Intersection Column | Where Story and Faith Intersect

by Elizabeth Goddard

I’m a seventh-generation Texan, and growing up, I lived in the same small town surrounded by family on both sides. Roots ran deep. Stability wasn’t something I questioned—it simply was. I didn’t realize how much of my identity was tied to place until God began to uproot me.

Later, after I married and had children, we moved several times because of my husband’s job. Each move tugged at something tender inside me, and maybe even grated on my soul. I hadn’t understood how much security I drew from familiar streets and nearby family until it was gone. In that season, I learned to lean on God in a way I never had before. He became my rock in unfamiliar places, my anchor when everything felt unsettled.

As He so often does, God was writing a larger story.

Through those moves, I discovered the Pacific Northwest—where I now live—and I began setting my stories here, even while living across the country. I fell in love with the rugged coastline, the rainforests, the towering evergreens, the mountains, and yes, even the volcanoes. The dramatic landscape stirred my imagination long before I ever called it home.

Now that we’ve built a life here in Washington, I never run out of breathtaking settings to inspire new stories. My files are filled with ideas waiting for the right moment to grow into full proposals.

One afternoon, while flipping through a regional Washington magazine, I read about Mission Ridge Ski Resort in the Cascade Mountains. In 1944, a World War II plane crashed in those mountains, killing the crew and scattering wreckage across unforgiving terrain. The bodies were recovered, but not all the aircraft parts—the mountains made that nearly impossible. Years later, the crash basin became part of the ski resort, and a salvaged wing was placed on display as a tribute.

The moment I read that, I knew I had a seed of a story.

So I asked: What if the crashed plane had been carrying something deadly? What if it was believed lost in the Pacific Ocean? What if its true cargo remained hidden until the deathbed confession from a World War II veteran brought the truth to light?

That line of questioning became the foundation for When the Silence Breaks, the first book in my Mercy Ridge series. Because the Cascade Mountains are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, I set the fictional town of Mercy Ridge near a restless volcano that rumbles throughout the story—a reminder that danger isn’t always visible and that time can run out in more ways than one.

I brought back Sarah Ellison, a character that readers first met in Cold Light of Day and gave her a story of her own. I’ve always loved connecting books, allowing returning readers to see familiar faces again. For those who recognize Sarah, her reappearance is a quiet reward (an Easter Egg!) For new readers, her journey stands on its own.

As I wrote, I realized Sarah was searching for something deeper than answers about the past. She longed for steadiness—though she couldn’t name it at first. She was searching for home. For safety. For refuge. In the story, she finally realizes what she needs when she sees the hero Ryder Goodwin’s base camp—a place she can return to, regroup, and find peace. It’s at that moment, when everything around her feels unstable and uncertain, she recalls the words of Psalm 46:1: “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” That verse becomes more than a comforting thought. It becomes truth she must stand on.

Readers often ask if I put any part of myself into my characters. I suppose that’s true for Sarah. As I wrote Sarah’s journey, I recognized some of myself I her. The longing for permanence. The desire for solid ground. The hope of finding a place that feels like home. Ultimately, Sarah discovers that her true base camp isn’t just a location or even a relationship—it’s a foundation built on faith. Ryder Goodwin and his family offer her love and stability, but it’s God who provides the unshakable ground beneath her feet, even when standing near a rumbling volcano.

Building our own home here in Washington has brought a sense of stability I once feared I’d lost. God willing, we won’t be moving again. But I’ve learned something deeper along the way: geography can change. Circumstances can shift. Mountains may tremble and volcanoes may rumble.

But the One who is our refuge never moves.

And wherever He is, we are home.

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About the Author

Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and Christy Award–winning author of more than 60 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.

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About the Book

When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather's deathbed confession connected to her brother's murder, she discovers the disclosed information points to a decades-old government secret buried deep in the Cascade Mountains. With this knowledge, she looks for a guide who knows the terrain like the back of their hand. At first, Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her and can't stand by while someone brings danger to his small-town mountain community.