Into the Fire

That's what I got this morning. Forgot to do this post last night. So there you have it. Some days are like that. 

Have a joyful day in spite of everything that goes wrong, haywire, crazy, chaotic. May you have something instead of nothing to help you be content and bring a smile to your face. 

If nothing else: Jesus loves you.

Father, thank you for giving us that slice of joy when we need it most. That laughter instead of tears. That contentment instead of cynicism. We're all desperate for you whether we know it or not. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Breath of Life was my first effort at first person POV from a male's voice as the primary narrator. Most males don't read romance, but I solicited a few men who are writer friends to read it and give me their opinions as to the authenticity of the voice. They gave me a collective "thumbs up", and that's the kind of affirmation any author needs – especially a female author creating a male voice for the story's hero.  

Most of my novels' heroes have distinct voices and personalities. They are men. They may have personal reservations about how they've lived their lives – their conduct, their choices, their lifestyles – but there's no contest as to their all-male tendencies. 

I grew up in tumultuous times post-high school of hippies, dope, rock 'n' roll, and the ridiculous expression of "free love" which in today's vernacular would be translated to "whoring around". For a season of my life, in spite of it all, I retained a certain naïveté. I've always enjoyed the male species, but I had a lot to learn about how they perceived things, how they reasoned and thought about things, how they communicated, and how they needed respect. I worked at learning what made them tick and what made them different from women, how God had truly created them to be, and I found it fascinating and at times frustrating when I couldn't figure out how to effectively communicate. Still, it has been worth every moment of investment.

Men play less games than women in social settings – although some men play them quite well.

In my experience having worked in different environments for both men and women, men make better bosses. However, I have had bad employers of both sexes.

Men tend to want things kept simple and women sometimes have a hard time keeping things from becoming complex. 

Most men don't want to be mothered – unless they're sick enough to need to stay in bed. Then, even the most manly of men suddenly become helpless little boys. At least some do. 

If any of you men – or women – would care to add anything here, please feel free to add to my Thursday Thoughts. 

Father, thank you for male and female and the wonderful love you gave to us for each other at your direction. Each of us is desperate for you whether we know it or not. And what you have for us is better than anything we can come up with on our own. I know that personally. Thank you for rescuing me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The Dragon and The Ghost by Mark Dawson finds Beatrix Rose in Hong Kong after the horrific murder of her husband and kidnapping of her 4 yr. old daughter by an out-of-control "Control" (the leader) of Group 15 where prior to this action Beatrix was Number One. She escaped and now resides in Hong Kong.

The Triads saturate Hong Kong, wielding power and ownership of most everything. When at a local bar she frequents, she is approached by a man she has no interest in by the name of Chau. However, as he's trying to be friendly, he's acosted by members of the Triad who say he owes their leader a Mr. Ying an apology which he's already given, but they say Chau owes him a finger. Beatrix intervenes and Chau ends up killing the three men. 

Beatrix has paid private investigators a lot of money to keep searching for her daughter Isabella, but they've had little success. She needs more money. Convoluted circumstances require her to use the skills she employed as Number One for of all people: Mr. Ying. He's labeled her "the ghost" because he has never seen her, and that's fine with both of them. She kills for money and Chau cleans up the messes if necessary. Between the two of them they make a lot of money for a time, but then when a young girl who lives across the hall from her dreary abode is captured by the Triad, Beatrix is bound to seek a way to rescue her. 

One thing you've come to learn about Beatrix Rose, tragedy follows her around like a dark cloud. Hardship and betrayals continue to thwart any hope or contentment. When opium takes her prisoner, she can't see her way to anywhere. Fortunately, her skills have given her value to the "Dragon Head" who chooses to offer her a job that will prove a mutual benefit. 

It's hard to imagine the sad stories involved in the Beatrix Rose novels actually warranting continued reading, but Mark's authentic depictions of places around the world while describing the mindset of a fractured woman who's mastered the "art" of killing keeps each story revealing another layer of pain and determination in spite of wanting to give up. Beatrix is a unique character who lives a suffered existence with few options to escape and resolve. I do recommend the series, but be prepared for sorrow upon sorrow.

(Some profanity.)

Father, thank you for the amazing talent you've given Mark. Please continue to bless his storytelling. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

I know I've featured this song before, but it was really a great one. Really enjoy Nicolette's voice. Good band with strings, flute, saxophone. Loved it. Hope you enjoy these oldies. (This is a different video than I originally posted – that one was canceled due to copyright infractions. Point being, this one is out of focus with different musicians.)

Father, thank you for all your musical artists. May they know the One who gave them their talents. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

LT Ryan and Brian Shea give us the 7th book in the Rachel Hatch Novel Series: After Shock. 

"Hatch" is in for a shock when she meets up with the former love of her life, operator "Cruise", which is kind of her final goal in what has become a harrowing journey on the run since faking her death in her old hometown. She and Cruise shared more than their special skills in the military. What she learns from him about his present employer feels at first like a horrible betrayal. When the details become clear, she trusts him enough to see what he's offering. 

Upon meeting his boss and teammates she's offered a job with the elite group and asked to tag along on an emergency rescue mission to a small town near Anchorage, Alaska. A viscious killer and leader of an Aryan Nation group has skipped parole and holed up in a deserted former summer camp with other members of their group after killing a law enforcement officer and holding another one hostage who's been shot more than once. The local HRT group is furious that they're on standby instead of the first call on this. 

Storms and bitter cold with glacier ice inhibiting their approach to the camp present enough problems, but when something they didn't expect happens, everything they planned for collapses along with the ground beneath them. 

There appears to be a wild card within this evil group, but no one knows for sure where he stands. 

With communication cut off in totally unpredictable circumstances with freezing weather, after securing medical aid from the HRT for Cruise and others, she sets off to complete the mission to the mocking insults from the HRT leader. 

There are all kinds of new characters, both good and depraved, introduced or fleshed out in After Shock. Hatch is her determined and unrelenting self with more emotional concerns on her heart and head than she would normally carry with her. Reflecting on her past with Cruise only serves to remind her that she did and probably still does love him, but she can't quite ignore her more present memories of Dalton Savage. When Cruise seems to want to carry on again, she's obviously torn. She makes one promise. Will she keep it?

In After Shock we finally see the intense emotional side of Rachel Hatch, the one she buries and keeps forcing down over and over again. It's a refreshing side to see along with her remembrances of her father's words in training her from her youth to what she's been able to become in the present. She's a heroic and wonderful character, and I'm anxiously awaiting Book 8 in the series.

(Some profanity.) 

Father, please continue to bless LT and Brian as they write the stories you have just for them to tell. May they know the One who's given them their talents and gifts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,

    but the root of the righteous flourishes. 

Proverbs 12:12 (NIV) 

Have you ever eaten: 

A Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise, and Pickle sandwich?

Coconut flavored Chobani yogurt?

Malt Vinegar on your Fish & Chips?

Raw Salmon?

Red Clam Chowder? 

What would you add to this list?

Father, you gave us an abundance of foods all over the world. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

This is from my current WIP (work-in-progress). The title will be Then . . . you, and the blurb will be "He's a recluse. She's seeking refuge." And my tagline: Raw  Romantic  Redemptive 

     “Do you have any questions or areas of specific concern?”

     He heard her voice, and it reminded him of MeMe’s, soothing but firm. Truly a professional.

     “I’m aware of occasional bouts with lack of strength in my right leg. Not enough to cause missteps, no pain, just a subtle feeling of weakness. It’s not consistent, but I do notice it once in a while.”

     “Okay. You can get on the table. We’ll work on improving circulation and see what else we find.” Since she intended to work on his legs, she left the covering off.

     When she first put her hands on him, he had to stifle a reaction. It felt like a hot shot of fiery pleasure jolted through him at first contact.

     After several movements, she said, “It seems the Wall family carries their tensions in their shoulders. You’re tight, Stone. Let’s see if we can get these muscles to relax.”

     She gently moved his hair aside and applied the Witch Hazel massaging it in to create warmth and increase circulation. He knew she worked hard on him, but it felt different from his past massages – and it wasn’t only because of how he felt about her. The expressed amazement from both his sister and brother about her hands was no joke and not flattery. Her abilities were clearly above and beyond the norm for what they all had previously experienced in diverse places from all different people. Gifted, indeed.

     His tension began to leave him, and he embraced the pleasure she provided. At times, the strength of her work came close to pain, but she seemed to know at just what point to lessen the pressure.

     “There, Stone. Let it go.” Her voice was quiet, further inducing his comfort. “Okay, Stone, I’m going to start on your right leg now. You let me know if anything hurts you. Will you do that for me?”

     At this point he would’ve allowed her to do anything to him painful or not, but he answered in the affirmative and knew he needed to do as she asked. When her hand touched his thigh, it was all he could do to remain still. He forced himself into strictly business mode, fighting the pleasure her movements brought to his damaged leg.

     “Do you ever experience muscle cramping in either of your legs?”

     “No. A long time ago, I experienced some cramping, but it was only when I allowed myself to become dehydrated. Mostly the right leg but sometimes both.” 

     She must have worked on him for over an hour, concluding with his feet. Nothing outside of sexual pleasure had ever been so physically satisfying. He hadn’t been this relaxed in he couldn’t remember when, and he didn’t want to move from the table. He could’ve slept there.

Father, thank you for giving me this story. May it honor you when it's completed. Apart from you, I can do nothing, and thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

No matter your age, I think it's important to remember those moments of romance in your life. Those times when you literally couldn't wait to see the one you were falling in love with or had determined you loved. Maybe it turned out to be your first love and then that ended either in heartbreak for you or for the other person before you found the love of your life. 

Romance isn't a precision element in relationships. Definitions vary between the shrugs or eye rolls of some men to the wishful thinking and grandiose perceptions of some women. Romance comes in so many forms to so many people it's nearly impossible to give an accurate description of it. It's an individual experience. Certainly it can be generalized, but in that comes the margins for error where you can expect huffs and scoffs and head-shaking to clasped hands with sighs, winsome stares into space, and involuntary shivers of appreciation. 

Remembering and reminiscing with fondness simply reminds us of those passionate feelings we experienced for and with another person. Ideally, for a Christian, that person was the one God had for them and makes the memories all the sweeter. Romance is not defined by the world. It was created by a passionate God to be celebrated and enjoyed in the fullest sense. However, it definitely has been perverted by the world to include a mess of unseemly conduct. That makes it all the more important to recall the beauty and thrill of true romance in our lives. 

Those intense and beautiful and often challenging longings we have for the person we love are all part of an amazing experience given to humans by a loving, passionate God . . . and the reason I choose to write about them all. 

Father, thank you for giving us passion, love, and romance. You are an amazing God that words of any language can't describe. Thank you for your love for us which surpasses anything we can imagine. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Rod Stewart had a bunch of hits back in the day. Still had the voice here. 

Father, so much talent you allotted. May those who used it know from whom it was given to them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.