Into the Fire

Five more authors for you to consider when buying books as gifts for Christmas (or anytime!):

Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills: You cannot go wrong buying the late great Vince Flynn's collection of Mitch Rapp stories. Bona fide authentic espionage/political thrillers. Kyle Mills took on a monumental task when Vince passed away from cancer, but he has excelled at the most difficult assignment of keeping the iconic Rapp going. Can't recommend these strongly enough. 

Brad Thor: Thor's former Navy SEAL Scot Harvath has served in almost every protective detail the government has to offer, and this series takes the reader through a multitude of high stakes stories of his various experiences in each. Good action, reliable portrayals, intrigue and realism. Again, highly recommend.

Roni Kendig: Roni's The Tox Files provided my second favorite (after Rapp of course) hero in literature "Tox" (aka Toxic; aka Cole Russell). Although these are speculative military action novels, the complex plots feature well-developed characters and sinister enemies. Tox is all man, all soldier, but when he falls in love, it's forever. This 3 (currently) book series is an amazing adventure. 

James Scott Bell: You cannot pick up a Bell novel and not be impressed by his talent, snark, quirky (at times) characters. There are so many books to choose from, but my latest favorites are the "Hammer" novellas. And the "Nun" novellas were very good, clever, and endearing. The Ty Buchannan trilogy was heart-wrenching and so well done.

Barbara Ellen Brink: She wrote (among other novels) an entertaining – and well-written – threesome called the Double Barrel Mysteries filled with hidden family secrets and intrigue in a small Lake Superior town known as Port Scuttlebutt. Highly recommend for mystery lovers who might want to sample a fresh voice.

Father, please continue to bless these talented authors. Please provide what each of them needs to continue to glorify your name in fiction. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Nicole-Petrino-Salter/dp/1683147375/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542252252&sr=8-4&keywords=Nicole+Petrino-Salter

The Kindle version of Race is nearly ready for its debut, but the soft cover copy is now available. Thank you to all who've made this book possible and to those who've expressed interest in it. 

Father, only you provide the necessary inspiration, direction, and means to publish my novels. Only you. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The enchanting Lake District, England. Such beauty. 

Lord, you've spread out unique beauty all over this earth to contrast with the evil perpetrated by sin. Thank you for every piece of beauty worldwide. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Thank you heaven for bringing Jesus. Gracious God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit of Truth. Thank you. Christmas is coming!

Sally Bradley did a masterful job with a difficult plot and provided enough intrigue and even hope with mostly unlikeable characters – at least for me. Kept is the story of Miska, a young woman  who works from her expensive condo as a freelance editor. Although she is respected for her editing skills, she's relied on her beauty and sexual appeal for most of her life. For her, sex was an assumed result of showing interest in any boy in high school and carried on as an adult. She's a conduit for the lusty desires of men. Two of them happen to be professional athletes who "gift" her with money as they indulge themselves in her pleasures. One of them – the one she wants – is married but of course he plans to leave his wife for her. Her life as a kept woman is emotionally shallow and sexually charged.  

To tell you the truth, I've known young women like Miska. Their laissez-faire attitude about the current love of their lives seems normal to them and sexual encounters are no big deal – just the way life is with a man. Any man. They fall in love with whomever shows them real attention and sex is just part of the deal – and what makes them valuable.

Miska is a self-absorbed young woman who associates her value with her physical appeal. When she meets her new neighbor (Dillan), there's something about him – besides his height – that attracts her. He's living with his brother in the apartment next door until his brother's wedding to his fiancée. When Miska learns Dillan is a pastor, she taunts him with her sexuality. He tries to avoid her but struggles with his attraction to her.

Here's where these two become unlikeable. Miska has set herself up for trouble with a married man who makes vacant promises and another athlete who drops by and essentially leaves a huge "tip" for the time they share together. When she learns more about her neighbor, she mocks him with her arrogant attitude. He wants to like her but decides a woman "like her" would never be okay for him. Their pride and condescension toward one another make it difficult to like either one of them.

The brother's fiancée (Tracy) brings a wonderful testament of honesty and redemption to the story. She's loyal, faithful, and proves to be something Miska hasn't had in her life: a real friend. She's my favorite character in this story. Her persistence and commitment to Miska is admirable and Spirit-led. When Tracy suffers considerable pain, she does her best to walk out her faith in personal crisis. She never abandons Miska and proves her love and commitment to the friendship with steady encouragement and revelation of who Jesus is. 

Sally captures the essence of these multiple characters with finesse and honesty, the challenges of living out Christianity as opposed to living in the world with its destructive lifestyles, the hypocrisy that can creep into a Christian's psyche even when trying to live right. Kept shows the journey to salvation is often troublesome and sometimes takes so much longer than it seems it should. And just because a person knows Jesus doesn't mean they have all the answers and can meet the challenges when faced with hypocrisy in their hearts. Life is a battle for everyone, but with Jesus those hard places can be overcome through Him.

Kept provides a satisfying conclusion to this multi-layered story of broken lives and the ultimate redemption of some of them.

Father, please continue to bless Sally's writing as she continues to serve you however she is able. Encourage her as only you can do and please bring complete healing to her body. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

     Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 

Acts 3:6-8 (NIV) 

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Jesus came to be with us. I love Christmas. So – I've done something I've never done before. Our tree is up and the decorations are fast appearing! It's crazy fun to have time to enjoy all the décor. Can't help myself!

So here's a Friday Five for you just to keep you from groaning about my Christmas enthusiasm. Five authors and their novels which will make great Christmas gifts for just the right readers (in no particular order):

      1. Francine Rivers' The Masterpiece. My favorite for 2018 and beyond even though it might take a certain kind of audience to enjoy it as much as I did. 

      2. Karin Kaufman's The Juniper Grove Mystery Series. An absolute must for Cozy Mystery lovers – and for those who love novellas.

      3. Sibella Giorello's The Raleigh Harmon Mysteries. Raleigh is an utterly amazing character. From young girl to adulthood, each novel brings its own revelation of her strengths and vulnerabilities. You will love her, Sibella's writing, and the stories. 

       4. Brenda S. Anderson's contributions to The Potter's House Books series where Brenda's most recent is #11. For your 20-somethings and up, these are good novellas presenting real issues and the challenges related to walking out Christianity.

       5. Carrie Stuart Parks' Gwen Marcy Novels. Gwen's a great character who struggles to do her job but always finding that somehow doing the right thing seems to interfere with her job. A top investigator and forensic artist, she finds answers that inevitably get her in trouble. 

Lord, thank you for each of these beautiful women who write beauty, pain, and insight into their work. Thank you that they are using their gifts for your glory. Bless them in your abundance. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Book 10 is here in the Juniper Grove Mystery Series by Karin Kaufman! For cozy mystery lovers everywhere, this is such a fun series and very quick reads. 

Mystery writer Rachel Stowe habitually finds herself around dead people in her Juniper Grove community. And those dead people turn out to be homicide victims. From her back yard to casual parties, someone gets murdered. This time it's a female art professor who's writing a basically truthful autobiography mixed with a little fiction. She's hidden her back up files and laptop in her home and she slips a coded piece of paper into Rachel's purse at a mystery solving party which winds up being the location of her death.

The host of the party is shocked at the cause of her death because he always goes to great lengths to accommodate her particular needs. 

Always up for a mystery, the "Gang" of friends gather to solve the clues left by the victim as Chief Gilroy works on the guests at that party. There's another party, an attempted break in, a real break in, another murder, and a final key in number codes to who the murderer is.

All of this as Rachel's marriage to Chief James Gilroy approaches and her self-confidence wanes as her neighbor and good friend suggests she lighten up on the cream puffs. It's both touching and humorous as she poses the typical female question to her future husband.

As I said, these stories go quickly, provide unique little murder mysteries, very likable primary characters, annoying suspects, and just plain good writing. For a non-cozy mystery lover, I gotta tell ya, these are go-to novellas when you need a break from hard core thrillers. Enjoyable and well done. Seriously, start at the beginning. It won't take you long to catch up. I reiterate: Karin Kaufman is the Queen of Cozy Mysteries.

Father, you know all the trials and joys Karin has experienced in recent times. I pray your abundant blessings upon her. Keep her inspired, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

A reminder that God is the Creator of beauty, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and the Spirit of God reveals truth to all who will listen.

Please, Lord God Almighty, bless us with your mercy and grace in this evil world where we treasure each view of beauty you've left for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass gave us a variety of great tunes. 

Father, thank you for the wonderful music inspired by your creativity – whether or not those that use it know everything good and perfect comes from you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.