This year’s Frasier Contest has just opened! Today, we’re celebrating one of the authors who makes the contest possible. Lisa Jordan is one of our Frasier Judges, and Lakeside Redemption, her fourth novel, released this month.

Lisa, can you tell us a little bit about your new book?

Zoe James is starting over. She’s worked hard to get past the foolish mistakes that landed her in trouble four years ago. Now the young mom is back in Shelby Lake and ready to reconnect with her son. When she bumps into old friend Caleb Sullivan and his two adorable girls, she sees the possibility of a happy future. Caleb has always secretly loved Zoe, but her turbulent past brings up tough memories of his own. As they spend time together training his girls’ new puppy, Zoe and Caleb will learn that if they can forgive themselves, they might have a chance at a new life—and new love—together.

How did God change you through the course of writing your novel?

There’s a scene toward the end of Lakeside Redemption where Caleb asks Zoe, “Where’s your faith? Where’s your fight?”

I wrote this book during the hardest time of my life. In addition to already mourning the loss of my dad and my father-in-law’s battle with cancer, our youngest son became critically ill the same week my manuscript was due. I sat next to my son’s bed at a university hospital three hours from our house and listened to the hissing of his oxygen meter while I tried to connect words together to form sentences that would make a smidgen of sense. My prayers became a chant of “Please heal him, Lord. Please don’t take my baby (who was 20 years old at that time).” I’ve never been more scared than during that week wondering if he was going to live. I posted desperate pleas for prayer on Facebook.

One night, while trying to sleep in a recliner next to his bed, I felt such an incredible peace. It was as if God was standing beside me with his hand on my shoulder, reminding me to stay faithful because He was going to fight on my son’s behalf. Two days later, the doctors came in and said, “Your son is getting better, but we don’t know why. It’s not because of anything we’re targeting.”

I knew. I knew why he was getting better. The amazing, incredible, mindblowing power of prayer. And God’s presence in that room as He watched one of his children fighting a nasty virus. The events leading up the writing and revising of this novel reminded me once again we serve a God who loves us unconditionally. He longs to have us lean into Him as we keep our faith…and our fight.

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Lisa Jordan has been married to her real-life hero for the past 25 years. She and her husband have two sons. By day, Lisa is an early childhood educator, and by night, she is an award-winning author for Love Inspired. Her debut novel, Lakeside Reunion, won the 2012 Carol Award for short contemporary romance. Her second novel, Lakeside Family, took second place in the 2013 IRCA. Lakeside Redemption, her fourth novel, released this month. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such. She also serves as the My Book Therapy Voices Community Hostess. In her free time, Lisa enjoys papercrafting, Netflix binging, and snuggling with her dog Penny. Visit her at www.lisajordanbooks.com.