Background: I grew up in a village in Upstate New York that has a maximum security correctional facility. My mother and my father (at the end of his work career) were employed there. Mom was administrative assistant to the director of the school program and Dad lead a maintenance crew. Both of them said, more than once, that most of the inmates they had contact with in their jobs said they were innocent of the crime that had gotten them there.
Fast forward a few — okay, a lot — of years. I was gearing up to write a new proposal for Love Inspired and got thinking about the claims of innocence my parents had heard. What if an inmate was falsely convicted of the crime he was incarcerated for and released when that came to light five years later? What if he had found Jesus in prison? What would his reentry into society be like? What prejudice might he encounter? What if he had motherless kids? My story idea was born.
Rhys Maddox wants nothing more than custody of his two sons. Released from prison after a wrongful charge, the widowed dad will do anything to bring his boys home where they belong. But that doesn't include falling for their former social worker. Now leading an outreach program for families in transition, Renee Delacroix can't escape the tall, dark and intriguing single dad — or his adorable little boys. But Rhys is determined to go it alone. Until one incident that may cost him what he wants the most. Now it's up to Renee to save him — if she can make him see she's just what he needs to complete their forever family.
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Now for that giveaway. Again, some background, small-world category. I no longer live in my hometown. But a church friend where we do live does prison ministry. Another worked for the NYS Department of Corrections in Albany and visited various facilities throughout the state. A third worked as a nurse at a maximum security facility a little south of where we currently live. So, here's your question to enter to win a copy of Reuniting His Family (print or ebook; winner's choice): Does anyone here do prison ministry or have a connection to a facility? Or not?
I'll come back Thursday morning and post the randomly chosen winner in the comments.
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