Books
The Portrait
In Seattle, Faith’s critically ill father is blackmailed for $500,000. In California, a priceless painting is stolen from a museum, and the thieves demand the same ransom.
When Faith discovers a $100 bill washed up on her beach, she unwittingly becomes entangled in a web of deception. Meanwhile, Sandy, the chief security officer of the museum, travels to Washington to investigate the theft.
As secrets from Faith’s family history resurface, she grapples with the revelation that some truths are more painful to conceal than to confront.
In The Portrait by Olivia Godat, readers are drawn into a suspenseful tale where hidden pasts collide with present-day mysteries.
The Final
Eight Seconds
Joey McBride, a rodeo cowboy, is thrown and severely injured by a mean-tempered bull. As he lies in a hospital bed, an angel appears at his side and tells him that she is a procurement agent delivering him to the Disbursement Department, where a Committee will determine his ultimate fate based on his life story. Joey is hesitant to go with her, as he has not attended church in many years and fears that he will not be deemed worthy.
Olivia Godat’s The Final Eight Seconds is a thought-provoking exploration of man’s weaknesses and ultimate end. Through Joey’s story, she examines the power of faith and the choices we make in life, and the consequences that follow.
Skylark Dancing
When Alondra and Felipe meet, they each want only one thing: Alondra wants to go to St. Louis to find her birth family, and Felipe wants to deliver his prize stallion to his ranch in New Mexico.
Captain Baca of the Mexican army wants each of them: Alondra for stabbing him and Felipe for refusing to give him his prize stallion. Together, with their companions Lalo and Clory, they race across Texas, pursued by the Mexican Army, battling the elements, and hiding from the Comanche and Apache.
Each mile finds them falling deeper and deeper in love. Even though Felipe has been committed to an arranged marriage since a child, he gives Alondra the silver bracelet the men in his family traditionally give their intended bride. When they meet, his aristocratic family treats Alondra with disdain as she is an inappropriate wife for their only son. She has no last name, her heritage is questionable, and she is a cantina dancer.
Skylark Dancing by Olivia Godat shows that true love and honor can overcome adversity.
The Blue Mesa
In the settling of the American Southwest, the Indians won many battles but only one war: The Pueblo Rebellion of 1680. In the midst of this war, two teenagers, Diego and his twin sister Estrella, face a life-changing event.
As the war rages, an Apache warrior kidnaps Estrella. Diego rescues her and they take refuge on the Blue Mesa, a sacred mountain of the Pueblo Nation. All is going well, until a strong wind whirls from a cave, picking up Diego and his horse, carrying them to the 21st century.
Diego befriends three boys and learns the fate of the settlers: those who were not killed escaped to El Paso. Diego enjoys the wonders of the 21st century—hot showers, automobiles, pizza—but he never forgets his duty: he has to find a way to return to his own time and warn his people.
The Blue Mesa, by Olivia Godat, tells of the hardships endured while settling the Southwest and captures the spirit of a young boy determined to do the right thing, no matter the cost.