Into the Fire

I have a favor to ask . . .

 

My cyber-friend and fellow writer Tim George posted this on his site Saturday:  

"As I watch the clueless leadership on the news tonight and once again read a note from our son in Afghanistan I can only shake my head in sadness. If you haven't, please consider visiting http://www.tegeorge.com/Fictio​n/?p=532, read what our soldiers are saying, and leave a word of encouragement."

 

http://www.tegeorge.com/Fiction/

 

This may be one of the shortest posts I ever make here in my little piece of the blogosphere and for good reason. There isn’t much we gripe about in life that can’t be cured by a good dose of perspective. Writer’s complain about publishers and deadlines. Teachers complain about parents and students and a system that doesn’t always work. Citizens complain about the debt and Congressmen and taxes. And we all complain about how hot it is and how much better music was back in the day.

Yesterday I paused in the midst of a marathon writing session to complain to the wall about how bad I felt, how much my back hurt, and how that certain client was making unrealistic demands.  Then I checked my email and there was a note from a son I haven’t heard from in weeks. He is serving his third tour in Afghanistan as a Forward Observer with Task Force Chosin in one of the hottest of hot zones and had taken the time to email me the following words (edited of course):

Sorry I have not communicated in so long now.  Our phone tent has been out of order and I have just now gotten to where I can email and all.  So, I’ve been off the map for some time now.  I’m doing alright, although I am worn and tired.  I have now worked for 137 consecutive days.  I am tired, more tired than I ever remember getting on a deployment.  The violence continues here at an amazing rate.  Our enemy is growing desperate and continues to attack us on a daily basis, all day long.  We hunt them in return, all day long.  Every day is ground hog day around here at this point.  We wake up every day, the sun comes up and we fight all day until the sun goes down.

Nothing good has ever come of war, and nothing good ever will.  However, it is an unfortunate necessity in this world of ours.  Mankind is in a sad state of affairs I fear, and I can only hope to raise my children right and to point them in a direction that gets them to somewhere positive in life.  I do not want my children to be Soldiers.  I do not want them to see what I have seen, nor bear the burden of things that no one else can understand unless they’ve been there. 

As messed up as America is right now, it is still the greatest nation on the face of this planet.  Gotta love it.  Love you guys and see you soon.

Still fighting to put your troubles in perspective? Glad I could help you fix that.

 

Father, please help these men in every possible way as they do what they've been asked and called to do. Relieve them, renew them, refresh them, and revive them. You're the only one who can. Please protect them and be close to their hearts, Lord Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. This is the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

". . . He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Acts 10:34-35;42-43 (NIV) 

****Political Update****

 

Excerpts from the ACLJ:

 

We face a critical deadline in our ongoing battle with Planned Parenthood – the nation’s largest provider of abortions.  We are holding them accountable in a case where they are accused of fraudulently overbilling taxpayers by hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

The ACLJ has until this Monday, August 1st, to respond to Planned Parenthood’s latest legal maneuvering to avoid being held accountable for their actions.

 

Planned Parenthood knows that this lawsuit could cripple their operations in California and their opportunity for future public funding in the rest of the country.  We are up against the full weight of this abortion giant’s billion-dollar budget – a budget subsidized by hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

 

Our team of attorneys is taking action, working vigorously to meet Monday’s deadline for filing our legal opposition to Planned Parenthood’s motion to throw out a large portion of this case. We are also continuing our work in several other critical pro-life cases – to defeat ObamaCare and defend pro-life pregnancy centers.

 

Earlier this week, we filed a new brief in our ObamaCare lawsuit, arguing that this pro-abortion law is an unconstitutional restriction of our liberty. Not only does it unconstitutionally force Americans to buy a particular product, it is essentially a bailout for the abortion industry.

 

ObamaCare infuses groups like Planned Parenthood with unprecedented levels of new funding – funding they will continue to use to attempt to defeat us in court and expand their abortion business.

 

We are also continuing to defend pro-life pregnancy centers against a New York City law threatening to shut them down – a law pro-abortion forces hope to enact in every city in America. As you know, we won an important victory in this fight earlier this month when a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing this law from going into effect. However, the government – with the support of pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the ACLU, and the National Organization for Women – has already filed their notice to appeal this well-reasoned decision.

 

We are preparing our response to defend these pro-life centers against this violation of their First Amendment rights so that they can continue doing what they do best – helping women in their crucial moment of need and saving the lives of unborn babies.

 

Jay Sekulow

 

ACLJ Chief Counsel

 

 

President Obama could not be more clear, saying in his television address: “If … we default, we would not have enough money to pay all of our bills — bills that include monthly Social Security checks [and] veterans’ benefits ….”

 

This is not only a moral outrage; it’s just not true.

 

Our legal analysis has concluded that there is nothing in the Constitution or federal law that would prevent the President from ensuring that seniors and our military heroes get the benefits they are due.

 

If President Obama will not make it a priority to honor our commitments to those who have paid into the system their whole lives and those who have put their lives on the line for their country, we must urge Congress to take action. Reports have shown that if we default, not only would there be money enough to pay Social Security, Medicare, active duty military pay, and veterans’ affairs programs, there would still be $39 billion remaining each month for other essential services.

 

Let me be clear. President Obama has both the legal authority and the financial resources to ensure that our seniors and our military heroes receive the benefits they are owed, yet he continues to use scare tactics, threatening those we cherish and respect.

 

As our nation is faced with this impending debt crisis, our leaders in Washington still have an opportunity to cut the debt and prioritize our spending. We could save billions of dollars just by cutting funding for Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry, the terrorist-led Palestinian Authority and other despotic governments that oppose us at every turn, and pro-abortion ObamaCare.

 

Yet, President Obama and the liberals in Congress insist that the most important cuts we could make are ending tax breaks for corporate jet owners, while abortions remain a tax-deductible medical expense.

 

There is still time to prioritize our spending and solve our debt crisis, but we must send a message to Congressional leaders today.  Tell Congress to support legislation that prioritizes spending, eliminates tax increases, and protects seniors and our military heroes. 

 

Thank you for standing with the ACLJ and taking action to protect our seniors, troops, veterans, and values.  This is a critical time for the direction our nation is taking, and your voice is vital in reminding Congress of America’s priorities.

 

Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel

 

P.S. In his address to the nation, President Obama urged all Americans to “let your Member of Congress know” how you feel about the debt crisis.  It is time to do just that.

 

 

God, we're desperate for you. Help us as we pray for our country. Apart from you we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

 

You, character, you! Part Two.

 

Whereas yesterday I asked you to recall favorite characters and recite what you loved to see in one that proved meaningful, it might be much more difficult to remember those characters that made you want to forget them.

 

Can you list three things that you detest in novel characters?  

 

God, remind us to write truth in our stories. To peel layers from characters and expose them at their core. Help us to write real. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

You, character, you!

 

Think of a few of your favorite novel characters. You remember them, don't you? You may be a little fuzzy on the story now that much time has passed, but you haven't forgotten those characters, have you?

Next: name three "things" your favorite characters must be/have/possess. Go!

 

Father, we're made in your image, fallen though we are. Thank you for making a way to be redeemed. We're desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Unpredictable . . .

 

When you write, are you predictable? Do similar themes or situations expose themselves on the pages of your words over and over again? Do you ever find yourself getting bored with your stories? Is it time to venture into unpredictability? Is it necessary?

 

What is unpredictable when applied to creating fiction? What does that mean to you as a reader and a writer?

 

Do you consider unpredictability a positive characteristic or a harmful escape?

 

These are my thoughts for Wednesday . . .

 

 

God, your character is absolute and predictable. How you exercise your character is imaginative and often unpredictable. Thank you for being huge. Beyond my finite mind. I’ve always needed that. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Wistful . . .

 

Most of you know I lost my only brother, my older brother, rather suddenly and unexpectedly just over a week ago. His memorial was Friday (the 22^nd of July), and it was a terrific event in a tiny town by the sea he loved.

 

My dad left a huge legacy of people who loved and respected him. That somewhat short man born in Butte, Montana to Italian immigrant parents left some big shoes to fill for his taller son. When my brother eventually entered into the same business as Dad, he demonstrated he inherited the retail gene. However, my brother ended up with some alcohol difficulties that plagued him for several years.

 

When my brother quit drinking, he dedicated a substantial portion of his sober life to helping others who’d gone down that same road. The fullness of this particular area of his life was unknown to our family until his memorial. There I learned of the love and immense respect my brother had acquired through his generosity in sharing his life, his struggles, his time and energy with others who’d suffered some of the same and worse problems with the drug of alcohol. The small chapel was filled with people who came to pay their respects to and give their testimonies about my brother Dick who they all knew as Richard. He was a friend, a mentor, a rescuer, an encourager, and a person you called when you were desperate. He was a wonderful man.

 

The service was filled with tears, some laughter, lots of fellowship afterward, and plenty of interesting conversations about a man held in high esteem. He was his father’s son in that he, too, became a great man. As I recorded in my tribute to him, I reiterate now: it is an honor to be his sister.

 

And, as only God can do, He demonstrated how He can make beauty from ashes and how He can work all things together for good for those who love Him, for those who are the called according to His purpose.  

 

I love you, Dick.   

 

 

Thank you, Lord, for rescuing my brother and me. For loving us. For being patient with us. For saving our souls. Please hug my family for me, Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The slobbery soup of self-promotion.

 

Some people are masters of artfully presenting their wares—or maybe I should say few people have mastered the mess of self-promotion. I know I haven’t.

 

I can easily discuss my novels. No problem. I love to talk about Joey Parr from The Famous One or Michael Jamison  and Shaylen Price from the upcoming Breath of Life. And any of the other multitude of characters from the seven finished novels or the three in process. That’s just plain fun.

 

But advertising them? How? What do you like to see to promote a new novel? What piques your interest? What do you think should be done to get you to read a new novel? What do you hate? What bothers you?

 

Any of you game enough to answer these questions? I’d love to hear what you have to say. And thank you for whatever you have to offer.

 

 

Father, I need help here. Always. You know that. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Revelation 21:3-4 (NIV)

 

 

? 4 U

 

If I asked what you liked least about writing a novel, what would you say?

 

Lord, thank you for the perseverance it takes to write. Thank you for the privilege of writing with you in mind. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Intimate ramblings . . .

 

Some women . . .

 

I’ve learned some of us like the feeling of being threatened. That you could disappear at any moment. At will. But at the same time, we revel in that look you give us that says no one—ever—has meant this much to you. That if your heart could belong to anyone, it would belong to us.

 

Keeps us from getting lazy, I think. Knowing you could say goodbye—hard as it would be to do. But you could do it. Makes us aware of our pettiness. And kinda locks us into a certain neediness that declares our femininity. Something we can fight but never defeat. 

 

Father, you know the flaws in all of your people. Yet you love us. Each one. Thank you for that. You wait to rescue us from ourselves. We're all so needy. Desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Things I've learned along the way . . .

 

Writing is not the most important expression of life. It holds a valued position in defining the hearts of writers in unique ways, but it’s only another vessel in which communication can be executed or elicited from those who must put words in motion.

 

Grief shows up when you least expect it and has no regard for subtlety, though it hides sometimes in the mundane exercises of the everyday.

 

“Alone” takes on fresh meaning when the family you grew up with is no longer present.

 

People need to know they’re loved and that they matter.

 

 

Thank you, Lord, for the privileges you’ve given me. They’re too numerous to count or name. My family exceeded all I could’ve hoped for . . . I’m so grateful. Please continue to bless our lives, Lord, as we strive to live them for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Tribute to my brother Dick . . .

 

What every big brother should be: he was. Nine years older than this little girl, he was someone to observe and admire.

 

Oh yes: he was a terrible tease. All the way through his life, he teased the women in his life mercilessly. I remember being at the point as a child, standing in our driveway of the house on Motor Place, shouting with tears “I hate you!” Recalling those moments as an adult, I felt horrendous guilt for those words because of how deeply I loved my brother.

 

Dick was the strong silent type who kept his struggles wrapped up in internal packages, rarely expressing the specifics to me but somehow letting me know when things were not so great or improving. So much I never knew.

 

Other than his health in recent years and his desire for more sun, he seemed content.

 

Because of the age gap between us, we spent most of our lives in different locations and stations in life, but whenever I needed my brother, he was there for me. He was “the protector” without ever having to say so.

 

The tender side of my brother was most evidenced when Mom died and his tribute to her was a lovely poem he’d written. Such a touching expression from this man of few words.

 

We all railed at him for his undying devotion to the Oakland Raiders, but we still indulged him with their paraphernalia at Christmastime.

 

Like all of us he had flaws and suffered the consequences of his actions. But he loved many, cared deeply, and maintained a good sense of humor always looking for the next good tease. And he was loved back.   

 

I don’t know when it was exactly that he decided he needed to firm things up with Jesus, but I’m comforted that he did. He learned the value of prayer, and I know that so many people offered prayers up to the Father for Dick’s healing. Well . . . God answered and Dick’s now whole. No more trying to quit smoking, no more hard-fought efforts to take a mere breath, no more wrestling with sin, no more lack of sunshine, and no more trouble here on earth. I’m sure he got hugs from not only His Savior but from our mom and dad. As much as I’ll miss him, there’s no better place to be than heaven.

 

Thank you to each one of you who enriched my brother’s life. He treasured many of us just as we cherished him. And although he’s better off, we remain with the hurt of losing him and the precious memories of one Richard James Petrino.    

 

I am so thankful and blessed to have been his little sister. It was an honor.

 

                              

When trouble . . . Falls Like Lightning

 

The CFBA Tour features Reno, Nevada, firefighter and paramedic Shawn Grady’s third novel Falls Like Lightning published by Bethany House.

 

Silas Kent jumps into fires from airplanes. He’s good at it and a respected member of a team. Elle Westmore flies the planes from which smoke jumpers exit. She’s good at it. Respected as one of the best, particularly over a particular forest area where her father was lost in flight and never found, she is asked to fly this particular route before the fire that’s searing all around it gets away from the firefighters and destroys the residences that border the area.

 

Silas doesn’t expect to head up another team, one he’s never worked with, and he certainly doesn’t expect to have Elle as the pilot, but dire circumstances put them all together. Elle and Silas have a history that didn’t end well. Elle married someone on the rebound, is now a single mom, and has a 5 year old daughter who suffers from seizures.

 

Unknown to Silas and Elle there is another reason this particular team wants to go on this jump, and it isn’t to contain a fire. Only one member of this unfamiliar team seems to know what’s really going on, and he finds a way to make sure Silas learns of their intentions.

 

The technical aspects of smoke jumping are woven into this story without a hitch. The reader can almost smell the smoke and feel the flames as the pages turn. The emotional turmoil of Silas and Elle facing off again add to the intensity of what’s required of them on this fateful trip. Faith issues spring up organically from the characters’ hopes and fears.  

 

If there’s a weakness in this story, it isn’t in Shawn’s writing. He’s a good writer. I would say the bad guys are a little too stereotypical which isn’t uncommon but I’m sure Shawn will remedy this in future novels.  

 

Danger, tragedy, and sacrifice lead to a stunning conclusion to this quick read by Shawn Grady. Falls Like Lightning is a descriptive and suggestive title to an exciting and mildly romantic novel.

 

 

                                            

 

http://www.christianbook.com/falls-like-lightning-shawn-grady/9780764205972/pd/205972?item_code=WW&netp_id=871906&event=ESRCG&view=details

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ 0764205978

 

                                          

 

Father, thank you for the calls you’ve put on Shawn’s life. Thank you for his efforts to save lives and enlighten readers with novels that honor you. Please continue to give him stories to share and keep him safe from all harm. 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 (NIV)

Either . . . Dead or Alive

 

It’s personally amusing that my first read of a Tom Clancy novel turns out to be Dead or Alive which runs 950 pages. Me: the one who exalts long novels and wrote my first one that resulted in 744 pages including the Glossary of Terms. So what did I think of paddling through that many pages? Not too bad.

 

Dead or Alive is a contemporary thriller in the vein of Vince Flynn stories. With “spooks” and politicians and Islamic terrorists, an independent group of men, including former President Jack Ryan Sr.’s son Jack Junior, search for those terrorists the administration in this novel seek to placate with fancy diplomacy and the reduction and/or replacement of professionals in the CIA and other important places in the government with those who know nothing about what is required to keep this country safe. Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so too.

 

This independent group seeks out the best of the Special Ops, Law Enforcement, CIA types who are considering retirement or frustrated with the limitations placed upon them by their government when the enemy has no such guards over their conduct to destroy the USA. Using their contacts and familiarity with other clandestine operatives and organizations in the world, this small group can accomplish what sanctioned operatives sometimes cannot. They operate totally under the radar and only answer to their peers.

 

As you might expect from a novel this size, the tedium of explanations for different radioactive parts, the voyages to unheard of and desolate places with the outcome predisposed and assured, and the few meandering and vulgar musings of a high-priced call girl, not to mention the probably accurate descriptions of the Arabs’ thoughts who hire the women for their “physical needs”, all lead to some perhaps unnecessary verbiage. This is a secular/general market book so there are no restrictions on language or vulgarity, and all things considered, in those respects it could’ve been worse. Plenty of f-bombs and some lewd imagery and words, so I don’t recommend it for everyone.

 

An antagonist equivalent to a bin Laden type, the “Emir” cannot be located, and the e-chatter has gone silent which is, according to Jack Jr., a good indicator that something big is in the works and possibly imminent. With Jack’s and another of the group’s geek’s discoveries the team takes off in twos to various parts of the world to capture some of the discovered evil members of the terrorist group (URC) to learn the plans and location of the Emir.

 

The covert operations are the most entertaining and exciting parts of the story, and the fact that none of them are discovered make the actions that much more fulfilling to read. Realistic in its portrayal of two kinds/sides of politics and government as well as the dangerous and sometimes tragic world of covert operations bring this contemporary story to life.

 

Writing-wise I found the use of nicknames and real names used for the same characters confusing at times in keeping track of who was who. Small thing really, but being unfamiliar with them kept me off-balance and stopping to reassess their identities. The POV slippages and opting into omniscient will no doubt bother some readers—though probably only those who write.

 

For those political/spy thriller readers who appreciate a lot of technical data streamed through stories, this is the book for you.

 

I’ll tell you the part of the novel I liked the least. In fact I’ll quote it for you, stated by one of the primary characters John Clark, a go-to guy in Special Ops. In putting his thoughts together with a few other incidents and nuances in the novel, I’m not sure if this is just the character’s thinking or if this is Tom Clancy’s opinion. Frankly, it bothered me.

 

***SPOILER ALERT***

 

Clark had never met a bad Saudi. There were a few he knew well from his life in the CIA, people from whom he’d learned the language. They’d all been religious, part of the conservative Wahhabi branch of Sunni Islam. Not unlike Southern Baptists in the thoroughness of their devotion. That was fine with him. He’d been to a mosque once and watched the exercise of the religion, careful to stay inconspicuously in the back—it had been a language lesson, for the most part, but the sincerity of their religious beliefs was evident. He’d talked religion with his Saudi friends and found nothing the least bit objectionable in it. Saudis were hard to make as close friends, but a true Saudi friend would step in front of the bullet for you. Their religion’s rules on such things as hospitality were admirable indeed. And Islam prohibited racism, something Christianity had unfortunately left out.

 

***SPOILER CONCLUDED***

 

Obviously, “John Clark” or possibly Tom Clancy has no clue what Christianity truly is or what the word of God has to say about racism. Not to be naïve about seeing prejudice in the church. Nevertheless: prejudice is not a part of Christianity; it’s a part of humanity.  

 

Written in partnership with U.S. Navy veteran Grant Blackwood who also co-authored two novels with Clive Cussler and authored his own Briggs Tanner Series, Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy will provide a detailed story about what it takes by covert operatives to defeat a powerful, persistent, and remarkably patient enemy.

 

                             

 

 

Father, I have no idea what Tom Clancy’s “religious” status is, but I know the only thing that matters in this world and the next is a relationship with Jesus. I pray that Tom would have one and that you would continue to enlighten his writing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

"Taking away from the story . . ."

 

That catchy little title is a favorite phrase used by editors in various other forms such as “If it doesn’t advance the story, what’s it doing there?” Well, it’s an ambiguous question and another of the many, seemingly endless, “rules” for guiding writers along in their creation of novels. Frankly, I like it about as much as I like the “conflict on every page” fiasco. Maybe less.

 

A storyteller knows there must be a problem, a conflict, and/or tension to carry a plot. Genre dictates how much and how deep and how it’s presented. Peripheral characters provide all kinds of nuances for a story, some vague, some critical, some for misdirection, some for pure entertainment.

 

Once again let me give this disclaimer: the rules hold value and serve a purpose in teaching the basics for those who are picking up their pencils or exercising their keyboards and learning the objectives of telling a story. But the rules don’t teach variety or voice, vision or vivacity. Rules must be learned in order to effectively break them. Sticking religiously to the rules is the bane of creativity because not all rules translate effectively into making a good and stylish story.

 

Opinions on what truly “takes away from the story” are as varied as the stories themselves. It could be said that Dean Koontz does this frequently—heads off on little independent creative jags with characters and occurrences which take the reader away from the direct storyline and interject it with quizzical characters and circumstances that seem like rambling until down the line these unique people and situations intersect. Now it could be argued these are essential to the story . . . eventually. But the opposite could be argued as well depending on your view of what’s important to a particular story.

 

I just read Tom Clancy’s 950 page Dead or Alive. Apparently his editors didn’t think any of those hundreds of thousands of words weren’t necessary to his story.

 

It boils down to opinion. The concern seems to be that gushing prose provides mere pleasure for the author and not necessarily the reader which of course can be true. However, what might bother one reader—or one editor—delights another. Unrelated tangents by an author can read whimsically or irritate impatient readers. And not just impatient readers to be fair. If a target reader decides a passage is irrelevant and wonders why it’s there, the author has missed his mark with it. How critical the results of that failure are probably can’t be calculated in real terms. Some readers are quite forgiving and others seem to look for an excuse to abandon a book or an author. If it’s a technical concern about “the way stories should be written”, that only goes so far. Creativity and sound writing can bag the accepted norms with great success.

 

So what “takes away from the story” is just another “rule” that suffers from the ambiguity of opinion. Betting you hold your own opinions on this . . .

 

 

Lord, we’re desperate for you in all areas of our lives. Lead us in your ways and may your grace flow through us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Recognizing the . . . Pattern of Wounds

 

                             

Continuing the CFBA Tour for July: The second Roland March Mystery, Pattern of Wounds, published by Bethany House and written by J. Mark Bertrand, reminds us of our first go-round with Houston Police Department Detective Roland March. He’s cynical, can be abrasive, and he’s not about to submit to the perfect by-the-book investigations regardless of the reprimands involved when following his gut.

 

In a strict and exhaustive timetable approaching the Christmas holiday, we feel the fatigue and hear the silent clock ticking away the hours of chasing down leads, suspects, and the disappointments for a crime which eventually erupts into a second murder.

 

When a posed and carved up dead girl turns up by the pool of a female professor’s home where she was a boarder, there’s something eerily familiar about how she’s carefully positioned. When it hits March why he recognizes the layout of the crime, no one is willing to see the similarity. Except someone who is almost as familiar with the old crime as he is.

 

In the meantime the young Christian couple, Carter and Gina who were introduced in Back on Murder and who now rent March and Charlotte’s attached apartment, tentatively announces they are having a baby, knowing it could be difficult news since March and Charlotte lost their little daughter in a car crash. The news dredges up instant pain for March and multiple senses of loss. Along with this sorrow we learn more of March’s family background and none of it adds up to comfort and joy.

 

Roland March is an embittered, dedicated perpetrator of justice who holds a grudge the size of Texas against a God he can’t understand, refusing to try even when some things smack him in the face. Mark captures his character, unflinching at the exposure of his sometimes cold heart and his sometimes uncomfortable devotion to his wife. The detective is complex with multi-layered feelings even he can’t always rectify. As we learn more about his personal history in this second leg of the March journey, we can’t help but think much of his demeanor is a result of deep hurts he’s unwilling to turn loose. They’re as much a part of who he is as the brusque sarcasm, sharp wit, and unorthodox investigative hunches and practices.

 

Pattern of Wounds not only presents the reader with a great cover and a title full of innuendo, the story takes you step by step through the frustrations of pursuing the wrong suspects, the interference of a misled author, the deceptive efforts of an incarcerated murderer, and the histrionics of a deputy sheriff bent on attaching a serial killer to March’s murder victim.

 

Even more “noir” than its predecessor, Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand leaves us uneasy in the final scene but ultimately fulfilled for having read a so well-written and strangely touching story filled with dog-legged subplots and a more intimate look at Roland March.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Pattern+of+Wounds

 

 

God, you’ve clearly gifted Mark. Please continue to meet the supply of stories for those readers you’ve provided and will provide. Bless his efforts to show both sides of the spiritual journey. Keep him and Laurie safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

The 2011 Christy Award Winners

                                         

                                       

 

The 2011 Christy Awards were given out at the annual dinner held the evening of July 11 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.

The awards began just before 7 p.m. local time with Emcee Liz Curtis Higgs welcoming the attendees, after which the nominees were announced, and each of the authors went onstage where they received a medal (the winners received trophies). After the meal Donna Kehoe the executive director of the Christy Awards presented the year in review, followed by the keynote speech by Randall Wallace. Around 9:15 the 2011 Christy Award winners were announced.

The Christy Awards were first awarded in 2000, and honor each year excellent Christian fiction, in a variety of categories. Each year publishers submit books for the categories and the winners are chosen by a board of seven people familiar with the publishing world.

The nominees and winners of this years’ Christy Awards are: (Winners are in Bold)

Contemporary Romance

Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris

Indivisible by Kristin Heitzmann*

Sworn to Protect by DiAnn Mills

Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas

The Reluctant Prophet by Nancy Rue *

The Thorn by Beverly Lewis

The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Contemporary Standalone

Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry*

Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner

A Season of Miracles by Rusty Whitener*

First Novels

 Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes*

Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

A Season of Miracles by Rusty Whitener*

Historical

Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther by Ginger Garrett

For Time & Eternity by Allison Pitman

While We’re Far Apart by Lynn Austin

Historical Romance

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell

Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander

Suspense

The Bishop by Steven James*

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

Predator by Terri Blackstock

Visionary

To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson

Konig’s Fire by Marc Schooley

The Last Christian by David Gregory

Young Adult

The Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers

The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book by Nancy Rue

Nancy Rue became the first author to win two awards in one year. (All information taken from the Christy Awards Website.)

* I've read these.

 

Father, please bless those who write for your glory. No award can beat the pleasure of our obedience to you. Thank you for that privilege. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

An amazing kind of . . . Vigilante

 

Robin Parrish’s latest, titled Vigilante and published by Bethany House, is one of the featured novels in the CFBA Tour for this week. This is my third read from Robin Parrish who writes always interesting types of speculative fiction, just not my favorite types of reading. Until Vigilante. I really liked this novel, clearly my favorite of the three I’ve read. And may I add just a side note here? I loved that he only included one “blurb”, from Ted Dekker no less and on the cover, but just one. Kind of refreshing.

 

Writing a story which conjures up comparisons to a more fleet-footed Robocop while situated in a pre-apocalyptic New York City, Robin opens with a bang (forgive the pun) and keeps the tension and conflicts going right up to the satisfying end of the story. Shortly after a celebrated Special Forces soldier Lt. Nolan Gray, a well-known war hero and personal friend to the current president, is dead and buried with honors, mysterious billboards lead to a figure who starts rescuing different people from crimes against them, claiming to want to show them a “better way” to live. He doesn’t speak. Instead he performs amazing acts of offensive maneuvers to disable those who seek to wreak havoc on the patrons of NYC. The press labels him “The Hand” due to the design of the billboards and a white hand insignia on the strange combat suit he wears which seems to make him indestructible. 

 

Vigilante is filled with techno-gadgetry that will satisfy the geekiness in anyone and fill the reader with images of comic book superheroes. Although the high-tech magic of the hero’s equipment proves to be all it’s supposed to be, the actually alive Nolan Gray isn’t infallible and soon comes under scrutiny by those he’s trying to bring to justice.

 

With the heart of a warrior and a love for Jesus, “The Hand” becomes the target for a hefty Russian mobster and a prying newspaper reporter working hard to reveal his identity.

 

There are multiple themes in this unique novel, presenting a hero filled with a sense of justice and a desire to inspire people not to succumb to the evil threatening to destroy their everyday lives. Somehow along the way when tragedy and heartbreak attack his soul, he loses part of who he is in this fight but refuses to quit until one specific monster is vanquished. Tackling moral ambiguity, the element of unintentional self-righteousness and reliance, the meting out of justice, hopelessness and helplessness, and the constructs of evil, Vigilante packs a punch in more ways than the obvious.

 

The cast of Nolan’s cohorts consist of an older fellow soldier, a master geek who abstains from weaponry, and a motherly woman who Nolan rescues from abuse. A few places in certain situations the dialogue sounds stiff, but it’s not pronounced throughout the novel. Parrish keeps Nolan consistent as he slides more desperately into perform-at-all-costs/soldier-mode and caps the story with a positive ending.

 

Vigilante is a moving tribute to many things. It appeals to my sense of justice. It paints the actions of a war hero with grace and humanity. It allows the reader to make conclusions and injects faith issues into complex situations. This is a great story, and Robin handles it all very well. His best book to date in my opinion.

 

                                

 

 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206087

 

 

 

Father, please continue to instruct Robin and bless his writing. Provide those important themes for his work and allow him the opportunities he needs to produce them. Watch over him. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.