Into the Fire

Travis Thrasher is a genuine enigma: a bona fide romance writer and the author of real horror, although it tends to be called “supernatural suspense” in CBA circles. The man’s got it goin’ on in the romance department without succumbing to the metro-sexual ambiance. Unafraid to break writing rules, he does what few CBA authors do. He defies conventional nonsense—er, wisdom—and gets published anyway. Because of that alone, I’m a huge fan. Besides that, I love his voice and his approach to stories.

I admit I didn’t care for Isolation, and Broken didn’t work real well for me (for reasons explained in my reviews), but I loved Ghostwriter, Blinded, and his only self-published work (so far) Every Breath You Take. I’ve got several of his still to read, and it’ll be a pleasure to immerse myself in whatever style he dons for his next book in my stack.

If you remember the angst of your twenties when every word is tinged with symbolism, the lyrics of songs dramatize multiple meanings in your life, especially with certain individuals, and every look or gesture contains hundreds of implications, then you will “get” Every Breath You Take on one level. If you’re a parent of a child you envision growing into a young lady or a young man one day and all that parenting entails, including the innate fears involved with raising children, you will understand the drama of Every Breath You Take on a completely different level.

Travis Thrasher decided to publish this novel himself for the reasons he explains in his Author’s Notes. Suffice it to say, there were a few different thoughts that went into his decision. When I learned this novel was his effort at self-publishing, I sent him a check for my numbered and signed copy. I bought the 80^th copy of Every Breath You Take. Because I’m self-published, I wanted to support his decision. It was a no-brainer for me, and I’m not disappointed.

Slightly reminiscent of the television series “Touched by an Angel” and/or the older Whitney Houston/Denzel Washington film “The Preacher’s Wife”, we realize Thomas Rowe is getting an unusual second chance to see the daughter he was forced to leave at the tender age of 26. Kayla Rowe’s life has always felt unsettled and incomplete because of her loss. Relationships for Kayla expire, reunite, and never quite feel like “forever” even though there’s a measure of love involved.

One musician, Billy Davis, stirs up all kinds of emotions, angst, fear, and dread because of indefinable feelings Kayla just can’t seem to articulate to herself or to him. He falls inescapably in love with her and the songs they share mark their unique relationship and their constant turmoil in their search for something solid. Kayla loves Billy, but . . . what keeps her moving away from him instead of towards him?

It’s impossible to tolerate the ups and downs and passionate fervor of this kind of love story if you’ve never withstood the depth of emotion involved in finding your way with the one you love when you’re young and can’t see beyond the next moment, let alone ten years down the road. When you can’t seem to find what it is you’re supposed to do in this life, and you wish someone could tell you: This is it. Even if you disagree. Travis includes it all in this story. It might drive you crazy to follow Kayla’s journey to her ultimate decision, but if you remember what it’s like to experience that passionate confusion, you’ll realize Travis got it and nailed it down. Remember what it’s like to live in the moment with . . . Every Breath You Take.

With songs as the landscape and the essence of music as the backdrop to this story, with love so intense it flames out and rekindles, and with the misunderstood order of lives coming to a decision, Every Breath You Take captures all kinds of emotions ranging from a father’s love to a lover’s dread. Whether or not you enjoy the ending, somehow it fits.  

While the aspect of heaven is assumed in the story, the portrayal of Christianity is absent from this endeavor. Mild profanity is present.

http://thejourneyiseverything.blogspot.com/

Father, you’ve given Travis his heart. You’re there for him always. Bless his efforts to give you glory through his writing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.