Though she was not a believer, while trapped she remembered a relative in Trinidad who had prayed for healing and seen an answer, so she prayed, too. A man who said his name was Paul held Guzman-McMillan's hand through a gap in the rubble.

"When she was eventually pulled free by the rescue workers, she asked for Paul, and they told her that there was no one there (by that name)," Jonathan Merkh, Howard Books vice president and publisher, told Christian Retailing. "She is convinced it was an angel that saved her. As a result she came to realize that God had saved her for a reason."

Escaping with only minor injuries, Guzman-McMillan then committed herself to Christ, became a member of Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn, N.Y., and married her longtime boyfriend.

Merkh said that he expected strong media interest in the story, which has so far been little told. Angel in the Dust will have an initial print run between 75,000 and 100,000 copies.

"There was almost 9/11 fatigue after the first books about the events came out," he said. "It was a tragedy, and I think that a lot of people were tired of hearing about the sad stuff and wanted to move on, but this is a beautiful story in itself and the backdrop just happens to be the setting of 9/11. We think it's an incredible story of faith and are launching it at a time that makes sense. People are fascinated by accounts of the angelic world."

The original title of the account, The Last Survivor, was changed to extend the life of the book after the 9/11 anniversary, Merkh added.

In September, Howard is also publishing Letters From War—a novel by Mark Schultz with Travis Thrasher—based on the singer-songwriter's hit song that became part of the U.S. military's Bring Them Home campaign and promotion after 9/11.

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