Into the Fire

Plainly . . .

           

I’m a Christian author who writes Christian fiction. Unapologetically, unashamedly, without qualifiers and disclaimers. You can resent the term “Christian Author” or “Christian Fiction Writer”. That’s your choice. Yes, I’m a “Jesus follower” or “Christ follower” – that’s who a Christian is. Yes, my Christian fiction might be a little more “raw” than some, but the gospel of redemption by Jesus Christ is included in every novel. It’s who I am. It’s what I write. And I don’t need to boycott the term of Christian author or Christian fiction writer for some trendy substitute - designed to appeal to a bigger audience, a more “worldly” group of readers, or to whom I don’t know?

If Christianity doesn’t appeal to you, chances are you won’t like my novels. A few friends who do not believe in Jesus have read a couple of my books and appreciated the stories but weren’t “comfortable” with the “religious” parts. That’s the reality. The only thing that can change that is to eliminate the parts that speak to the heart of those stories – the very reason they were written. I can’t do that. Let me rephrase: I choose not to do that.

I lived “in the world” for 30 years even though I believed in God. I didn’t know Jesus during those years, and the behaviors I eventually adopted clearly displayed that fact. So you know I could easily write about worldly/secular escapades, making my novels as full of the varied forms of human conduct that exist in the world today. Just like the bulk of general market fiction today. I could. But I won't. 

I've said before I will present the world as it is in my writing, making few concessions, without judgment. Likewise, Christianity will be portrayed as it is in its fullness, with no apologies. 

So. That's who I am as an author/writer. Such as I am.

 

Father, thank you is never enough for all you've done for me. Thank you, Jesus. Holy Spirit, you're amazing in all you do all the time. In the Name of Jesus, please help me to do what you have for me to do. 

Wednesday Whimsy

 

Just because it's good to see that beauty exists in fullness and color even when we can't see it where we are. Merry Springtime!

 

Father, thank you for it all. We wait upon you for grace and mercy, truth and beauty, love and joy. Thank you is never enough. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday Tunes

   

The closest I ever got to liking anything "country" was the Marshall Tucker Band, and I didn't really consider their first album "country". It was just good ol' "rock 'n' roll" to me with their own unique and much loved sound and lyrics. The two Caldwell brothers who started the group both died young as did a younger brother. Sad story to their family. 

 

Father, only you know our ultimate destinations. Thank you for rescuing me. May I always honor you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Finding herself . . . Lost Down Deep

                                   

If you like strong female characters who can be feisty and a little flighty, Sara Davison gives you another one in Lost Down Deep, Book One of the Rose Tattoo Trilogy. 

If you like male characters who are devoted to and sacrificial in their conduct for the one they love, are strong and committed, definitely have their weaknesses, but know how to be men, you'll enjoy Sara's Jude McCall.  

Summer Velasquez is assaulted in her home in the middle of the night. It doesn't end well for her. After considerable time in the hospital because of her injuries, she finds she can't remember the last several years of her life. Her parents, cold and distant as usual, expect to take her home with them while she completes her recovery. After speaking with a detective who hopes to learn the events of the assault, Summer figures a way to leave the hospital sooner than expected. Her selective memory allows her to gather some belongings from the home where she lived, take her car, and head to a small town she selects from looking at maps.

Jude McCall tracks her to the town where he has deep ties and great sorrow mixed with an all-consuming guilt. He hasn't returned for five years but here now, there is so much he needs to do. It all begins with a ruse only because he wants to help the woman he loves as she struggles through a new life with few recent memories but he suspects she knows she could be in danger.  

Sara has written a story of renewal, forgiveness, real faith, and recovery of many kinds. There is humor, romance, terror, and harm, but there is also triumph, understanding, commitment, and love. Peripheral characters are well done and contribute a strong presence to the story. Lost Down Deep - and I love this title and cover - is a solid but unique mystery with a parallel love story beneath it all. 

 

Father, you've given Sara all kinds of gifts and talent. Please help her to be able to use all of them in the stories you have for her to tell. Keep her going, Lord, and bless her in the process. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

For whoever finds me finds life

   and receives favor from the Lord.

But whoever fails to find me harms himself;

   all who hate me love death.

 

Proverbs 8:35-36 (NIV)

Friday Five

                         

                         

                       

                        

                        

                                       Honorable Mention:

                       

My five favorite Francine Rivers' novels with a sixth, probably in order. I loved these books. Incredible stories that captured me, and, yes, especially The Masterpiece. And Redeeming Love. And . . . 

 

Thank you, God, for giving Francine such incredible talent, insights, and revelation knowledge. Please continue to bless her storytelling and provide for all her needs as she honors you with her writing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Throwback Thursday

                     

After release, I asked a few of my manly writer friends to read this romantic novel since I wrote it from a man's point of view. I ran across this comment from an old post the other day and couldn't resist reposting it today:

"As a manly man of a man whose read Breath of Life, I can advise the male audience to not shy away from this novel. Half of the 'romance' comes from the male perspective executed so well that you would declare that a woman could not have penned it. Well done, Nicole."  Dayle A. 

As you can imagine, this made my day. Thank you again, Dayle. 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Breath+of+Life+by+Nicole+Petrino-Salter&ref=nb_sb_noss

 

Father, thank you for every inspiration, insight, word, and story. And thank you for my beloved friends. Please continue to bless Dayle as he invests in the songs you've given him to write at this time. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Wednesday Whimsy

Time for some springtime beauty. In the midst of frustrations, anger, tests and trials, it's always good to reflect on the beauty that remains in this world. 

 

Father, thank you for leaving us with some beauty. In spite of the sin that remains . . . In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday Tunes

   

This can definitely be said about some cities then and now . . . 

 

Father, we're all desperate for you whether we know it or not. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Never telling . . . Secrets She Knew

                                 

Secrets She Knew by D. L. Wood is Book 1 in the Secrets and Lies Suspense Series. 

For thirteen years now Detective Danielle (Dani) Lake has searched for anything that would lead to whom she believes is the real killer of a classmate who she discovered dead at the age of fifteen - instead of the man imprisoned for her murder. Every year when she returns to Skye, Alabama, from her home and law enforcement job in Boston, she heads up to the prison to see the convicted Dr. Beecher much to her close friends' frustration. Dani knows he isn't the murderer of the girl she found amidst the honeysuckle so many years ago, but no one else is convinced of his innocence. 

When once again she must return to Skye to box up her deceased parents' belongings and sell their home, the one she grew up in, the sorrow she faces, the class reunion for which she must help decorate with her best friend Sasha, a startling discovery when she can't resist returning to the crime scene for the first time since she discovered her classmate there, slight evidence that someone has been in her house while she's been out, and a new handsome detective on the Skye police force, all combine to up her anxiety level.

This is an enticing mystery borne out of a shocking discovery at the age of 15 while Dani's on her way to meet her best friends (Peter and Sasha). The pain she's carried since then believing with every part of her being that the man, the doctor, the husband and father to the children with whom she spent a summer being their nanny - that he suffered at the hands of the system and was incarcerated for a murder he didn't commit has not diminished over time. The story is filled with hints and twists, discoveries and disappointments, sorrow and frustrations, determination and ultimately survival. 

I think this is D. L. Wood's best work to date. It's a compelling story of a strong woman who remains unshaken in her belief of a man's innocence and her ability to fight the challenges she faces to right a wrong and overcome a killer. Well-written with that "creepy" element done just right. 

Faith factor is subtle but strong.

 

Father, please continue to bless D. L. in all she does to honor you with her writing. Encourage her and provide her with what she needs to do those things you've got just for her to do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

Remember this, fix it in mind,

   take it to heart, you rebels.

Remember the former things, those of long ago;

   I am God, and there is no other,

   I am God, and there is none like me.

I make known the end from the beginning,

   from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say: My purpose will stand,

   and I will do all that I please.

 

Isaiah 46:8-10 (NIV)

 

On the market . . .

           

As a reader, consider these questions: How do you want a new novel advertised (or marketed)? What sells you on a new book? What in your opinion is overkill? How do you want to be convinced to invest in a new story? 

 

Authors, how would you answer the same questions? 

 

Father, help us authors to know your desires in the arena of marketing. We're desperate for you whether we know it or not. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The reason for . . . writing

         

Writers of novels all start at different ages, develop styles, figure out goals, and determine self-worth by measures that might be constantly evaluated, changed, or amplified by different data, opinions, or even trends. 

Some of us are ridiculously undisciplined, rigidly scheduled, or randomly selective of our writing times.

Most of us have at least one thing in common, but it might be something different with each author we meet. 

Our genres seem to choose us before we can choose them. Some of us write one genre but read totally different genres.

Our characters are our closest friends because we all know each other from the inside out. 

We're ordinary, eccentric, knowledgeable, focused, carefree, random, sequential, structured, outgoing, introverted, humble, proud, flamboyant, withdrawn, elegant, rugged, sloppy, neat, striving, or needy. Any, all, or nothing like the aforementioned characteristics. 

We ache to write that novel that touches you and leaves its lingering memory somewhere in your heart. If you read one or more of our books more than once, well, that's the highest compliment we'll ever receive. Our gratitude to our readers is huge. 

We are writers.

 

Lord, apart from you, I can do nothing. Cannot write a single word, have one idea, or complete a story without you. Nothing. Thank you for every word, inspiration, and completed book and WIPs. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

 

 

The Lantern Beach Blackout Series 2 - 4

         

         

         

Colton (Dark Water) fell in love with his best friend's and SEAL team leader's wife after blaming himself for his death. But it seems the entire team felt responsible for Daniel Oliver's death, each one knowing there was way more to this Black Ops gone wrong than they knew at the time. 

Dez (Safe Harbor), former SEAL team member with Colton and two others who together work for Blackout, has been assigned to protect Bree, the famous pop singer who's doing a concert at Lantern Beach. What Dez expects her to be is the exact opposite of who she really is, and, as he's put in harm's way to keep her safe, he realizes she's not like the one who broke his heart years ago. In fact, she's a much better person than his former love ever hoped to be. As expected, complications arise during the assignment, and figuring out who's intent on murdering Bree is definitely an unexpected challenge for Dez and his guys. Dez is a good character, but it was hard to match Colton from Dark Water, and there may have been a bit too many clichés used in this second book in the series. Suspense was good, and the story continues with the threatening vibe from the past resulting from that failed, deadly mission.

Griff (Ripple Effect) used his male logic when he left his wife Bethany and daughter Ada, crushing his wife's heart with no understanding of why the man she loved walked out of their marriage. Griff doesn't talk about it to anyone, not even his team brothers in Blackout. When he gets a frantic call from Bethany, he sets everything aside to protect them from an unknown evil. Trying desperately to figure out the reason for the danger his wife and daughter suddenly face, the Blackout team figures it must be related somehow to that mission. The terrorists who call themselves The Savages are proving to be far more technologically advanced than anyone seemed to realize, and someone is feeding them personal intel about the Blackout team. Somewhere in the chain of command, there has to be leak, a mole, a sleeper agent. When Bethany and Griff are thrown into a life-altering experience, they can no longer hide their love for each other if only they can survive. Griff is a great character, and this one is written well and full of suspense. 

Benjamin (Rising Tide) is the youngest and newest addition to the team and has come under suspicion from Colton more than once after joining Blackout. Unduly suspected of possible betrayal, he has to tread lightly at times and resents it. The newest resident to their group is the house manager CJ, and Benjamin has a problem with her. They bicker and she pushes all of Ben's buttons. However, when she defends a serious threat because of a text sent from an unknown sender, no one knows what to think. When the power goes out in the middle of the tourist season and a hurricane is on its way, the island is thrown into chaos. Something's not right with the developer of a piece of island property, and Ben and CJ are assigned to check out the guy in charge. Inquiries are being made by other team members as to what the government's doing to investigate the possible leaks to The Savages. And no one is giving them satisfactory answers. 

When Benjamin and CJ are also asked to checkout a disturbance at a homeless camp down at the beach, Ben is shocked when the man he's chasing turns back to look at him before diving into the water to get away. Nothing is the same after that moment. And suddenly, everything gets more complicated and even more threatening. This is a great conclusion to the series with a sad element to it, a clever twist, and my only disappointment came in not revealing the content of a certain letter. 

Very entertaining series with each story being a quick read with strong men and strong women characters. 

 

Father, you've made Christy a prolific storyteller. Please continue to equip her with all she needs to write the stories you have just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Tuesday Tunes

   

The opening scene(s) to Benny and Joon with The Proclaimers doing the song. Again, one of my all-time favorite films.

 

Father, only you save souls. You're all we have in the end. Or not - if we choose. I'm desperate for you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Dangerous . . . Dark Water

                          

Christy Barritt writes Book 1 of the Lantern Beach Blackout Series and gives readers an exciting mystery filled with former SEAL members who want to learn the truth about the death of one of their own. 

Colton Locke's best friend Daniel Oliver was his SEAL teammate and married to Elise, a psychologist. Colton, now out of the military after the horrible and tragic malfunction of a black-ops mission, blames himself for his best friend's death. He's begun a private security/protection company he's named Blackout with some of his former team located in Lantern Beach, North Carolina. Dark Water opens with an intense scene of a break-in to Elise's home, and she knows exactly who she needs to see to get help. 

But when she finally drives from her home in West Virginia straight through to Lantern Beach, she nearly collapses from the stress and fear of the previous night and the fact of what has been attached to her husband's death. Upon seeing Elise, Colton's guilt does a number on him and amplifies the blame he carries, but what's almost worse is his emotional reaction to the woman he's always considered near perfect. 

While there is the thread of a heartfelt romance in this suspense-filled mystery, Christy does a good job of keeping it in a tight balance between being important to the story but secondary to the troubling conflict of the reasons for the threats against Elise. 

Between bombs, coded information, multiple suspects with no real clues, many suspicions, distrust, and guilt, this good mystery takes off with oomph and meditates on the threats before zooming to a satisfying conclusion after that dark water nearly does its fatal job. Quick and entertaining read. But then, who doesn't like to read about a band of former SEALs? 

(The faith element is present but subdued.)

 

Father, please continue to bless Christy's writing. You've obviously given her a great talent at writing stories. Please provide all she needs to keep them coming. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

 

Resurrection Day

                       

                     

                 

                         HE IS RISEN! 

                      Luke 24:1-8 (NIV)

My Deliverer . . .

 

This powerful song says it all. "Good" Friday paved the way for us sinners to seek the forgiveness paid in full in an excruciating and barbaric death on a cross. For all of us. Even those who refuse to seek Him. One day that window in time will close for those who choose to reject Him. After giving His life for us. Always their choice. 

Thank you, Jesus. 

Throwback Thursday

                           

Back in the day when "selfies" were taken with 35mm cameras using black and white film because, you know, the mood . . . 

 

Lord, you've watched over me my entire life, and I cannot thank you enough for protecting me and rescuing me when there is no way I deserved your grace. So thankful. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Whimsical Wednesday

                                   

                                

                               

Do you have a favorite from these covers? I'm interested in your opinions. 

 

Father, thank you for every cover, every word, every inspiration. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.