Into the Fire

From the WIP Seeing . . . 

Recollection

I’ll never forget seeing her long blonde hair glistening like a halo around her head and over her shoulders. Her face, arms, and skinny legs protruding from white shorts were the color of golden brown calfskin in the summer sun. She stood close to her dad the way a little girl does when her dad is the biggest and most important man in her life.

My dad introduced me to Buddy Owen who leaned his bulky frame on one right crutch, and Buddy introduced me to his little girl Jean July Owen. “Jean July,” he urged gently when Jean July hesitated.

That was when she stuck out her hand for me to shake and smiled with determination in spite of her current shyness. I felt my whole head heat up when I gathered what little wits I had for a 12 year old boy facing the onslaught of cruel puberty and managed to shake her hand. The sensation of her skin against mine was like nothing I’d ever hoped to know, and I had to let go in a hurry before the sweat building under my arms ran down the length of them and soaked both of our hands.

She was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen, and whatever God does in the instant of meeting the one you love, she was imprinted on my heart and soul from that moment on.

Father, endlessly I thank you for every word, picture, character, inspiration, and determination. Whenever I don't write, it's my failure. Forgive me for that, please. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  (Originally posted on February 2nd, 2013; "Being . . . Relentless")    

The debut novel by Winter Austin (aka Winter Peck) is a romantic suspense titled Relentless published by Crimson Romance as a general market e-book.

Featuring displaced Cajun Detective Remy LeBeau now working for the Dallas Police Department, there's a serial killer attacking women on the rodeo circuit called the Rodeo Sweetheart Killer. Remy's first acquaintance with the pretty redheaded barrel racer Cody Lewis goes far better than their second meeting after she finds a carved up female victim in her horse trailer.

Victims with red hair and green or blue eyes just like Cody's features start mounting up as the investigation proceeds, and Remy's contact with the spitfire of a cowgirl proves more difficult than he anticipated. There's tension, attraction, and hard-headed back and forths between them, making the decision to put her under protective custody nearly impossible.

The strange events around the case are amped up when LeBeau receives voice-altered messages on his private cell number which indicate the killer has a personal vendetta against him. This brings the secretive events of his former life in New Orleans to the forefront of the story without revealing what they are. Detective Remy LeBeau obviously suffers in silence at his losses and holds himself responsible for some tragic and perhaps incriminating occurrences from his past, and throughout the story he's been unable to allow anyone into his private circle of trust. Including the reader.

When deviations surface from the killer's normal routine, the detectives involved wonder if there's a copycat or two partners. When LeBeau's Lieutenant calls in a former cop who worked on the original case, now a PI, to assist with the case, Remy's resentment is hard-pressed to accept the man. However, as they all work furiously to identify the killer by the faintest of clues, things begin to suggest a culprit right when they need it the most.

Winter presents a romantic tale in a unique setting with escalating suspense and a fair amount of twists plus lots of the typical sparring, sighing, denying, stomach tingling, self-contradictions and arguments, etcetera, of category romance. Fitting snugly into the desired genre, Remy and Cody provide two explosive characters with things to hide. Remy's biggest secrets remain hidden in this story written in a spirited voice by newcomer Winter Austin. This sets the stage for a next novel without leaving the reader in a lurch.

A good story and a quick read, Relentless touches ever so lightly on the element of faith and includes the use of mild expletives here and there. Recommended for lovers of category romance with emphasis on a suspenseful plot. 

  
 
Father, please continue to provide those stories you have just for Winter to tell. Watch over her and her family and bless all that she does for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The return of old favorites and the premiere of a new series.

Father, reach lost hearts as only you can do. Thank you for all that you've given us and may we always acknowledge who gives us our gifts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

One of the many great songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival. I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain? 

Father, we need you every day, every way. Help us to find you, love you, serve you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Is that a fabulous cover or what? Ronie Kendig has written the second novel in "The Tox Files" (aka Toxic; aka Cole Russell), and it's another speculative affair going back centuries and jumping to the significance of an ancient dangerous crown in the present tense.

Tox learns that a fellow "brother" in arms (Alec King) has gone off the deep end because those in command ordered Tox's Spec Ops group to "Stand Down" after several of their fellow brothers were killed by a major terrorist. They could've killed the terrorist, but Tox followed orders as much as it disgusted him to do so. When Tox is shot on the beach at a 4th of July party with his team and his FBI agent girlfriend Haven, he knows who did it because of how he is wounded. What he doesn't know is why.

Crown of Souls switches back and forth from the ancient story of this cursed crown which consumes the intentions of those who possess it to the possibility that it's been resurrected in this present predicament with Tox and some recent executions. Much like the ring in the Lord of the Rings novel/film, this crown drives those who wear it to pursue personal power over their perceived enemies – including those who were once friends – while losing their souls to evil.  

Tox and Haven are awkwardly establishing their relationship through the challenges of a huge secret Tox carries keeping his unworthiness to be with Haven in the forefront of his mind. After he's wounded and not fully recovered, he reveals who he assumes the shooter is. This results in the tedious and dangerous pursuit of Alec King after discovering the history of the mysterious crown from the archaeological characters in the first novel (Conspiracy of Silence) of this series and the seemingly supernatural assistance of one of them. The deadly search takes them through some Indiana Jones types of experiences and forces one of the team to discover a possible way to counteract Alec's weird telltale evidence of his locations.

Crown of Souls is a busy novel with intersecting parts involving speculative history, supernatural rescues, emotional declarations, gut-level determination, and a near cliff-hanger ending which changes the scope of the next books in this series.

Tox is still second only to Mitch Rapp for me which is no small accomplishment for Ronie Kendig. A strong character who exemplifies a warrior, who wants to be a lover but is uncomfortable with his self-proclaimed unworthiness, who is a faithful and obedient soldier, but is in turmoil when he can't protect the woman he loves. At odds with God, he wars with faith but weakens as this story continues.

I'm not a fan of speculative fiction, but Ronie has written a wonderful character in Tox, and her stories give me enough of contemporary thriller energy with a fabulous protagonist to sustain my interest in the series.

Father, please continue to fill Ronie with your abundance, giving her more stories, and blessing her work. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

There is not a righteous man on earth 

  who does what is right and never sins.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (NIV)

Five of my favorite places from my youth . . . 

Longacres Racetrack (now defunct)

Sun Lakes State Park (Park Lake in particular)

The Flying Horseshoe Ranch (a dude ranch my BFF and I attended for three summers)

My BFF's house on Aurora Ave. (Love you, Deb.)

Grand Coulee Dam

Father, you gave me so many opportunities to see your beauty in creation, to experience childhood as it should be. You've shown me grace my entire life and of course I didn't deserve it. But you're so kind, so loving, so protective. Thank you for saving me. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

                (Originally posted on September 1, 2014.) 

The CFBA presents Gina Holmes' new release Driftwood Tides, published by Tyndale Fiction (free for review).

I love Gina Holmes' voice. It's that down-home, occasionally snarky, often lovely prose, and excellent heartfelt characterization that epitomize her novels. She writes honest and uses the need for forgiveness as a predominant theme in her work. Driftwood Tides is no exception.

Elizabeth "Libby" Slater learns of her origins in a most unexpected way and it rocks her world in Casings, North Carolina, like nothing she's ever experienced. Confronting her mother, who she addresses by her first name of Caroline, Libby's shock wave continues.

Caroline is in the process of planning Libby's wedding to her fiancé Rob, completely and intentionally oblivious to Libby's and Rob's desires for a simple, small wedding, when she confirms Libby's shocking news. The momentarily paralyzing truth accentuates the differences she's always shared with her mother and sends her on a journey to Nags Head to explore the possibility of who she truly is.

Arriving at a beat-down "cabin" on the beach, she views the prone gifted driftwood sculptor Holton Creary through the window and realizes upon entering the unlocked door that the man seems to be in dire straights from drunkenness. Attempting to help him amidst a legion of empty gin bottles, she realizes the woman she's looking for isn't there and yearns to know why.

This begins the story of each interlaced character in the novel Driftwood Tides. All needy of separate things, but also in need of figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives which have suddenly become incorporated, each one's approach to satisfying their needs is sometimes in polar opposition to the other's.

Rob is the clingy fiancé, Caroline the controlling mother, Holton, the alcoholic and gifted sculptor, Tess, Holton's lovestruck assistant, Adele, the absent but prominent wife to Holton and object of Libby's search and affection, Libby, the lost and confused daughter seeking a real family who can love her and include her in their lives, and the peripheral feisty Elsie who appears conveniently to fill in the blanks. 

The focus of this story varies according to the emphasized point of view (POV). Each one's weakness and need surface and determine the reactions of the other characters. Selfishness and unforgiveness, of either others or oneself, dominate each character's pursuits as gradually hearts soften after crisis situations erupt in their lives.

Although Libby's search and goals seem to be the primary focus of this story, there's a bit of a herky-jerky feel in the telling of this tale because of all the character's POVs. Although the characters are well-defined, they're only moderately likable. To me, occasionally the story seemed to veer off track but regained enough control to conclude with a clever and satisfactory ending.

Faith elements ride the ever present waves in the distance and alcoholism is accurately penned.

Like I said, I love Gina Holmes' work and the cover of Driftwood Tides is lovely, but this one isn't my favorite of hers.
     
 
Father, you know Gina's beautiful heart. I pray you would continue to fill it with stories just for her to tell. Bless and protect her. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Please vote for your favorite cover(s) of these novels. If you want, list them in order of what you prefer. Thank you. 

Lord, thank you for inspiration and for the talent it takes to capture the essence of a story with the cover. You've gifted so many in various ways. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Many in this generation of rock 'n' roll are passing. Filled with exquisite musicians, singers, songwriters, it was an incredible era of music making . . . 

Father, only you save souls. Thank you for saving mine. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.