The Surface of Water (Paperback or Softback)

The only person who can uncover his secret has arrived.

Matthew Goodman is tired, and his one wish is for something he can't have. Instead he focuses on the demands of his work as pastor of Chicagoland's Calvary Community, including bringing a new administrative assistant onboard. New hire twenty-five-year-old Trish Card watches him with somber, lake-clear eyes. What he doesn't know about Trish and her real reason for appearing will dismantle his world.

The Surface of Water is about a megachurch pastor, a famous evangelist's son, living in a world beyond his control. It's also a story about a young woman trying to understand her complicated life. In the #ChurchToo era, this novel invites readers to see life's shadowed edges―isolation, power, and abuse―illumined by the light of truth.

Cynthia Beach is a professor of creative writing at Cornerstone University and author of Creative Juices for Writers. She has an MA in journalism from Wheaton College and an MFA in fiction writing from the Northwest Institute of the Literary Arts. She is also a trained spiritual director. Cynthia directs a faith-based writing workshop, Scriptoria, with Gary D. Schmidt. She lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan, on a quiet seven acres with her husband, Dave.