Into the Fire

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews: 10:23 (NIV)

                                            Friday Five

Five of my favorite novels. The first one on this list will probably not change, but the rest might fluctuate. I have a lot of favorites, certainly more than five.  

      1.  The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers 

      2.  Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn (Although I much prefer the original cover, and it should be read in the order it was written.)

      3.  Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo

      4.  Secrets by Kristen Heitzman

      5.  My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade (although I much prefer the original cover) 

There are so many others besides these. Maybe next Friday . . . 

Father, thank you for your gifted authors. I pray your blessing over their continued good work. Encourage them as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

                                          Caption this picture.

My first year on the racetrack, Longacres. Probably Barn 4B, north side. 

Father, you watched over me my entire life. Thank you for rescuing me from myself. It took me long enough, and I'm sorry for that. Please continue to watch over me. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

I don't know about most authors, but I'd have to say if you questioned each one of your favorites, they'd tell you one of their quirks. Or maybe they wouldn't call them quirks. 

All I can say for sure is I have a few that I consider "quirks." Most of them are in regard to those things I like or love. Here is one of mine. Those of you who've seen my titles will notice I've used ellipses in three of them. Now you will hear other authors and some editors repeat that ellipses are evil and not to use them – not exactly in those words – but definitely don't use them. Probably have heard that about italics too. And other incessant suggestions or rules that were made to be broken because they're based on personal opinions. 

So, having now seen my three titles using ellipses, here is the extra quirkiness to those titles. Seeing . . . was the first one written (with ellipses), . . . in a love song was the second, and Then . . . you was the third and final one with ellipses. Notice how each one is differently placed? Yeah. Crazy, huh? I think it's cool. 

I dare the other authors I know to name one of their quirks. Smiling . . . 

Father, thank you for the fun of writing, of telling stories, of finding words. I ask your blessing upon your authors and that you would continue to give them the stories you have just for them to tell. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Each one of these multi-talented singers and musicians produced some great music over and over again. Great group. Loved the "Eagles." 

Father, only you know our ultimate eternal destination: heaven or hell. Choose Jesus or the devil. No in between. Thank you for rescuing me. Holy Spirit, bring more into the family of God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Queen of Hearts by Heather Day Gilbert begins a series of psychological thrillers with new protagonists in each one. 

Alexandra (Alex) Dubois is a much-loved famous author who appreciates her fans but would rather not expose herself to any of the activities which are required of a person with her status. She's working on the final book in her latest popular series when she faces the demanding actions of a stalker regarding the outcome of that final novel in the series. When the demands include a violent action, "Alex" is forced to call her agent and editor. The only other person she's close to is her cousin Emily who truly cares about Alex and immediately responds. 

It's decided what's best is for her to travel at her publisher's expense to a beautiful and isolated cabin in West Virginia owned by her editor, Micah. It's been previously used as a writing retreat until an unfortunate accident deterred further events. To assure her of her privacy and safety, she's told of Henry, the recluse caretaker of the place living across the small bridge to "the cabin."

Hard as it is for this "neurodivergent"/autistic author to determinedly make the journey, after arriving, she stops in at the tiny town's Page Turner bookstore and is recognized and greeted by the cashier and bookstore owner, enthusiastic fans of her work. Awkwardly, she navigates that scenario and continues on to find the cabin which, when she rumbles along the discreet road to its approach, she spots who she thinks is "Henry" the caretaker. Arriving at the cabin, she takes in the mansion size of it before getting out of her rental car. 

Alex is a single, divorced woman who was not treated well as a child by her mother, and her father has passed away. When she married the charming "Renard," she had no idea he would treat her with ongoing disrespect and cruelty while living the high-life that her author success afforded him. Now amidst all that's happened, she can't help but wonder if he's somehow resorted to this. When something disturbing happens at the cabin, she's forced to call Henry, and he immediately comes to her aid. 

This is only the prelude to what all happens to Alex. As she begins to question how this could be happening to her here, everyone she's met or known is suspect even as she questions her own sanity. 

Using a quirky heroine as the victim leaves the reader of Queen of Hearts shuffling through all the characters right along with Alex. Is she okay, is she imagining it, is she dreaming it, is she writing it, is she staging it? The intensity heats up as the conclusion draws near. The mind games are real even after a climactic event. When the psychological trauma comes to a close, the ending is very satisfying. 

The start of a no-doubt satisfying series by Heather. 

Father, you know Heather's heart. You know her intentions. Keep her seeking your direction and leading and bless her big-time in all she does. Watch over her and her family and keep them safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The Garbage Man by Candace Irving is Book One in A Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K9 Suspense Series.

She's scarred by more than the wounds on one side of her face. She thought she'd made it past the night terrors, but they've returned in full force. Thanks to her German Shepherd "Ruger", Kate Holland has one anchor in her small-town sheriff's deputy life. Her boss, Lou, is like a surrogate father, but he can only help as much as she allows, and she won't allow much. The source of her pain made her an unwilling hero in her hometown and in the military life she served, but it also broke her in pieces she can't seem to put back together on the inside. Tough on the outside, she's cracking all over again on the inside.

This new case is gruesome but precise and meticulous. Body parts arranged neatly in stapled garbage sacks exact distances apart in a line in secluded places with no prints of anything anywhere. 

Even the coroner finds the situated remains hard to stomach.

Identification of the individual leads to bizarre circumstances but no real clues until . . . 

Introduction of each character is done very well, defined by subtle and not-so-subtle nuances in appearance, gestures, speech. This story is my first introduction to Candace Irving, and her writing impressed me. As my reviewers know, I prefer the exclusion of profanity, but I also understand its use when it's not obsessive. There is some here. In The Garbage Man devotion, extreme loss, personal trauma, betrayals, purpose, resolution, and realization all make their marks in solving the murders. Good story, well done. One of the final scenes brought tears for this reader. Dog lovers will absolutely adore Ruger, and I love that he's my favorite breed – portrayed realistically if you've ever had the pleasure of owning one. 

Highly recommend this one. 

Father, you know us inside and out. You know what and how we think. I ask that you would bless Candace, continue to give her the stories you have just for her to tell, and encourage her all along the way as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

This is a snippet from Chapter 4 of my novel Seeing . . . available in print (soft cover) and for e-books.

Chapter Four

. . . 

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, thank you for this story. Apart from you, I could've never written it. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

I've had the distinct pleasure of reading Author Heather Day Gilbert's novels for many years now from her serious mysteries to her Cozy Mystery Series. Many of you have read her Viking novels. Yesterday, her debut mystery/psychological-thriller Queen of Hearts begins a series of stand-alone stories with different protagonists in each one. Knowing her work, it sounds like a "can't miss" adventure for mystery/thriller enthusiasts like myself. 

Heather agreed to answer a few questions to give her new and regular readers a few thoughts on this writing venture. 

     First off, I’m going to ask you a few typical questions most readers want to know about their favorite authors. So give us a bit of background about you and your family. 

I was born and bred in the West Virginia mountains, which is where I live now. My husband and I have been married for 27 years, and we have four children and a wonderful daughter-in-law. I've been writing for at least fifteen years now, and I've been published for eleven years this November.

     2. You’ve written in different specific genres that I’m aware of. Tell us about what prompted you to diversify your writing and what came first? 

I've been all over the board, that's for sure! In order of publication, I've written: Christian Viking historicals, Christian mysteries, Christian romantic suspense, mainstream cozy mysteries, and now a YA time-travel fantasy, as well as mainstream psychological thrillers. Oh, and I've also written a nonfiction book about independent publishing.  

And I guess I write what I feel needs to be written, although as the years have gone by, I've attempted to write more directly to market. Let's just say Viking historicals are very niche, especially in the Christian fiction world, even though I thankfully have a solid readership for them. 

      3. As for becoming an author of fiction: Why? What inspired and caused you to write in the first place? 

I've always loved to read—I remember reading books like The Little Red Hen in our slightly mildewy basement, so I have a fondness for books that smell like mildew. 😉 I've written on and off throughout my life, and I've always enjoyed it. I've won writing contests through my school and college years, and then I wrote for newspapers. But once I started having children (pretty rapid-fire—I had three under three there for a bit), my writing kind of got sidelined, even though I continued writing poetry. But once I tried doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I managed to write a 50k book, and it was like something broke loose inside me when I knew I COULD complete an entire book. I've been writing books ever since. 

      4. What do you want your readers to know about your specific novels as far as your main purpose or goals in writing them? 

It's taken me many years to nail my objectives down, and they've shifted over time. I started out by writing books directed toward Christian married women. But then I began to realize my reach could go wider, given who was actually reading my books. So now I write mainstream books that bring some escape to readers, along with a hopeful worldview. My books are intentionally clean reads, so teens can read them—just like I read Agatha Christie or Phyllis Whitney growing up. 

      5. Do you have a favorite character or characters from all of your work – or is that like picking a favorite child? 

Yes. I think sometimes the characters we draw from more heavily in real life might be our favorites. So my faves would be Freydis Eiriksdottir from Forest Child, Thomas and Tess Spencer from the Murder in the Mountains Series, and I also love Alexandra Dubois, the main character in Queen of Hearts. 

Next, I’m going to ask you some publishing questions. 

     1. You’re a successful and award-winning “indie” author. As far as publishing your work, what do you enjoy the most and what do you dislike the most about the process? 

I enjoy managing everything myself. One of my top strengths (Clifton Strengths assessment) is Command, which means I want to be the boss every chance I get. LOL! What I dislike most is constantly trying to figure out how to expand my reach. Indie books rarely get the social media hype traditionally published books get, but that hasn't stopped me from trying nonstop to garner a little hype along the way.

     2. Did you intend to “go indie” from the start of your career?

Nope. I have had five agents over the course of my career. I've been traditionally published with a 3-book cozy mystery series (rights now reverted) and with a multi-author novella collection (rights also now reverted). I can't say the tradpub dream is completely dead at this point, but I'm learning to savor being able to choose my own direction (adventure!?!) and write books to the length I feel they are complete, instead of stretching them to the length a publisher deems appropriate (I often write Agatha Christie-length mysteries, which feel perfect to me!). 

     3. Is there anything you incorporate in the process now that you did not in the beginning?

Having a definite, marketable genre and writing toward that genre, instead of winging it and trying to sell something readers haven't ever seen before. LOL!

     4. Explain your views regarding publishing in the Christian Fiction genre.

I have many Christian fiction readers, since that's where my initial readership was built. They do have a set of expectations they want to be filled (just as, say, cozy mystery readers have a set of expectations, but those parameters are more easily defined). For instance, on the exact same CF book, some reviews will state that there's too much Christian content, while others will say it's not enough. At this point, I'm most comfortable writing clean mainstream fiction, but I am so grateful for my CF readers who have followed me—some across ALL these genres, bless them!  

But I haven't changed along the way in terms of my "author promise"—so if you've read one of my books, you'll instinctively understand what will/won't be included in the other ones. For instance, when I read a Mary Higgins Clark book that features a child kidnapping, I can trust she won't kill the child (in her later books—I know her earlier reads were a bit darker).  

Regarding styles of writing:

     1. Do you have favorite “styles” of writing? By that I mean do you lean more toward Hemingway or Faulkner, i.e. simplistic or heavy with words. I know you’ve mentioned Daphne du Maurier types of fiction where her writing style is very descriptive and somewhat dark – at least in Rebecca. How would you describe your overall style of writing? 

That is a wonderful question! I would say that while I love stunning prose, like in The Great Gatsby, I migrate toward a simpler (yet deep) style, like Agatha Christie, although a bit of poetry in the writing here and there is appreciated. I really respect a beautiful flow and a strong voice, like I recently noticed in The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen. There's just something so perfect about the way she structures her sentences. Then you have really edgy writers, like William Kent Krueger, who are breaking boundaries in their writing styles (he uses a lot of commas, with what I would've considered run-on sentences, as I recall). I appreciate beautiful writing in any form, but the plot/character depth have to be there, or you'll lose me. I don't care for overly flowery "purple prose," where the author seems to be choosing big words just to show that they're smart. And I am a sucker for memorable characters (like where you remember their names for years), or for twists I can't see coming. 

And finally, please tell readers all you want them to know about your newest release Queen of Hearts which debuted yesterday, July 23, 2024. 

I'm so excited about Queen of Hearts, because I've wanted to write a psychological thriller for years. I read a lot of psych thrillers, but few are very clean reads, with no language/graphic situations/murders. I love movies like Rear Window by Hitchcock, or The Twilight Zone show (old version!), or Mary Higgins Clark books, and I wanted to write something along those lines that both teens and adults could enjoy. Stories with shocking twists, mystery, and wonderfully deep characters—yet clean. And I also love Queen of Hearts because it features a neurodivergent main character, who's discovered her autism later in life, so she's learning new things about herself. I have a daughter with autism like this, so it was so special to have her read my book and help with scenes. I'd love to see more realistically drawn neurodivergent characters coming down the pike in fiction, although maybe I'll be writing them myself!  

Author Bio: 

HEATHER DAY GILBERT is an RWA Daphne Award-winning author who writes Hitchcock-style suspense with tenacious female leads who know how to fend for themselves. Like her characters, she's a little bit sweet and a little bit dangerous. She loves nothing better than to surprise her readers—and herself—with unpredictable twists. A West Virginia native, she brings modern-day Appalachia to life in her novels. Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com. 

Thank you very much, Heather, for taking the time to share a piece of yourself in your writing journey. 

Father, you know all there is to know about each one of us, our passions instilled by you, our specific needs – everything. Thank you for Heather's willingness to participate in this interview and please bring her new readers as a result. I pray you would continue to bless Heather in your abundance and continue to direct her steps on the writing path. Encourage her as only you can do and bring her the stories you have just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.