Follow Blake Riley out into the desert state of New Mexico as she paints the beautiful landscape and learns about the fascinating culture of the Navajo people, while trying to navigate the rather explosive atmosphere that has settled on this dig site and learn why everyone is so convinced there is a treasure buried somewhere out here.

Sun Racer is the very first book that I was able to publish, and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love it. It was was definitely quite the journey getting something from inside my head onto paper in a way that people would understand, and let me tell you, it was not easy. I learned so much during the process, about writing, storytelling, formatting, and graphic design, but the end result is a beautiful book that I’m proud to put my name to and share with others!

So much went into this story. I’ve always had a great love of history and archaeology. The Navajo were the first Native American tribe I took an interest in researching, stemming from my passionate love of World War II and learning about the Navajo Code Talkers and the impact they had at that time. Our church supports a few missionaries who minister to the Spanish-speaking people and Navajo tribes out west, and I got to learn so much about the culture out there. One day perhaps I’ll be able to visit and see some old ruins myself. Secrets, codes, languages, and mysteries are yet another of my passions, and weaving that into the story was a lot of fun!

I’m not sure I could pick a favorite character, as I love all of them dearly, but Blake was a delightful character to view the story from. I channeled all of my eagerness and excitement over learning new things into her. I can be excitable, but not nearly as much as she is, so it was a ton of fun living out that part of my personality in more depth on the page! She started off as simple a young woman with a desire to learn, based somewhat on my younger self, but she quickly became her own person, blossoming into an adventurous artist with a kind heart and a love for people.

Mr. and Mrs. Finn, the couple who take Blake on her big archaeological dig, are based off of all the elderly people I’ve met over the years who have a spark of adventure in them and a lot of wisdom. The world needs more stories from characters who have lived through so many things and seen God work miracles, and bringing those two to life was an absolute delight!

Want to know a secret? Whatever church the main characters of my story are apart of, that church will have a name that’s derived from my own! Little River Independent Baptist Church has been my home church all my life. I’ve made lifelong friends, seen people grow in the Lord, walked the darkest valleys and stood on the highest mountains in that place. To honor all that God has done for me there, every church in my stories has a name that somehow references rivers or water. Keep an eye out for those and see if you can make the connections!