One of the well-known hit songs off an album by James Taylor back in the day. Just another Tuesday love song.
Father, only you know the hearts of people. Only you save us. Please continue to reach out to willing hearts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Night Tremors by Matt Coyle is Book 2 in A Rick Cahill Novel Series.
If you're a lover of "noir" mystery featuring the old-fashioned but relatively young washed-up cop with issues and enough heartache to stretch through several lifetimes, you'll enjoy the Rick Cahill series. If I had to compare Matt Coyle's writing to one of my favorite contemporaries in the genre, it would be that of James Scott Bell. Coyle writes with a similar touch of melancholy and cynicism coupled with his own brand of wit and humor in those un-funny situations characters like Rick Cahill always seem to find themselves navigating.
This story begins with Cahill on the job filming a couple in flagrante delicto. He was hired by a private investigator who used to be Rick's late father's partner on the police force. Cahill's had his fill of catching cheating spouses in action and needs a break or a different kind of assignment even though he's discovered, much to his distaste, he's incredibly good at what he's doing.
When he's allowed to take some time off, he grudgingly hooks up with a defense attorney (Buckley) who wants his services to get a new trial for a life-imprisoned young man convicted several years before of brutally slaughtering his parents and little sister with a 9-iron golf club.
Turns out the young man's grandparents don't believe he did it and hired Buckley to help them get the kid a new trial. Buckley's all in, but Rick wants to meet the young man at the prison first.
With a sudden new witness who seems shaky but willing, Cahill takes it all on making his private investigator boss very unhappy and not afraid to share his disgust with Rick.
As Rick tries to put all the developing pieces of a contorted puzzle together, roadblocks and confusion keep interfering to slow him down and take him out.
Night Tremors is the work of a true noir writer where the end of the story is a mere conclusion without any alleviation from the melancholy and an added burden with the promise of more grief to follow.
Father, you're the Author of Life and the giver of gifts and talents. Thank you for those who write and use the talent you've given them. May each one know from whom it comes. Please bless Matt and may he write the stories you have just for him to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:18-20 (NIV)
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Let's keep it simple this Friday. I'll give you your choices. One group or as many as you want – how's that?
Five of your favorite novels
Five of your favorite authors
Five of your favorite heroes
Five of your favorite heroines
Five of your favorite book covers
One group or your choice. Go!
Father, thank you for everything writing-related. Thank you for the stories you've given me to tell. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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(Posted on 10/25/21, titled "Every story's been written.")
Many readers and authors know the most purchased stories in the novel world are in the romance genre. Literally millions of romance novels have been penned and read throughout the history of writing fiction.
As many readers and writers of romance novels as there are, it follows to add that every story has been written. So the question that must be asked is how can the romance genre continue to succeed as the leader in fiction? Those die-hard romance readers must know every possible plot from the "meant-to-be together" couples to the "star-crossed lovers" tales and every other kind of romance in between. Wouldn't that eventually cause a sweeping case of boredom and potentially be enough to knock the genre down a peg or two?
Apparently not. While other genres are truly successful, none can compare to the market share of the romance genre.
Understand I'm not complaining or even in awe of the statistics since I write romance and/or love stories. And though I write them, you might find I'm an anomaly among romance writers because I read fewer romance novels than other genres. I have specific authors I read for romance, and I can assure you it's a small number. The reason for that being that most of the inspirational/ Christian fiction authors tend to describe their romances as "clean and . . ." fill in the blank. This was no doubt prompted by the explicitness or graphic descriptions of sexual encounters in the general market's versions of "romance".
You will never find graphic sexual scenes in my novels, but you will read of temptations to both hero and heroine and peripheral characters. You will find the gospel within the pages of my stories, people who walk the talk and people who shun the faith. Because that is our world. Regarding the romance: it's authentic, it's real, and at times it's raw. I remind you every story's been told so what we as romance/love story authors must do is make our characters compelling, the scenes truthful, the results not only plausible but desirable and genuine. Knowing that so many have done it well and yet many do fail, it's a challenge to take on writing a romance novel. One thing you can't ignore when writing the story is it must come from the heart.
As Solomon once said, "There's nothing new under the sun." And it still applies to romance novels and probably every other story ever written.
Father, apart from you, I can do nothing. That's the simple but powerful truth. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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The Prelude to my novel Breath of Life:
Prelude
She could make smoking a cigarette look elegant, seductive . . . and dangerous even. Chic. Cool. And somehow romantic. Of course she could make anything look good. She appeared taller than she was, standing flat-footed at maybe 5’ 7”. It was probably the shoes. Often those very high skinny heels somehow lifting that lithe, narrow frame. I saw her in the summertime out there against the building with her cigarette, her skin nearly bronze and not one bit unnaturally enhanced. Standing there in the rain of late winter under the generous overhang, well, leaning really, against the coarse white brick of the building, it was almost the color of ivory. So fair. I wondered how she didn’t burn in the summer sun. On the one occasion when I saw her smile in the last year, her teeth were a dazzling white—right out of a toothpaste commercial or a mailer ad from a dentist for the new Zoom 2 whitening method. No smoker’s stain on those pearly whites.
Anyway . . .
That’s basically how the whole thing began. By casually, unintentionally, watching her smoke . . .
Father, you are the Creator of all things, the generous giver of gifts and talents, the lover of our souls. Thank you for all that you've given me, done for me, and for each and every inspiration. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Another old recording of one of The Beachboys' best hits. A little love song for you this Tuesday.
Father, again, only you know hearts and minds and the struggles we face. May all of your creation find the beauty you've set before us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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The Sandman by Mark Dawson is Book 21 in The John Milton Series.
When an unusual circumstance at the prison where Tristan Huxley (human trafficker and international arms dealer) resides results in his disappearance, John Milton is on the hunt along with Control and Numbers 1, 2, 6, and 12 of Group 15. John's go-to IT wizard helps him like no one else can, and a long-ago female journalist friend gives John a critical contact with information to locate him.
This is a near impossible endeavor with enough vengeance on each side to give treachery supremacy. Heading it up on the evil side is the man nicknamed "The Sandman" with a long history of utter brutality to have earned his current Russian position of power with the wherewithal to have engineered the unique jailbreak for Huxley to make sure the weapons' deal they had planned with India before Huxley's incarceration is completed.
However, when Control is kidnapped in Poland while supervising the hunt for Huxley, plans to rescue her intensify and become far more complicated. The ensuing chaos and unimaginable betrayal lead to devastating losses and put John on the run again, leaving Control with an impossible choice to make.
The Sandman is not a fun thriller to read. As a matter of fact, it's infuriating and ends in another cliffhanger. There are some truly despicable characters in this story – and two of them are supposed to be the "good guys" – as if the Sandman and his sons aren't bad enough.
Father, you are the One who gives talents and gifts. Thank you for your writers and authors. Please continue to bless Mark and his family and give him more stories just for him to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:12-21 (NIV)
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Yes, you've seen it before because it's one of my favorites. A long time ago needless to say.
Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
