Guest Author: Lori DeJong

A Little About Me, My Books, and the Stories That Keep Me Writing

Lori DeJong 

Author Lori DeJong

If you’d told me back in the late 1990s that I’d someday have books on a shelf with my name on them, I probably would have laughed. I’d started writing because I loved stories and had a few of my own rattling around in my head. It took me a little while to get serious about it, though. I didn’t even join a writers’ group until 2002—and that was when the dream started to feel a little more real.

Then life happened.

In 2009, the trials and responsibilities of life interrupted my writing journey, and for a long time, I wondered if I’d ever get back to it. Nearly eleven years passed before I started writing again in 2020. Looking back, I’m amazed at how quickly the old love for storytelling returned. Apparently, it had just been waiting patiently for me!

My first book, Love’s True Calling, was published in 2023. Now, here I am with my fifth book, Sanctuary and Sabotage, releasing September 15. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that I really did go from “I think I’d like to write a book someday” to having five published books, all by the grace of God.

And Sanctuary and Sabotage is a special one.

Like Mistletoe and Malice, Book One in my Guarded Hearts Series, it has suspense, danger, faith, and romance, but there’s an emotional thread running through this story that really tugged at me. At its heart, it’s about the places—and the people—we believe will keep us safe. What happens when that sense of security is threatened? And what does it take to trust again when life has given you plenty of reasons not to?

Those questions made this story about much more than solving a mystery. There are secrets to uncover and crises to survive, of course, but there are also wounds, fears, faith, and the possibility of finding hope in unexpected places.

When I’m not writing or plotting ways to make life difficult for my fictional characters, I live in Georgetown, Texas, with my husband of thirty-three years. We have a daughter and son-in-law who live in the DFW area, and two very spoiled fur-babies who keep us company here at home. I’m pretty sure the fur-babies believe they are the actual owners of the house. They may have a point.

After all these years, I still love the moment when a story begins to take shape—the characters start talking, the plot develops a mind of its own, and suddenly I’m wondering what on earth I’ve gotten my characters into this time.

And I’m very glad I found my way back to mine.

I suppose that’s one of the things I love most about writing. No matter how many years pass, there’s always another story waiting to be told.

 

About the Book:

Protection Specialist Trevor Paxton returns to his Texas hometown carrying the weight of a mission gone wrong. Seeking sanctuary at his family’s ranch, he never expects danger to follow him into the life of Dr. Kinsley Talbot, the once-freckled tomboy now fighting to save her family’s land and the veterinary clinic that is her future.

When Kinsley’s clinic is sabotaged and her barn goes up in flames, Trevor’s instincts tell him she's in danger. But Kinsley refuses his help, determined to protect her family’s legacy without revealing the secret that could bring it all down.
As threats close in and old feelings rekindle, Trevor makes a quiet choice that could cost him her trust. To save Kinsley, he’ll have to expose his own subterfuge—and convince her that love sometimes means standing guard, even from the shadows.

 Ways to Connect with Lori:

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About Lori:

Award-winning author Lori DeJong enjoys penning contemporary stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance and find joy in the moment. She resides in Georgetown, Texas, with her husband and two fur-babies, with a daughter and son-in-law in DFW. Lori is a four-time Selah Award finalist, two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist, has been awarded an Angel Award, and placed second in the FHL Reader's Choice Awards. Her debut novel, Love's True Calling, was the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award. She's also a member of several organizations, including ACFW, Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers, Novel Academy, CenTex Christian Writers, among others. You can visit Lori and sign up for her newsletter at https://loridejongwrites.com.