Into the Fire

Over the years there have been many posts, comments, and opinion pieces regarding Christian Fiction on this blog. As a Christian author, I have a defined view of what Christian novels constitute, what General Market and/or Secular Fiction imply and/or include. Since I know what to expect from both types of fiction, the content is usually not a surprise to me when I select a novel to read.

Let's give a rough description of the general market/secular novels first. From my reading experience I've learned that these novels rarely contain anything to do with the Christian faith, but they might mention a quick prayer when there's a dire need or critical danger in the plotline. Sometimes the author has the character specifically speak against matters of faith as part of his/her personality. In the more secular novels if there is romance, it will eventually lead to a graphic sex scene and sometimes more than one. I cannot think of one graphic scene that added anything of value to the stories I've read. What those scenes do indicate is that the author finds it necessary – for whatever reason – to expose the intricacies of sexual action(s) possibly revealing a personal preference, repulsion, or to test the boundaries of vulgarity. There will also be some profanity using all manner of cuss words depending on the author. 

Secular/general market novels can be either "clean" fiction or raunchy fiction and all of the variables in between those categories. They can be poorly or wonderfully written with tried and true storylines, good vs. evil plots, or innovative and original styles. 

Christian Fiction displays all levels of Christianity in the genre. Generally speaking, the storylines will contain some mention of faith, prayer, church, and/or scripture either precluding the story or in the story. Mixed into the plotlines will be various characters who are either people of faith or to a specific point in the story are not believers. It's true that some stories can be preachy, but others can be just as vague concerning faith issues. For a purely secular reader even a hint of Christianity can be a bother to them. To some legalistic Christian readers, anything not specific enough regarding their doctrinal issues or conflicting with their interpretations of such, and anything in the romance genre which they decide has gone "too far" (though not graphic) will create an outcry of many 1 star reviews on Amazon and letters to the publisher(s).

Christian Fiction has some exquisite writers in all of their genres and, as is the case with the general market, they too have some very average authors creating a predictable model story to satisfy the crowd who makes the most noise.  

I know when I introduce one of my novels to people I don't know well I tell them two things about my work. First, it's Christian Fiction. Second, it's generally a little more raw than the typical Christian romance/love story.

Please feel free to add anything in the comments that I've forgotten.   

Father, apart from you, I can do nothing. I'm so grateful for the stories you've given me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

                                From a WIP titled . . . in a love song.

(From Chapter 16)

     “Ready to go?” He kept his voice low and steady.
     She stood and walked to the door without a reply. When they got to their rigs, he pulled her to him. “It’s gonna be alright, Patricia.” She put her arms around him like she was comfortable there. It hit him then like someone striking his face: he wanted more than her body. Maybe that’s why the drive seemed so intense. Maybe it had nothing to do with his lack of recent sexual contact. Maybe it was just her.
     She let go of him abruptly. “I’m sorry. You must be exhausted.” She unlocked her truck and fired it up. She was out of the parking area before he got backed up.
     He pushed the old Jeep to keep up with her. The dust had cleared by the time he traveled down her driveway. Fear must have given way to anger because she hadn’t driven like this when he was with her. When he arrived, lights from the house shone out into the farm’s darkness, and he saw the front door open behind the screen door. He grabbed his bag out of the back and climbed the stairs, giving a brief knock on the open door after maneuvering through the screen door. He set his stuff down inside and called her. She trotted down the stairs, and he noticed a subtle smile on those lovely lips which made him hope she was recovering from the incident.
     “I’ve never lived with a man before.”
     He laughed. “Well, as luck would have it, I’ve never lived with a woman before who’s required me to remain celibate while I’m at it.” The comment got the desired laugh. “Patricia, I’ll be right back. Gotta get one more thing out of the Jeep.” He hoped she didn’t have a thing against guns because he planned on bringing his handgun into the house. He dug it out of its locked compartment in the back of the Jeep and slipped it under the back waistband of his shorts. He bounded up the stairs and closed and locked the door when he got inside, transferring the gun to his duffle bag while she was in the kitchen.
     “This where you want me?” he asked, standing by the couch where he’d put his things.
     He watched her turn her face back toward the kitchen and do her best to suppress a smile. “That’s a hide-a-bed, but there’s a bedroom down the hall or there are three upstairs you can use.”
     He grinned. “One of those upstairs belong to you?”
     “Not of the available three.”
     “Hmm. You sure?”
     “Do I have to answer that?”
     He laughed. “Not tonight you don’t. If you don’t want me camped out in your living room, I’ll take the one down here.”
     “Right this way.”
     He hauled his things to the bedroom, surprised to see its masculine décor.
     “My brother’s room. A long time ago.”
     Had to be a story there but not tonight.
     “Dale, thank you for this. I feel stupid now.”
     “Don’t. The guy has a thing for you. I’ll feel better being here. And I won’t be any trouble. Alright?”
     She hesitated at the door.
     “What?” He stopped taking a few things from his bag.
     “Nothing. Goodnight.”
     “I probably won’t see you in the morning. Do you work during the day tomorrow?”
     “Yeah.”
     “Maybe I’ll run over there during lunch, see how you’re doin’.”
     “Okay.”
     “’night.”
     She slipped away as he finished setting up his clock. It dawned on him when he slipped into bed they both wanted the same thing. Maybe for different reasons, but he sensed her desire. He’d known enough females in his lifetime to recognize it in them. It showed up in all different ways, but it stemmed from wanting to get close. To abandon themselves in the act of love and hope some part of it would catch and be real. Something more than a physical exercise in pleasure.
     His gun rested on the nightstand at the ready. He knew how to use it but didn’t figure there’d be any need to do so. It’s just that people could be so crazy sometimes.

Father, again and again, thank you is never enough for all that you've given me in every part of my life. Thank you for the inspiration, words, stories. All of it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Winter water rushing and frozen, beauty in shades of stillness and action. 

Father, your creation is forever amazing and filled with its unique beauty for all seasons. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
   

Today's culture wouldn't tolerate this song, but, hey, believe it or not, it depicted a different era and it was a good one. Catchy tune and a song with a bit of a smirk. And a little bit of truth . . . 

Father, you made the world of love, we perverted it, we suffer the consequences. You are Love, and we're desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Save Your Breath by Melinda Leigh is Book 6 in the Morgan Dane Series.

Morgan Dane is the lawyer/investigator at Sharp Investigations along with Lincoln Sharp, former detective in the Scarlet Falls Police Department and owner of Sharp Investigations, and his partner/ private investigator (and Morgan's fiance) Lance Kruger, also a former cop. 

The unexpected case the three of them fall into is the sudden disappearance of Olivia Cruz, journalist/reporter and Lincoln's girlfriend. Lincoln spoke with her on the phone not long before she was kidnapped in the early morning hours. There is little to go on until a grizzled woman whose son is imprisoned for the murder of his wife visits Morgan to see if what she recently learned from Ms. Cruz could somehow work to her son's advantage. She gives Morgan next to nothing to work with and Morgan turns her down giving her the name and number of a criminal appeals attorney. 

The three scurry to discover what Olivia was working on and why she visited the woman. Lance is able to find a couple of inquiries she made regarding overlooked – either intentionally or not – evidence snafus of two incarcerated felons, both convicted of murder. One of them has a brother, living in an isolated residence, who Lincoln and Lance attempt to interview gaining little information other than the brother is holding back something. Lance and Morgan also interview Olivia's literary agent and editor who have been waiting on Olivia's manuscript for her new crime book.

The search for Olivia becomes threatening and the time it's taking to gain any information to help them only proves to terrify Lincoln that she might already be dead. Meanwhile, a crazy death occurs, Morgan's nanny (Gianna) is hospitalized in dire need of a kidney, and Morgan thinks her soon-scheduled wedding to Lance should be postponed due to the pall over the missing Olivia and the very ill Gianna. Lance is saddened by the decision but agrees. 

As their focus swings to other avenues when Lance's agoraphobic computer genius mother gives them new background information, the three of them take a different look for Olivia which proves to be far more dangerous than anything or anyone they've faced so far.

Melinda Leigh writes a satisfying, building intensive mystery that keeps the reader guessing and on edge along with her well-done characters. I wouldn't really call it "romantic suspense" although the romantic relationship between Lance and Morgan is very real, but the emphasis is clearly on the suspenseful mystery and the important relationship between the three parts of Sharp Investigations and between Lincoln and Olivia in Save Your Breath. The title becomes significant toward the end of the story.

One of my favorite scenes in this story is at the graveyard with Lance and Morgan's three daughters (by her husband killed in Iraq). 

Some profanity. 

Lord, I pray your continued blessing on Melinda's life. May she know the One who loves her most and meets her needs. Please supply more meaningful stories just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

     "To whom will you compare me?

       Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

     Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

       Who created all these?

     He who brings out the starry host one by one,

       and calls them each by name.

     Because of his great power and mighty strength,

       not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 40:25-26 (NIV)

It doesn't matter if you value Valentine's Day or romance, but it does matter if you value love. God is Love. He created it – the kind He meant it to be. Humans have ruined everything on this earth and love did not escape the stain of sin. God's love is purer, bigger, better, and far more dynamic, meaningful, and influential than any kind of love humans can manufacture. So if today is not your favorite, if it's too cliché, cheesy, romantic, or phony for you to acknowledge, then think of the One whose Love encompasses more than you can ever imagine and give thanks that He can love us in spite of us. 

We're desperate for you, God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

                                                       Available on Kindle.

     “Hey, CM! Your boyfriend’s here,” Char whispered excitedly. “Listen, if you ever dump him, let me know, alright? Talk about drop dead gorgeous!”
     “Matt’s here?” CM asked in surprise, standing in her cubicle.
     Char gestured secretively with her hand concealed by her body to a spot behind her across the room.
     When she looked around Char, Matt caught her eye and put up his hand in a short wave. CM smiled nervously. What’s he doing here?
     “Hi, Matt. What’s up?”
     “Do you have a minute? I brought you a mocha,” he said, lifting the coffee.
     “Uh, sure. Thanks,” she replied. “I think the interview room is open. C’mon.”
     She led the way to a small room with a round table and four maple captain’s chairs. He sat at the table and she joined him.
     “Normally I wouldn’t bother you at work. I’m sorry for that, but I don’t have a lot of time.”
     “That’s okay. What’s going on?” With concern, sipping the mocha, she noticed how uncharacteristically serious he was. “Is something wrong?”
     “Well, no—and yes, in a way. Look, CM, I’m leaving for California. This afternoon. I got a job offer that, well, it’s an incredible offer.” He looked down briefly, then continued. “To be honest with you, my first inclination was to ask you to go with me,” he said, looking directly into her subdued blue eyes. “But I knew it wouldn’t fly with you. And because of that fact, I decided to take the transfer and head back home. The main reason I’m here, CM, is to tell you I’ve been falling in love with you, but I know you don’t feel the same. It’s been fairly difficult these past couple months to carry on the way it’s always been with us, so I figured I’d just leave you alone and maybe you can find someone who floats your boat or whatever. Or maybe you won’t have to be encumbered with a ‘relationship’ at all. Anyway, I figured I’d just head out and spend a week with my folks and then get started on my new job.”
     CM hated the tears flooding her eyes. There seemed to be a plug in her throat, and she knew if she dared to pull it a dam of emotion would leave her in an ocean of weeping. So she simply nodded.

CHAPTER TWO

Matthew Preston pushed his handsome 6 ft. frame out of the chair and stood, looking down at the woman he loved—more like a girl in a lot of ways. Truthfully, he was relieved to see her choked up. He’d half expected her to congratulate him with an enthusiastic smile and wish him well. He reached down and pulled her up to him.
     “If you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.” With a sad expression he took her face in his strong hands and kissed her lips tenderly. “I love you, CM.” Then he walked out of the room and down the hall, leaving her to her life.

Father, only you can give me stories, characters, and words. Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you is never enough. I love you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

            Winter beauty frozen in the season of time. 

Father, your creation presents beauty in every season. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

There are some heavy duty musicians demonstrating their crafts in this version of their song at the Fillmore East Auditorium back in the day when "Eight Miles High" was more than just a song title. 

Father, you've watched all of our history as our Creator. I know we've made you weep, but still you continue to bless your people with talents and gifts and wait for them to see what has been given them by the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. May each one know from whom all good things come. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.