Into the Fire

I'm not a snow person, but I do think it's beautiful especially in the lovely photographs of winter beauty. Hope you enjoy them too.

Father, your artistry is unequaled. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Remember this one by "The Turtles"? They had some good ones. 

Lord, only you teach us how to truly love. It isn't easy for us. Always desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Girl, Alone by Blake Pierce is Book 1 of the new Ella Dark Mystery Series. 

Ella Dark has worked for the FBI for years but longs for the opportunity to join the Behavioral Crimes Unit. She's studied every serial killer where information has been published and memorized all of it. Having experienced watching her father being murdered as a child and wondering if she truly saw it happen through her nightmares, she's also lost her sister to a murderer. 

When she's assigned to the icon investigator in the FBI's Behavioral Crimes Unit (Mia Ripley), she tries to keep her admiration to a professional level on their flight to the bayou in Louisiana where a brutal murder has been discovered. Ella can't believe the exacting evidence they find at the scene which points to a particular serial killer as she takes it all in and has to admit seeing the deaths in person is far more disconcerting than viewing the photos in a book or file. 

At first, Special Agent Ripley reacts to the information Ella provides with disdain, but then there are more murders which point to Ella's theory about a copycat killer that prove to be legitimate. When Ella is asked to create the profile for the killer, she is both thrilled and fearful of being wrong. 

Girl, Alone is an intriguing, scary, and intense story detailing the search for a psychopath who has chosen his kills carefully with remarkable identifiable distinctions which Ella recognizes immediately and predicts who he will choose next. Blake manages to make Ella Dark a unique character with amazing skills and emotional scars who is imperfect but persistent and determined in spite of harrowing mistakes. A well-written macabre thriller for those fans of stories reminiscent of the former TV series "Criminal Minds". 

Some profanity.

Father, only you know our hearts and minds. I ask that you continue to bless Blake's prolific career. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Some became fools through their rebellious ways

   and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 

They loathed all food

   and drew near the gates of death.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, 

   and he saved them from their distress.

He sent forth his word and healed them;

   he rescued them from the grave. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

   and his wonderful deeds for men. 

Psalm 107:17-21 (NIV)

Five things I need from novel types:

Thrillers: I need a great hero/heroine and a story that keeps you nearly breathless with the rapid pace of treacherous circumstances requiring every skill the hero has to come out the victor. Although using severe control, the hero must be passionate in his designation of good and evil, not immune to breaking every "rule" to get the necessary result. 

Romance/Love Stories: In these types of stories I need a truly desirable hero and a lovely heroine. By those designations I mean the hero – be he a bad boy or a saint – must have sex appeal and some admirable qualities even if he leans to the bad boy status. There must be something to make him redeemable. The heroine can't be unduly flighty but can be over-sensitive or very emotional but not to the point where I lose my patience with her and wish the hero would move on. She must be likable and, even if independent, maintain some vulnerability.

Mysteries: I need a good strong hero. "Strong" in that he stands out and carries the story. He can be quirky, unusual, intense, or timid, but he's got to be shrewd and clever. I prefer that he – or she – think outside the box in the investigation and be perceptive in evaluating all kinds of people. 

Suspense: For suspense to be good, it has to keep the reader on edge. It should be just short of the intensity of a thriller with a less elevated pace, but the hero/heroine must be either in or on the verge of threatening situations while trying to either solve a murder or prevent something as evil or menacing as a murder. A lot must fall on the hero's/heroine's shoulders to achieve success adding to personal stress and even fear of failure. 

Speculative: This type of novel – for me – combines reality with a speculation of the supernatural in some capacity. I rarely read speculative novels. Not my thing. Unless you give me a Robert Liparulo novel. His imagination translates well to a "speculative thriller", and when he combines the supernatural with a super-paced thriller, his novels are fascinating, entertaining, and often breathtaking. He creates strong heroes and ultra-complex plots with a breakneck pace. The only other speculative novels that I've read which are similar to Robert's type of books were "The Tox Files", a trilogy by Ronie Kendig. Ronie's hero (Cole "Tox" – "Toxic" Russell) was an amazing hero. Both authors wrote speculative novels with a Christian supernatural flair, and were incredibly well-done stories. 

What do you need from your favorite genres? 

Father, thank you time and time again for your writers, for those who use the incredible talent you've given them and acknowledge you in the process. Please bless them all in your abundance. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

                    From my next novel . . . in a love song. 

From Chapter 1 

     “Refills, please.” He kept his voice level in spite of the noise, not wanting to appear as shouting his instructions. She hadn’t seen him until then, and the feathers felt full and mighty fine when she looked into his eyes because he caught the fleeting surprise in hers which he was sure ended in a blush concealed by the low lights of the bar.

     “Yes, sir.” She emphasized the “sir” and gave him a sideways smile, fully recovering from her emotional lapse at what he assumed—or rather—hoped was a pleasant view for her. She filled the two pitchers, and he paid for them with a $50 tip. She started to protest, but with a slight tilt of his head he stared her into submission. She pushed it into her black jeans’ pocket, a bit flustered.

     “Thank you,” he said and walked back to the table full of raucous high-fiving guys beginning to feel their beer. After he sat down to a couple of good-natured shoulder shoves, he leaned back, tipping his chair, to catch her watching him. It felt good to be a man at that moment. He gave her a subtle smile before she turned away.

     “Will you look at that?” The words were delivered in slow motion as the vintage jukebox belted out the old Rolling Stones tune “Honky Tonk Woman”. The stoutly built and curly blonde-headed guy named Keith who sat next to him on his right fairly panted as three young women entered the bar with a lot of exposed legs perched on spindly heels and possibly even more revealed breasts. Heads turned at their table and at a few others occupied by male patrons eager to share in the view.

     “Never seen them here before,” Dave on his left drawled, his eyes transfixed on the laughing girls who were well aware of the attention they’d garnered. They meandered their way to the bar, taking in the stares, bending their heads toward each other in secret summations and covert giggling.

     He looked around his table and smirked at the inebriated men who’d been hooked and landed like a bunch of hungry fish. His eyes searched for the gal he’d admired earlier. He watched her approach the newly arrived women at the bar, seeming to hunt inside herself for a pleasant expression. Joining her to wait on them was the bartender, a guy he figured to be near his age and clearly anxious to assist these new customers.

     The conversation at the table descended into the discussion of the size of body parts and what they hoped to do with theirs. It was time for him to go, so he got up to head to the rest room before saying goodnight to the boys and wishing them a good weekend. They made a big show of wanting him to stay, but he kidded them about how hangin’ out with an old guy might cramp their style. They guffawed and a couple of them chided him with a toast and a “’Night, Gramps” knowing he was only three to six years older than most of them.

     At the door, he looked one last time toward the bar and found her eyes on him. He smiled at her and walked out.

Father, any good thing I do or write is all you. Help me to be the one you designed me to be. Always desperate for you and deeply thankful which is never enough for all you've done for and given to me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

                       Beauty in every season under heaven. 

God, you didn't have to leave us anything beautiful after the Fall of Man, but you made and left it in every season for us. Thank you for leaving us evidence of your priceless creation and order so that we are without excuse for not recognizing your divine touch. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Mylon and his band Broken Heart made some great Christian music. Mylon had been through the world and done it all before Jesus rescued him. Afterward he gave up music for a period of time until a pastor told him he needed to use his gift for the Lord. 

Thank you for rescuing us, Lord. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Hard Vengeance, Book 9 in the Jon Reznick Thriller Series, by J. B. Turner starts with a phone call by a distraught father and continues on to the island of Mallorca/Majorca, Spain. 

Jon receives the news from Assistant Director of the FBI Martha Meyerstein's high-powered attorney father who can barely convey the message he's just received from a representative of the State Department. The shocking news rocks Jon's world as he travels to the island of Majorca to view and do his own investigation into the so-called accidental explosion on the yacht where Martha and her friend were vacationing. 

He's immediately convinced this was no accident. A former SAS Scotsman "Mac", who runs his own scuba diving business now that he's retired in Majorca, confirms Jon's assessment. But before Mac can share more information he's taken by the local Civil Guard police and quickly disappears. Mac's sister was scheduled to arrive the following day and gets in touch with Jon, knowing something is wrong. 

When Jon discovers from his own surveillance, someone intends to kill him, he sends vague photographs to the FBI Director hoping for identification even though the FBI has disowned him. He's warned off his personal investigation on Majorca and told to go home immediately by an onsite representative from the State Department, but Jon refuses to bow to the threats. Realizing this was an assassination of the only woman he's come to deeply care for since the death of his wife on 9/11, he will not comply with any alternatives to eliminating whoever is responsible for this. 

When his daughter Lauren (now with the FBI) shows up after he purposely didn't inform her of what had happened and where he was, he's not happy with her decision. However, she's as stubborn as he is and intends to help him with the investigation in spite of him. There is more tragedy and amped up fear as Jon's adversary's intention is made perfectly clear to them. 

The majority of this story consists of Jon trying to identify the assassin. Turner gives the reader glimpses of the killer's manic brain who fills himself with his own superiority, his physical regimen, his psychopathic methodology, his use of cocaine and classical music, and his utter belief that he will be the victor in accomplishing his hard vengeance. 

Some readers might expect more of the slap-down violence in the story, but this violence is more "off-screen" and calculated – though no less deadly. The evil is real, the challenge both psychological and murderous, and Jon doesn't take well to being the victim especially with his daughter alongside him. The sharp pursuit and game-ending fast-paced violence comes at the end when it's do or die. Getting to the truth is an ongoing and difficult discovery but well worth the investigation. Getting Lauren incorporated into what it takes to do the truly ugly stuff is not an easy task for Jon, but having established her adulthood, he really has no choice. 

Turner does some good writing depicting Jon descending into the dark place he occupied after his wife's death, but his determination to fight through it is admirable. A good read.  

(Profanity profuse toward the end.) 

Father, as always I thank you for your writers/authors. Such talent you give. Please continue to bless J. B.'s life and work and may He know the One who's blessed him with his talent. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

If the righteous receive their due on earth,

   how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Proverbs 11:31 (NIV)