Ocracoke Island Series

Hi from Sandra Robbins.

I suppose I’ve always known there were barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, but I had never thought much about them. Then three years ago I had a phone call from my daughter's former college roommate. Not having heard from her in several years, I was thrilled to catch up on what she'd been doing. I was surprised when she told me she was teaching school on Ocracoke Island. The way she described it I knew I had to see it.

That summer my son, granddaughter, and I ventured the nine hundred miles from our home in West Tennessee to the very edge of North Carolina. At Swan Quarter we boarded a ferry and rode for 2 1/2 hours across Pamlico Sound, the large expanse of water that separates the North Carolina coast from the small island of Ocracoke.

The island is about fifteen miles long, but the village that sits in the center covers approximately two or three miles. The quaint shops, the friendly residents,and the beaches that have been voted the most beautiful in the country make this the perfect vacation spot for families. Bicycles abound as tourists wheel around seeing all the sights. With the speed limit set at 20 mph, bicycle travel is a safe way to go.


It has a rich history, too. During the Civil War, residents, afraid they might be invaded, built a fort to fend off attacking forces. The water has now consumed this small fortress with only a marker to remind us what had once stood near there. A small British cemetery contains the remains of British soldiers whose bodies washed ashore during World War II when their ship was sunk off shore by a German U boat. And there’s a lighthouse that still functions today.

From the moment we drove off the ferry onto the island I knew I had to set a book in this piece of paradise. Dangerous Reunion, the first in a three book series, will release from Love Inspired Suspense in July. It will be followed by Shattered Identity and Decoy for Disaster. The series revolves around the Michaels family, island residents. The first book features Kate Michaels, the chief deputy sheriff on the island. The second one tells the story of Scott Michaels, the brother who has only recently discovered his family, and the third is about Betsy Michaels, an island artist who finds herself trying to outwit smugglers.

I am so excited about this series, and I hope you’ll find the island and its residents as exciting and friendly as I did. And if you’re looking for a place to vacation this summer, you couldn’t choose a better spot.