Shannon here: Sarah Hanks shares a real-life date that inspired a scene in her Time-Travel Science Fiction title, BravingRed Waters. Comment or answer the question in any post dated Sept 1st – 29th to enter the drawing for a print copy plus 4 other titles. Deadline: Oct 10th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Sarah:
In my newest release, Braving Red Waters, two time sailors (time travelers) from different times meet in St. Louis in 1862. Miles has been living in the past for years, keeping the secret of his previous existence from everyone he meets. When Phoebe arrives, she understands him in a way that no one else can, and a romance blossoms between them. This excerpt shows one way they bond.
Excerpt from Braving Red Waters by Sarah Hanks:
“Is this your stuff from your old life?” Phoebe ran her fingers across the bag.
“Yeah. This is what came with me. If I would have known I’d be going on this ‘little trip’”—he used air quotes—“I would have brought the largest suitcase I could find.”
“Show me.” She leaned forward.
He did, pulling each item out one by one. A spiral-bound notebook containing his old physics notes. Blue Post-it notes. A pencil bag full of ballpoint pens.
“Those would probably come in handy. Do you use them?”
“I can’t. They’d give me away.” He continued to rummage through the backpack.
“Ah, yeah. This is what I wanted you to see. Guess what it is?” He shook the bag without taking it from the backpack.
“No clue.” She removed her bonnet and ponytail, allowing her silky blond hair to cascade over her shoulders.
Beautiful. He swallowed. Best not to get distracted. Refocusing, he pulled out Pop Rocks.
“No way. I haven’t had those since I was a teenager.”
“Me either.” Strange to think that he would be so much older than her if they were in their previous times. “Want to try them?”
“Are they still good? They’re, what, fourteen years old?”
“No idea if they’ll still fizz and pop, but they won’t kill us.”
“Sure. I’ll be adventurous.” Her voice contained a flirty edge.
Best to ignore that.
He’d been saving this last piece of candy. One of the last links to his past. Every year, he’d taken it out and held it in his hands, contemplating whether to partake. But the timing never seemed right to untether from something else he used to enjoy. But right here and now, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
He made the sound of a drumroll and tore the paper packaging. Then he poured a small amount into Phoebe’s outstretched palm and his own. “On your mark, get set, pop.” They both dumped their red Pop Rocks into their mouths. His eyes widened as the product fizzed. Sure, the explosiveness wasn’t as strong as he remembered, but still. It’d be wild to show people in 1862 this remarkable pastime of his. He could never, of course. But being able to share this moment with Phoebe warmed his heart.
Phoebe covered her mouth as she laughed. “Oh, my goodness. It still works.”
“Processed sugar’s remarkable.”
When the fizz started to settle, he sprinkled more into Phoebe’s hand.
“I wonder what other foods would still be good.” She slid the candy into her mouth.
“I had a box of macaroni and cheese in my backpack when I arrived. I cooked it one night about five months after I came. I’d been missing that taste of home.”
“You know what else would probably still be edible? Ramen.”
“Why didn’t I think to pack that?”
“Why didn’t I think to pack anything fun?”
They both laughed as the sizzle of Pop Rocks crested, then waned.
One more little bit each and the packet was empty. “I’m going to keep the wrapper for memories.” But the memory he’d truly cherish was not that of eating this candy in his former life. It was this moment, laughing with this woman. They shared a bond unlike any other.
Sarah again: The Pop Rocks scene is special to me because my husband and I bonded over Pop Rocks when we were first dating. Like many couples, our first dates consisted mostly of dinners and movies. Boring? Not when you wear glow in the dark sunglasses and bring Pop Rocks into the movie theater. We spent the entire time laughing as slurps of soda collided with Pop Rocks, causing heads to turn our way. Especially when I spilled both items on the floor. We were young, 21, and probably extremely annoying to everyone else in the theater, but this crazy date showed me Kevin would be good for me. He didn’t care what other people thought, and he would be someone I could laugh with for years to come. He’s still my favorite person to laugh with and he balances me out perfectly. This scene in Braving Red Waters is a nod to that date with a man I was just beginning to get to know and who I would grow to love.
Reader Question: What is your favorite fun candy or snack and why?
September 2026 Book Bundle
Braving Red Waters by Sarah Hanks, Time-Travel Science Fiction, e-book
Treading Water: Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta, Women’s Fiction, Kindle e-book
One Last Stand by Melanie Campbell, Contemporary Women’s Fiction, print.
Escape to Whispering Creek by Barbara M. Britton, Contemporary Romance, print
Waterfall by Linda Rodante, Romantic Mystery Suspense, print
About Sarah: Sarah Hanks is a multi-award-winning author of split-time Christian fiction. Her background in teaching and children’s ministry prepared her for exercising her creativity as a writer, now her full-time job. She and her husband have ten children, a couple of whom seem to have inherited their mother’s love for playing with words and crafting stories. Though Sarah dreams of a cabin by the beach, the family lives jammed together in beautiful chaos near St. Louis, Missouri. She buys earplugs in bulk. Learn more & connect:
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About the book – Braving Red Waters:
Phoebe Bristow has spent a decade guarding her heart after her father walked out and shattered her family. When she touches a mysterious antique mailbox aboard a whale-watching cruise in Baja California and wakes up in Civil War St. Louis, she must learn to trust again, first the quick-witted man who greets her on shore, then the God who placed her there for reasons she cannot yet understand. Back on the cruise, her mother Erica clings to the mailbox as the only thread connecting her to her missing daughter, while a thoughtful marine biologist, Rodney Duncan, steadily dismantles the walls around her wounded heart. Together and apart, mother and daughter discover that the courage to love again may be the most dangerous mission of all.
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