Into the Fire

Shopping on the Champs Elysees, Paris. Another place where I find it amazing to say I've been many years ago.

Father, no matter where we go, you're there. Thank you for saving me. I was lost without you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

He might look/act a bit strange to some, but oh is he ever talented. Smooooth jazz. Beautiful.

Lord, thank you for music, for gifted musicians and artists of musical notes. May each one know from whom their true inspiration comes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

As I have done in the past with Vince Flynn's and Brad Thor's novels, I came upon the 4th (All the Dirty Secrets) of these novels first and read it. It intrigued me enough to start at the top and finish each one. Contrary to the description, I wouldn't call them "thrillers", but they're definitely good suspenseful mysteries.

Marian Lanouette, like many of us, has written all her life but got serious about writing novels a little later in life. She's created a dynamic and attractive cop character in Detective Jake Carrington who in the first couple of novels struggles with getting serious about his women, preferring bedding them without any strings attached.

He suffered a family tragedy early in life and blames himself for it. It rocked the family and tipped his mother over the edge.

Marian's criminal characters ooze those sociopathic psyches and try hard to play Jake. The complex mysteries force the reader to think through the multiple suspects and attempt with Jake and his best friend and partner Detective Louie Romanelli to discover the killer before it's too late for another victim. (Both Jake and Louie are promoted to Lieutenant and Sargent respectively mid-series.)

From killers to former dirty cops still creating havoc with a few of the Blue Line, these are worthwhile stories with minimal profanity and some graphic sex/terms early on in the series which, as is usually the case, proves unnecessary. We get it: Jake likes to get it on. Young enough, handsome dude, stud. His best quality, however, is his devotion to the victims, to get those killers and bring justice for the families of the slain. No one knows how it feels any better than Jake Carrington.

I do recommend this series (skip the graphics) if you like good characters and complex mysteries with family and friendship elements present throughout. As seems to be the case with me and heroes' women, I rarely care much for their choice(s) of girlfriends. Why that is I'm not sure except for a common trait of Type A arrogance. 

Father, thank you for authors. Thank you for spreading around your creativity in the storytelling skills of writers. May each one of us realize from whom any of our abilities originate. Please continue to bless Marian with more stories just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.    

". . . Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

     After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.

Acts 4:29-31 (NIV) 

I'm sure I'm not the only author who marvels at what readers choose to read and then designate as their favorites. Yesterday I posted pictures of my published novels. To me, it's fascinating which one(s) of those books the readers I know have chosen as their favorites. 

The Famous One has been a favorite of many including my husband who loved the book. You might think he's prejudiced in my favor, but really he's only read The Famous One and Race. He liked Race but The Famous One is his favorite. 

Breath of Life wowed a few readers but others were mad at me for the ending. 

Sweet Release landed at the top of some lists and others loved Destination.

A lot of racetrackers appreciated Hope of Glory even though it was long and preachy. It's my "ministry" novel that I give away to any who might want to read a comprehensive saga of middle echelon Thoroughbred horse racing. I take a load of them down to the local  racetrack every year. 

Speaking of the racetrack, Race was my first effort at a mystery, and I was surprised at the favorable responses and requests for a sequel. I guess the detectives who investigated the death of Roman Diego intrigued readers enough to want to further "investigate" them. 

Although "word of mouth" is the supposed best advertisement for promoting books, it can be painstakingly slow. Also in today's tech-crazy world, people want to read reviews about their potential/future reads before investing, and most of my amazing readers generally choose not to write them. 

Father, thank you for stories, writing, books, and readers. You spread out your talents and gifts and allow creating and inspiration. Every good and perfect gift comes from you. Never can thank you enough. Ever. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

From the first to the most recent, these are my published books. The novels you see here represent six of my eight completed novels with two more in the works. Each one is uniquely different but in many ways the same. I think that can be said of many authors because of two things: their voices and their choices.

Their voices are the way authors put their words together on a page. Are they prone to use a more formal tone, a fair amount of slang (as I often do), sparse and naked language, word pictures in metaphors, similes, and generous doses of adjectives? Do they incorporate trendy language? Do they use italics for internal dialogue? Do they slide in incomplete sentences (as I also often do)? 

Choices range from an underlying theme even when the stories are very different from one another, possibly even different genres, to incorporating a lot of symbolism. Do they stress character development over far-reaching or complex plots? Do they use locations as plot points? Do they mesh all of these elements in elegant tales? If Christian fiction, is the faith element covert or part of the organic story? Do they write with a literary touch, humor, intense drama, high-level thrills? 

Can you identify how or why your favorite authors are exactly that: your favorites?

Father, you've given me every story, every inspiration, every word. I can't do it without you. Having said that, if my novels aren't liked, it's not because of you – it's all on me. I thank you that I've written these stories. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Galway, Ireland, anyone? I visited Galway a long time ago but did not see the Kylemore Abbey in Connemara County above. The lower picture is Henparty or Hen Party, Galway, where nightlife is vibrant at certain times. Again, for me, it seems so strange to say I've been to this place many years ago. 

Father, so many things and places for that segment in my much younger life . . . You protected me until I met you and was so gratefully rescued. Thank you is never enough. Always desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Remember this one? Yeah, who can forget Simon and Garfunkel?

Lord, you're all that matters in this life and certainly the next. Thank you for all the amazing talents and gifts you have given and are still giving. May we all use them to point to you for your glory. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sweet on You by Becky Wade is the third novel in "A Bradford Sisters Romance" series. Since there are three sisters: Nora (True to You), Willow (Falling for You), and Britt (Sweet on You), this could be the final book in this series. 

Of all the fabulous men in the Bradford sisters' lives, Zander Ford is the most intriguing. That's saying a lot since Nora's John is a former Navy SEAL, Willow's Corbin was a successful (retired due to injury) NFL QB, but Zander has written a bestselling first novel, has a photographic memory, and can beat Britt at almost every competition in which they engage much to her frustration and respect. Plus he's drop-dead gorgeous with dark longish hair and lake blue eyes. At the end of Falling for You he'd taken off for a world tour. In Sweet on You he's returned after 511 days of a starved absence from Britt Bradford, master chocolatier. I loved Zander.

The reason for Zander's return is the unexpected death of the uncle whose wife and he poured out their love to his brother and him when they were removed from his drug addicted mother. In his uncle's home with his two cousins (daughters) there was never once demonstrated anything but love and acceptance of the two boys even though it had to strain the family's finances. 

When there's something unsettling about where his uncle is found dead in his car from a heart attack, the mystery begins and puts Britt and Zander on the search to find satisfactory answers for the family. Little did they figure it would also put them in danger although Zander began to consider those thoughts as they got further into their research. 

Okay, if I've said it once (which I have) I've said it multiple times: Becky Wade is the current Queen of Romance in Christian fiction. She understands the thrills and chills of falling in love and she's not afraid to tackle all the nuances of different personalities, both male and female, as they confront the scary and intense attractions to one another. Britt and Zander have been best friends for 14 years, but if you could corner Zander he'd admit he's been in love with Britt since those 14 years began.

The pain he suffers from denying his desires for fear of alienating his "best friend" is sending his emotional meter into overdrive. His love is deep and loyal, and his efforts to suppress it are wearing thin as a bald tire.

Britt has conducted her life with the kind of thoughts that suggested she didn't need men to fulfill her and she could always count on Zander's true friendship without the complications of commitment to a romance and a lasting relationship. Oops . . . 

This well-written romance has everything it needs to present a mostly enjoyable adventure into the youngest Bradford sister's independent efforts to take life on under her terms alone. Zander knows what he's up against, but he's all in whether he wins the battle for love or not. The battle between them, however, can be tedious at times with Britt fighting her tilting outlook and Zander unsure of how far to push with this love thing. 

Touching, unique, and heartwarming.

Father, please continue to fill Becky's heart and soul with the stories you have just for her to tell. Encourage her as only you can do. Bless her in your abundance. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

     As for those who seemed to be important – whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance – those men added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they saw that I had been given the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been given the task of preaching the gospel to the Jews. For God who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Peter, and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Galatians 2:6-10 (NIV)