Kindle Ebook $2.99
May 2018
About the Book:
Tempest. Stella. Cherise. Fate brought them
together, but can their friendship survive the tangled web of danger and
deception that threatens their very lives? When Cherise convinces Tempest to
pretend to be her so that she can sneak out of the country to be with her
dashing Italian boyfriend, she is inadvertently implicated in an international
drug ring. An unexpected complication forces Tempest to prolong the charade and
she finds herself attracted to the very man who might be out to cause her harm.
Meanwhile, Stella’s high ideals are met with suspicion and disdain at her
father’s Texas ranch, until she uncovers a dangerous secret that could put all
their lives in jeopardy. At the same time, her own errant emotions take over as
she falls in love with two brothers at the same time. Things heat up when Cherise
is kidnapped and the three friends must turn to one another – and God - to get
out of harm’s way. Three Strand Cord
is a story of intrigue and romance told from three different points of view,
all coming together to prove that when it comes to true friendship, ‘a three
strand cord is not easily broken’.
All
Good Things Come In Threes
Good things come in threes. Three act
plays, primary colours, most fairy tale structures (three pigs, three bears, three
mice), the three musketeers, and of course God Himself – Father, Son and Holy
Spirit!
In my own childhood, this was certainly the
case. I had two ‘best’ friends growing up and we literally spent every day with
each other. We talked, we played, we told secrets – it didn’t matter as long as
we were together. One friend moved away, but I soon gravitated to another set
of ‘best’ friends during my teen years. The three of us were initiated into
adulthood as we navigated those tempestuous waters, tasting the ‘forbidden
fruit’ and all that other jazz that teens are ‘supposed’ to do. (My shortened
version so as not to shock you, dear readers!) Even after we went on to
college, we kept in touch. One introduced me to my husband, and these two were
bridesmaids at my wedding.
Lasting friendship is one of the themes of
my new novel, Three Strand Cord. The three friends, Tempest, Stella, and
Cherise, have been through a lot together, but in this story their loyalty is
tested to the limits as a simple ‘fib’ leads to a web of deceit that lands one
of them in serious trouble.
I’m not sure how many readers will catch
the hidden acrostic in the title. Three Strand Cord contains the first
letters of each character’s name – Tempest, Stella and Cherise. It wasn’t
originally that way. I had the title
down quite early in the project – not something that always happens – but I
knew it fit perfectly with the theme of friendship as well as the theme that
God is the truest friend anyone can have.
Originally, Stella was named Myriah, but somewhere I had an epiphany
that if I changed her name to something with an ‘S’, it would mirror the title.
I spent some time scouring baby name books and finally settled on Stella.
There are two more books in the series – Blood
Ties and Tempest Tossed. In the end, the real theme of the series is
that God is the best friend of all. He is the friend that sticks closer than a
brother. I hope those that read it find encouragement to let Jesus be that kind
of friend.
Lisa Lickel's Review:
Tracy Krauss gives her fans a new novel of friendship that
takes her readers on a tumultuous ride across the United States and across the
ocean to Italy.
Three friends who met at boarding school come from very
different backgrounds. Tempest, the naïve orphan, Stella the cowgirl, and
Cherise the spoiled rich daughter. All have secrets, weaknesses and strengths
that draw them together and, as iron sharpens iron, helps make them want to be
better.
The first half of the book is divided into three segments as
each girl shares current events. Tempest wants to reconnect with her past, and
when an unexpected opportunity falls in her lap, she reluctantly pushes aside
her conviction of newfound faith to participate in a lie. She becomes an
unwitting pawn in a game perpetrated by her friend Cherise’s equally spoiled
brother. Stella, having completed a masters degree in environmental science,
returns home to the Texas ranch where she was raised. Her complicated
relationship with her stepmother and her best friends, the foreman’s sons,
create tension, exacerbated when she stumbles on the not-too-subtle secret
shame of the land she’s loved all her love. When Stella realizes her friends
have grown up and no longer consider her a kid, either, all’s fair in love and
war. The ranch becomes both battleground and haven when Tempest needs a safe
harbor. Both Tempest and Stella’s devout housekeeper help Stella to reexamine
her absent faith. Cherise lives in the moment, doing exactly what she pleases
and forcing everyone around her to bow to her wishes. When she follows her
Italian lover, she gets a rude awakening. But going home is impossible when
she’s caught up in international intrigue. A secret phone call to Tempest sets
up a risky rescue attempt.
Although there will be more stories in this series of
friendship adventures, A Three Strand Cord is a complete story. Initially told
from the three friends’ viewpoints, the second half of the story comes together
beautifully as each of the three learn to rely on dependence and trust in each
other and the Lord.
While inspirational, some of the situations in the story
portray sexual situations and violence, as well as pet death. A Three Strand
Cord is a big story, from the east to west coast US and Texas, as well as
Italy, and covers a lot of action. With three very different personalities in
the main characters, readers of contemporary romance with suspense and action
will find the book a breathless read.
Tracy
Krauss is a multi-published novelist, playwright,
and artist with several award winning and best selling novels, stage plays,
devotionals and children’s books in print. Her work strikes a chord with those
looking for thought provoking faith based fiction laced with romance, suspense
and humor – no sugar added. She holds a B.Ed from the U of S and has lived in
many remote and interesting places in Canada’s far north. She and her husband
currently reside in beautiful BC where she continues to pursue all of her
creative interests. http://tracykrauss.com “Fiction on the edge – without crossing the
line”
Carol has
a B.A. in Anthropology and Languages from Bethel College, St. Paul, Minnesota,
and elementary education teaching certification from Boise State College,
Boise, Idaho. She received her M.A. in College Instruction
with special emphasis in English as a Second Language from Eastern Washington
University, Cheney, WA. She taught English language for foreign
students at North Idaho Jr. College where she was also the foreign student
advisor. She has also held teaching posts at Gonzaga University, and Whitworth
College. In addition, Carol also served for six years
as Education Director for Elijah House Ministries, Post Falls, ID. As
representatives of Elijah House, she and David ministered in Australia,
Germany, Finland, and extensively across the U.S. Later,
they spent 8 years in Victoria, B.C. where David supervised the internship
program for Elijah House Canada. It was in Canada that Carol began
writing as a ministry. She was written a number of books, including the
popular, Mystery of Spiritual Sensitivity, which has been translated into four
languages. She is also the author of the Sassy Pants Learns series, in which
she distills some of the more mysterious truths of life into the language of
children. Find more at her website and Amazon Author page.
Larry Vaughn, author of The Bible Believer's Handbook, has released his latest work, A Crash Course in the Bible, Vaughn, a Vietnam Vet and former postal worker, took up Bible study when PTSD blindsided him. He's excited to share the things he's learned.
