Into the Fire

Passionate thoughts about the world of writing and the Power of God

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Passionate: right or wrong. Writes love stories with a passion. Raw Romantic Redemptive

  • Friday Five

    Wow, take a few days off with a guest post-er and an interview, and I forget I still have to do the “work” of a blog post, so . . .

     

    My first dog’s name was Tag.

     

    My first horse’s name was Honora, a beautiful retired race mare by Citation. I didn’t get her until she was 18. The vet at the breeding farm was going to put her down because she hadn’t had a foal in five years. She had two more gorgeous colts for us. She lived to be 32 years old.

     

    The first colt was nearly black but officially “dark brown or bay” by registration standards. He was named Honor an Eagle.

     

    The second colt was a gorgeous chestnut named Sainted Cowboy who injured himself and didn’t make it to the races. He was incredibly fast.

     

    The last three dogs I had were Ty (a male silver/black German Shepherd), Mandy (a black/tan German Shepherd), and Ezekiel, called Zeke (a black/tan cross of German Shepherd, possibly Akita, possibly wolf).

     

    Lord, thank you for the love of animals in its proper perspective. Thank you that you never intended for them to live in discord with humanity. Thank you that one day the lion will lay down with the lamb. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Everyone faces . . . Crossing Oceans

    When an author chooses to address death as the primary plot point in fiction, there is always the risk of what we tend to term “melodrama”. One definition of melodrama states its meaning as follows: a dramatic presentation characterized by heavy use of suspense, sensational episodes, romantic sentiment, and a conventionally happy ending. However, many times a negative connotation is attached to this word when applied to writing or film. Maybe the reason we do this is precisely because of the amount of drama required to pull it all off in one book or movie. On the positive side of melodrama, when it’s fully accomplished and done well, the book or movie is usually a stunning success.

     

    This week’s featured novel for the CFBA Blog Tour Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes, published by Tyndale House, captures plenty of the elements of melodrama, and in the vein of Nicholas Sparks, as far as accomplishing the heart-wrenching effect of gut-level circumstances requiring emotional investment, Gina’s story clamps its grasp around the heart and squeezes. Hard. My first tears came at page 90-something and intermittently from there on through to the end. It’s important to note here that these tears aren’t coerced from the writing but from the involvement with and the reality of the characters’ pain.

     

    I’m going to do this review backwards and continue to discuss the technical aspects of Crossing Oceans first. This novel reads so smoothly, so easy and quickly, and in spite of the overused dysfunctional family—we all seem to include them in our stories—Gina captures the underpinning of love, loss, pain, and misunderstanding with a natural tone which invites us into this family’s sorrow and struggles. Gina’s clever and sensitive voice dominates this first person account and explores the gamut of injury waged by family members and young lovers through the eyes of a young single mother facing her life’s end. Within this framework, God hovers—His influence, His gentle interference, His dramatic intervention, and His sovereign will imposed on each member of this story with or without their permission.

     

    Anyone who’s lost someone close to cancer recognizes the effects of the disease, and besides the evidence that Gina’s “other” career is nursing, the author dispenses the symptoms and fears of the disease and its end result with clinical accuracy and spiritual honesty. As heartbreaking as dying can be, in this story the reward of faith in our Lord overtakes the recurring doubts and buries them once and for all before the last breath comes.

     

    Crossing Oceans tackles the story of a young single mother estranged from her widowed father seeking to find a family to raise her five year old daughter when she dies from the cancer which will shortly end her life. Having to present his only grandchild to her father for the first time and to reveal her existence to the child’s father, conceived from their high school affair after the death of her mother, Genevieve (Jenny) Lucas comes home to address the ghosts of her past.

     

    Jenny Lucas is a bit of a spitfire, not quick to forgive, but lives to provide the best she can for her daughter Isabella. Unwilling to think the “best” could possibly be the child’s actual father, the self-absorbed ex-boyfriend and his doting wife Lindsey, she contends with her own family, an old school friend who offers her more than she could hope for, and the ultimate sacrifice required for her daughter’s provision.

     

    Gina excels at carefully depicting the confusion of a precocious child trying to adjust to things she can’t understand, and the resulting circumstances provide a certain healing which seems to that point unattainable.

     

    Up to the “conventionally happy ending” part in the previous definition of melodrama, Crossing Oceans fulfills the meaning of the word. The ending is a “must happen” and in the positive sense a satisfactory conclusion to the story.

     

    Gina Holmes gives a first-rate effort in her debut novel Crossing Oceans. The reader will be moved to tears multiple times but will not regret the experience of being touched by this meaningful novel. 

     

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    Father, you’ve watched Gina all through this journey. You knew her struggles and you knew where they would ultimately lead her. I pray you would continue to be her focus along the way of writing just as you’ve always been. I pray her faith is strengthened by the outcome of her efforts. Bless her, Lord Jesus, with your hope and the encouragement of the plans you still have for her. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Interview with author Mike Dellosso, Part Two

    After reading other interviews with you, I’m sure most readers assume you’re a super nice guy who loves the Lord. If they haven’t read your books, they might be surprised to find your novels fall into the supernatural thriller with a touch of horror genre. You don’t touch on evil, you dive right into it. You’ve said you like to explore the “dark” side which exists in all of us. Explain who you are as a writer to potential readers.

    Here’s the bottom line. I’ve been given a gift and an opportunity to use that gift and I don’t for one second take that for granted. I heard 1 in 3,000 writers actually gets published. Those are staggering odds. I’m that one. That’s very humbling. And I take no credit for any of it. This whole journey to publication and now to multiple books has been mapped out by God. I take it very seriously. In every book I write I want there to be a gripping story played out by captivating and interesting characters. But more than all that I want there to be a message that is potentially life-changing for the reader. For me, that’s what it’s all about. My stories have to include a message that I hope will resonate with the reader even after reading the story. The plot may fade, the characters get lost in their memory, but if they remember the message and ponder it, then I’ve done my job and I’m satisfied. It was all worth it.

    As for the “dark” side, we all have it and very few of us want to expose it, let alone deal with it. But it’s in shining the light on it that we push back that darkness and let our light shine before men.

    Most writers who have to manage jobs, writing, and their families make their share of mistakes in that process. Many times families don’t “get” the writing persona and husbands/wives struggle with their spouse’s addiction to the demands of serious writing. Any of those difficulties in the Dellosso household?

    We’d be weird if we didn’t have those struggles. When I first started writing I was obsessed with it and determined to get published. I wrote all the time, often at the expense of time with my wife and kids. I justified it, of course, but I was wrong, simple as that. Jen and I had our disagreements about it and shared some “intense fellowship” (what my dad calls arguing). But one day, during one discussion she referred to the computer as “the other woman.” That hit me hard and woke me up. I was spending too much time with the computer.

    I won’t lie, it’s always a struggle balancing family, work, and writing but I have a system down now that works pretty well. I wake up at 5:00 am, start writing by 5:15 or so and go at it until 6:40. Everyone else in the house is still asleep so I’m not taking time from the family. It’s before I go to work so that doesn’t interfere with anything. And I can do that seven days a week and write about 1,000 words in that time. When I’m under deadline and things are winding down, I may add an occasional evening in there from 9:00-10:00 or 10:00-11:00 to get caught up.

    Some writers hope to see their books on film. How ‘bout you? If so, have you cast your characters?

    I’ve always imagined the leading man being Luke Wilson. My male protagonists are never action hero macho men or GQ hunks, just normal guys living normal lives. For some reason, Luke Wilson embodies the “normal guy” image. In DW, the lead female, Juli, has to be Sandra Bullock or Zooey Deschanel (Jovie in Elf).  No one else could play her part.

    Favorite actor(s)?

    Harrison Ford, Dennis Quaid, Matt Damon, Amy Adams, Sandra Bullock.

    Do you have any quirks (writing or otherwise) you’d dare to share with your readers?

    When I’m under deadline I get pretty OCDish about writing 1,000 words a day, every day. I have to make it 1,000. It has to be 1,000. Okay, stop . . . stop! I’m also very much into routine. My mornings are mapped out sometimes to the minute with waking, writing, getting ready for work, etc.

    Since you write thrillers with a touch of horror, what do you read? And what do you like to watch on film?

    I read supernatural and horror stuff mostly. Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Travis Thrasher. I like Peretti’s works and Dekker’s older stuff. But I also enjoy Charles Martin and Dale Cramer, two of my favorite authors.

    As for movies, anything M. Night Shyamalan does. Signs was the best. One of my favorite movies, though, is I am Legend. I also love The Patriot, Last of the Mohicans, the Bourne trilogy, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I could watch those movies over and over again. And I do.

    A lot of authors are asked who their favorite authors and books are, and most give answers with general market responses. Would you also include those books and authors in the Christian writing world?

    Not sure I understand the question but my favorite authors in the Christian world are Kathryn Mackel, Charles Martin, Athol Dickson, Angela Hunt.  

    If you could set any goal for your writing, what would it be?

    Theoretically, I just want to minister while entertaining. I want my stories to keep people turning pages but at the same time give them something to think about, something to be challenged by, something to be inspired by.

    Practically, I want to sell books. Every author does. It’s what keeps me writing books. And I’d like to sell enough to quit my “real” job and do this writing thing full-time. That’s a long way off but, then again, there was a time when I thought landing a four-book contract was a long way off. 

    Do you have what I call a “signature verse” from the Bible?

    It has always been Joshua 1:9 but lately I stumbled upon 1 Corinthians 15:10: But by the grace of God I am what I am. Powerful stuff!

    How would you currently evaluate your walk with the Lord?

    Up and down, three steps forward, two steps back . . . but progressing. Every day brings struggles of its own. I stumble and fall, get up, dust myself off, plug on, fall, get back up, and so on and so on. But every day also brings triumphs and blessings and brand new ways of seeing God at work in my life. I hope I learn from my mistakes and slowly, bit by bit, step by step, am becoming more like Christ. 

    Worst fan or writing experience (or both)?

    There was a lady at my church who thought because I write what I write there was no way I could be a Christian. I was an elder at the time and it could have caused a stir if it wasn’t nipped in the bud early. She even left a gospel tract on my car. Funny thing was, she never even read any of my books. She was judging them solely on the cover, title, and subject matter.

    How ‘bout marketing? You enjoy it, hate it, look forward to it, resent it? 😉

    Marketing is something I do because I have to but really don’t enjoy. It’s a necessity. Now days, publishers are asking and expecting the author to do more marketing and promoting. Don’t get me wrong, my publisher does a ton of marketing for my books, more than most, I think, but I’m responsible for more of the local stuff and grassroots stuff like social networking and internet marketing. As time goes on and I get more books out there, I’m learning how to more effectively market to my target audience and how to do it smarter. Like writing and anything else in life, this marketing business has a learning curve. 

    Okay. A snapshot of Michael Dellosso: Who are you and how do you want people to think of you as a person and as a writer?

    I’m a normal guy, nothing special, average in just about every way. I’m the epitome of Average Joe. I’m flawed. I say things I shouldn’t, do things I shouldn’t, stumble and fall every day, but I’m forgiven and saved and trying my best to live a life pleasing to my Lord. I’m a husband, a father, and try to be the best I can be at both though I fail miserably almost daily. My “real” job is giving people physical therapy in their homes. I get to drive about a beautiful county full of rolling hills and apple orchards and Gettysburg battlefields and meet interesting people and hopefully impact their lives for the good. I’m trying to get back into running. When I finished chemo and all my surgeries I told myself I was going to run a 5K to celebrate. I’d never run one before so I started training, ran three that year, and haven’t run since. I need to get back into it and start running some races again.

    As a writer I’m learning and hopefully improving with every book. I consider myself very fortunate and blessed to be able to do what I do. I don’t know why God gave this opportunity to me but I want to make the most of it. I don’t take any book for granted and realize full well it could be my last.

    Darlington Woods feels a little like an allegory. Would you agree?

     

    I wouldn’t say it’s an allegory but there are certainly elements that are allegorical. Some of that was intentional, some was not. The story grew out of who I am and what I’ve gone through. I’ve known fear, real fear. I’ve battled monsters. I’ve faced death. And I’ve found the Light in the midst of all of that. All those themes are fleshed out in DW. The heart of the story is the struggle of my own heart, my soul splashed across the pages. It’s fun to hear readers talk about what they think each element in the story represents and most of the time they’re right on.
     
    You handled the fear factor very well in Darlington Woods. All of us deal with it to some extent. Is this subject personal? 

     

    More personal than I’d like it to be. I’ve struggled with stuttering all my life. When I was a kid it was pretty bad. I developed a lot of fear of speaking, both in a public setting and one on one. I remember well the days in school when it was my turn to give a speech. The pounding pulse, the sweating, the shaky hands, the shallow breathing . . . I was gripped with fear. The same was (and still is to some extent) true whenever I’m in a new group setting and those terrible words echo through the room: “Let’s go around and have everyone introduce themselves.” For a stutterer, often the hardest thing to say is your own name. Even today I have a real fear of speaking. I’ve overcome that fear in many ways and now teach children’s church and even a college course on writing.

     

    And then there was the fear that went along with cancer. Just the word evokes fear in so many people. To battle that awful monster is a fearful thing. I can’t say I was afraid of dying, no, I know where I’m going, but I feared suffering and I feared even more leaving my family behind. I had an ileostomy and I feared that thing. I feared the surgeries I underwent. I feared the chemo and its arsenal of side effects.

     

    So, yes, fear is a very personal matter for me. I’ve seen it up close, too close, and have battled it hand to hand. But in the midst of all the fear I also found the Light and He dispelled that fear and gave me peace and hope. His grace is truly sufficient.
     
    Amercian Christians tend to discount demonic encounters yet Jesus emphasized their influences and gave the battle against them prominence in the Gospels. Without giving away any of the storyline what did you intend to project about spiritual warfare in Darlington Woods? 

     

    When it comes to spiritual warfare and demonic encounters I think there needs to be a bit of balance there. I don’t discount them because I know they exist. Evil is present in our world. Satan, after all, is the ruler of this world. But I don’t see demons around every corner either. I’m careful not to give Satan the credit for every struggle, temptation, trial, or fall. Sometimes we bring it on ourselves. Sometimes it’s just a byproduct of living in a fallen world. Sometimes, yes, it is Satan or one of his minions at work.

     

    As for DW and the spiritual element there I had in mind the monsters all of us face in our own lives. Monsters such as a hateful boss, an abusive husband, a passive aggressive mother-in-law (NOT speaking from experience!), cancer, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and list goes on. Evil that we battle on a daily basis that is a result of living in a sin-cursed world. In the story, those monsters are embodied as darklings, monsters of the most evil kind.
     
    Were there any specific individuals in your life who inspired the characters in Darlington Woods?

     

    Hmm, tough question. Not really. My characters are usually a patchwork of people I know or have had contact with and myself. Every character I write has a little bit of me in him or her. Sometimes it’s the quirky side (in DW, Juli shows my sarcasm), sometimes the dark side, sometimes the nutty side (Stevie in The Hunted), sometimes the struggling, tormented side (Mark in Scream). I’m constantly watching people and gathering ideas for characters, whether it be dress style, hair style, facial features, body language, accent, slang, colloquialisms, or whatever. I’m always on the lookout for material.
     
    Would you categorize this novel as Speculative Fiction or would you prefer to keep it in the Thriller category? Any special plans for marketing this novel?

     

    In its purest form, DW is Christian horror but that label isn’t real popular so it gets called supernatural suspense. I steer clear of the Spec Fic thing because too often people think sci-fi or fantasy and it’s neither of them. My favorite label is what Publishers Weekly called it: Psycho-spiritual suspense. That about sums it up.

     

    Anything else you care to add?

     

    Not to shamelessly self-promote but . . . I hope your readers and visitors to this blog will give Darlington Woods a try. Even if you’re not into the whole supernatural suspense/horror thing the story goes way beyond that. Yes, there are scary components, but at its core it’s the story of one man and his battle with fear, something we all battle at some point in our life.

     

    Thank you, Nicole, for the probing questions. I’ve done my best to answer them honestly and completely and hope I haven’t turned anyone off to the wonderful world of Christian fiction.

     

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    http://http://mikedellosso.wordpress.com/

     

     

  • Interview with Mike Dellosso, Part One

    Mike, at 35 years of age, a husband and father, you became a victim of colon cancer. What led to that discovery? How did you digest the information? Being a Christian and the head of your household, what struggles did you face and how would you grade your reactions to this devastating diagnosis and the following experiences in receiving treatment?

    Wow, that’s a loaded set of questions! I’ll try to take them one by one. In January of 2008 I started noticing some blood in my stool, didn’t think anything of it and let it go for a good month or so. It worsened and eventually I saw the family doctor about it. He sent me for a colonoscopy assuring me it was nothing serious but “just to be on the safe side.” Well, surprise, surprise, we found a golf-ball sized tumor hiding in there.

    I was at work when the gastroenterologist called and said the biopsy showed the tumor was malignant. I had colon cancer. I think at first I was numb. I didn’t know what to expect and had no idea what the next ten months would hold for me. When the surgeon broke it all down, the surgeries, the ileostomy, the chemotherapy, and so forth I felt sucker-punched. I was not prepared at all.

    I can honestly say I was never angry at God, I never blamed him, but I did question Him and plead with him that if I had to travel this road (1) He would spare my life (for my family’s sake) and (2) it would not be in vain. As for my reaction, boy, cancer brings with it a slew of emotions and struggles and doubts. I wrestled with depression, anxiety, fear, and everything in between. There were times when I would sit and watch my girls play in the back yard and just cry and cry for no reason. I was very sentimental and emotional. All natural and normal things when dealing with cancer. But during that whole time and when I was in the deepest parts of the valley I’ve never felt closer to God. His grace is sufficient. It can’t be explained. It’s weird, though. I look back on the whole ordeal now and everything I went through and the side effects of the chemo and the surgeries and various hospitalizations and it all seems so much worse now than it did when I was going through it. That’s God’s grace at work.

    I know you came to the place where you determined that your battle with cancer proved to be a blessing because of the perspective it gave you. Tell us your perspective and if you are now cancer-free.

    Well, I can’t say I’m cancer free until I’ve been “clean” for five years. This past March (St. Patrick’s Day, to be exact) I celebrated two years. As for the perspective thing, cancer has a way of bringing the truly important things to the surface and pushing those things that only seem important to the background. I don’t get so worked up over things anymore. Yes, I have my moments, of course I do. I’m still human (I think, anyway). But overall I take things in stride. This causes tension sometimes because when those around me are upset or frustrated or aggravated about something and my response to it is “whatever” (whether spoken or not) they tend to think I don’t care. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s that I realize whatever it is really isn’t that important in the whole scope of life and eternity.

    Also, cancer forces you to face the very real fact that life is short and every day is a gift from God. Anything can change on a dime at any moment. I was a totally healthy 35-year-old. No health problems whatsoever. None. And one day I’m told “I’m sorry but you have colon cancer.” Huh? How did that happen? Life happens. It’s part of life outside the garden. I try to live each day to its fullest now. I don’t always succeed but I try. And that’s all I can do . . . keep trying.

    Did you grow up with Jesus or meet Him later on in life?

    I turned my life over to Jesus after seeing the change He made in my father’s life. My dad was a drunk during my first nine years of life. When I was nine he found his way to Jesus and completely turned his life around. That kind of change doesn’t go unnoticed. It wasn’t long after that that I made the same decision to follow Jesus. I was nine. Since then I guess you could say I’ve grown up with Jesus. Spiritually, that is. He’s brought me through some very hard times and it all has served to mature me. I still have my immature moments where I question and pout and whine, but that too is part of growing up.

    Authors must determine who their audience(s) will be. Just by the titles of your first two novels, it’s obvious you didn’t have the “Bonnet Book” readers in mind. So who do figure is your audience, and who perhaps do you hope your audience will be?

    Well, marketing people will tell you not to say “everyone” because it simply isn’t true. My target reader is a Christian between the ages of sixteen and infinity who is a real person with flaws and struggles and cuts and scrapes from living life outside the garden. He or she is someone who enjoys a fast-paced story with a bit of horror, a supernatural twist, and a message worth pondering. Occasionally, I’ll get a parent asking if my books are appropriate for “tweens.” Generally, I say they aren’t simply because of thematic elements or the horror factor but only a parent knows her child and if your fourteen-year-old regularly reads adult fiction then my books would probably be okay.

    Darlington Woods will be your third published novel following The Hunted and Scream. What do you feel is different about this book from your two previous novels? Of the three do you have a favorite?

    Well, for one, it’s a lot more personal. DW was the first thing I wrote after battling cancer for a year and I had a lot of pent-up emotion to pour into the story. At the time I didn’t even realize how much the story mirrored my own struggles but now, reading back over it, all kinds of stuff jumps out at me. Some of it was intentional but a lot was subconscious, I think. Also, DW is the scariest book to date. I got creeped out several times just writing it . . . and I knew what was coming.

    My favorite? Hmmm. Most writers will say their books are like children and they love them all the same just in different ways. Maybe that’s true. I don’t know. My favorite is DW, though. I love the characters and the setting and the dialogue and the scariness. The story just came together for me, and I think the message is very powerful.

    What can we expect for future novels?

    Well, I’m working on my next book now. It’s a bit of horror, a bit of psychological thriller, a bit of a character study. Oh, yeah, there are some historical aspects to it as well. The story answers this question: How far can a man fall and still be touched by love?

    And . . . I recently signed a contract with my publisher for four more books running through 2013. That should keep me pretty busy.

    Do you have any other novels hidden away and deemed “not for public consumption”?

    Of course. I think every writer does. I have one that will probably never see the light of day again. It’s buried so deep on my hard drive you’d need a backhoe to dig it out. I have another, though, that I absolutely love. It’s not right for my current publisher but someday it will make it into the light. I know it will. It has to. It’s a very compelling story.

    Tomorrow: Part Two

  • “Facing the Monsters” by Mike Dellosso

    [Mike Dellosso is promoting his latest novel Darlington Woods which I reviewed here on Friday. You can enter the contest for this book on the link provided at the bottom of that review or go to his website for opportunities to read more reviews and interviews with Mike. He offered to do a “Guest Post”, and I’m pleased to share his thoughts with you.]

     

    Facing the Monsters

     

      I believe in monsters. I do. They're real, you know. Just as real as the computer screen you're reading this on. I should know, I've fought them face to face and battle them every day.

     

      No, I haven't lost my mind, I'm not speaking of dreams, and this isn't one of my fictional tales of suspense and horror. These are real life monsters.

     

      When I was a kid I had this recurring nightmare of standing on the front stoop of our house, scrambling to open the door while bony and deformed hands reached from the shrubs on either side for my ankles. I never made it inside without being caught. Now, as an adult I fight much more fearsome monsters, monsters like cancer and juvenile arthritis. Both gruesome and formidable foes.

     

      My "real job" is in physical therapy. I spend time with folks in their homes, fighting monsters side by side with them. These monsters look like Parkinson's and Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and cancer. And I hate them, every one of them. They are merciless, ruthless, soulless beasts without conscience or respect. But they are oh so real and the fear they instill is also real.

     

      You have your own monsters. I know you do. They may not be any of the beasts I mentioned above but you have them. Maybe yours come in the form of an abusive husband, an unfaithful wife, a job-ending injury, or wayward child. Maybe it's a boss who's a tyrant or a co-worker who's a bully. Maybe it’s crippling arthritis or a speech impediment or some other physical ailment. Whatever it is, your monster brings fear and that fear pushes you further and further into the darkness.

     

      But there is a way out. There is something the monsters fear, something much larger than yourself. It is light . . . the Light. Light dispells darkness, banishes it, and exposes the monsters for what they really are, temporary afflictions with no power whatsoever over us.

     

      And you know what? The Light has come into the world and has given us his light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).

     

      We need only rely on him to shine his light in and through us, and that light will push back the darkness and the fear that spawns it.

     

      Will it be easy? Probably not. For most of us, fear has such a grip on our souls that it has become a burden we are accustomed to carrying. We've learned how to live with the fear, to manage it, to keep it at a comfortable distance all the while looking over our shoulder to make sure it isn't sneaking up on us.

     

      That's no way to live. We have that light within us, the light of life, just waiting to be pointed in the right direction and shined with all its strength. And when we do, when we shine our light, when we allow the Light to shine through us, fear will cower, monsters will flee, and darkness will be no more.

     

      Shine your light.

     

     

    Lord, you defeat all the monsters. You are the true victor. Continue to bless Mike for all of his efforts to honor you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Sunday’s Offerings

    Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

     

    Luke 13:1-5 (NIV)

  • Utter darkness in . . . Darlington Woods

    Michael Dellosso, one of the really nice guys of Christian fiction, writes supernatural horror—er, suspense—with a sound Christian message infiltrating the dark circumstances of his stories. His two previous novels The Hunted and Scream each depict protagonists with serious damage done to their faith who struggle to overcome horrors no one should have to face. Darlington Woods gives us another man, Rob Shields, who has suffered excruciating sorrow in his life, whose pain is palpable, and who operates his quest within the grip of crippling fear but with just enough courage to continue when there is no other option.

     

    Voices from Rob’s near past propel him to a small town where a deceased aunt has willed him her in-need-of-repair home. At the local diner he meets the owner Mary Jane and her waitress and watches a heated encounter between the owner and a chilling man Rob refers to as Wax Man. We learn that Rob is looking for his missing son, not believing the remains identified by authorities to be his son Jimmy. When Rob decides to follow his internal leads and the voices and feelings he believes to be Jimmy’s, he acknowledges to himself that he struggles between his current reality and one fraught with perceived hallucination. The place he must go to find and rescue Jimmy is the one-way-in and one-way-out Darlington Woods. To his surprise the waitress Juli insists on accompanying him and convinces him that he will need her knowledge of the place to get there.

     

    Dellosso methodically and clearly switches POVs between Rob’s, Juli’s, Mary Jane’s, and Wax Man’s throughout the story, increasing the intense suspense with different scenes and chaotic demonically charged encounters. The reader can’t help but wonder if the story is allegorical or actual or both—which was my decision. The pungent smell of fear accentuates the physical barrier of its domination in a life. The admirable efforts of Rob Shields to overcome his fear, his losses, and to gain some understanding of his journey keep the reader engaged in his battles and hoping he will ultimately make the right choice.

     

    Juli provides light-hearted moments in the depths of crisis with her quirky sense of humor and off the wall expressions. The twists at the end of the story work very well, and the satisfactory ending to this short and sometimes tragic tale gives the reader closure to the plot and a firm understanding of the premise.

     

    For readers who want an amped-up story about a tragic man battling what he sees as horrific opposition, Darlington Woods reads fast and furious. Each of Mike’s novels takes readers to scary places with terrifying circumstances and supernatural interference and intervention but conclude with satisfying victories. Mike Dellosso tackles fear, emotional pain, and spiritual warfare in a tangible story which gives credence to each of these facets in the human journey.

     

    *** Go here for a contest giveaway: http://http://mikedellosso.wordpress.com/darlington-woods-contest/  ***

     

    799186

     

    God, you’ve kept your hand on Mike throughout his illness and all the struggles of his life. He acknowledges your divine sustenance and says he is better for it all. Please bless this man who faithfully follows you through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and please continue to fill him up with stories that give you glory. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • The things you can do . . .

    . . . and the things you can’t. Sometimes one doesn’t know exactly what those things are. We might think we can do something and find out to our dismay that we can’t. Or we might think there’s no way we can do something else, and whaddaya know: we can.

     

    I have a tendency to think I can’t do a number of things. But those things I think I can do, I’m fully convinced they’re a slam dunk. One thing I believe I can do, which many people cower at and freak out about, is speak in front of a crowd. Alone on stage. Not sitting at a table with five other strangers where I’m required to give a 30 word explanation of one of my novels. That does not qualify as “speaking in front of a crowd”. At all.

     

    It’s funny how some areas and people in publishing demand a professional approach but insist they be treated as just another human being like you. Okay. But they’re not. Not really. They’re the professionals. You’re the amateurs or wannabes or the snobby-have-it-all-together types. They react to you like any other stranger. You either connect with them or you don’t. They either have their resistors on or they don’t. They either hope for relationship or they’re skeptical that they’ll find one. How many agents and editors at some of the conferences honestly believe they’re going to find that diamond—in the rough or otherwise?

     

    Just the things I’m contemplating for this year’s conference . . .

     

    ***Friday: Review of Mike Dellosso’s latest novel Darlington Woods***

     

    ***Monday: Guest post from Mike Dellosso***

     

    ***Tuesday: Interview with Mike Dellosso; Part One***

     

    ***Wednesday: Interview with Mike Dellosso; Part Two***

     

     

    Father, lead me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Conference-tially

    Yeah, I’m headed to my third year at the same conference (Northwest Christian Writers Renewal). Thrilled that this year I will meet Brandilyn Collins face to face not just because I enjoy her work but because she’s genuine, a real person who loves the Lord. I will miss Mick Silva who I truly love because he, too, is real and gives those he talks to either professionally or privately the eye-to-eye, you have my attention, and it doesn’t matter who you are. He’s a cool guy and a friend. I will have two editor appointments which I only look forward to because I love to meet people and find out what makes them tick in this business. I will also enjoy the face to face handshake with Harvest House’s Nick Harrison who is just an all around great guy and who had the grace to respond to a snarky comment I made after a post he wrote on a now-defunct blog a few years ago.

     

    I don’t feel like a veteran, but I don’t feel like a newbie either. I know the “pitch” thing is not my thing, so I’ll probably simply slide a “paper pitch” across the table and try conversation. It’s kind of humiliating to do the group thing because there are so many degrees of anxiety and professionalism from “contestants”. It’s just awkward. I’m not really a competitor, and although group involvement doesn’t bother me, I excel at one-on-ones.

     

    When you see the number of books being produced—either from the general market or from CBA—and you read about the ever-increasing number of queries to agents who often can’t keep up with them, it’s easy to understand the necessity for attending a conference. There’s nothing like putting a face to a name or getting the opportunity to bless an individual with an encouraging word, conversation, prayer, or laugh.   

     

    The first year I attended alone and last year I took a friend from my writers’ group that is no more. This year I’ll be solo again.

     

    For me, I think it’s important to remember it’s not always about writing. You know?

     

    God, go before me and make my path straight. I ask in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Tuesday, tuesday . . .

    Good grief. Wind and more wind. Power outage. Power on-age. Internet down. Internet down. Internet down.

    Just came on . . . good night.

    Thank you, Lord.