Why I Love Rarity Mountain

Sara L. Foust

Rarity Mountain is the third and final installment in the Love, Hope, and Faith Series, and that is one of the reasons it is so special to me. It is my fourth finished book or novella, but the first last book in a series. It feels amazing to have an entire series completed! And published too! I am so thankful for the start Kathy Cretsinger and the team at Mantle Rock Publishing have given me in the industry I love and am passionate about.

Rarity Mountain is a real place here in East Tennessee. In fact, it has a pretty interesting story that I tied into my book. Sometime in the early 2000s, a wealthy developer convinced the State of Tennessee to add in Interstate 75 exit number 156 in Jellico, Tennessee, in preparation for a millions dollar developing opportunity. The 4,600-acre tract of mountain land was meant to become home to luxury homes, a golf course, a hotel, and a shopping center*. Unfortunately, the owner filed for bankruptcy before the development broke ground.

Today, the exit is mostly used as a pullover rest area for truckers and for local Jellico residents to cut down on commute time. The endless forest still stretches into the distance, pristine and seemingly untouched.

But it isn’t just the fact that Rarity Mountain finishes my series or that the setting is real (and another beautiful facet of East Tennessee), it is my heroine and hero, Fern and Simon. I love these characters! They are flawed and broken in their own ways. They have difficulty trusting others and Fern, especially, has found that having faith in other human beings is worthless. Oh, what lessons they both learn! This story takes them from jaded, mistrusting individuals to a confident, reliant-upon-one-another team. There are quite a few bumps along the way, and both have to face the demons (and secrets) of their past to find healing and renewed faith in others and God.

I hope you will consider reading Rarity Mountain. Its official release date is Tuesday, March 5th, but I have BIG NEWS! The paperback copy is ready now! Woohoo! (Preordered ebook will be delivered on March 5th). You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945094737. If you do decide to read it, I would love to hear what you think, and I always deeply appreciate reviews!

On the surface, SIMON FINCUFF and FERN STRONGBOW have nothing in common. Simon has served his sentence, but his past conviction still haunts him. Fern is a veterinarian and grew up on an off-the-grid homestead. The one thing they share? Each has a dark secret they would do almost anything to protect.

When their current careers are yanked away, they are left scrambling to pick up the pieces. A reality television show falls into their paths, offering a life-changing opportunity that tests their resolve and their faith.

These two unlikely partners must battle to survive for thirty days in the untouched wilderness of Rarity Mountain with only a handful of survival items and a director who is out for drama, no matter the cost. With their lives and their carefully guarded skeletons on the line, they will discover how far they are willing to go to win the million-dollar prize for Survival Tennessee.

*Information taken from http://archive.knoxnews.com/business/rarity-mountain-boondoggle-or-boon-ep-408447166-358733931.html/