Summary of Reluctant Smuggler:

Looting of archaeological sites is big business in a thriving art and antiquities black market. When a desperate foreign government hires Desiree Jacobs’s security company to stop the hemorrhage, she runs afoul of a deadly art-for-drugs operation. Tony Lucano risks his rising career in the FBI to dive into the international underworld after her. Before either of them can come up for air, they must navigate through a deepening murk of ruthless looters, hair-trigger DEA agents, crooked government agents, and innocent bystanders caught up in an illegal trade beyond their understanding. Even if a miracle delivers Desi and Tony from evil, will their love survive the test?

Complete with a reader’s guide, this third book in the To Catch a Thief series explores the power of hope in the darkest of circumstances.

About Jill Elizabeth Nelson:

Jill Elizabeth Nelson graduated with a degree in literature and creative writing from Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota. She served for three years as the senior inspirational reviewer for Romantic Times BOOKclub magazine and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers Group, and Christian Authors Network. In 2004, she served as a Christy Award judge in the romance category. Nelson and her husband have four children and live in Madison, Minnesota.

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An Interview with Jill Elizabeth Nelson:

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

A museum security expert must stop vicious slavers from stealing lives and ancient heritage.

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

The plot idea came from current concern in the news media regarding the spread of gangs and the horrible issues of drug and slave trafficking, which are among gang activities. In fact, I dedicated Reluctant Smuggler to the International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org), a ministry that works tirelessly throughout the world on behalf of the captive and the helpless. Naturally, I incorporated antiquities smuggling into the story, since the To Catch a Thief series always features stolen art. Readers may find the “art for drugs” scenario pretty fascinating. I had a lot of fun bouncing museum security expert Desiree Jacobs and FBI agent Tony Lucano between sites in Mexico and the eastern seaboard of the United States. Researching the Mayan ruins became habit forming!

What do you want your readers to take away from this book?

The core theme in Smuggler is the vital role of hope in the health of an individual and society. Gangs develop as a false and negative answer to hopelessness and helplessness. I trust readers will see the ultimate hope anyone can have in Jesus Christ. Truth is also a theme in the book, because Desi and Tony must discover the truth in order to survive and free many innocents. Tony’s search for personal identity after a crisis event was a theme that developed as the story unfolded. I hope readers will apply his new understanding of self-worth to themselves. Desi’s struggle with grief, positive vs. negative ways to handle this common human experience, formed a good deal of her character arc, and I hope readers can gain helpful nuggets from her experiences and discoveries.

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

I write mostly on my laptop seated in my easy chair in the living room. We recently converted our youngest child’s bedroom into my office, since she moved out, but there is so much junk stored in there right now, it’s not all that usable. To tell you the truth, I have this quirky ability to tune out my surroundings when I’m concentrating. I can be sandwiched between my husband in the adjacent easy chair watching TV and my son playing games on the PC next to me and still write. I don’t recommend this method, however. Once we get the office back in shape again, I hope to spend more time writing there.

Your favorite book, and why?

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This seasoned author, with dozens and dozens of books under her belt, knows how to strike to the heart with issues that matter and in a way that leaves the reader thoughtful and fulfilled. I want to be her when I grow up.

What book are you currently reading?

Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith. What a hoot! Any middle children out there? You’ll relate! (Me? I’m a bossy older sister, but I still love the story!) I’m also reading for endorsement the ARC of Amy Wallace’s wonderful upcoming release, Healing Promises. Amy and I started getting published at around the same time, and we write in the same genre, so if you like my books, you’re bound to love hers.

What are you working on now? (If you can tell us)

I have a two-book contract with Steeple Hill for their romantic suspense line. The first book will release in February 2009, then the second in June 2009. First up is Evidence of Murder. Here’s a brief summary: When a new business owner discovers photos on her property of a decade-old mass murder, she and the surviving son of the massacre become the target of a desperate and powerful killer.

What one tip would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

Just one? Well, besides the obvious advice to write, write, write, I’d say persevere! Never give up. My dream to become a published novelist was born and died grizzly deaths several times before it happened. If God can bring a dream to pass, in His time and His way, for this middle-aged nobody-in-particular from nowhere special, He can and will do it for anyone.

Posted by admin, in Interviews, Jill Elizabeth Nelson