Into the Fire

Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles is the final book in The Natchez Burning Trilogy. 

This contemporary trilogy depicts southern racism at its worst, the best and worst of people in general, and this final edition of the Cage family is a whirlwind of "Did he or didn't he?" concerning the murder of Viola, former nurse and lover of the accused Dr. Tom Cage, as she's in the final stages of lung cancer. It's a riveting story after the initial meandering start which seems to be Greg Iles' style – at least in this trilogy.  

Dr. Cage's son Penn, mayor of Natchez, successful novelist, and former prosecutor in Houston, Texas, is being coaxed by his family to represent his father in his murder trial, but he insists he's no defense attorney and gladly yields that job to the aging master of defense attorneys, and old friend of his dad's, Quentin Avery. However, once the trial begins and Quentin warns Penn that he's taking an unconventional approach to his dad's defense, Penn's mom, sister, and Penn himself cannot believe how Quentin is allowing the vengeful prosecutor to paint Tom as a vicious killer who's caught on tape murdering his former lover. Most everything and everyone that the prosecutor brings to the jury is based on conjecture, circumstantial, or outright lies, but still very effective with no objections whatsoever from Quentin. Everyone on Penn's side is in an uproar, thinking the man is losing his mind with Penn demonstrating his near tantrum reactions to Quentin's choices. Until he finally begins to present his case.

Penn's recent tragedy from The Bone Tree (Book 2), has left him empty and holding a grudge against his father who's languishing in jail awaiting his trial and won't speak to Penn about his case or anything else that requires his gut-level honesty with his son. Penn's discussions with and the resulting threats to Quentin Avery show his embattled psyche over his beloved father who doesn't seem to want to be freed. Dr. Cage's health is poor and his odds of survival in any jail, let alone the destiny he's facing if found guilty of Viola's murder, are short and not-so-sweet.

With viable threats by the remaining "don" of the Double Eagle group on the loose, the insidious and vicious psychopath Snake Knox, bodyguards surround the Cage family. And even then they're not enough for some harrowing and horrific occurrences.

Filled with more tragedy, a little triumph, confrontations, shocking admissions, and a small but dynamic truce, Mississippi Blood gives readers an exciting and fitting conclusion to The Natchez Burning Trilogy.    

(There is plenty of profanity and explicit vulgarity in this novel along with a hint of the author's "politically correct" viewpoints.) 

Father, you've given talent and gifts to all. Only you can deliver us from evil and show us the truth. I pray that true blessing over Greg. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;

  he rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice.

  Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah30:18 (NIV)

Five questions for you: 

If you could go anywhere in the world to visit, where would you go?

Do you have a year that you've labeled "the worst year of my life"? 

What is your favorite sport to play?

Do you have a favorite board game?

If you had to say you were good at two specific things (actions), what would those be? 

Father, you've made us similar but different and gifted us all in different ways. Thank you is never enough and apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

If you're a reader of many novels, you get a feel for authors. If you fall in love with the character(s) in a book, you can't help but wonder how the author managed to create that "person". Was it a composite of individuals the writer knew personally? Was it based on a specific guy or gal with tweaks here and there to ensure they might not be recognized – or worse: recognize themselves? 

I must admit there is much to be observed and/or learned about authors by reading their work. You can tell what they find attractive or admirable, desirable or repugnant, laughable or threatening. You can tell if they think fast-paced is necessary or if a meandering comfort works best for a particular type of story. 

Do they want you, the reader, to imagine the physical features of their hero or heroine, or do they want you to focus on how they think and their motivations for their actions and reactions? 

Let's face it. Authors can't hide behind their stories. There are pieces of them in every book. It might just be a small part of who they are that's visible in those words on the page, but it's there. 

Characters – how they're portrayed, their dialogue, even the way they dress indicate how the author wants you to experience them. In order to do that with any accuracy we authors have to crawl inside their skin for a time – short or long – and lose a bit of ourselves to our alter-egos. In that process we probably reveal a lot more of who we are than we realize.

Or do we?

Father, thank you for every word, inspiration, thought-process, times of prayer, and all that we need to create the stories we write. Thank you is never enough. We're all desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Such beauty. God's amazing artistry can be found in each season all over this earth. 

God, thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The outrageous Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones back in the day. One of their hits from the 1974 album. 

Father, only you can save us, but you give talents to all and your love reaches us all if only we reach out and embrace you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason is Book 1 in the romantic suspense Danger Never Sleeps Series.

Honorably discharged from the Army because of wounds experienced in a café explosion in Afghanistan while hearing the final words and message of a dying soldier, military psychiatrist Brooke Adams fights the effects of PTSD from the trauma and injuries and decides to work for a friend back in the states after months of recovery.

Army Spec Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James retired and now finds himself struggling with nightmares and other effects from PTSD, something he didn't experience while fully engaged in his operations in Afghanistan. Reluctantly he decides to see a shrink and who better than Brooke Adams. However, when he gets to her office for his early appointment, she isn't there, but a real mess is.

Murder and mayhem, a mass shallow grave found by a hiker and his dog, an FBI agent whose sister is a journalist still in Afghanistan (and a friend of Brooke's), all create an intertwined suspenseful mystery that finally connects unsuspected players and innocent victims.

The strength of Collateral Damage lies in the convoluted path the story takes to discover what is at the root of all these incidents and motives for murder. The untangling of the mystery is done well while mingling a little romance in the mix between the two main characters, both uneasy about starting a relationship in their current states of mind. However, their life threatening challenges keep them together while discovering that's where they prefer to be.

Father, please keep providing those stories you have just for Lynette to tell and all that she needs to tell them well. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

"Because you have rejected this message,

  relied on oppression,

  and depended on deceit,

this sin will become for you

  like a high wall, cracked and bulging,

  that collapses suddenly, in an instant.

It will break in pieces like pottery,

  shattered so mercilessly

that among its pieces not a fragment will be found

  for taking coals from a hearth

  or scooping water out of a cistern."

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:

 "In repentance and rest is your salvation,

  in quietness and trust is your strength,

  but you would have none of it."

Isaiah 30:12-15 (NIV) 

The most difficult part of the "author job" for me is promoting my work. This isn't because I don't think much of it or because I don't care whether or not people read it. On the contrary, I think my novels have value, and I think the books are bound to touch a few hearts and bring pleasure to some readers.

It's not because of a false humility when I say I don't want to push my work on anyone because I definitely do want an audience for my stories and very preferably those who will understand my tagline for the novels: Raw Romantic Redemptive. 

Those of you who visit here know how I feel about some of Christian fiction, particularly Christian novels in the Romance genre. There are only a single handful of authors who I feel are able to write real romance – and I like to think of myself as one of them. I'm not saying others "can't" write it realistically, but either due to their own preferences or the restrictions of their publishers, they write a version of romance which, for me, is actually romance-lite. 

So. All of that to say this: In the next few months I will have a new love story coming out in both soft cover and Kindle. When it gets closer to the time of release, I'll share the cover with you. The title is Seeing . . ., and I'm truly excited about this one, but then it's exciting when each of them makes it to the publishing level. Maybe I should say I'm especially excited about this one because it touched my heart as the story developed and I fell in love with the characters. 

There. For now. I've done my first promotion work for Seeing . . . and hoping some of you will be looking forward to it along with me. 

Father, over and over I thank you for all of it because it's true: apart from you, I can do nothing. And I'm so grateful you allow me the pleasure and privilege of writing these stories. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

This one is my husband's favorite novel. It's available in soft cover and for Kindle readers. I love this story. Joey Parr is one of my favorite characters . . . 

Father, thank you for this story and for those whose lives it touched. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.