Looking out the Window: Genesis Award Winner Valerie Massey Goree Talks about Justice at Dawn, Shares a Yummy Recipe and Two Personal, Inspirational Stories. Gives away a Copy of Her Book.

A Warm Welcome to Valerie Massey Goree

Valerie will give away a copy of Justice at Dawn. Winner's choice, print or e-Book (U.S. residents); e-Book only (non-U.S. residents). 

Valerie also shares a wonderful recipe and her favorite Bible verse with the inspirational stories behind them. 

The Story Behind Valerie's Mother's Shortbread

My mother’s shortbread was a staple in our home when I was a kid. I grew up in the former British Colony of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, in Central Africa. Following our British heritage, we always had people over for tea. Knock on the door any afternoon, and you’d be welcomed with, “Come in. So good to see you. I’ll put the kettle on.” Mom always had her three-tiered cake tin filled with goodies. Sometimes cake, but more often than not, biscuits (cookies), scones, savory cheese straws, and her shortbread.

When I got married in Texas, my parents travelled from South Africa for the wedding. 

Valerie's parents at her wedding.

I’d asked Mom to bring copies of several recipes for me. I didn’t look at them right away, but later when I was in our little kitchen eager to impress my husband, I read her shortbread recipe. Of course all ingredients were in imperial measurements, so I had to find the local equivalent. After the directions, Mom had written, bake until done. Well, I was supposed to know what the shortbread looked like when “done”! Naturally I had to experiment with time and temperature, and finally found the perfect combination. Enjoy.

Gwen Massey’s Shortbread

1 cup butter, room temperature               2 cups sifted all purpose flour#

½ cup powdered sugar                             ½ cup sifted corn flour#

pinch of salt

# Sift before measuring. Mix all ingredients together by hand until butter is incorporated. Knead for a few minutes. Press evenly into a 11 x 7 pan (I use a Corning Ware casserole dish). Sprinkle with white sugar, then prick all over with fork tines. Bake at 310 - 315 for 1 hour or until golden brown. Depending on your oven, you may have to increase bake time. Cut into squares while still warm.

Valerie's Favorite Bible Verse and the Story Behind It

Again, for my favorite Bible verse, I knew immediately what to choose. Psalm 121. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” I prefer the King James Version because I like the fact that our help comes from a place higher than us. Interestingly, I used this Psalm as a character’s favorite in a novel recently published set in Australia. Forever Under Blue Skies. Asked why this was his favorite, Jake states, “Maybe it was the idea that the psalmist emphasized the act of lifting up one’s eyes away from the mundane and trivial that consumed everyday time and energy.” I agree.

But I digress. When I set off for a Christian university in the USA at the tender age of 17, the church held a farewell party for me. One of the elders chose Psalm 121 as the basis for his brief lesson. The message stayed with me for a long time. My parents gave me a Bible at the party, and inside my dad wrote the beginning of a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, published in 1908. “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.’”

The Scripture and the poem helped me navigate life in a “foreign” country and home sickness. Although that all happened a lifetime ago, I still have the Bible and cherish the memories it evokes.

About Justice at Dawn

Justice at Dawn is the third novel in my Stolen Lives Trilogy. An International Retrieval Organization (IRO) agent in the first novel, Weep in the Night, is highlighted in the second, and an agent in Day of Reckoning is highlighted in the third. I always knew I wanted to tell Cooper’s story after his brief appearance in the second novel. Why was he single? How did he get his scar? What contributed to him being one-track minded in his work? 

It is always exciting to create a backstory for a character. To uncover his fears, his shattered dreams, his greatest desire for the future, and discover how those events shaped his personality and his present life.

Of course I had to create a heroine worthy of Cooper’s attention. In my opinion, there are enough novels where the heroine is petite, helpless, always concerned about her perfect makeup. So…my heroine in Justice at Dawn is anything but petite or helpless, and she has a unique backstory. Now, don’t get me wrong, Kitty Claire is vulnerable and has issues from her past she has to overcome, too, but she is the perfect foil for Cooper. You can tell by the cover that she’s a gal with an attitude.

My characters talk to me as I reveal their stories. I knew a little of KC’s early years when I began, but then she filled in her childhood trauma and I nearly cried. Poor little girl to be—never mind. You’ll have to read the novel to find out more. 

IRO agents are essentially private detectives on steroids. They have access to superior technology, and with a hefty budget, they can provide services regular PIs can’t. However, they have to abide by the state’s requirements to obtain a license to operate. As the lead training agent, Cooper provides KC with the necessary course work she needs. 

Cooper, a seasoned agent, has worked with numerous rookies over the years, but he has never had a trainee quite like KC before. She attacks every task head-on, and he quickly discovers that when she said she was not a “run-of-the-mill gal”, he should have believed her. She has a mind of her own, a stubborn streak, and doesn’t hesitate to question his instructions.

Since meeting KC, solid, dependable, predicable Cooper’s life has been turned upside down and his lackluster faith challenged at every turn. She makes him face experiences from his past that have held his soul captive. 

But no matter how much she has influenced his life, will she pass the course and become an IRO agent?

Justice at Dawn is available from the publisher, Harbourlight Books, an imprint of Pelican Book Group, and Amazon Amazon.

More About Justice at Dawn

Cooper Callahan has been an International Retrieval Organization operative for fifteen years. In all that time he has never worked with a trainee like Kitty Claire Briggs. Overflowing with energy, KC isn’t quiet long enough for him to think. But when the boss assigns them a training mission to follow Sadie, his wife, KC’s serious side emerges.

Sure, former stunt double, KC, wants to be an agent, but she also has an ulterior motive to be accepted by IRO—she wants access to their superior technology. Can she locate her quarry without Cooper finding out?

As Cooper shares the finer points of surveillance with KC, his waning faith is strengthened by her enthusiasm for the Lord and for the job. When the training exercise turns into a real abduction, will KC’s naiveté lead to death or to a successful conclusion to the case?   

Bio:

American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award winner Valerie Massey Goree resides on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.

After serving as missionaries in her home country of Zimbabwe and raising two children, Glenn and Valerie moved to Texas. She worked in the public school system for many years, focusing on students with special needs. Now retired in Washington, Valerie spends her time writing, and spoiling her grandchildren. 

Novels include: Deceive Me Once; Colors of Deceit; The Stolen Lives Trilogy, Weep in the Night; Day of Reckoning; and Justice at Dawn. Set in Australia, Forever Under Blue Skies, is now available from Amazon.

Valerie loves to hear from her readers.

Check Valerie’s website to learn more about her books.