Desert Island Diaries

(Diarios de la Isla Desierta)

Destiny at Dolphin Bay (Destino en la Bahía de los Delfines) –

International/Inspirational YA Adventure. In this Genesis Award finalist, fifteen-year-old Melissa Travis flounders into uncharted waters when she is exiled from her Christian high school. Dreading a month of mom talks over endless cups of tea, she accepts her missionary sister’s invitation to visit the remote Chiloé Islands of southern Chile. There she discovers a world utterly unlike the South Pacific paradise she imagined, where dire poverty dwells with enchanting beauty, and ancient customs conspire with modern corruption. While a pod of playful dolphins casts an irresistible spell, sinister evil simmers beneath the surface.

A suspicious drowning, a ghost ship, and a shaman’s chilling prediction of her death on the island force Melissa to question everything she believes. Amid the storm of human greed and natural disasters, a soulful young islander inspires her to make life-changing choices, while faith and friendship draw her to reckon with destiny. For a behind-the-scenes preview…

Pursuit of the Pudú Deer (Caza del Ciervo Pudú) – 

Inspirational YA Romantic Adventure. Even as Melissa and Nicolás fall in love, everything else in their lives falls apart. While on a church youth-group trip to Chile, Melissa Travis, now 18, re-encounters her special friend, Nicolás Serrano. The earlier sparks between them soon burst into blaze, but old nemesis Delicia’s outrageous accusations pour cold water on their growing relationship. As Delicia stalks Nicolás, and his brother Marcos searches for a rare species of deer with the dubious aid of a thief with terrorist ties, Melissa ponders whether she should give up on a future with Nicolás. Trapped in the wilderness, they all must face crucial decisions about what is worth pursuing. Read an excerpt…

Legacy of the Linnebrink Light (Legado del Faro Linnebrink) – 

Inspirational Romantic Adventure. When English teacher Cristina Linnebrink leaves her prestigious job and ambitious fiancé to accompany her anthropologist father on a research venture in an isolated island of southern Chile, she little imagines the surprises—and mysteries—that await them. Missionary Melissa Travis and Captain Nicolás Serrano provide an oasis amid the desert of oppression. But it’s Leonel Nahuelanca, a local carpenter-turned-student, who teaches Cristina the island culture while he builds a needed lighthouse. Together they survive a volcano eruption and track down a long-buried family legend. The truth they discover—communicated through an amazing musical—will light up the darkest reaches of the island and transform the hardest hearts, including their own. Read an excerpt…