From Ashes to Honor: First Responders Book #1

If he had only answered that last phone call from the World Trade Center . . . Minutes before two jumbo jets changed U.S. history, New York police officer Austin Finley ignored the call from his brother, who'd been bugging him for days. Trying to live with his one regret causes hatred and bitterness to consume Austin, and when counselor Mercy Samara recommends desk duty, Austin resigns. Haunted by her own memories of 9/11, Mercy takes a job as a school counselor in Baltimore. When Austin, now an EMT, responds to an emergency at Mercy's school, both are stunned and wary. Finally their common--and painful--memories turn suspicion into friendship, then romance. But hard questions linger: Can they truly move beyond their past harsh judgments and harsh words? Will their past finally bring them closer or--as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 draws near--drive them farther apart? "Loree Lough proves once again her superb storytelling skills in From Ashes to Honor, peopled by characters so lifelike they seem to jump from the pages." --Cathy Bryant, author of the award-winning Texas Roads and A Path Less Traveled "Loree Lough's characters allow us to re-explore what happened ten years ago and examine our feelings, perhaps like never before." --Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield, Founder, Christ 4responders and Chaplain, Katy, Texas Fire & EMS


About the Author
Lough, Loree: - With nearly 4,500,000 books in circulation, award-winning author Loree Lough has 99 books on the shelves (mostly faith-based fiction & non-fiction for children & adults that earned dozens of 4- & 5-star reviews & 5 movie options), including reader favorites such as the First Responders series & For Love of Eli (Abingdon Press). With the publication of Guarding Alyssa in February of 2014 (#3 in the A Child to Love series for Harlequin Heartwarming), the total will reach 100. Loree's articles have appeared in dozens of international & national newspapers & magazines. In addition to nearly 2,500 feature stories (writing as L.A. Lough), she ghosted hundreds more that appeared in trade & technical publications. A firm believer in the what goes around, comes around theory, Loree developed & taught numerous fiction & nonfiction writing courses for area colleges, writers' organizations, & t