Extreme Measures

Emily O'Brien #6

by M.R. Miller

Everyone thinks Holly Brennan ran away from her problems, the biggest one being her mom’s creepy boyfriend. But reporter Emily O’Brien isn’t so sure. She sets out to find out where the college student has gone, putting her at odds with the family, the police, even her own boyfriend, Craig Caldwell. But as Emily picks up Holly’s trail, she finds hints something more sinister may have happened to the girl, something evil and twisted that has been allowed to thrive for far too long. But can she prove it? Putting her career, her relationships and her life on the line, Emily is determined to find out, no matter what it takes.

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2016

About the author

I worked for more than a decade as a journalist for a small Midwestern newspaper. My family recently moved to Missouri where I now work at a university. In my spare time, I am working on the Emily O'Brien series.
From the time I started writing the series, I struggled with the fact the books weren't going to fit neatly into any category. The books have strong Christian elements, yes, but they weren't necessarily written as Christian books. I tried writing the first book that way initially but it just didn't fit well with the story or the characters. So I decided to write it the way that felt right to me. I guess that's the reporter in me.
And when I made that choice, I found Emily's voice and that propelled the story forward. At the time, that was OK since I was writing just for me. I never expected to let anyone else see them. But I had a persistent husband and I finally figured, why not?
I've heard the term "realistic Christian fiction." I guess that might be the closest category I could find, but it wasn't an option on Amazon or Smashwords. And I'm not sure it really covers it all anyway.
So in advance, I apologize to anyone I offend -- either because you don't like my views on faith or because you don't like the book's profanity or realism. I realize the books have the potential to alienate both ends of the spectrum but I had to write the books authentically.
I promise to keep the books between PG and PG-13 -- no F-bombs or raunchy sex scenes or grisly, bloody details that make you quit eating your lunch. And as the series progresses, I hope readers see a change in Emily, that she becomes a better reflection of her faith. That was one of my goals when I began writing, to create a newbie Christian character that matures over time. She's definitely a work in progress.