – I think these were divine appointments God put in my life many years ago, for the specific purpose of being able to offer the information needed to make the book authentic and believable. In a way, my experience of living 12 years in the Yukon was exactly that as well – God does not waste anything in our lives. The moment I finished the book was also significant in that now I knew I could do it – I could write a long fiction from beginning to end. Of course winning the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award was significant too!

Q: Why do you think your fiction matters?

A: I think a lot of people are running and hiding - from their lives and from God. We all do this to some degree (even Christians) and I believe God wants us to stop and face the past traumas, what we have done, etc. And he wants us to know He loves us in spite of it all.

The very first book I took out of the box went to a friend whose daughter was raped as a teenager. She did not intend to read the book when her mom gave it to her, but she came down with the flu and had nothing else in the house to read at the time. She called her mom at midnight, said she couldn’t put it down and that she “finally believes God loves me, in spite of everything.” That makes it all worth while, knowing God is using the book to accomplish His purposes.

Q: What other books have you written?

A: Focused Reflections – a devotional on special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother’s Day, etc.
The Spur of the Moment – a compilation of my devotional column – currently sold out, but I hope to do a new edition soon.

For more information, here are links to Marcia's publisher - http://www.castlequaybooks.com/

and her website – http://www.vinemarc.com/