Intersection Column | Trusting God, Stormy Nights, and Brooding Shores

by Elizabeth Goddard

Growing up in a small town in East Texas, I loved reading the gothic romances of the Bronte sisters, Victoria Holt, Daphne Du Maurier, and Phyllis A. Whitney. Novels by these writers have much in common: dark and stormy nights, violent crashing waves, a foggy and foreboding landscape, and, not to be forgotten, an old cliff-side mansion overlooking a rocky shore. These stories enabled me to travel widely while sitting in my favorite comfy chair—on the edge of my seat, of course. I loved them and consumed all that I could get my hands on, and at some point, I believed I could even write my own novel. I added that to my what-do-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up list along with astronaut and marine biologist. While some kids eventually grow up to live their dreams, I’m not an astronaut and I failed SCUBA in college. God had other plans.

When I was fourteen, I wrote twenty-five pages of a romance novel that included all the above-listed gothic elements and a lost stallion. I never finished that story, but it remains vivid in my mind. Many who’ve read my novels know that I love to set my high-stakes suspense stories against stunning backdrops to portray God’s creation. I can look back over my life and see how my experiences have played into His plan.

In my twenties, I was blessed with a job for which I traveled most of this country, Canada and the Caribbean. When I had my first child, I resigned to stay home, and thought now’s the time to pursue that dream of writing. Over the next several years, I attended conferences and worked on proposals while raising four children and moving to different parts of the country for my husband’s job.

I’ve experienced the triple digit heat of Texas and the subzero temps of Minnesota and Michigan. In Oregon I hiked the Redwood Forest and searched for sea anemones in tide pools along the coast. When we lived on a Louisiana bayou, on any given day of the week I could open my door and find a large snapping turtle blocking my path. Even with the story fodder gained from living across the country, I still longed to see the rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula.

I thought it would never happen.

But God had other plans. About five years ago we moved to Washington state, and I now live in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, an active volcano. The rainforest and the breathtaking Washington coastline, much of it designated wilderness area, is a short drive from my home.

Living in Washington, thoughts of those old gothic romances rushed back to mingle with my current ideas. So I created a series called Hidden Bay, set at a storm-watching lodge along the stunning rocky Washington coast. I captured all the above-mentioned elements—crashing waves and fog, the worst storm in a decade, a brooding landscape to go with flawed characters, anti-heroes—those with dark secrets and heavy burdens from the past. To that I added psychological intrigue. One of my favorite quotes from Storm Warning: “What is it about some minds that hide the horror, bury it away, and other minds turn the memories into a living nightmare?”

I’m getting chills just thinking about this story. I hadn’t consciously thought of that first story I started at fourteen until writing this article. That stormy coastal novel must have been lurking inside, waiting patiently for the moment I would write it. The only issue? There’s no stallion. Maybe I need to add a horse in book three . . .

Would I call Storm Warning a gothic novel? No. Though it shares some elements with the genre, this book is still a high-stakes adventure romantic suspense novel written in the style my readers expect. But because this is my ministry of words, Storm Warning includes spiritual nuggets, images of the glory of God’s creation, and reminders of how we can trust God through the storms. In Storm Warning, my main character—Remi Grant—can’t trust anyone, including herself and her memories, but she can still trust God.

“Above the sound of the surging water, and the mighty waves of the sea, the Lord sits enthroned in majesty.” Psalm 93:4 (NET)

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About the Author

Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and Christy Award-winning author of more than sixty novels, including Cold Light of Day and Shadows at Dusk, as well as the Rocky Mountain Courage and Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies. She is a Carol Award and Reader’s Choice award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award and HOLT Medallion finalist. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. Learn more at ElizabethGoddard.com.

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About the Book

Haunted by a half-forgotten past, former army photographer Remi Grant is working at an isolated storm-watching lodge on the rocky Washington coast when she receives a mysterious puzzle piece. The piece may be the catalyst to unlock a disturbing incident she struggles to remember. But with heavy storms rolling in, she must focus on the present, not get caught up in the past.