Naming the Hero in The Christmas Child

Linda Goodnight here. Most of my characters come to me with a name, but when I began writing THE CHRISTMAS CHILD, the reticent hero wouldn’t tell me a thing! So, knowing I have brilliant readers, I hopped onto Facebook and ask for help. The hero was a seasoned undercover agent with a wounded spirit, cynical and aloof, but a good man at the core. That’s all the info I knew and all my helpers needed to come with some terrific ideas. Over the period of several days and lots of cool names that I kept for future reference, a consensus formed around the name Kade McKendrick. Perfect, I thought, for this particular hero.


So, a year later, THE CHRISTMAS CHILD, book four in the Redemption River series, is finally on the shelves. If you helped with Kade’s name, thank you! If you weren’t in on the name game, I hope you’ll check him out just the same and let me know what you think.

Thanks, friends!

Read an excerpt

One quick question: Does it bother you to see Christmas books and items this early? Or are you one of those who can’t wait to get started?

The End!

Linda Goodnight here, pounding away toward a June 1 deadline and the final installment of the five book series, Redemption River. Hanging out in this small town with Popbottle Jones, GI Jack and a cast of broken spirits who discover hope and healing has been a fulfilling experience. The books have been good to me, garnering two RITA finalists and a Booksellers’ Best final this year, and readers have written beautiful letters about the way the stories have impacted them. So, it is with bittersweet feelings that I cross the bridge to Redemption one last time and bring this series to a close. Of course, book four won’t be out until Christmas and book five is scheduled for next spring, so they will still be around for a while. Still, I'll miss my daily visits.


Has there ever been a series that you especially loved and were sorry to see end?