Into the Fire

The Smell of Spring

Indefinable. In the air. Warmed and separated from the chill of winter. The skies still fill with grey, the rains fall, a shiver transpires, but the temperatures sneak upward ever so s l o w l y. The sun shines farther, reaching us finally. Birds rejoice with songs and voices overlapping from early morning to dusk. And, no matter how long it takes to move the calendar date, Spring is coming. I can smell it.

March will fight on with its bluster, its defiant remnant and dying declaration of winter whooshing through its divided days, proclaiming the end of death and dormant hours with the tolling bell of hope as daffodils and tulips burst through the ground in triumph, noting the sober recognition that even winter dies and gives way to life.

Breathing deep the changing of the air, it is official: a season will arrive on time. The scent assures me of the constancy and orchestration of a God who is never late. A God who even takes time to tend to the fragrant aromas, each a distinct mark of the passings of seasons.

The power of smell to accompany a change. The senses enhanced by memories of scent. Unnoticed by a child but remembered by the adult. Breath. Hope. Life.

Father, how I love the seasons. Unique here where you have me, their own personalities and scents. Thank you for the beauty of life. So many thank yous. I love you, Lord. Jesus, you have been so faithful, so real. Holy Spirit, I need you constantly—thank you for always being here. Keep me strong in you, God, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please remember to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

More Opinions on the Rules of Writing

With her permission, here are the thoughts of author/editor Donna Fleisher in her comments on Brandilyn Collins’ blog contribution to the rules of writing over at “Forensics and Faith”. Donna’s response seems profound in its wisdom.

“Your point that STORY RULES is exactly right. Writers cannot forget this. If a story needs to be told in omniscient POV, to tell it any other way would be weakening it. Omniscient POV is not dead. Nothing -- not one tool -- available to us in our writing toolboxes is wrong or off limits. The key to powerful writing is to always choose the right tool.
As I talk to new writers and edit their manuscripts, I often cringe at the attitudes seeping through the words. Rules are not meant to suffocate creativity. Goodness, they're not really even 'rules' at all. How often are these 'rules' broken? And how easily?
But, I would add ... how quickly are we weakening our stories by breaking the 'rules'?
There is no such thing in our industry as the 'Rules Police'. There are only concerned teachers, editors, and fellow novelists who have learned why the 'rules' are important -- how they strengthen stories and make them come alive. In the end, the decision to write powerfully always belongs to the story's creator. Decide well, cuz in the end, that decision will be revealed for all to see.”

And as I often do, I’d like to share a portion of Rebecca Luella Miller’s blog post (A Christian Worldview of Fiction) from yesterday, too. As usual, Becky offers some gems here.

“The norm, I would suggest, is competent, concise, clear writing. Anything less has little chance any more. What with writers’ conferences offered across the country, online writing courses, mentoring groups, and freelance editors, more and more writers are capable and understand a great deal about the basics of writing.
But what we sometimes forget is that writing is a creative endeavor. Sure, we understand that the story is a creative endeavor, but so is the vehicle through which the story is delivered.
What is it that captures a reader’s heart, that brings him to tears or makes him laugh out loud? What keeps him awake long past midnight even though he needs to get up and go to work the next morning? What makes her want to tell her best friend, her mom, and her neighbor down the block about the book she read? What brings those characters to mind at the oddest times? What stirs him to excitement when the day approaches for the next book in the series to release?
You think I’m going to provide the magic formula to such stories? Well, here it is. There is no formula.
If ‘craft’ is reduced to a list of do’s and don’t’s, the writing will acquire the taste of water.”

These ladies have said a mouthful. And it was tasty.

Father, thank you for your wisdom above all. Please help us to seek after you and what you desire for us in these creative endeavors and offerings to bless you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Miscellaneous Quotes

“She was an uncompromising advocate of rational individualism and laissez-faire capitalism, and vociferously opposed socialism, altruism, and other contemporary philosophical trends, as well as religion. Her influential and often controversial ideas have attracted both enthusiastic admirers and scathing denunciation.

“ . . . and in later years said to the graduating class at West Point, ‘I can say—not as a patriotic bromide, but with full knowledge of the necessary metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, political and aesthetic roots—that the United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and, in its original founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world.’" . . . Ayn Rand (from Wikipedia)

“Good dialogue is such a pleasure to come across while reading, a complete change of pace from description and exposition and all that writing. Suddenly people are talking, and we find ourselves clipping along. And we have all the pleasures of voyeurism because the characters don’t know we are listening. We get to feel privy to their inner workings without having to spend too much time listening to them think. I don’t want them to think all the time on paper. It’s bad enough that I have to think all the time without having someone else dump his or her obsessive-compulsive, paranoid thinking on me, too.
“On the other hand, nothing can break the mood of a piece of writing like bad dialogue. My students are miserable when they are reading an otherwise terrific story to the class and then hit a patch of dialogue that is so purple and expositional that it reads like something from a childhood play by the Gabor sisters.” . . . Anne Lamott (bird by bird)

“The artistic temperament is a disease that afflicts amateurs. It is a disease that arises from men not having sufficient power of expression to utter and get rid of the element of art in their being” . . . G.K. Chesterton (Heretics)

“I’m a guy who can’t function well in life, but I can in art.” . . . Woody Allen (Deconstructing Harry)

Father, you see us all. You care for each one. You are the only One we will answer to in the end. May I always serve you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Pith and Vinegar

You know how we writers have to have all these pithy identifications—blurbs in 30 words or less about our gigantic novels, a one sentence summation of what took us six months to eight years to pen, that 9-on-a-richter-scale opening for our novels, and the originality of our “branding” (I’d settle for a flying horse tattoo instead of burning flesh), and the oh-so-snappy tagline that makes our “competitors” drool over our clever and witty abilities to capture the gist of our writing focus in a mere three words? You hear what I’m sayin’?

Ta Da!! Mine finally came to me this morning around 5 AM. “Mine” being that three-word identification which could apply to every novel I’ve ever written or hope to write, I guess. Why it arrived at 5 AM I have no idea. That’s a little early for me to be functioning appropriately. Ever since I left the racetrack and the rising hour of 4 AM behind, I appreciate the extra hours with the pillow whether I’m sleeping or not. Just knowing I don’t have to get up is luxurious. Anyway, are you ready for it? Here it is:

Relationship, Romance, Redemption . . .

That’s it. In the proverbial nutshell. Those three words register the theme in each novel that I’ve written. So, whadoya think?

What an exciting treat for me:

Books › "Nicole Petrino-Salter" (This at Amazon.com)

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The Famous One by Nicole Petrino-Salter (Paperback - Feb 18, 2008)
Buy new: $21.99 3 Used & new from $15.95

In Stock
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping.

Since I don’t even have the first copy yet—but soon!—this was revealed to me by my writer’s group leader last night, and then this afternoon I learned it will also be available at www.pleasantwordbooks.com. It is found under my name instead of under the book’s title in both places. Not sure why that is. If you look for it at Pleasant Word (1-877-421-READ [7323]), you can view a small image of the cover AND you can order it 24/7 beginning NOW!

At Amazon.com and at Barnes&Noble.com, the cover will not be shown for a couple of weeks or so, and then it will just appear one day. At Christianbooks.com the book will not be kept in stock until one order is received for a copy of the novel. Then they will stock a copy or two. So, now you know what I know.

Praise the Lord for His provision and unique ways.

I love you, Lord. All I want to do is show your goodness, your constancy, your availability, your mercy, grace, forgiveness, and a piece of your glory to any who might read a book of mine. Done for you and because of you. If there be any praise anywhere from anyone, it all is directed to you. You alone can take a “wretch like me” and produce anything of value. Only you. Thank you forever, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Well . . . it's not that complicated.

Once I read most—or some—or the majority—of current writing “rules” it was difficult to read novels for awhile. For several reasons. First off, there are the glaring exceptions to each one of those rules in black type on the printed pages in front of me. Secondly, there are those novels which have seemingly been written according to every rigid rule penned in the generally recommended/flaunted writing “manuals”, and these novels somehow display an indefinable sameness which I construed as “formulaic” because they all “felt” similar in spite of being about different things. I blogged about this in the past(http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/into_the_fire/2007/09/the-problem-wit.html).

I tended to read what I had previously read to enjoy and experience with a new critical eye. To what end? To prove to myself that I had learned the rules? To prove to anyone who would listen that the rules were being bent by the professionals who purported to adhere to them? To accuse the publishing crowd of a double standard?

And then one day, it was over. I think it disappeared about the time I realized I wrote “sagas”. With that epiphany I gained the insight as to who I was as a writer and along with that came the revelation that I no longer cared about the rules or the trends or the claims of the professionals. Not because what they have to say or teach or offer is invalid. No, not for that reason at all because it’s all valid in its rightful place. It was more a matter of being categorically unable to abide by the subjective opinions of what is right writing and what is wrong writing.

I still recognize the rules in action—especially when they appear strained and unnatural, forced upon the page to indicate the author knows how he’s supposed to write.

I’m not uneducated, and grammar has always been important to me. English and literature were where I focused my attention in my schooling years. I’ve been a reader and a “writer” all of my life. So I have learned the general rules of the trade. The more one reads, the more one absorbs, identifies, and separates his writing from another’s. It’s really not that complicated.

There are so many ways to write, so many styles and types of stories, a plethora of subjects and now the number of genres has multiplied to genres within genres within genres. There are query, synopsis, and proposal instructions on various agents’, editors’, and authors’ sites. Never mind that they’re probably each somewhat different.

As a writer of novels, one realizes the intense competition for publication. Some writers excel for that very reason. Competition inspires them, and they ready themselves to get down and dirty or up and coming or set to go . . . whatever it takes, they’re in the race! Years ago my passion would’ve driven me that way, I think. Now my passion is driven to produce what God has for me to do. We all know how sometimes that journey can be difficult to determine as far as specifics go and sometimes disconcerting as we bump our noses on the closed doors we could’ve sworn were open. However, what truly matters in this life—whether it be in seeking publication or going to war—we must know we are where God wants us. Only then can we achieve the desire of His heart which by now should have become our own.

The bottom line is we all have our favorites—books, authors, styles. Mine might or might not be the same as yours. And for that very reason how can anyone lay down invincible absolutes for rules in writing? While necessary and useful for the beginner and for the individual who seeks to learn the basics of creating a story, there are so many exceptions that those who are really called by the Lord to write will eventually spot them and question the “absolutes”. Yes, there are parameters, literary IDs, patterns, trends in style and form, but always there are exceptions and thank God for that. His creativity is endless and boundary-less. Why should we demand that all writers contour to some stiff box-like form which cannot contain them?

It’s not really that complicated, is it? It’s just a matter of opinion based on one’s own interpretation of “the rules”.

These thoughts and observations are not the voice of prideful defiance to the publishing masters. I hope instead you see them as common sense notations or even as encouragement if you tend to write in another mode which can’t be crammed into the allotted instructions for getting published. Even still, it is a decision for everyone who taps at the keys or writes with the pen in the office of creative writer to arrive at a solid-as-concrete precipice willing to jump with abandon into their commitment to either please God or to please a publisher if such a separation must be made. If God decides no such differentiation is required, go for it, hard and strong.

Father, let us see your leading as individuals, knowing you custom make our paths to mesh into yours if we are willing to follow you. Thank you for the patience you show us, for your gentle but firm guidance. Thank you for all that you are, and may I serve you always. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please pray for Kristy Dykes.*

More than a little Blue Heart Blessed

Well, guys, take the day off because if ever there was a book written with the female persona in mind . . . the absolute sweet little romance . . . the novel that brings both snort-out-loud laughs and wipe-your-eyes tears . . . Susan Meissner’s Blue Heart Blessed is that book.

Some of you might have read the interview conducted here with Susan last year cleverly titled “Featuring Author Susan Meissner” or something creative like that. I believe her friends nicknamed her “Sooz”, but she might have adopted it herself. Regardless of what you choose to call her, she truly is an amazing writer.

This little novel, all 277 pages of it (and you know how I feel about short novels), is utterly charming. You know from page one what’s going to happen, how it’s going to end, what the heroine Daisy Murien is going to have to work through to gain back what she’s lost in life’s wicked workings in her situation. You know it all, and yet you are entranced to move on through each new character, some precious, some absurd, some annoying, anticipating the conclusion but wondering right down to the wire how in the heck it’s going to happen—which of course makes it all the more satisfying when it does.

Susan uses three different fonts, several diary-like exchanges with Daisy’s alter-ego and self-titled Voice of Reason Harriet, and writes primarily from the first person, present tense POV. Supposedly a definite “no no” in publishing circles. Read this! Ha! You know what I say about rules . . .

The Christianity in this novel is low key while the consistent thread of God’s love and wisdom is viewed through a retired and widowed Episcopalian priest by the name of Father Laurent who says a blessing over the quarter-size blue hearts sewn into the refurbished wedding gowns sold in Daisy’s shop “Something Blue”.

The only “faults” I found in this wonderful little book are the typos. I believe there were three. I don’t get this. I counted nine errors in my first self-published novel which has 744 pages of type filling out nearly all the white on each page, and the reason for those errors is because of unique circumstances I won’t take time to explain right now. The only reason I mention this again is because of the purported superiority of professional publishers. While some of the writing is indeed wonderful—and Susan’s is definitely in that category—there isn’t a huge difference in the other facets of publishing a book by custom publishers vs. the “real thing”.

I’m not going to describe the basic plot to you because Susan has a website specifically created for this novel (http://www.blueheartblessed.blogspot.com/), and I just don’t want to spoil a single thing about the brief but oh so pleasant experience of reading Blue Heart Blessed. You will find the original cover on that site which somehow should’ve been the final selection because of its poignancy to the story.

After reading a couple of novels about serial killers, it was time to take a little break and have some light but meaningful refreshment, and since I won (!) a signed copy of this mini-treasure accompanied by a significant little netting envelope filled with Jordan Almonds (which I adore), this was one sweet treat.

Father, thank you for the tenderness and sensitivity of Susan Meissner. Her incredible talent and snort out loud sense of humor is beyond enjoyable. You gifted her in so many ways, and I pray you would continue to use her multi-talents to point people to you, to your healing ways, to your forgiveness and grace. Bless her, Lord, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

**As a postscript to this review: Guys, if your lady loves romance, this book’s a keeper.**

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Sunday's Offerings

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Revelation 8:1-5 (NIV)

*Please remember to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Another Professional's Thoughts on Writing . . . Part Two

Here is Part Two of the discussion tips from Jeff Gerke.

Description, Part 2-The Establishing Shot

This is the second in a four-part series on descriptions. This tip applies to character descriptions as well as descriptions of settings, but I'm thinking mainly of setting descriptions as I write this.
When you watch a movie and you see the skyline of a big city and then a closer shot of someone walking down a city street, you understand it means that this person is walking down a street in that big city you saw a second ago, right?
If you see an aerial shot of snowy mountains and then you see a closer shot of a wizard and a Balrog fighting on a snowy mountainside, you assume that this fight is taking place somewhere in that mountain range you saw in the first shot, right?
If you see a blimp shot of a football stadium and then you see a close shot of a couple huddled together in the stands, you assume they're at that stadium watching a game, right?
These wide shots are all examples of what are called, in filmmaking, "establishing shots." They establish for the viewer the wider, macro context of the action we're going to be watching at a more micro level. They give the reader a sense of where the action is taking place.
Even in movies or shows that pride themselves on not using establishing shots (like the TV series Lost) you still very quickly see the context of where things are happening: beach in the background, jungle all around, cave, hatch, etc.
For the viewer to understand what's going on, the filmmaker must show him where it's going on. Two people having a swordfight is interesting, but devoid of context it's not as interesting (or meaningful) as it could be. Are they on stage? Are they in the middle of a medieval melee? Are they on a crossbeam high above a pirate ship? The establishing shot gives meaning and placement to the action that will follow.
Establishing shots are not for movies only. In fiction, if your reader doesn't know where the action is taking place she won't understand what is taking place.
Two people start talking. They're talking about important matters, but you have no clue where they are. Maybe you find out from the author that the characters are "outside." Well, what does that mean? Outside in the Bahamas or outside on the tundra of Kazakhstan? Is it night or day? Raining, snowing, cold, hot, windy, or fair? Are other people there or are they alone? Is there traffic nearby? What are the characters wearing? What are they doing? Are they walking or working out or lazing on the grass? Are they at a park or in a dark alley?
One of the things that aggravates me most about some fiction I see is that there is inadequate description of the location in which any given scene is taking place. I hate not knowing where I am or what the people are doing.
As a writer, it is your job to tell the reader what the context is of your scenes.
In film, the viewer gets a huge gestalt of the characters' setting just by looking at the screen. Even if there is no true establishing shot (like an aerial overview of the location) the viewer can still see behind the character to know a few things about where this is taking place.
In fiction, not so much. The reader can't see behind your characters to fill in the setting. If you don't tell her what's there, it simply isn't there. Maybe they're in a spaceship or underwater or in an office building. Maybe the characters are wearing hobo outfits or scuba gear or a Groucho Marx nose. They just don't know. And that's the writer's fault.
In your fiction, whenever you put us in a new location, you must give us a description of what the place looks like, how many people are there, what they're wearing, what they're doing, where they are in relation to one another, and anything else the reader needs to understand the moment.
You need to give us an establishing shot.
Otherwise, we'll be lost. And we'll start burning you in effigy. (Okay, maybe that's too harsh, but you get the point.)
You don't have to be formulaic about it. You don't have to go, "Okay, first, are they inside or outside? Second, what does it look like? Third..." You don't have to give these descriptions on the first line of any new scene. Don't get locked into doing it one way.
But you must, very early in every new setting, tell us what it's like, who is there, and what they're doing. This applies even if you move into a new setting in the same scene, like when you go from the car to the garage to the house.
This is a basic skill of fiction. Be sure you're doing it.
Remember, the reader is completely dependent upon you to furnish this information. If you don't, the reader will be adrift and you will have frustrated and distanced a reader who had been trying to follow your story closely.
By the time you get halfway down the first page of a new scene you should have included, or at least begun, a paragraph or two of description giving your reader an establishing shot.
There are exceptions to this. Sometimes you want your reader confused about the setting, as when you're trying to disguise it from the reader in order to conceal someone's identity or location. But this is exceedingly rare. Most of the time you want your readers to be able to visualize your story, right? Help them out. Add establishing shots to every scene and every new setting in your book.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

**How is Kristy?**

She woke up not feeling so good Friday morning, but, as usual, she put a smile on her face and a praise in her heart. Thankfully, she began feeling better as the day progressed.

Another Professional's Thoughts on Writing . . .

This is an excerpt from Tricia Goyer's recent newsletter written by now freelance editor and creator of Marcher Lord Press, Jeff Gerke. (http://www.marcherlordpress.com/) (http://www.wherethemapends.com/whoisjeff/whoisjeff.htm) His previous credentials include stints at NavPress, Strang Communications, and Multnomah Publishers long before they became Waterbrook/Multnomah.

Description, Part 1-Introduction

With this tip I am beginning a four-part series on description of the locations in which you set your scenes.
One of the most common complaints I have of the fiction written by beginning (and many advanced) novelists is that I just can't imagine the scene. I don't know what anything looks like. I can't picture where I am or what's going on.
This is the fault of the writer. I mean, as a reader I want to fill in the blanks for the author. If you give me something to go on I'll help you out with the rest. But you have to give me that something to go on or I'm lost.
And few things frustrate me more than not being able to figure out what's going on in a scene I'm reading.
Some authors feel that it's a good idea to ration the description of the setting, doling it out here and there throughout the scene, so that by the end of the scene the reader knows what the place looks like. I hate that.
I think what the author is trying to do is avoid the supposedly dreaded paragraph of nothing but description. Perhaps they feel that such a paragraph is telling and stops the story cold.
I disagree. Describing a place (and, by the way, this whole "tip series" applies to character description, too) is not telling. How else is the reader going to know what the place looks like if you don't describe it?
Do you give us a weather report? No (unless it's pertinent). Do you give us a 360 of the place? No, not unless it's important for us to know right now. But you must describe what the place looks like or we won't know what we're seeing. We'll feel distanced from the story. Our minds will begin to drift.
A scene without a detail-laden description of the setting is like one of those experimental theatrical productions with just gray geometric shapes on the stage. They're supposed to be suggestive rather than specific. Makes it easier on the set builders, too.
Do you really want your scenes to feel like they're on a stage filled with gray blobs? Or, worse, to feel like there's no setting at all, just talking heads?
Because that's what you get when you have a dialogue scene with insufficient description. The lines of dialogue go back and forth with nothing tying them to the ground. They begin to become detached from their tethers like hot air balloons, floating up into a vague ether of gray nothingness.
Sounds like fun to read, huh?
Stop and give us a paragraph of description. Do it very early in the scene. And every time you change locations, even within the same scene, give us a paragraph of description of the new place.
When a filmmaker turns on the camera, the viewer immediately knows a lot about where the action is, who's there, what everyone's doing, and what everyone looks like. That all comes automatic with the director's tool-kit. The author of fiction is not so lucky. She has to actually spell it all out.
Go, thou, and do likewise.

So, I'll be posting his Part 2 in the future. (That's code for maybe tomorrow but who knows when?) Care to weigh in on his opinions?

Father, writing holds so much for all of us. Things we like, things we don't. Things we must do, things we mustn't do. Help each of us to write how you have gifted us. To learn your direction. To do our very best for you and for your glory. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please remember to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Let Closer Than Your Skin get under yours . . .

Over the intertwined engagements of reading, contacting, and meeting authors either online or in one case in person, I have formed some actual friendships. Sometimes simple comments on blogs have led to real communication with various individuals either professionally or peripherally involved in writing and/or publishing.

One such contact some time ago led to a brief e-conversation with then soon-to-be published author Susan D. Hill. Most of you know I rarely take time out to read non-fiction, no matter how hyped the book might be. However, when the author herself reconnected with me and requested that I read her work—well, there can be no denying such a privilege—and so the book arrived, and I read it in a little over a day.

For those of you who have felt like your faith is hanging by a thread, your relationship with God is somewhere between non-existent and being an uninvited guest at an unfamiliar party, your friendship with Jesus is as distant as someone you once knew in kindergarten, sort of, and your knowledge of the Holy Spirit corresponds to your personal data of say, LeBron James, then Closer Than Your Skin is the book for you.

Susan’s book is the unraveling of her personal journey from part-time Christian, full-time religious person and constantly uninspired by the elusive and perceived unavailability of a genuine relationship with a loving God, a real Savior, to the resulting intimate communication with the Holy Spirit.

An easy read in straightforward writing with honest confession and gut-level accounts of her inner-workings and thought processes leading up to the forgiveness and healing necessary in her life, this book is not just the typical “manual” to achieve one more thing in God, with God, or for God. Rather it is a book which explores how one person’s realization of an empty religion eventually led her to find who God can be and desires to be in all of our lives. He wants to get under our skin to the point where we won’t and don’t ignore his efforts to act, speak, and minister to us and through us.

Let me share these two paragraphs with you as a fair representation or summary of Susan’s message:

“Pastors and teachers expand our understanding of God. Fellowship groups are another good forum for hearing how others experience God. We invite God’s presence through prayer, worship, repentance, and humility. These things are important ingredients for intimacy with God. But ingredients do not make a cake. At some point, every believer must enter [his] her own spiritual experience with God.
Often this is the point in the Christian journey where the mind gets in the way. We back away from the very situations in which God is trying to make contact, missing the moment, the message, and the mystery. Our heads overpower our hearts, taking charge of the situation. I’m not talking about laying aside wisdom and discernment. But some people have a mind-set that leaves no room for God to be God. Sometimes he has to circumvent our finite, systematic minds and our stubborn religious frameworks in order to speak to our hearts in the way deep calls to deep.”

I would advise you to read Closer Than Your Skin because perhaps the following couple of sentences summarizes your church experience either lately or for the most part:

“Numerous authors, leaders, pastors, and teachers have written books about knowing God, but they rarely tell of any authentic experiences with him. The church at large does very little teaching about intimacy with God or how to connect with him in a real way.”

I must say this has not been my experience, but I have observed it in many Christians who have what can only be called a “half-baked” experience with our Lord. They have no real passion or convictions, only a sense of religious responsibility. They speak of Jesus in an off-handed manner if they mention Him at all, and their knowledge of the Holy Spirit borders on vague to non-existent. Their participation in worldly ways and philosophies makes them indistinguishable from the secular humanist.

If your spiritual life is lacking or you know those who are empty and uninspired, grab a copy of Closer Than Your Skin and read it and share it. See your God in a real light, in the land of the living. It’s the least you can do to improve your life.

Father, thank you for never giving up on us, for pursuing us with a passion. I ask that you would continue to speak to Susan in magnificent ways. Give her your work to do and encourage her in ways she has even yet to experience. Let her have eyes to see and ears to hear and rejoice in all that you give her to do. Bless her for her courage and enthusiasm in sharing the Truth of her story and the marvelous ways you have participated in her life. Let others be inspired to get closer to you and realize fully how much you desire that from all of us. I ask it all in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Adam . . . or Eve

The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance tour is on for Ted Dekker’s newest release, a thriller simply titled Adam. Aaahh, but following that simple title rages a chilling page turner with a twist or two to keep the reader on edge for most of the perilous ride.

It’s interesting to me that having just finished The Pawn which I read outside of the tour, this novel arrived. I reviewed The Pawn for Monday, February 4th’s post, and, as you know, that story interwove the lives of a serial killer, an FBI agent, a Jonestown cult survivor, and a politician. Now with Adam, another serial killer and an FBI agent are pitted against each other under the backdrop of every new moon for the previous 15 months another young woman suffers a horrible death in different geographical locations but always in underground areas such as basements or caves.

This killer named Eve, due to the red scrawling of that name near the corpses, has successfully eluded all efforts of the FBI, causing the protagonist Special Agent Daniel Clark, PhD and author of books on the criminal mind, to seek “going dark” to catch him. His boss won’t allow him to do so without working in tandem with the imported attractive Agent Lori Ames, doctor, pathologist, and like-minded hunter of the killer “Eve”.

Immediately upon their introduction to each other they are thrown into a suspected Eve situation which takes them in a jet from their LA office to a location an hour outside of Denver, Colorado, and from there for a drive into a canyon around the base of Pike’s Peak. An empty abandoned van is found at the scene, and they proceed cautiously after finding it empty as expected to search for the particular opening into the underground where they hope to capture Eve and save another victim. They find his 16th victim in the throes of death and transport her to their vehicle, realizing the killer is somewhere out there possibly watching them. As they’re rushing on the winding road to meet an ambulance, a man appears in the headlights walking toward their vehicle. In the panic to avoid hitting him it dawns on Daniel that the man is Eve, and he is carrying a gun in one hand at his side. Daniel skids to a stop, toppling Lori and the victim in the back of the Suburban and disorienting the local Sheriff in the passenger seat. Daniel struggles to find his gun but is too late, and the man shoots him in the head, kills the Sheriff and nicks the arm of Lori as he wrenches the girl from her, tossing her over his shoulder and disappearing through the wooded darkness. In spite of all the agents, local law enforcement, roadblocks, and the ensuing manhunt, Eve is gone, and his victim is later found dead in the typical ritualistic manner of previous young women.

***Potential Spoiler***
Also dead is Special Agent Daniel Clark who is frantically worked on by doctor/Agent Lori Ames. Driven by another agent to meet up with the ambulance, it seems there is no hope for Daniel Clark, declared dead too long for the paramedics to assume he will come back to life in spite of Lori’s unwillingness to cease blasting him with the paddles and giving him fatal doses of epinephrine. Under incredible circumstances Daniel is revived and transported to a hospital where upon returning from the dead, he has no recollection of the specifics of the man in the road, the serial killer Eve.
***End Potential Spoiler***

The story that follows sends Daniel—the atheistic agent who believes that “religion” is make-believe and the supernatural is mind games—his attorney ex-wife who still loves him two years after their divorce, Lori Ames who is Daniel’s accomplice in illegally trying to reclaim his memory at the point of death, all searching for the keys to unlock who Eve is and bring his killing spree to an end. Mixed in with these individual obsessions is the history of Alex Price, aka Alex Trane, tortured escapee along with his younger sister Jessica from a demented captivity engineered by their kidnapping when they were young children.

Since this is my first read from author Ted Dekker, I have nothing to compare it to with the exception of House which he co-authored with Frank Peretti. His fans rave about his books, and if they are as exciting as this one is, I can see why he has a boatload of readers.

I like the unusual format which frames and interrupts the story with “articles” from a crime magazine recounting the history of the killer after certain plot points have been revealed. The other neat thing about this story is that the writing is standard issue—it doesn’t pull you out of the story to exalt itself. This is a thriller after all and we want to keep moving forward to the solution of these horrific circumstances. And this story is haunting, jolting, and terrifying—definitely not for those who prefer light mystery fare.

The few shortcomings for me are minimal and acceptable in light of the tale. One of them is so incidental as to be silliness on my part, but it’s just that when a writer noticeably moves a character in a room and then the character is suddenly sitting within the same conversation, I wonder if the writer forgot the character was standing by the window. I get distracted by that and reread the insignificant scene a couple of times to see if I just missed it. Obsessive, I know. The second incident concerns the background credentials of Agent Ames since she worked for the FBI. I’ll say no more about that.

***Potential Spoiler***
The only other thing that bothers me in general and not specifically in this novel is that for some reason, “exorcisms” are nearly always depicted as being done by Catholic priests. In fact, all Christians are given the power in the Holy Spirit and the Authority in the Name of Jesus to cast out demons. It’s an undesirable prospect to most, but it was a necessity given to Christians through the Blood of Jesus Christ and His salvation to us as believers. So I find the whole idea that a priest must be involved to perform this basic provision in our faith as a certain kind of ritual in conflict with the biblical accounts given to us as followers of Jesus Christ. However, as per this particular story, it was handled quite well with some biblical “techniques”.
***End Potential Spoiler***

If you’re a fan of thrillers, this is a must read from Ted Dekker. If you’re a faithful fan of Ted Dekker’s, I can’t imagine this novel disappointing you. Find out what happens when Adam meets Eve . . .

Father, you know the skills and imagination you’ve given Ted Dekker. You know the platform you’ve given him for your glory. I pray that he would never lose sight of your provision for his talent and that he would never fail to give you all the praise for it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please remember to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Confessions of an Unintentional Rebellious Writer . . .

In a few weeks my second novel entitled The Famous One will be available for purchase at several online outfits including Amazon.com. While the satisfaction is sweet, it is inherently mixed with the accompanying human fears experienced by anyone who shares something so intimately entwined with who they are. Perhaps some authors detach themselves from their work and creatively assess the human condition through characters so different from who they are in places so obscured from where they’ve been in circumstances stranger than anyplace they’ve ever visited, seen, or experienced. Perhaps.

Most novelists write from some distinct place of truth, whether personally known or unknown to them by direct participation. Whether they address the story through humor, tragedy, or ordinary ways, what they write exposes them in a form of nakedness, more emotional than physical. Exposure can be painful or cathartic or laughable or empathetic. It can even be ugly. Or beautiful. How those words play out on the page determines much of how an author is laid bare before his readers.

My first novel (Hope Of Glory) is every bit a first effort. No doubt. The objective in writing it was to fulfill the specific instructions the Lord spoke to my heart. There were times when I feared I would fail to complete it as the years passed. But I did it. And it’s published. For Him. And because of Him. And I trust God to continue to do with it what he had in mind for it when he assigned it to me.

The Famous One is entirely different from that first book in subject, style, and size. This novel is written almost like a fictional biography beginning from an omniscient POV. I can almost guarantee if you attempt to read it with all the established writing rules in the forefront of your brain, you will be shaking your head and rolling your eyes. It wasn’t written with those in mind. There was a character inspired by the life experiences of a real actor whose story would not be denied. It simply had to be told, and the way it came to be told is what it is. You know what I mean?

I can say that the test readers of The Famous One varied in ages from 30-something to 60+, both male and female readers, with one professional endorsement on the back cover which is a truly wonderful gift to me, one I didn’t expect. The novel received rave reviews from the particular readers who took the time to invest in the story. We’ll see what the tougher crowds who’ll be receiving a complementary copy of it think, if they dare to tell me. Some people probably won’t get through the first 50 pages because it doesn’t fit into their definition of what a novel should be. It will have a particular audience, I’m sure of that much.

The other novels I’ve written have similar themes but are different still than these first two. As you know if you’ve been reading this blog for long, my novels are generally longer than the typical CBA novel, more like epics or sagas in contemporary settings, focusing on relationships, fairly heavy on the romance—with the worldly contrasted to the godly.

You have to realize I’d completed five novels before I’d read a single blog or website. I’d written all my life in spurts until I gave any creative writing ability I had to the Lord for His use. Hope Of Glory was borne out of that as the other six novels have been. I didn’t mean to break the rules. I wrote what I liked to read, what I wanted to read. What can I say? The rebellion wasn’t intentional—it was natural.

So . . . now you know part of the story behind this story.

Father, thank you for the stories you’ve given me. If they minister to a few or many, please allow them to minister in some way—however you choose to use them. Just please help me to write totally for you, for your glory. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Life's Notes . . .

You might have read my review of Michael Snyder’s first novel My Name Is Russell Fink. Perhaps you even visited other bloggers’ sites participating in the tour for his book. I have not seen all of the reviews, but none of them that I’ve seen have been anything but favorable.

Here’s the deal. I have no details on the sudden death of Mike’s brother, but Bonnie Calhoun was compassionate and efficient enough to send a notice to us on the CFBA’s rolls to let us know of this tragic occurrence to insure prayers for the family.

In the midst of creating a buzz for his first novel, a tragedy happens. How important do you think that novel is for him right about now?

Kristy Dykes has been battling terminal, aggressive brain cancer for several months. The doctor’s prognosis is not good. She remains in good spirits, praising the Lord side by side her pastor husband, daughters, grandchildren, and the rest of their family along with a supportive congregation and friends praying for her all over the world.

Kristy is a prolific and published writer of Christian romance, and while she strongly desires to finish the novel she’s been working on prior to her brain surgery, radiation treatment, and attempted recovery, she knows she must focus on health issues. The intense pain and nausea which has plagued her since surgery has begun to subside, and even in spite of the difficult symptoms she has endured, Kristy continues to find hope and perpetuate life’s joys in the face of death.

Sometimes we tend to think what we’re doing is the most important thing going on in the world at the time. Sometimes it’s not. Life is here today and gone tomorrow, and if we’re not careful, we’ll forget to appreciate it while we have it. We’re a vapor, grass that withers, a mist.

Take note of life. You’ve been given only so many days. And while that might be the reason you work so hard at what you do, maybe it’s better to take a few extra moments to whisper your gratitude for breath. For the time you have right now. This instant. In the big picture, you won’t be here long. Be grateful for the life you have while it’s here.

Father, please let us fulfill your purpose for our lives, never forgetting to thank you for what you’ve given us for as many days as we have. Thank you for the hope of eternity spent with you. Please, Lord, let us always honor you with our whole hearts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

**PRAYER REQUESTS**

"Friends and dear members of CFBA, with sadness I wish to relay this announcement.

Mike Snyder, author of our blog tour selection this week (My Name Is Russell Fink) will not be able to continue visiting all of the blogs that posted for him on the tour. Mike would like to express his appreciation to all that have posted.

Mike's brother went home to be with the Lord today leaving behind a wife and three daughters. I'm sure Mike would covet your prayers for himself and his family's well-being at such a trying time.

Father, I ask you to rest your hand on Mike Snyder's shoulder. Hold him steady Father, and give him your strength to help his family through this trial. We know that Your ways are higher than our ways Father, and it is sometimes very hard for those that remain, after You have called a family member home." B.C.

Father, we understand so little sometimes, and we hurt so deeply. May your compassion rest upon Mike's family at this hurting time. Be there in your power, glory, and comfort as only you can be. We ask it in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please remember to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

That Elusive Great American Novel . . .

Leave it to Rebecca Luella Miller (aka Becky) to inspire another blog post. Wednesday on her blog (A Christian Worldview of Fiction) she posted some thoughts on writing the “Great American Novel”. That got these squeaky wheels of mental meanderings rolling, and off I went to Wikipedia to get a summation of this familiar yet somewhat elusive reference/term.

This is the explanation given by Wikipedia:

*The "Great American Novel" is the concept of a novel that most perfectly represents the spirit of life in the United States at the time of its publication. It is presumed to be written by an American author who is knowledgeable about the state, culture, and perspective of the common American citizen. It is often considered as the American response to the tradition of the national epic.
The phrase derives from the title of an essay by American Civil War novelist John William DeForest, published in The Nation on January 9, 1868. More broadly, however, it has its origins in American nationalism and the call for American counterparts to the "Great English Writers." It is an ideological call for American cultural distinctness, and identity.
In modern usage, the term is often figurative and represents a Holy Grail of writing, an ideal to strive towards, and is a source of inspiration. It is, presumably, the greatest American book ever written, or which could ever be written. Thus, "Great American Novel" is a metaphor for identity, a Platonic ideal that is not achieved in any specific texts, but whose aim writers strive to mirror in their work.
An alternate usage is in reference to actual novels. Although the title is not a formal award, it is considered to be a prestigious title for a novel, and is thus seen as a worthwhile goal for writers to attempt to achieve.
Though the term is singular, many novels have been given this title over time. In fact, few will claim there is one single Great American Novel. Two of the earliest contenders for this title are Herman Melville's Moby Dick and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Other important and often cited novels include F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, John Dos Passos' U.S.A. trilogy[1], Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.*

Whether or not you agree with the suggested novels listed under the singular title, no doubt you’ve either heard of or read most of them. Even having heard of them says something about their lasting power because none of them are contemporaries of our current time. And that says volumes—forgive the pun.

Since I cover Christian novels on this blog, these are my few suggestions for the Great American Novel(s) of our times:

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness, and The Oath by Frank Peretti

Now I’ve read some excellent novels in recent times, and it would be easy to divide them by genres to identify some truly great writers, but I’m not sure I can say they would fall into the category of the Great American Novel like I feel these most profound of books do. But then again, to each his own.

I truly loved F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing when I was young. Could not tolerate The Grapes of Wrath. Never have read To Kill A Mockingbird (I heard the collective gasp) or Gone With the Wind (settle down, people) or any of Mark Twain’s work—okay, off the floor you guys. Didn’t read Moby Dick or Slaughterhouse-Five and I remember liking The Catcher in the Rye, although it wasn’t my favorite. (I’ve noticed the young 30-something literary buffs love it.)

So . . . is writing the Great American Novel within your sights? Is it a goal? While all of us would be desirable of having that tag placed on our individual novels, are you writing with that in the back of your mind . . . or the forefront?

Over on Becky’s blog, I commented that I wanted to write novels that would touch readers so deeply in order to inspire them into a closer relationship with the Lord. How ‘bout you? Do you have a specific objective or purpose for your writing?

Father, may my writing please you before and above all others, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

Covers

I don’t know about your views on the covers of books, but as a writer of novels, covers are very important to me. As a reader of novels, they are equally important because the cover design tells me something about how the look of the book represents the story inside.

I don’t know how long it’s been going on but recently I’ve participated in a few cover design surveys. With only the blurb to go on, there are three covers to choose from, to vote for or against. In other words which one do you like the best and the least, etc. You are also invited to leave a comment at the end regarding your opinions of the covers. I find them enjoyable.

Being the “self-publisher” of two novels, I have been an active participant in the designing of the two covers of my books. A wonderfully handy, innovative, intelligent, and creative computer geek friend of mine helped me convey the design I wanted to the first outfit who published Hope Of Glory. He used a real photo I provided of a Thoroughbred we trained isolated from a win picture, so the cover definitely tells you what to expect from the story and gives you one side of the “glory” spoken of in the title.

The second experience with my upcoming novel The Famous One was a little different. This group asked for my idea but told me I would receive two distinctly different designs to work from, and from these I had “x” amount of designer time to work out the final cover. Although a different approach than I had imagined, it was easy to abandon one of the designs and begin the suggested improvements to the other. And, surprisingly, it took very little work to arrive at its present cover. And I like it. And it’s important to me to have had a hand in it, so to speak. It’s also very cool to have someone else catch your vision for the cover of your book, down to the fonts used, the colors, and even the “message”.

Lately I’ve seen some covers on novels from different publishers which were very close to the same, and I wondered how that happened. In fact, one of the novels is just about to debut with a cover very similar—nearly identical—to a novel which was nominated a couple of years ago for some writing awards. ??? And the color schemes and artwork in a series of cover designs from different houses also have a strong resemblance. Again, how does this happen? I can’t imagine it being intentional, but neither can I imagine one house not being aware of the covers depicted on their competitors’ offerings. And even beyond that, I can’t imagine the graphics artists involved in the designing of one house’s books coming up with identical designs down to the color schematics and people portrayed even using public domain graphics. Anyone know the answer(s) to this?

A cover is important to me in selecting a novel to read. If the blurb is effective in getting my attention, the cover better match it in appeal. I won’t categorically declare that if I don’t particularly like a cover, I won’t buy the book, but if there’s a choice of equally desirable blurbs, the one with the best cover wins my money.

Maybe you don’t feel the same. How important is the cover of a novel to you?

Father, you have given such enormous talent to so many and yet every gift you give is equally enjoyed when employed by your people to bring blessing to you. Thank you for your imagination which so far outweighs and outshines the finite minds of men. May anything I create via your inspiration be a blessing to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

If your name is . . .

When I got the selection of books for the February Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Tour, I had to select My Name Is Russell Fink but not for reasons which may or may not seem obvious. In fact, I knew I would not be the target audience for this novel—and it’s important to admit that to prospective readers just as it’s only fair to the book’s author to know it, too. The author, Michael Snyder, is a regular contributor to “The Master’s Artist” and an occasional visitor to other blogs such as Mike Duran’s “Decompose”, while being the lone creator of his own blog “My Name Is Michael Snyder” (http://snyderman.blogspot.com/). He’s also a musician, has written short stories, and is working on his second novel.

Just from what little I “know” of Michael Snyder, I have learned he is exceedingly self-deprecating, more than a little uncomfortable with marketing his work (and, boy, do I get that), and it’s easy to tell he’s a truly nice guy, Christian, husband, and father.

So why in the world would I not consider myself one of his target audience people? Well . . . because I had a feeling he would write a novel much like he writes blog posts and comments, and while I find him both congenial and amusing, his genre—however it’s defined—is not one I would seek out to read. Having said all that, I’m not at all sorry I read My Name Is Russell Fink.

Michael is a good writer. Period. In his style, he is consistent and unrelenting with his characters. They are who they are. Quirky, bizarre, dysfunctional, vulnerable, even scary to a point, and troubled by the life struggles each one experiences. The only other CBA author I can think of who comes close to his style is Ray Blackston, and he’s not the same. The story is told in the first person by Russell Fink, the surviving hypochondriac brother of a twin sister who has tragically died many years before the story begins.

If you’re expecting a powerful plot amidst all the freakish behavior, don’t. There is a little mystery involving the death of the family’s Bassett Hound, Sonny, who Russell indulges with “whiskey biscuits”, convinced the dog gives clairvoyant responses to yes or no questions of importance while the dog is inebriated. This event is woven around the scary theatrics of Russell’s fiancée, who he doesn’t love, his job which he hates, a cranky neighbor who he suspects of foul play against his dog, a boss who dreads and postpones firing him, a receptionist who aids him in landing the best sales account of his career and with whom he’s in love, a conniving, gambling older brother, a “healing preacher” father who fell from grace, and a quasi-alcoholic mother, not to mention the frigidly cold (physically) but compassionate pet cemetery counselor and gadget inventor for whom he house-sits and then becomes a roommate.

If I were to guess what the earlier Woody Allen films were like, I’d guess they were similar to this novel, but I don’t know because I’ve only seen one of his latest (“Match Point”), and it was dreadful. His older films were said to be oddball, humorous, and human, and this is the nature of My Name Is Russell Fink. Written almost in a stream of consciousness form as life plays out before Russell and to Russell, it is easy to stay with the story and its unique cleverness. My favorite scene in the novel involved a funeral, and I very much appreciated the ending.

This is a good first effort with enough truth to the flawed cast of characters to make it almost believable, and for those readers who look for both underlying humor and dry wit along with those occasional slapstick moments melded together with a few touching snippets just to keep the emotions engaged, My Name Is Russell Fink is most definitely the book for you.

Father, I pray for Michael Snyder’s talents to be used for your glory. I pray you would continue to give him insights from your word and his life to commit to story form for both entertainment and those poignant moments of truth. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310277272

*These are very difficult times for the Dykes’ family. Please pray for Kristy Dykes.*

There's A Door Here Somewhere . . .

I doubt if I can recreate the humor in this experience for you—and it really has nothing to do with doors per se. It does have to do with our ineptness at times to know what we’re doing and where we are headed, not to mention how we’re going to get there . . .

I traveled to Europe at the ripe young age of 20 years old, shortly after that 20th birthday. Having talked a girlfriend into going with me, we’d worked and saved our money for a year and were ready for our nearly three month adventure. Eurail Passes gave us unabated railroad travel through Europe, and we made good use of the trains. We figured out how to leave the bulk of our luggage in one place and purchased backpacks to cart our necessities on the train. We soon learned how heavy those buggers could be with our clothing and cosmetics stuffed in every conceivable pocket.

I’m not sure exactly where it was, but I believe we were heading north to visit Sweden and Norway and hurriedly boarded a train, possibly in Belgium during the daytime. It was crowded and we stood in an alcove outside the main car with other travelers, perhaps commuters. My shoulders weren’t the broadest, and that fully loaded pack weighed heavily upon them. I looked for a “wall” in the SRO environs of that hallway between cars and spotted a short curtain which appeared to be concealing a door or compartment. Looked like a good spot to prop up that pack and lean against it to give my weary shoulders some relief. When I got in position and leaned back, I quickly discovered there was no solid anything behind the curtain and I literally tipped over, feet in the air, incapable of righting myself.

Needless to say, my girlfriend and I were hysterical at the faux pas, and she helped me up as we giggled and laughed about my clumsiness. It was all the mostly gentlemen standing in the area could do not to smile or laugh out loud themselves, but they used great restraint and managed to remain silent through the brief ordeal. We attempted to control our laughter as well after observing their reactions to the fiasco, but it wasn’t easy for two young American girls eager to laugh, and since any decorum we might have managed had been dissolved and upended, we just had brief fun with the silliness. The memory still makes me laugh.

Okay, about the door . . . quite often we have no idea where the door itself is, let alone the right door. With all the writing instructions, suggestions, demands, and surefire directions, no one knows which door, if any, is the door to walk through for the answer to career solutions. Aahh, we think we’ve found the right one, but when we reach for the doorknob, it turns to ash or powder in our hands and nothing we do provides an entry to whatever is behind it. But wait! We followed all the tips, we jumped through all the hoops, we worked and polished and buffed our manuscript, query, proposal, synopsis, and pitch. They all couldn’t get any tighter if they were rubber bands in launch positions. But the door isn’t opening—in fact, it seems to have disappeared. Just like that curtain concealing an empty space, we fall into nothingness.

When you’re young and, let’s face it, full of it, you might approach challenges with a little more defiance. Sort of with the “cannot be denied” attitude. And I think that’s good because in the process of knocking your head against the wall occasionally and experiencing a measure of true success at other times, you begin to sense that things aren’t always dependent on you and how you manage to do them. Sometimes there’s a door where you had no idea one could possibly exist—and boom! you’re through it with next to no effort on your part after striving and groveling to get through a different one.

As a Christian, if you really believe you can do everything “right” according to all the instructions issued to writers to get “published”, then by all means pursue them to the letter. Just be prepared to fail anyway. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for you. You and I both know, if we’re honest, there are novels published all the time which don’t exhibit this near perfection, this new voice, this fresh idea. If you want to serve God with your writing, find out what directions He has for you to follow. Which of all the instructions and talking points made by authors, agents, and editors are the ones God is leading you to follow? Because contrary to what many of the professionals have to say, not everyone who sticks to the “letter of their laws” is going to see publication. If it was just a paint-by-numbers process, we’d all be published. No, there are too many of us shoving our way through the mind bending rules to find the right door, when really the “right” door is the one God is holding open for us when we finally discover His way to operate our dreams and desires and yield them all to serving Him.

The door that counts is the one He has ready to open. You can wrestle and wrench one open maybe, but in the long run it’s debatable whether or not you’ll find peace with your decision. True success comes in pleasing the Lord, not some editor or publisher although they can certainly occur simultaneously if Jesus is in charge. Let it soak into your soul: apart from Him, you can do nothing. Nothing of lasting value and real significance.

Father, thank you for the lessons of life, for upending us to show us your truths—we are nothing without you. If we insist on following man and ourselves without you, we will fail. In the midst of so-called success, if we haven’t followed you, we have failed. Help me not to fail, Lord. “You’re all I’m livin’ for . . .” In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

First . . . the living or the Dead?

First the Dead is Tim Downs’ third novel in the Bug Man series. Although each one in this series is a stand alone story, in order to fully appreciate Dr. Nick Polchak, forensic entomologist known somewhat affectionately as “The Bug Man”, a reader should really start the adventure with Shoofly Pie and continue with Chop Shop before reading this book. One of the reasons for this suggestion is because Nick’s quirky ways cannot be as easily understood or perhaps even tolerated in this novel without sufficient background on this most interesting character. Prior to this book, I thought Nick Polchak was the most unique and fascinating character I’ve encountered in a contemporary novel. In this story he doesn’t seem quite as “endearing”, though certainly as stubborn and impulsive, annoying, and focused.

Taking place primarily in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Nick is his usual rebellious self when he is informed that before the various team members can bring the dead into the DMORT (Disaster Mortuary Response Team) unit, they must first rescue survivors. Since Nick is much more comfortable with the dead than the living, his first attempt at bringing both some living and a corpse back to high ground brings a strong reprimand and the instruction to forget about the dead until the living are all found. Since Nick suspects foul play to the corpse he’s found, he’s not one to give up easily.

Add to the mystery of bodies in too advanced stages of decomposition to be caused by the hurricane, a resilient and spunky 10 year old boy looking for his father, a psychiatrist who’s had her own share of problems with Nick Polchak, a mortician friend named Jerry who becomes Nick’s less than willing accomplice, and a coarse but driven New Orleans policeman who works solo in transporting survivors, and you have a strange journey through the toxic dark waters of a city submerged.

Although Howard Publishing introduced us to Nick Polchak in the first two novels by Tim Downs before they were purchased by Simon & Schuster, this one is published by Thomas Nelson. I’ve said it before, and I reiterate it here, these three novels by Tim Downs have no reason to be classified as Christian novels along with Head Game which was published under the now defunct division of Thomas Nelson known as West Bow. In my opinion, the only Christian novel Tim Downs has written is Plague Maker, also under the West Bow imprint, and he did a fine job with that one. It’s interesting that Mr. Downs has written five novels with CBA publishers and only one of them presents a recognizable and concrete reference to and message about God.

This novel is a classic example of why I don’t read secular fiction anymore. There is no hope offered. Only humans relying on their ingenuity, intelligence, and faulty rationale of survival, life, and death. Good writing. Entertaining story. Nothing more. Empty as the lives depicted, no matter how unique or how compelling the characters and circumstances, the final result lacks depth and substance and ultimately satisfaction.

Although I know writing for the sake of writing impresses a lot of readers, it lacks true inspiration for me. Telling a good story is important, but the real value in “Christian” publishing is story infused with truth, the reality of God, the inherent need for a Savior.

I know all about the mantra which speaks of the roles of “planting, watering, and harvesting” the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through story, and there is validity in it of course. However, if you can find even the notion of that seed in the four previously mentioned novels written by Tim Downs, you have a much larger definition of “seed” than I.

From a strictly practical view of events in this novel, considering the nauseating and poisonous descriptions of the condition of these waters filled with human and unknown carrion, the warm temperatures of the waste and toxicity, I find it hard to imagine that the unscheduled and often sustained dips into the inky waters didn’t result in more immediate and severe skin irritations in the characters.

I was also surprised to find some typos in this hardbound edition, and I find that a bit irritating since all we hear as unpublished writers is the need for excellence. How can the professionals in the proofreading, copy-editing, and final editing processes miss more than one error? If you find this nit-picky, I’m sorry, but this book retails for $22.99. Yes, you can pay less for it depending on where you purchase it, but the fact remains when a publisher invests in a first print run of hardbound books, seems like they’re saying this is a primo author we’re featuring here. I think the standard for errors should be next to none.

As you can no doubt tell, this is not my favorite of Tim Downs’ work, although I liked it better than Head Game. He is a truly good writer and storyteller, but in five novels with Christian publishers he has chosen only once to deal with the presence and reality of the Lord. In the other four you’d need Nick Polchak’s glasses to find Him.

Father, I ask your specific blessings, directions, and instructions for Tim Downs. Thank you for his talent and imagination. Please continue to inspire what he does to give honor to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes during this life and death time.*

Sunday's Offerings

O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.

. . .

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I am awake,
I am still with you.

Psalm 139:1-4; 17-18 (NIV)