Intersection Column | The Distance Between Us
- mtlmagazine
- 29 minutes ago
- 3 min read
by Elizabeth Goddard
I had so much fun writing Deadly Currents because I got to include all the adventurous elements I love—and honestly, I figured some of them might get cut. I mean, a ghost ship? Pirates? Wasn’t that a little out of my lane? But somehow, it all worked. I wove it together with the kind of romantic suspense I always write—stories that carry a redemptive thread, often anchored in the theme of forgiveness.
In Deadly Currents, I wanted to explore forgiveness on a deeper, more personal level—especially what happens when love and pain collide in estrangement. I’ve always wondered how people can become so hurt that they turn away from family or loved ones entirely.
As a seventh-generation Texan, I grew up in a small town and a close-knit community of family and friends. My children had wonderful Christian role models and were surrounded by people I trusted completely. So, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could walk away from family.
Until we moved to Oregon.
My husband came to me with a job offer in Oregon—an opportunity he really wanted. I didn’t want to leave Texas. My roots ran deep in East Texas soil. In my mind, I saw a giant oak being torn from the ground. Still, we prayed for guidance, and though the answer wasn’t the one I wanted, we both felt God’s clear leading to go.
Up until that point, I spoke with my mother nearly every day. She and my grandmother would come over for lunch, spend time with the grandkids, and share in our daily lives. But when I told them we were moving, they couldn’t understand. In their eyes, I was taking their grandbabies away. The hurt was deep on both sides. For two weeks, as we packed and prepared to leave, I didn’t hear from them at all. No calls, no visits, no help loading boxes. The silence was deafening.
Only then did I understand how emotions—grief, disappointment, fear—can build a wall too high to climb, even between people who love each other deeply. I’ll never forget the ache of that silence. But once we arrived in Oregon, I picked up the phone and called home. We all agreed to let go of the hurt and move forward. Forgiveness healed what pride had broken.
That experience shaped my heart—and my writing. In Deadly Currents, Cressida is estranged from her mother, Octavia, whom she blames for destroying her career. Though she still loves her mother, the pain feels insurmountable. Someone gently tells her, “Forgive before it’s too late.” Yet even with that truth ringing in her ears, she struggles.
I could relate. I remember falling to my knees, tears streaming, asking God to heal my heart and help me forgive. And He did. He always does.
Forgiveness isn’t a one-time event—it’s a current that keeps moving through us, reshaping the landscape of our hearts, carrying us toward peace, and closing the distance.
About the Author
Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and Christy Award–winning author of more than sixty novels, including the Missing in Alaska, Rocky Mountain Courage, and Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies. She is a Carol Award winner, a two-time Reader’s Choice Award winner, and a Daphne du Maurier Award and HOLT Medallion finalist. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. Learn more at ElizabethGoddard.com.
About the Book
Investigative journalist Cressida Dane arrives in Hidden Bay after a worldwide journey to finish her late father's manuscript on shipwrecks. As Cressida uncovers more about a “ghost ship,” she quickly realizes that her research has placed her in the crosshairs of dangerous forces. County detective Braden Sanders is assigned to protect Cressida, but more is brewing under the surface than they could ever imagine.