Author Elizabeth Goddard - Deadly Currents Spotlight

I am so happy to have Elizabeth Goddard on the blog for a book spotlight! Deadly Currents is Elizabeth’s 65th book and is a fast paced, edge your seat romantic suspense! With high action, amazing characters, and wonderful faith woven in, you will catch yourself reading Deadly Currents well into the night!

Elizabeth Goddard is the PW, ECPA, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of over sixty novels, including the Missing in Alaska and Rocky Mountain Courage series. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies. She is a Christy Award, Carol Award and Reader's Choice Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award and HOLT Medallion finalist. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website.

1) Is Hidden Bay inspired by a real place or did you create it yourself?

A little of both. I based the storm-watching setting, rugged cliffs and Pacific Northwest mood off a real place—the Washington coastline. The lodge in the story if based on Kalaloch Lodge, a real place. I almost always base my fictional settings off of real places. I love creating fictional settings that feel true, and in this case, readers can picture the salt spray, hear the waves crashing, and visualize the fog rolling in.

2) Is the ghost ship a real-life myth?

The Specter’s Bounty ghost ship in Deadly Currents is fictional, but it’s inspired by the kind of maritime folklore found up and down the coast—stories passed through families, half-history/half-legend, made sharper by fog and shipwrecks. The sea keeps its own secrets, and ghost-ship tales are one of the ways coastal communities explain what they can’t prove… or don’t want to.

3) What character do you see yourself the most in and why?

I see pieces of myself in Cressida—her persistence, her need to understand the truth, and the way she keeps moving forward even when emotions and circumstances tell her to retreat. She’s someone who wants to do the right thing, even when it costs her comfort, control, or reputation—and that resonates with me as both a person and a storyteller. And the character Evelyn Monroe reminds me of my grandmother in some ways—the keeper of secrets—who has lived a life filled with too many experiences to share.

4) Who would you cast as Cressida Dane in a movie?

When I thought about this question, it was a toss-up between Lily James and Daisy Ridley. Now I’ve settled on Lily—only with crazy thick curly red hair. Ha ha! I think she would be a great Cressida--capable, intelligent, and believable in danger, while still bringing warmth and emotional depth to the quieter moments.

5) Who would you cast as Braden Sanders in a movie?

Cressida refers to him as Bradley Cooper a couple of times, and so that of course is my first thought. But I’d cast Glen Powell—he can bring protective steadiness, quiet humor, and intensity when the stakes rise, which fits Braden’s grounded competence and his willingness to step into danger without needing to be the loudest person in the room.

6) What do you hope readers get out of Deadly Currents?

I hope readers walk away feeling the satisfying rush of a story that kept them turning pages and to know that even when the waters are dark—when relationships are strained, when truth is costly, when danger is real—God is still present, still steady, still able to bring redemption out of what looks impossible. Another important reminder is that as Christians we must forgive, even those whom we feel don’t deserve forgiveness. None of us do.

7) What sentence best reveals the main character without explaining them?

Cressida Dane had learned the hard way that the truth always costs something—so she’d gotten very good at paying the price.

8) How does Cressida Dane’s family tensions quietly influence her choices, even when the family isn’t present?

Her family tension trains her to anticipate consequences before she speaks, and to measure every risk—emotional and physical—like she’s already bracing for fallout. Even when she’s alone, she’s still reacting to old pressure like the fear of being manipulated or controlled, misunderstood, or punished for making the wrong choice. It shapes how quickly she trusts, how hard she pushes herself, and how determined she is to prove she can stand on her own—even when letting someone help might be the wiser option.

9) How does Braden Sanders’ faith shape who he is?

Braden’s faith is practical. It shapes his integrity, his restraint, and the way he sees his job as service—not power. He doesn’t treat faith as a slogan that makes hard things easy. He treats it as an anchor that helps him keep choosing courage, truth, and protection when fear would be simpler. Doing what’s right no matter the cost is what’s important to him. His faith also fuels mercy as he watches people closely, not just for threats, but for pain—and he responds with encouragement instead of judgment.

10) Deadly Currents is filled with danger, fear, and suspense. How do the characters rely on God during these moments?

They rely on God the way real people do in crisis—often in short prayers, quick decisions, and moment-by-moment surrender. Sometimes it looks like courage. Sometimes it looks like endurance. Sometimes it looks like choosing to forgive when anger says to harden your heart. In the darkest scenes, faith becomes less about having all the answers and more about trusting God with the next step—because that’s all they can see—and they cry out with whispered or silent prayers, hoping God will see and answer.

11) Cressida Dane was in danger throughout the entire book. How did this reveal hidden strengths in her character?

Pressure strips away performance—and Cressida discovers she’s stronger than she believed. Danger forces her to act instead of overthinking, to trust her instincts, to problem-solve under stress, and to keep going even when she’s shaken. But the most surprising strength isn’t physical bravery—it’s moral courage. She keeps choosing truth. She keeps fighting for what’s right. And trials only make her stronger.

USA Today Bestselling Author Elizabeth Goddard Presents a Gripping Thrill Ride

Investigative journalist Cressida Dane arrives in Hidden Bay after a worldwide journey to finish her late father's manuscript on shipwrecks. As she tries to discover the story behind the "ghost ship" Specter's Bounty, her only lead is a name her father left behind--Evelyn Monroe. As Cressida uncovers more about the ship, she quickly realizes that her research has placed her in the crosshairs of dangerous forces.

County detective Braden Sanders is in Hidden Bay for one reason--to get his niece lifesaving medical treatment. To do that, he is assigned to protect Cressida from a revenge-driven enemy. Together, Braden and Cressida dig deeper to discern the myth from the facts surrounding the Specter's Bounty.

But more is brewing under the surface than they could ever imagine. Entangled in secrets, they must unravel the past before the current sweeps away their future.

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