Captive by Michael Garrett

My Christian suspense novel, Captive, has a story of its own to tell.

In the late 1980s I completed my first secular novel, Keeper, and submitted it to one of the top literary agents of the day. My high hopes were squashed when I received a scathing response: This doesn’t work at any level. It will never sell.

I was devastated. I had poured my heart and soul into this book; how could I have been so wrong as to actually believe it was good?

After awhile, I got angry. Why would a respected literary agent be so brutal? His opinion applied to no one but himself, so I set out to prove him wrong and persisted with submissions. Soon, the novel that was predicted to never sell sold out its initial printing and was optioned for a movie. Now, over thirty years later, I still receive royalties. How’s that for a novel that will never sell?

I learned a valuable lesson through that experience and I hope my fellow writers will glean from it as well: No one is the ultimate authority in this industry. No single individual’s opinion matters.

If you believe in yourself, never give up. Prove your critics wrong!

Over the years my life has changed. No one is the same now as they were thirty years ago. I decided to re-tell the Keeper story from a Christian perspective and take it in a new direction. Captive is the result: Elise Farmington, rescued from certain death by good Samaritan David Stetson,  suffers from PTSD and can’t recall the accident, mistakenly believing instead that she’s been kidnapped. Trapped together in isolation by a freak ice storm, Elise realizes that her misperception has become a reality when she’s held captive by a lonely, desperate man who falls in love with her and longs to hold her forever.

Some dreams should never come true . . .

I hope you’ll give it a try.

You might also consider my woman-in-jeopardy Christian suspense novel Over the Edge. A newbie Christian, Larissa Baxter, has been in hiding to avoid prosecution for a crime she didn’t commit. Although all charges have been dropped, she remains reluctant to resurface. But just when she considers living publicly again, a new threat catches her by surprise and her life is in greater danger than ever.

For the second time in her life someone wanted Larissa Baxter dead . . .

And watch out for Nothing to Lose, coming soon,and find out how Larissa got into this mess in the first place.

Many blessings to you all!

About the Author

Michael Garrett holds the distinction of having served as Stephen King’s first editor and publisher. He’s one of the world’s top independent book editors, living in a small Alabama town. His life revolves around God, his wife of 35+ years, Sharon, two adult children, five grandchildren, a dachshund, and one grand dog.

As a former Writer’s Digest School Editorial Associate and contracted editor with Pocket Books and Kensington Publishing, Michael has worked with scores of highly successful authors, as well as thousands of new writers seeking publication. For over twenty years he taught a highly acclaimed writing workshop series coast-to-coast. Michael is a devoted Christian who is truly blessed. “God has given me so much. All of the goodness in my life comes directly from Him.”