Evidence of Grace by Teresa Slack

Everyone in Jenna’s Creek seems to have a high opinion of Noreen Trimble. No one has a bad word to say about her, and yet she is in prison after confessing to the murder of her best friend. It was a confession that came almost thirty years after the fact, a minor detail that didn’t help her case very much. But now a mysterious call has come late at night to her former boss, Noel Wyatt, claiming that there was an eyewitness to the murder. The eyewitness said it was self-defense. Unfortunately, the caller will not identify himself or the witness. Is this a hoax or real?

Meanwhile, Christy Blackwood has had her whole world cave in thanks to the treachery of a man she trusted and loved. As a result of her misplaced trust, she has lost her job and may never find another one to equal it. She also lost her apartment, her savings, and her bank account. With too much pride to return home to Jenna’s Creek, she sets out on her own and ends up with even more tragedy. Unable to turn to any one else, she has to call her mother in spite of the anger and lack of forgiveness she feels towards her.

This is the third in the Jenna’s Creek series. As I have not read the other two, I don’t know if any characters or situations carry over from one book to another. However, whether they do or not, this story can stand alone quite well. I didn’t feel like I had missed anything. While the main intrigue has to do with the murder of Sally Blake and the guilt or innocence of Noreen Trimble, there are several side stories with loose connections. Christy’s problems, a case of adultery resulting in a baby, a missing will and the harbored resentments of a family over its possible contents, regrets over marriage decisions long ago, and families torn apart. Greed, bitterness, jealousy, and lack of trust all show themselves in the people of Jenna’s Creek. The issues are real ones faced by many today, set in a small fictitious town in Ohio. Several real places are mentioned, such as University Hospital in Cincinnati, giving the setting more credibility. Surprisingly, the year is 1976, allowing for a slight distance between the reader and the story. The themes of forgiveness and grace are uppermost in this novel on both human and divine levels.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable story. I wasn’t sure what to expect in the end, and some of the events weren’t quite what I had anticipated. That’s always good for a suspense novel. I came to feel a certain compassion for some of the characters, enough that I wanted to know what would happen to them. My only complaint is that some of the climax happened a bit abruptly, so much so that I thought I had missed some pages.

Although it deals with some adult situations in a tactful way, I would suggest that parents read it first to determine whether or not to hand it to their teenagers. In my opinion, it is written mainly for adult women. If you like contemporary (or near contemporary) suspense, this book should be right up your alley.

Evidence of Grace
Teresa Slack
2007 Tsaba House http://www.tsabahouse.com/
Reedley, CA
Paperback: 340 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1-933853-48-2
You can visit Teresa or read more about her books at http://www.teresaslack.com/

Excerpt from Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell

Just for a sample, here's an excerpt from the beginning of Wind Follower. The chapters alternate between Loic and Satha, each telling his or her Point of View of events. This is how Loic, the male main character, beings his tale.


Wind Follower

These are the words of Loic tyu Taer and Satha tya Monua which they spoke to our ancestors on the day the Angleni gathered us to this place. How briefly that bright light shone -yet how powerfully! But all is not lost. Tell your children this prophecy, and let your children tell their children, and those children must tell the future generations - because the prophesied time will come. In the last days, the light will shine again with power and permanence. Use these memories as a beacon, my children, for the time will come when the Great Chief will return our land and all that is ours to us.


Loic

The Reaping Moon -- First Harvest Moon

I will tell you first how Krika died.

Okiak, his father and the chief shaman of our clan, brought Krika before the elders at the Spirit Shrine, the sacrificial mound we called Skull Place. My friend was bound hand and foot, and the skin of his face had been flailed away so that all the muscles and bones beneath his right eye glistened. He was weeping then and crying out for mercy, choking on his tears. This surprised me, but I forgave it. --who could bear such searing pain without weeping?

Okiak lifted the shuwa, already reddened with his son's blood, and there, surrounded by bones and burnt flesh, remnants of the monthly sacrifices, he shouted, "My son has not obeyed me. I have warned him time and times to pay obeisance to our spirits, but he has refused."

The spirits had ordered his death. I stood far off, struggling with my father and Pantan. Their hands held me fast and kept me from racing to Krika's side.

Nevertheless, I called out. "Are the spirits so puny and helpless they must force people to worship them?"

All eyes rebuked me, yes, all the elders of the Pagatsu clan, and Father yanked me backward by my arm. "Tread lightly, son," he said, "lest the spirits also demand your life."

I glared at him. "And if they did, would you be so weak as to comply?"

He turned away. "The spirits have not asked for your life. Why contemplate unasked demands?"

I hated him for that. Yes, although I loved him with all my heart, but from that moment, I despised him for those words.

Krika continued pleading for his life. Okiak aimed the shuwa and let it fly through the sky towards his son. Krika's wail sounded over the fields and the low-hanging willows and past the Great Salt Desert. But no one spoke for him, not my father, not the other shaman, and not the Creator. He died, battered beneath a hail of stones; all eyes but mine witnessed his last breath. Father had pulled my face into his chest, and I hated my weakness for allowing it. My tears soaked his tunic. He gently stroked my head and played with my braid, and told me that I should forget, forget, forget, for death - however it comes- is the lot of all men.

They left Krika's body where it fell. Unburied, he was to be devoured by wild wolves and bears. But worse, his lack of a burial meant he could not enter the fields we desire. He could not hunt with the Creator. Thus, his father damned him to eternal grief.

Krika had been my age-brother, taught with Prince Lihu as I was. While he lived, his presence colored my life as a wolf's continuous howl or a woman's singing might color the night. He seemed at once to rage against the spirits while yet singing to the Creator. This was a strange thing, for at that time no one in the three tribes sought the Creator; we thought those shadow gods were his servants. Even I, who was suspicious of the spirits from my birth, had never warred against them as Krika had.

That night, as the sun set over my father's Golden House, I escaped to the shrine. There lay Krika, crumpled on the ground. With many shuwas I warded off the wolves and lions who had sniffed out my friend's blood. But the spirits fought against me, calling from the east, west, north, and south, all creatures of earth and air. How black the field and night sky grew with their descending shadows. In the field, only two men: Krika and me, one living and one dead. All my father's so-called Valiant Men were nowhere to be seen, for although they had battled mightily against the Angleni, on the night of Krika's death, they hid in the compound trembling in fear of the spirits. Then, all at once, I understood the spirits had arrayed themselves in battle against me. That I would battle them alone, for I had no ally...no, not one among my clan.

As you can see, this is setting up for a spiritual battle from the very beginning. For more about Mrs. McDonnell and her book Wind Follower, check at http://www.cfrblog.blogspot.com. As well as daily blogs this week, there are links to other blogs who are featuring this novel in the tour.

Wind Follower is available through amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and the publisher, www.juno.com.

Imagine--Book Trailer for Wind Follower

I think the book trailer for Carole McDonnell's book,Wind Follower, is thought-provoking and kind of fun to watch as well. Perhaps it will help to give you a better idea about this tale.

Wind Follower: Fantasy, Folklore, Romance of the Ages

“These are the words that Loic tyu Taer and Satha tya Monua spoke to our ancestors on the day the Angleni gathered us to this place. How briefly that bright light shone—yet how powerfully! Nevertheless, all is not lost. Tell your children this prophecy ,and let your children tell their children, and those children must tell the future generations—because the prophesied time will come. In the last days, the light will shine again with power and permanence. Use these memories as a beacon, my children, for the time will come when the Great Chief will return to us our land and all that is ours.”

I wanted to quote the preface because it sets up the tone for Wind Follower: an oral history passed on by a husband and wife who know it better than anyone else. Like the Jews of the Old Testament, they are to pass down the truth from generation to generation.

Loic and Satha trade off telling their stories, which are both a powerful love story and a true story about the God who came to seek those who looked for Him. Satha was a very moral young woman whose mother berated her for being so dark-skinned that no man would want her. However, one day Loic, the son of the First Captain of the King’s soldiers, saw her and instantly fell in love with her. Satha is from the Theseni tribe, but Loic is from the Doreni tribe; this means she must learn how to run a household Doreni style, cook Doreni style, and dress Doreni style. In a few short chapters we see that there are great differences in the customs and beliefs of these two tribes. The rites and ceremonies of a wedding are given in detail. There are clashes between Satha’s bossy mother and some of the Doreni women, but these seem to improve. But there always underlying hints of treachery and hate. Taer, Loic’s father, has greater problems than seen at first blush, thanks to an adulterous wife and a former friend, Noam, who sought vengeance against Taer. After the beautiful wedding and a home of her dreams, Satha should be living happily ever after. And for a while it seems that she is, but one horrible day, when the men of the household are gone for a royal funeral, Noam strode in, demanding hospitality. That night he raped the very pregnant Satha, killing the baby in the process. His intention is to start a war with Taer. Much more than that ensues, and for a while the reader wonders how, or if, things ever become right again. Something is lost, but something is gained as Loic and Satha must endure different paths of heartache and maturing before they find the truth that both of them had been seeking.

I haven’t touched on the spiritual side yet, but it underlies the whole story and is essential to it. The Theseni tribe is very moral, but their scriptures only hint at the truth of the “Good Maker.” The Doreni are more pragmatic but given to feuds and wars. They believe in a Creator, but they, like the Theseni, have traditions steeped in worship of ancestors and spirits, A third tribe, the Ibeni, are quite immoral. All three try to appease the Arkhai, the demons who really rule them. But in the Doreni prophets a Lost Book is spoken of. Loic openly rebels against the spirits, determined to worship only the Creator and to find this Lost Book, even if he must go to the invading Angleni.

I could go on and on, just setting up the background to this rich fantasy, a fantasy that is almost a history with anthropological and sociological treasures. It is quite violent at times, and there is some rather brutal abuse of women. There are customs described that have been a part of several cultures over the ages, including stoning, taking over the wives of a defeated enemy, marrying more than one wife. It is not always a pretty story, but neither is the Old Testament. One section reminded me of the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael. In some ways it made parts of the Old Testament come alive for me. especially Genesis and I and II Kings. Early in the novel, when Satha is looking at the constellations and remembering the stories behind them, I was reminded of the passage in Romans 1 where Paul wrote that the heavens declare the creation of God, so that “they” are without excuse; instead they have made things of wood and stone to worship in His stead.

When I wrote to Carole McDonnell, she told me she had two verses in mind when she began to write Wind Follower: "He was wounded in the house of his friends," and "He has put eternity in their hearts." From there she wove a tapestry of the strands of hospitality as an extreme priority in a culture and a strand of a guest who betrays his host by wounding him. The ultimate wounds were those given to Jesus.

This review is a good deal longer than I wanted to write, but I couldn’t see making it any shorter. I must give this book a high rating, but with a warning for the faint of heart: don’t take any preconceived notions of culture with you, and leave some of your sensitivities at the threshold. If you do, you’ll be better able to grasp the full richness and the deep lessons of Wind Follower.

Wind Follower is being featured this week at Christian Fiction Review Blog (http://cfrblog.blogspot.com/). A list of other reviewers is available at this site, as well as daily blogs on Carole McDonnell and her book for the week of December 2, 2007.



Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell

Fantasy/Spiritual

ISBN-10: 0809557797

ISBN-13: 978-0809557790

Paperback: 248 pages; $12.95

Publisher: Juno Books (August 15, 2007)

Available through Amazon, or Juno

http://www.carolemcdonnell.com/CMHome.htm

How about some free books before Christmas?

Ashberry Lane is having a contest and giving away books. Read the announcement below from their website and follow the instructions to be entered if you so choose. Be sure to check out their webpage and sign up for their newsletter to be entered.

****We've added 65 subscribers in the last few months and that's largely because you spread the word. But we're not happy yet. We're not even close to satisfied. Which leads right into our BIG announcement ...

We write about relationships. We are a relationship. We want to dominate the relationship brand. And we want to have at least 500 subscribers by the first of the year. Should we expect you to keep working so hard at strong-arming your friends to sign up while you get nothing out of the deal? No way!

Compassionate as we are, we've worked up a HUGE new incentive. How better to promote our relational fiction than featuring other fiction that focuses on different types of relationship? Why don't we give our supporters a chance to win EIGHT autographed books? Without further ado, we present, with a booming voice,


ASHBERRY LANE'S BOOK GIVEAWAY
For the Friend Relationship: Roxanne Henke's After Anne
One of our absolute favorite books. As you watch Olivia and Anne struggle through a difficult challenge, you'll want to be a better friend.

For the Prodigal Relationship: Robin Lee Hatcher's Return to Me
How many of us have walked away from what our father wanted for us? Or away from our Father? This story will remind you that the you can go home again.

For the Marriage Relationship: Robin Jones Gunn's Wildflowers Wildflowers
Married Genevieve falls in love with the man she least expected could win her heart. It's not who you might think ....

For the Sibling Relationship: Laurainne Snelling's Ruby (Dakotah Treasures #1)
In the first of this frontier series, Ruby must deal with her new "inheritance" while protecting her sister from its influences.

For the Man's Perspective on Relationships: James Scott Bell's Breach of Promise
A heart-rending story of a man trying to keep his family together.

For the Supernatural Relationship: Tosca Lee's Demon: A Memoir
Don't let the title of this book scare you away. There is no glorification of the demonic, but an enlightened fresh look at what History means.

For the Relationships Gone Bad: Bette Nordberg's Serenity Bay
A truly terrifying story of woman who married Prince Charming and discovered he wasn't.

For the Single Among the Marriage-Minded: Camy Tang's Sushi for One? (The Sushi Series, Book 1)
You'll laugh. You'll relate. You'll be impressed with this debut novel from up-and-coming author Camy Tang.

EIGHT books. ONE winner. Here are the ways to win:

Any new subscriber or referral will gain another entry.
Publicize this to your homeys through newsletters: one entry.

Blog about the contest: one entry. (Email us and we'll send you what to post or copy off this newsletter.)

Include it in your Christmas cards: two entries.

Tuck it in the gift bag with the fruitcake you'll be leaving on random doorsteps: five entries.

Just log on to: www.ashberrylane.net
www.sherrieashcraft.blogspot.com
www.authorchristinaberry.blogspot.com
www.shoutlife.com/sherrieashcraft
www.shoutlife.com/christinaberry

George Washington's Thanksgiving Speech

George Washington's 1782 Thanksgiving Proclamation expresses beautifully the utter dependence on God of our Founding Fathers, the Continental Congress, and the earliest leaders of our government. With these words, President Washington gives credit to God for every victory and success experienced by the fledgling country of America. His expressions of gratitude amount to a virtual grocery list of the blessings of the Almighty upon the country.

"It being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for His gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give Him praise for His goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of His providence in their behalf. They do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for His goodness, by a cheerful obedience of His laws, and by promoting, each in His station, and by His influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness."--George Washington, 1782

May we all remember what boundless grace, love, and supply we have from our Father God, and truly praise Him for it. Not only at Thanksgiving, but at all times. As we gather with our families and friends, or even meditating alone with the Lord, we also need to be grateful that we have a day set aside to give thanks, even though many people do not see it as more than a day off of work or a day to stuff our faces.

NOR IRON BARS A CAGE

Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage;

Minds innocent and quiet take that for an hermitage;

If I have freedom in my love, And in my soul am free,

Angels alone that soar above Enjoy such liberty.
( “To Althea From Prison,” Richard
Lovelace 1618-1658)

For her second novel in the Ascendancy trilogy, Caprice Hokstad chose an appropriate title, Nor Iron Bars a Cage, alluding to themes in the above poem as well as referring to events in the novel itself. In a fantasy world where slavery is a normal part of a culture, one of the big questions is, “what is true freedom?”

Events take up right where they left off in The Duke’s Handmaid. In case you haven’t read the first book, there are enough details that you can easily follow the story, although it would be preferable to read both books. Nor Iron Bars a Cage is set in the imaginary country of Latoph. (You can find some cool details about Latoph, including a map, at http://www.latoph.com/) In this world there is a duality to everything: two suns, two moons, two races of people. Even twin brothers who were supposed to reign together as kings, but only one was given the throne. The other one, our hero Duke Vahn, has only his duchy at his control. This is a cause of major sibling tension.

The story starts up a while after the Duke’s former wife had taken off with their son, fleeing with her lover back to her father’s kingdom of Ganluc. Prince Duke Vahn has searched in vain to discover where his former wife Saerula had hidden Dauntère in Ganluc. Finally, kee, his secret wife and handmaiden extraordinaire, devises a plan enter Ganluc as a recaptured runaway slave, reasoning that a slave will not be suspect and may get information that others could not. The plan is dangerous for all of them, but especially kee, who must be kept locked in a cage as they transport her through the country. There are some very serious misadventures, but I won’t spoil that here.

Meanwhile, while kee is gone, the Duke finds himself in hot water due to a hasty bet with an angry duchess who tried in vain to snatch the Duke as a groom. The loser has to act as slave to the winner for eight weeks. As the saying goes, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

There are some very deep issues in this novel, much deeper than they may appear on the surface. Quite honestly, I had to come to terms with the slavery, which is nothing like the slavery that existed in the United States, but there is a natural repulsion to the whole idea. This is a totally different culture, but even more than that is the Biblical example that kee in particular was following. We serve either God or Mammon, as it says in the King James Version, so while we do have free will, we will end up serving someone. True freedom is found when we willingly submit to the will of God and allow Him to be the Lord of our lives. One of the gems that this novel contains is coming to terms with what Lordship means. When God is truly Lord, He is also our Father. He takes care of us, feeds us, protects us, and has our welfare in mind even when He corrects us. Vahn learns to be more of a Christ figure in the second novel. Hebrews 2:18 reads, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” You will have to read the book to discover how he suffered. There are several other Christian values and world views expressed: loyalty, friendship, faithfulness, a desire to bring honor and glory to the Lord, a willingness to accept blame and not find fault with others, respect for all people, and substitution and sacrifice. The virtue is not so much in getting our rights as being submissive to God and others.

One point I wish to make clear: just because this is fantasy, do not expect it to be a Young Adult or children’s book. It is quite definitely written for adults and describes adult issues. Mrs. Hokstad has said that since she couldn’t find the kind of book she wanted to read, she decided to write it herself. Adult scenes are worded carefully, with no vulgarity or cheapness, but it is suggested that parents read the novel first before handing it to any teenagers. You won’t find anything more graphic than is depicted in the Bible, in fact many passages in the Old Testament are a great deal more violent and graphic.

By and large, this was a very entertaining and insightful, richly detailed story. Caprice Hokstad has painstakingly laid out a new world with luxurious descriptions, from the topography and weather to the racial and cultural differences to the events and décor of the homes. The duality theme is carried out in so many levels. Her descriptions made me wince with pain, smile at the sweetness of kee, and feel the thirst in the desert. It was not a book with action packing every paragraph, since a great deal of the action was internal. Nevertheless, there were plenty of exciting scenes along the way, and quite a few truths to ponder as we impatiently wait for the third book in the series.

Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Caprice Hokstad
348 pages
Publisher: Vici Publishing
Copyright: © 2007 Caprice Hokstad Standard Copyright License
Language: English
Country: United States
Available in hardcover, paperback, and download.
If you would like to read a preview of the first three chapters, you can find it at http://www.latoph.com/NIBAC.html
Caprice Hokstad’s website: http://www.latoph.com
Available through her website and http://www.lulu.com/caprice
Should be available very soon at http://www.amazon.com/, but the price is better at lulu.com.

Book Trailer for Faith Awakened

Grace Bridges made this book trailer with the help of her friend and roommate, Ruth Wierer, a classical pianist who wrote the song (Day's Breaking) that she is playing on the grand piano






Then there is a funny video to entice you to buy the book:

Hot Topics and Buzz Words

Faith Awakened includes several topics that are hot these days, especially in science and science fiction. In the true spirit of Christian Speculative Fiction, Grace Bridges uses her novel to address several “what if’s” that many others flirt with as well. What if stasis was a real possibility? How long could life be sustained until the person wakes up again? What, if anything, would be happening to that person while in stasis? What about cryogenics? Is that a feasible method of inducing stasis? Then there’s the whole virtual reality realm. Just how far can we go with virtual reality? Can we create something like the holodeck programs that they had on Star Trek? What if we could make an alternate life in virtual reality? In scientific experiment with DNA, what if they discovered some way to grow vegetables and fruit that were super sized and faster growing, that could grow even in less-than-ideal conditions? What kind of effect could that have on the world population and commerce? What if that discovery came at a price that didn’t show up right away? How about a virus so lethal and contagious that it causes a severe worldwide pandemic?

Suppose there was a one world government some day. There are many, many takes on this idea. Suppose it was a takeover by a few big business concerns, and once they controlled the markets, they forced people to serve them if they were to survive? How would people react to this slavery? What if this government forbade any religious activities? (We know this has already happened in certain societies) Would Christians find a way to still meet and practice their faith?

These are a few of the ideas found within the pages of Faith Awakened. There are quite a few more: revolution, energy crisis, computer technological advances, dystopian society where people have lost technology and ability to use it. There are a lot of questions raised as well as some interesting reading.

Faith Awakened by Grace Bridges http://www.gracebridges.com/ and http://www.faithawakened.com/
180 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4303-1111-9
Publisher: Lulu.com
Copyright: © 2007
Country: New Zealand
Available Nov. 5, 2007 through http://www.amazon.com/ as well as http://www.lulu.com/

Faith Awakened is featured this week at Christian Diction Review Blog, http://www.cfrb.com/

Some participating sites are:

http://afrankreview.blogspot.com/

http://cmwforum.blogspot.com/

http://blogginoutloud.blogspot.com/

http://cfvici.blogspot.com/

http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2007/09/grace-bridges.html

http://www.delialatham.com/faithawakened.htm

Grace Bridges and Faith Awakened Summarized

From www.faithawakened.com, I took the following synopsis of Faith Awakened and a short biography of Grace Bridges, the featured author of the CFRB Blog Tour this week.

Synopsis

In virtual stasis to escape a deadly virus, an ex-slave finds far more than just survival...

Ireland as it has never been seen before – in a future where hope is hard to come by. Mariah, living in the dark time after the advent of a one world government, seeks the light in the underground Fellowship of the Awakened. Shortly afterwards, nearly the whole earth is silenced, and she struggles through the shock with a handful of survivors. Yet the danger has not passed away entirely, and they are forced to fight for their lives using an untested technology.
Faith, too, grows up in Ireland, but it has little in common with the homeland Mariah knew. Sometimes she thinks her life is perfect, asking herself, “If this is a dream, when am I going to wake up?” Other times it seems repetitive and monotonous. She experiences much to delight her, but also suffers from inexplicable bouts of amnesia that rob her of the past again and again. Seeking answers, she travels much in the free world, where disappointments and successes vie for the upper hand until she finally finds fulfillment in spite of all her disasters.

About Grace Bridges
Grace Bridges is a New Zealander with partly Irish roots, and has spent many years in Germany. She was homeschooled and spent most of her early learning years reading novels – in the end it made her a writer. Faith Awakened is her first novel, which needed eight years of incubation followed by six years of writing. She also enjoys reading (of course!), culinary improvisation, living with cats, inventing things, web design and graphics, and meeting people both real and virtual. The story is set in Bangor, near Belfast in Northern Ireland, although many familiar aspects of life in New Zealand can also be found in these pages. Bridges is a pen name - Grace is for real!

Download or buy now: Faith Awakened at Lulu.com!

Get your free e-book - or the print copy at cost price!
ISBN: 978-1-4303-1111-9 Use this to order from your local bookstore.
Faith Awakened at Amazon.com

http://www.faithawakened.com

Faith Awakened

Faith Awakened is the tale of two women, both Irish, living in two very different worlds. Both begin their lives in Belfast or nearby Bangor. They both love the beach and the sea, and they are both Believers. Beyond that, their lives take far different turns, as do the circumstances in which they live. The narrative, all told in first person but from two different perspectives, spends a few chapters with Mariah, and then switches to Faith. Any person who has read a few novels knows that there must be a point where the two them intersect in some way, but the question is how and when. The answer comes as a surprise.

The story seems to start in the middle or near the end, as Mariah is obviously in a frantic race with time in a bleak future world. Hurriedly she is rounding up a group of people, putting them into cubicles and hooking them up to something that is painful for a moment. We know their lives are at stake. But why? Are they going into stasis or committing suicide, planning to meet “in Paradise on the other side?” This is the brief introduction.

In Chapter 1, the reader is introduced to Faith as a child. It appears that her life is idyllic, yet something is constantly nagging at her. The nagging feeling is one of the things that kept me looking for some problem to show up eventually in her life. When the story switches back to Mariah, it goes to a time a while before the introduction, when she is a slave to the One World system that is running everything and every one. Basically, in order to get food, the people of the world had to agree to the terms of the powerful leaders, which virtually meant enslavement. One day, a mysterious stranger invites Mariah to a secret meeting of the followers of the Awakener, and her life changes completely. However, there are many twists and turns in both of their lives, more than I can even hint at in this review. I may be somewhat slow, but it took me a long time to suspect the connection between these two women who had such very different lives.

This was a very different type of novel, more like a romance novel on one hand, but very definitely science fiction with lots of technical/futuristic portions. It would appear that Ms. Bridges has done her homework. I love her descriptions of places, especially along the shore near Bangor and Belfast. Really, she does a masterful job of describing people and ideas as well as scenes. I was saddened when a couple of the characters died in some unexpected turns of events. Once I started reading, I honestly could not stop, reading far into the wee hours of the morning. For the most part, it was an easy read, although I became a little bogged down on the technical elements. This is a fresh narrative full of nuances, twists, and surprises. The projected audience is probably adult, but adolescents would be just as engrossed in it as I was. I believe most proponents of Speculative Christian fiction (romance, too) will enjoy Grace Bridges’ first novel.


Faith Awakened by Grace Bridges
180 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4303-1111-9
Publisher: Lulu.com
Copyright: © 2007
Country: New Zealand
Available Nov. 5, 2007 through Amazon.com as well as Lulu.com

Meet Legacy

This is the last day of the blog tour for Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground by Frank Creed. I hope you have found my blogs and those of other participants both entertaining and interesting enough to move you to get the book! Once again, if you leave a comment on this post or the past few, your name will be entered in the drawing tomorrow. At Lost Genre Guild's blog (blog.lostgenreguild.com), one person will win a copy of Flashpoint plus four other books.

So far I have shown a book trailer, a silly testimonal, shared snippets of reviews, shared my own review, and given you an interview with Frank Creed. Today I am leaving a sneak peek at my favorite character, Legacy. Below is Chapter 2, where he first appears in the story.


CHAPTER TWO

POWERFUL BIOFUEL ENGINES SOUNDED, AND GREW LOUD
fast. In as much time as it took me to sit up straight, four peacekeeper Humvees jerked to a stop under the bridge. Jen's tear tracked face twisted in panic's horror. Hugging our knees, we flattened ourselves against the girders, trying to become part of them. A door squeaked open to eject a uniformed man, his face glued to a flip-com screen. He paused for a moment before looking right up at us. My stomach did ugly things as he pointed, yelling in German. Green uniformed peacekeepers poured from the vehicles to line up on our side of the road. Captain Flip-com barked an order and six of them started up the stony slope. Save Jen! Defeated, I stood. "You found me." I started toward them, hoping they'd somehow miss her.
Then movement from the corner that Dad had turned. A figure in an oilskin duster and thick-soled boots strolled down the sidewalk toward the scene. The rain fell in a light mist, but his hood was down. A black Samurai-style ponytail swung with his every stride. His face betrayed oriental blood even though mirror-shades hid his eyes. Walkin' in the rain. Wearin' sunglasses. You know--just in case the sun rose in this overcast pre-dawn sky.
A few peacekeepers turned rifles in his direction. Waving their freehands, they ordered him away.
To my disbelief he actually smiled and continued right toward them.
I decided this was either the first time he'd left the desert island he'd been raised on, or he'd lost his mind and was out looking for it.
More peacekeepers noticed him and fanned out to face the newcomer.
Captain Flip-com shouted orders, and the soldiers coming toward us stopped. One close to the stranger yelled an English word known by all peacekeepers: "Freeze!"
Lured by sounds and my surprise, Jen slid from her perch.
Still smiling, the stranger stopped, folded his arms, and said something in their own language. They looked to each other, muttering in angry tones. Three started toward him. All held their rifles more seriously.
The stranger touched the fingertips of both hands to his forehead and spread his arms. Air between the stranger and the soldiers shimmered--heat off a July blacktop. Peacekeepers flew backward as though a truck had plowed through them. They tumbled to a stop and lay still. Whatever he'd done had downed nearly half of them, including the six on the slope.
Captain Flip-com barked an order and rifles cracked, but bullets passed through empty space. The stranger leapt as though he'd been launched from a trampoline. Turning somersaults in the air, he landed on his feet near the top of the slope between them and us. He'd just jumped more than ten meters. Uphill.
Again, he touched his forehead and swept his arms wide, cartwheeling more soldiers into another time zone. Only a handful remained. By the time the survivors swung their rifles he was dive rolling down the slope, a human cyclone, his duster and ponytail whipping behind him. Peacekeeper rifles tracked him, but without warning the stranger came up in a crouch, a pistol in each hand. Twin guns gave off quick dull thumps and soldiers spun to the ground without getting off a single shot.
He stood and the guns were gone from his hands as though they were never there. "Call off the heat 'cause you guys are done," he announced, polishing fingernails on his coat's lapel. Wit died on the deaf ears of senseless opponents. It looked as though some giant child had left his green army men strewn across the driveway.
The stranger stared at one of the empty Hum-Vees they'd left running. It drove out from under the bridge to park sideways in the street just beyond the fallen peacekeepers. Then the next one did the same. One at a time, the other two vehicles blocked off the street on the other side of the bridge. All at once, their light bars lit up the area in wildly flashing blue. He turned and made straight for us, smiling again.
"We don't want anyone to get run'ded over," he explained.
The last vehicle had parked just in time. A yellow rental truck pulled up to the intersection, paused a long while, then turned away.
The stranger stopped before us, and bowed deeply at the waist and neck. "David and Jen Williams, you may call me Legacy. I'm sorry but the closest thing I have to a password is: Your Flashpoint was dirtcheap."

Frankly Spreaking: an Interview with Frank Creed

Since Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground is being feature in a blog tour at Lost Genre Guild this week, I wanted to post an interview with Frank Creed, actually taken from several conversations I have had with him. I hope you get a feel for the heart and soul of this incredible author.


Cathi:
You have so many irons in the fire. You just released Flashpoint, you’re working on the second book, War of Attrition, you started the Lost Genre Tour just last year, you keep an active blog where you review and promote other authors’ works at afrankreview.blogspot.com. Then you have a couple of other websites and blogs. Every night, practically, I see you on Shoutlife.com patiently answering mail and comments from pests like me. You work a full-time job. I don’t now how you keep it all going.


Frank:
Irons in the fire: the pace is killing me, but this is a lifelong dream so I'll die with a smile on my face.


Willingness to share: He's blessed me already. My work ethic is always my best for His glory. Balancing the spheres of family, fiction, promotion, physical & mental handicaps, and a factory job became so frantic in recent month's that I began requesting prayer. I can't believe all the little things He's shown me since, and you are an example. It's been very Jimmy-Stewart-Wonderful-Life. He's used the gifts He gave me to influence dozens of lives that I had NO IDEA I was influencing. Yours is one of those lives. One of my sig-quotes is: "Nobody meets by accident."
Modern humans see the Bible as oppressive. So few realize that if one follows the instructions in the Creator's Owner's manual, one discovers the fullest, happiest life possible. I'm behind on sleep but don't regret a minute.


Cathi:
As I read Flashpoint, I envisioned it affecting lots of people, particularly young Christian guys, but you do such a masterful job of presenting the truth of salvation and the power of God that I believe the Lord will use it to lead people to know Him.


Frank:
Audience:
My fiction is all about ministry. I hope to make enough to pay the mortgage and go full-time. Another eight-fiction-hours, five-days-a-week for His glory would make me the happiest guy on this ball-of-dirt. I thought I wrote Flashpoint for discipleship purposes. I did mean to inspire the spiritually-slothy. A couple weeks ago I realized it was written for anyone who grew-up in church and understood the lingo, so it's funny you mention leading people to Christ. This is one of those little signs with which He's comforted me. If He could use my life's-work to save someone from Hell, it's worth every minute. But a handful? A dozen? A hundred? The concept staggers me. If you saw Schindler's List, please recall the scene at the end where Oscar breaks down and realizes how many more Jews he could have saved with all his wasted money. This was the only time I wept in a theater, and the same idea tears me now. What if, and how much more could I have done.


Cathi:
I understand that Flashpoint got an award in 2006, before it was even released? How did that happen? More time travel involved or what??


Frank:
*Grin at time-travel*
I'm a member of elfwood.com, the Web's largest amateur spec-fic site--something like fifteen thousand members. I posted an rough version of Flashpoint there for critique late in 05. A fellow member nominated it for the yearly Elfie Awards, and that alone blew my mind--there are many anti-Christians at Elfwood. To have won at this place is just unreal.


Cathi:
So your publisher is your wife. I know however, that she wasn’t a publisher when you met. I think your story sounds like some kind of novel in itself.


Frank:
I met a Canadian School-teacher online on May 9th of 03--exactly five years after I survived a head-on-collision that left me both physically and mentally handicapped. I married Cynthia on July 3rd of 04, and she moved from the Vancouver burbs to Indiana. It took two years to get her Green Card, so to make money, she started an editing service on the Web called The Writer's Cafe.

Until January of 06, I'd merely been submitting Flashpoint to traditional Christian publishing houses and getting rejected on my sci-fi sub-genre alone. At this time, Cynthia found an article online by a guy called Peter Bowerman about self-publishing, and said I ought to consider that option.
Yeah, right.
Finally she printed it out for me to read. I learned two things: 1) the Web has forever-changed the publishing industry, and 2) because of corporate downsizing and outsourcing, it's now possible to contract everything that traditional houses do.
If only we knew what they do.
Peter Bowerman's The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a step-by-step strategy of exactly what traditional houses do, from acquisition to marketing. Cynthia turned The Writer's Cafe into The Writer's Cafe Press, and published the memoirs of Holocaust survivor, Max Cardoza. Then we agreed to try Flashpoint.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (July 06), I was sweating my way through the critique rounds of Daniel I. Weaver's anthology Project, now known as Light at the Edge of Darkness. Cynthia had agreed to publish the anthology, but I still felt self-published even though she was doing all the publishing work. Face it, one's wife publishing one's fiction is a short step higher than your MOM! After I'd written a message to the contributors talking about "self-published", my dearest tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that "self" had nothin to do with "published".

While our Personal relationship is all smoochy, when it comes to publishing, we both insist on professional rules. I get deadlines, promotional tasks, and demands to write copy from my boss.

I can't believe what the capital BOSS has dumped in my lap. The adage reads "truth is stranger than fiction", and I can give that an Amen. To have met my dearest across our continent online, then she turns into my publisher? Nobody'd believe it.

I do get to wear the TWCP acquisitions editor hat, and am a sounding board for covers and titles, but that's it. Cyn has the final call for her business, and I'm just thankful.
the-end


Cathi:
You were in a head-on collision?


Frank:

Can’t remember now. I sustained a closed-head-injury in a head-on ... Oh yeah.
That's a whole nuther story! Without going into the rest of my physical injuries, I endured a severe closed-head injury, which means my brain swelled but my thick skull didn't fracture. I was talkin to my food for two weeks in the hospital, trying to walk to the bathroom on a shattered hip, breaking restraints meant to keep me in bed, and throwing my hospital gown across the room. I have no memory of that time. The doctors were just telling my family that after years of rehab, they best they could hope for was 65% of my normal mental capacity. My pastor literally walked past them to visit with me. I'm told that was the first lucid conversation I had since the 120+ MPH combined-speed head-on collision (the front driver's side corner of my Buick Skyhawk was a foot from the windshield). The pastor and I prayed His will be done, I went to bed for the night and woke up like this, asking "Why am I in the Hospital?". I have short term memory issues so I have to write everything down, I can't multi-task to save my life, and places like Chuckie Cheese taxes my mental-energy like the IRS on a bonus-check.

So in spite of the fact that my surgeons claimed I'm doomed to a wheelchair around 2018, I'm thankful, cause it could be a whole lot worse. The Boss used this to get me focused on my fiction. Beyond a High-School diploma, I'm self-educated, and qualify for no kind of desk-job. Why do bad things happen to good people? I'm just pointin’ up. His will be done.


Cathi:
So really you are a walking, writing miracle. Clearly God had plans for you and He wasn’t ready for you to come home yet.


Frank:
I’m just here, everyday doing my best. Some days that falls way short. People wonder about God’s will for their life. It’s just about showing up every day, with what He’s given you.

I work in a Subaru factory in Indiana, and because my disability does not allow me to show up every day, I feel horrible about making my coworkers pick-up my share of the work.

There’s a character in War of Attrition: Book Two of the Underground who’s that dark side of me. It would have been so much simpler to have just gone Home. Barren’s soul is barren. The One State has wiped out three generations of his family—but he wakes up every day and does it all again.

Neither Barren nor I are that dark, because we both know we’re here for His reason. We’re not sure what that is, but all we can do is wake up and take what He gives us.





To purchase on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Flashpoint-Book-Underground-Frank-Creed/dp/1934284017/ref=sr_1_1/104-7700737-8213530?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192122519&sr=8-1
To purchase on Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9781934284018&itm=1
To get a signed copy: http://www.thewriterscafe.com/FP.html
Frank Creed's website: www.frankcreed.com
The Underground website: www.booksoftheunderground.com
A Frank Review: http://afrankreview.blogspot.com
The Lost Genre Guild: http://blog.lostgenreguild.com

Check out come of the other things being written about Frank Creed and his ground breaking novel, Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground at the following blogs. Some of them will inspire you,others will make yoyu laugh or just scratch yur head. And don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be entered in the giveaway drawing to be held on Friday.
Fantasy Thyme
jamessomers.blogspot.com
Write and Whine
Hoshi to Sakura
Wayfarer's Journal
BlogCritics Interview
Daniel I Weaver
Disturbing the Universe
Grace Bridges
Queen of Convolution
Virtual Tour de 'Net
Christian Fiction Review Blog
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Review
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Interview
Back to the Mountains
MaryLu Tyndall

Have you heard the rumors about Frank Creed?

They're true!!! (Well, except for a few that Mavis and Calamity Kid have been spreading, but that's because they are taking all the credit.)
I've already spread my own review around around, but I thought I would take a few tiny excerpts, just a FEW, from the multitude of rave reviews that have multiplied like rabbits on the blogs lately. As you will see, I am far from the only one who loves Frank Creed's novel Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground. Oh, by the way, if you comment here, you'll still be included in the drawing for FLASHPOINT and 4 more Spec-fic books!


"Creed provides a thrilling tour through dingy city scenes with a snappy Film Noir dialogue style that permeates the book. The novel twists like a pretzel through multiple dead ends, blind leads, and unexpected turns to make for an enjoyable and satisfying whirl through Creed's dark Chicago of 2036.Creed succeeds in creating believable 2030s Street Slang, fantastic technology, arsenals of powerful weapons, and action-packed fight scenes. This isn't your dad's Christian fiction, this is too cool to be left on a bookshelf action mixed with a good dose of high tech weaponry." Adam Graham, http://blog.lostgenreguild.com/2007/09/flashpoint-of-new-genre.html


"Flashpoint is roughly a Christian answer to the Matrix, but most of the action (including sword fights and martial arts displays) occurs in the real world, courtesy of combined high tech and spiritual power, so there's a certain amount of Americanized wuxia going on, too. And it all happens in a not-too-distant future where the U.S. has surrendered its sovereignty to foreign powers in the name of security. Christians, meanwhile, have been branded as terrorists and driven underground." Stephen L. Rice, http://ansric.blogspot.com/2007/05/crouching-matrix-hidden-christians.html


"The science engine used (thus the CYBER aspect of cyberpunk) for FLASHPOINT rivals the likes of the Matrix movies for both its WOW factor and originality. We end up with a band of almost super-human heroes coupling their faith with technology (in a world where faith seems at war with technology) and becoming weapons for Godâ??s glory. Super human strength, speed, intuition, cognition, perception, etc. The stupefying arsenal of divine powers makes for an amazing ride. FLASHPOINT would make one heck of a movie! " Daniel I. Weaver, http://www.danieliweaver.com/blog


"People, the year 2036 is almost here. We have the chip implant technology, GPS satellites, and all these interesting groups that you'd expect; the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Want to have some fun? Do a Google search on "World Organizations". We're closer to a "One State" government and its churchy counter part, "One Church" than you may wish to believe. People are manipulating DNA in search of the perfect human (Dr. Mengela would be so proud). Technology has taken us into the realm of nanotechnology, meaning the ability to build simple machines at or below the atomic level. In other words, you can't see them. Where will it all end? You have a Bible? The ending is written in there. It's amazing how the Apostle John could be so accurate, especially most of the things he talked about were hundreds of years from existing on any level.

Frank Creed isn't trying to tell us something we don't already know. He's trying to prepare us for a battle too many of us are willing to admit is already here. Way to go Frank." David Brollier, http://cmwforum.blogspot.com


"This "little book" is so chock-full of action that I had to give it far more time than would be usual for one this size. There are some scenes you have to read over again and again, just for that stunning visual effect in your mind. Ever heard of ground-breaking fiction? This is it. Hot stuff! I had to let it sink in for a few days before I could think about writing a review?" Grace Bridges, http://gracebridges.blogspot.com/2007/10/flashpoint-by-frank-creed.html


"If you're one of the many Christian science fiction fans who've despaired upon finding good science fiction with a distinctly Christian worldview, weep no more. Frank Creed has delivered a novel that will appeal to teenagers and adults alike and that will please even the most ardent technophile. Flashpoint is more than worth a read." Karen McSpadden, http://disturbingreviews.blogspot.com/2007/10/cfrb-blog-tour-flashpoint.html


And now for a lighter side. Publisher Cynthia MacKinnon, of The Writers' Cafe Press, put together this little 'gossip' piece for PR and laughs. Okay, cut her some slack; remember she's been around Frank a lot for a couple of years now!

Flashpoint Blog Tour This Week! Win Books!

This is gonna be spiff!
From Tuesday, October 23 through Thursday, October 25, Lost Genre Guild is hosting a Virtual Book Tour for Frank Creed’s Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground. During those three days, a number of bloggers, including me, will be posting reviews, book trailers (includes one goofy one), bios, interviews, etc. to introduce you to this worthy masterpiece of Christian Speculative Literature.

AND THE BIG NEWS—PRIZES!!! On Friday, the publisher will give away a gift basket containing a signed copy of Flashpoint, four other spec-fic books, and some Flashpoint goodies. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment one of the three days on my blog. It’s that simple.

I posted a review of this innovative novel on October 1. I hope you will scroll down the page to read it. Any comments left there will also be added to the drawing for the books.

Here is a list of others participating in the Blog Tour. I urge you to check out what they have to say as well.

Fantasy Thyme
jamessomers.blogspot.com
Write and Whine
Hoshi to Sakura
Wayfarer's Journal
BlogCritics Interview
Daniel I Weaver
Disturbing the Universe
Grace Bridges
Queen of Convolution
Virtual Tour de 'Net
Christian Fiction Review Blog
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Review
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Interview
Back to the Mountains
MaryLu Tyndall
Cathi's Chatter


FrankCreed.com

Books of the Underground site:
BooksoftheUnderground.com

Purchase the book
Purchase Flashpoint at Amazon.com

Purchase signed copies:
Purchase signed copies of Flashpoint

For today, I want to present a nifty book trailer that makes a good teaser for Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground. I hope you enjoy it.

Light at the Edge of Darkness: Anthology of Hope in Evil Times

A mysterious horseman, assorted demons, zombies, werewolves, generous aliens, angels, sadistic persecutors, lunatic killers, stoic martyrs of the faith, fearful victims, secret agent hit men who travel through time, Evil One State Government, supernatural deliverance, the battle of good versus evil, a battle of wills, hope, faith, the power of God. All this and more awaits the reader in Light at the Edge of Darkness, an anthology of twenty-seven short stories, collected by Daniel I. Weaver from members of the Lost Genre Guild, edited by Cynthia MacKinnon of The Writers’ Café Press. This impressive collection is somewhat loosely tied under the umbrella of Biblical Speculative Fiction. There are too many tales and too much variety to do it justice in this brief review. The sub-genres include dark horror, supernatural thrillers, cyberpunk, futuristic science fiction, space travel science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia (I had to look it up: a place where everything is as bad as it can get, anti-utopia). The antagonists are usually horrendous and are often evil spirits. The protagonists vary in their strengths and character traits, but they always have hope and faith; they see the Light at the end of whatever their individual darkness is.

I will try to give you a few examples of what to expect. The first story, “Frozen Generation” by Andrea Graham, is an instance of dystopia. In this future World Empire, some mothers sell their unborn fetuses, labeled POC (product of conception), to companies that will either sell the children as slaves or harvest the organs of unsold babies. One of the workers is a Black Christian woman who rescues Black embryos but has no compunctions about destroying the White fetuses. In “Miracle Micro,” Frank Creed offers a cyberpunk special that any techno-freak will appreciate. Fast forward to Chicago around 2036, when Fundamental Christians are labeled as terrorists and criminals, and the Federal Bureau of Terrorism hires an electrical-technical whiz to become a spy with the Underground Body of Christ. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but suffice it to say the Holy Spirit interferes with his plans of sabotage. A. P. Fuchs creates an extremely dark and emotionally charged “Undeniable.” It explores the very real possibility of Christians who are brutally tortured simply because of their faith in Jesus Christ and just how much they might be able to bear without denying Him. At the other end of the spectrum is a pun-infested fantasy wormhole-travel piece by Stephen L. Rice called “At the Mountains of Lunacy.” A motley band of adventurers (including a priest and an Amazon woman with a mustache) are hired to open up a mountain pass and find a lost alchemist. Told from the point of view of one of the adventurers, this tale is full of lunacy: maniacal kings, werewolves whose leader is Lord Lovaduc, greedy but fragile zombies, and a nutty alchemist.

Many of the tales were horrific, sad, dark, and oppressive, but one thing remained the same throughout: there was always THE ray of Light at the edge of the Darkness. Sometimes the heroes were saved from physical death, sometimes they weren’t, but always they knew they would be saved to eternal life. The truth of the gospel, of Jesus’ redemption, was ever present. This is the core that holds everything together. One of the strong points overall is the way the authors weave the Biblical truths, particularly of Jesus’ sacrifice, love, and redemption.

Personally, I enjoyed the majority of the stories, but in an anthology like this one, individual preferences will play a part. If you are an aficionado of any type of science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, horror, or cyberpunk, you are going to want a copy of Light at the Edge of Darkness. It will keep you at the edge of your seat.

LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS
Edited by Cynthia MacKinnon
Publisher: The Writers' Cafe Press
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN: 978-1-934284-00-1
Retail Price: $14.95
www.thewriterscafe.com

Now available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.cbd.com, as well as from the publisher and other fine book stores.

Sanctuary is Simply Superb!!

Before I had a chance to see this historical novel, I read several fine reviews about it, each one making me more anxious to read Molly Noble Bull’s latest work. Happily, I was not disappointed when the book was finally in my hands.


Sanctuary is set in France and England in 1740, a time when Jews and non-Catholics in general were persecuted. One particular group, known as Huguenots, were once protected but were now open to persecution of all kinds. Right from the beginning of the first chapter, Ms. Bull starts things off with a bang and a shock. Rachel, a young Jewess whose family is trying to blend in to the French society as much as possible, is away from home when her beloved Louis Dupre, a Huguenot, stops by her home to talk to her parents about marriage. Suddenly a mass of about thirty soldiers attack the household, burning everything and killing Louis and Rachel’s parents. Louis’ brother Pierre is not far away; he sees what is happening, but being unarmed and alone, is helpless to intervene. From this point on he knows he must do what he can to protect his mother, little brother, and Rachel. As word of the tragedy spreads, the Huguenots find they must flee immediately. Rachel is in such shock that Pierre can hardly get her to move. They must run to find Sanctuary, first in a place called Sanctuary, then in a village, and finally in England and Scotland. Along the way they find wonderful people who help them and cruel, evil people who hate them. They are married for convenience, for Rachel’s protection as they escape and travel by ship. In fact, Pierre has always loved her even before she met his brother, but stepped out of the way. Now he is determined to save her out of respect for his brother, but even more because of his love for her. Ever the Christian gentleman, though, he never reveals his feelings, wishing that some day she would see him as she had seen Louis. Their biggest obstacle as they look for a place of peace is Captain Jean Vallae, the leader of the very band of soldiers who killed their loved ones. His hatred for Jews and Huguenots drives him on a rampage that will not stop. Once he has seen Rachel, he is obsessed with a desire to have her and a hatred for her whole family. He relentlessly pursues them, each obstacle to his desires serving to enrage him further. Only through the intervention of God and His people are Rachel and Pierre able to continue their harrowing journey.



One point I think I need to add: this is not a Catholic-bashing book. In fact, there are several members of the French Catholic Church who help the couple as they escape. These good people place themselves at risk in fact. The abuses of some are well known, however, and the persecutions of many are historic fact. This is not an attempt to paint all Catholics as evil, nor all French as evil.



There are several surprising turns along the way, making this novel a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is a romance, it is a historical, but it is much more. Now I am chaffing to read the next book in the series when it comes out!



Product Details

Sanctuary by Molly Noble Bull; first in the Faith of Our Fathers Series
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Tsaba House (September 15, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933853506
ISBN-13: 978-1933853505
Available at many fine bookstores and on www.amazon.com

Video for Sue Dent, author of Never Ceese

Here is a video recently put together by Sue Dent and her publisher, Cynthia MacKinnon of The Writers' Cafe Press. Sue has one book published, Never Ceese, with a second one, Forever Richard, due to be released before the end of 2007.

Matrix Meets Holy Spirit--Flashpoint by Frank Creed

Flashpoint by Frank Creed

Imagine a book that combines the super-cool action of The Matrix with a big portion of Left Behind, and then mix in a few tablespoons of Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness and the powers of all the superheroes you know. This only begins to give you an idea of what to expect in Frank Creed’s futuristic Speculative Fiction book, Flashpoint.

This tale of Good (The Body of Christ and God) versus Evil (the Devil and his crowd) takes place in Chicago in 2036, a time when Fundamentalist Christians are considered dangerous terrorists who need to be taken to insane asylums and reprogrammed in order to serve society. The true believers meet secretly in house churches which are always in danger of being discovered and raided by “Peacekeepers.” The life-or-death action begins as Dave and Jen Williams are traveling home with their dad, only to find Peacekeepers have stormed the neighborhood and arrested the members of their house church, including their mother and older brother. Their father hurriedly takes Dave and Jen to hide where he thinks they’ll be safe until one of the members of the BOC (Body of Christ) can get them underground. Their rescuer, Legacy, makes a last minute appearance as the Peacekeepers are ready to take them. With super strength, super speed and some high-tech toys, Legacy knocks out the Bad Guys. From this point on, the action REALLY gets hot and heavy!

What is most remarkable about this book is how Frank Creed laces the book with scripture, important Christian values, and humor without ever slowing down the pace. The mindware that has been developed works in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, and Dave (who chooses Calamity Kid as his street name) must learn to surrender his own will and let God’s will be done. The humor is everywhere, and sometimes I had to reread portions because I missed it.

The only point that some readers may have a problem with is that this is not written with a rapture taking place, as in Left Behind, before the One World Government starts to take over. However, this book is not taking a stand on one view of the Tribulation or another; it is a speculative look at what the church may face if current trends continue. As such, I think it handles situations and scripture nicely.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action-adventure, cyberpunk, science fiction, or end-times speculation. It is particularly geared for young adult guys, but we older folks--even ladies-- will enjoy it as well! There isn’t a dull moment, yet it gives you some truths to chew on at the same time.

Flashpoint: Book One of the UndergroundAuthor: Frank Creed
Publisher: The Writers’ Café Press, Lafayette, IN
Pub. Date: September, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-934284-01-8
Biblical speculative fiction
200 pages
Retail Price: $9.95, softcover
Contact Frank Creed at www.FrankCreed.com

Introductory Ramblings

This is going to be my first blog, and I have a lot to learn about doing it well. That's okay; I doubt if anyone will actually read it. I have recently started doing book reviews, so that is first and foremost the reason I wanted to start blogging. It will give me a place for my reviews as well as any brilliant ideas that cross my mind!