Whatever beauty or scene you associate with Christmastime, it will speak to others. The purest beauty of all was the humble arrival of the Messiah Jesus Christ.
. . . who came to save us all from Satan's power . . . He's still doing that.
Thank you, Jesus, for being the Light and Savior of the world. We're all desperate for you whether we know it or not. Help us, Lord, to find the Way, the Truth, the Life that you alone are. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
A beautiful version of O Holy Night with true praise of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Thank you, Jesus, for coming for us. We're still desperate for you. Always were, always will be while on this earth. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I love this picture, and I've made it my current favorite for posting my writing musings.
So today I'm thinking about Epilogues. Here is the Webster official first definition of an epilogue: a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work.
How do readers perceive them? As a wrap up? As a future summary? As an "eventual" conclusion. By "eventual", I mean epilogues will often give a future picture as in "3 weeks later" or "6 months later" or even "one year later". Sometimes they're used to give the follow-up to a hard ending or an incomplete ending scene providing a more relieving conclusion to the story.
Should they be short or long? Like a page or two or the length of a chapter? Does it matter?
Do you have any opinions on Epilogues?
Father, help all of us authors to do justice to the stories we write in every sense of the literary reference. You know who you designed us to be as writers. Keep perfecting us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
Isaiah 7:13-14 (NIV)
Email, Message, or Direct Message me if you want this novel in print or for your e-reader, and I'll send it to you OR I'll send you any one of the others. Three of them are for e-readers only. If you're FIRST to email me, etc., you win one free copy of your choice. I'll need a suitable address and/or your email address. Merry Christmas!
Amazon.com : Nicole Petrino-Salter
Father, bless each one who's taken the time and made the effort to read any of my novels. My prayer is that any reader can get something from you from their pages. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Give thanks to the One who gave you life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. "Land of the free because of the brave."
Have a truly blessed Thanksgiving and remember how, in spite of everything dark and dreary, the Light of the Lord still shines on this One Nation Under God. Thank you, Jesus.
I just finished a novel that I've chosen not to review or reveal the title and author. Having said that, you're probably thinking I hated it or couldn't find enough good things to say about it to warrant a review. It was actually a good story, and certainly not badly written, an interesting mystery with ample suspense. Within the body of the story there was a romantic thread that started out combative but eventually warmed up.
Here's the thing: as a female author I strive to get the male characters in my stories accurate – from their reactions, their thoughts, their words, to who they are as men. I've written many different kinds of protagonists and peripheral or secondary male characters. I've been told by males that I've done a pretty good job with them.
Which leads me to the novel mentioned above. I could not equate the hero's thoughts with a real man. This character was a former Marine, in law enforcement. But, to me, his "romantic" thoughts about the heroine were too girly. At least, to me.
Maybe it depends on the type of men a particular author has experienced in life. Of course there are "sensitive" men, even Type-A personalities have feelings, can be tender, but they don't generally think or respond to emotional situations like girls/women. And this character just did not think like a real man in my opinion. I wanted to slap him upside the head a couple of times and yell, "Man up, bud!" Maybe it's just me.
Anyway, that's why I chose to not review or mention the story.
Father, help all of us authors write the stories the way you want them told, to do our best, to be who you designed us to be. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Starting with the best and most beautiful version of this modern classic. It's all here in the song: Jesus is the Reason for the Season.
Thank you, Jesus, for coming to rescue us. To live what we lived and showing us how powerful and wonderful you are. And for leaving us cleansed from all of our vile sins if just accept your sacrifice and turn our lives over to you. Thank you is never enough. You're still rescuing us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
When DGSI Adele Sharp and her partner John Renee are called to Spain to investigate two grisly murders with a third cropping up while they're investigating the other two, Adele's mother's brutal murderer who escaped her grasp in Left to Fear turns up in Adele's past locale in the USA. Adele has no knowledge of this and must put him out of her mind while working this case with few clues or commonalities between the victims.
Fatigue and exhaustion play a role in this investigation as Adele and John try to determine the reason(s) for the three murders while working round the clock. The first murder was a priest and took place within a spiritual commune at the Catholic church on the premises. The second victim was a young woman who was traveling, and the third victim which occurred during their investigation of the other two was a young man staying at a hostel with two friends.
During this time, John is acting suspicious with phone calls and when Adele discovers why, she's angry, shocked, and hurt, but there's no time to resolve the issue because the case demands their attention. With little sleep, disappointing suspects, and pointless interviews, Adele finally finds something she can use and takes off quickly by herself.
During her discovery, she also learns some things about herself that leave her self-respect absent. It's a self-loathing process in the form of a defiant confession and at its root lies true pain and a real look at her humanity perhaps in its worst form.
When she least expects it, she hears from the Paris police about a shocking matter and quickly realizes after traveling to that precinct that she will be forced to "play" the Spade Killer's "game" his way.
Blake Pierce's Left to Prey is an enticing read, leading up to Book 12.
Blake writes fascinating mysteries with unusual and diabolical antagonists. John Renee and Adele Sharp make a great team of likable characters with their own idiosyncracies and demands. The lack of their spiritual understanding is at times a frustration for me.
(Some profanity.)
Father, only you know hearts and souls. Only you can reach out to save those who want forgiveness. Please bless Blake and keep providing stories to add to the abundant collections already done. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has recsued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:10-14 (NIV)
