Introducing the lovely C.S. Lakin

Today is NATIONAL AUTHORS DAY!

And it's my pleasure to introduce you to an author who has just exploded on the publishing scene. You see, a while back I started hearing the name Susanne Lakin pop up on the blogs and networks I frequent. She and my friend, Camille Eide, were two of the three finalists for the Zondervan/Mount Herman contest in 2009. Susanne came out the winner, but Camille later told me what a gracious and lovely person Susanne was, and that her writing was stellar. I'd read Camille's entry, which was amazing, so I knew that Susanne must be a very special writer.

Fast forward one year: I met Susanne, who has chosen C.S. Lakin as her author name, in September at the ACFW conference. Lovely, sweet lady, who I'm glad to call friend. Her debut book, Someone to Blame, released October 1, and is a contemporary psychological mystery.  The writing is lyrical, the subject about the loss of a child and the surprising resolution of a family stricken with grief. I hope you'll check out this debut author.

SOMEONE TO BLAME

In the wake of heartrending family
tragedies, Matt and Irene Moore move
with their fourteen-year-old daughter,
Casey, to a small town. Their goal is to
get far away from the daily reminders
that leave each of them raw and guilt-
ridden. Their hope is to find redemption,
repair, and renewal. Instead, the threads
of their relationship unravel even more.

Breakers is a small community
perched on the rocky coast of the Pacific
Northwest. Its cold isolation seems to
mirror the hearts of the family seeking
solace there. As they settle into their new
life, old grief settles with them. They've
once more set the stage for calamity.

Into this mix comes Billy Thurber, a
young drifter with his own conflicts,
whose life unexpectedly entangles with
the Moores’. His arrival in Breakers parallels
a rash of hateful and senseless
crimes, and soon the whole town – eager
for someone to blame – goes after Thurber
with murderous intent. Out of this
dangerous chaos, however, the Moores
find unexpected grace and healing in a
most unlikely way.

A bit more about C.S. Lakin: 

 

C. S. Lakin writes novels in numerous genres, focusing mostly on contemporary psychological mysteries and allegorical fantasy. Her novel, Someone to Blame (contemporary fiction), won the 2009 Zondervan First Novel competition 2009, with a publication date of October 2010. Lakin’s three fantasy novels in the Gates of Heaven series has been contracted with AMG-Living Ink Publishers. The first book in the series, The Wolf of Tebron, released July 2010. Her contemporary mystery, Innocent Little Crimes, made the top one hundred finalists in the 2009 Amazon Breakout Novel Award contest, earning her a Publisher’s Weekly review that noted her book was “a page-turning thrill-ride that will have readers holding their breaths the whole way through.”

Lakin grew up collating television scripts for her screenwriter mother. As an adult, Susanne assisted in developing series for television, and while raising two daughters and running a bed and breakfast inn in northern California wrote her first three novels and a cookbook. She currently works as a freelance copy editor and writing mentor, specializing in helping authors prepare their books for publication. She is a member of The Christian PEN (Proofreaders and Editors Network), CEN (Christian Editor Network), San Francisco Editors Guild, CAN (Christian Authors Network—regular blogger), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), and two regional writers’ groups.

Susanne has just finished her ninth and tenth novels and started another psychological mystery. A very busy lady. And a delightful writer. So whether you like a little mystery or lean toward fantasy, C.S. Lakin is a name you want to remember. Find her here and sign up for her e-newsletter to get the latest news from her publishing journey. 

So, on National Authors' Day, who's your favorite author?