August CFRB Tour

I will admit that I have my own ideas about a really great Christian vampire novel, and neither Never Ceese, by Sue Dent, nor today's Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider, by Ellen C. Maze really grasp the full import of that idea. Nonetheless both are great works. Today we will be looking at a different approach in Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider.

In this story a writer of vampire novels, Beth Rider, is visited by an unusual creature. She calls them the Rakum, half-human, half-demon. It seems the Rakum have a grudge against Beth Rider because she's been writing all these Christian books about vampires, which comes very close to exposing them. So this creature marks her, making her his "rabbit". The other Rakum can smell the sent and seek her out.

Again we are talking about spiritual warfare, about the curse of sin verses the mercy of God. In this extraordinary novel you will be drawn into this conflict and come out with a greater understanding of the battle you are in. Better than that you're going to learn, without realizing it, how to win those battles you find yourself in. For that reason you may find your own life crowded in by the Rakum. But as Jesus said, "Do not be afraid, I have overcome the world." He not only overcame the world, but death, the grave and every possible temptation. He is our hope, our victory.

Follow Beth into a world of anxiety, terror, and ultimate victory.

You can learn more about her and her book HERE


Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider can be purchase on the follow sites:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books a Million

August CFRB Tour

You know, I never used to think vampire novels had a place in Christian literature, but the more I began to think about some of the different things that a vampire novel can teach about Christianity the more I realized how great of an impact it can have. So the next two posts are both about Christian vampire novels. They are both as different as night and day, to coin a phrase, but they touch on some of the fantastic truths found in the stories of vampires.

The first of these is Never Ceese, by Sue Dent. We are first introduced to the wife of a pastor, centuries ago. Her decision to stay home is a burden her children must bear for many years. Technically, we should be talking werewolves here, since Ceese is a werewolf. However, she has hunted down her half brother for centuries. Richard is the vampire of the novel. Neither one is really happy about the arrangement. I mean in most vampire novels you read today the vampires and such are like these super beings that people would just love to be. Not so in Never Ceese. When Ceese and Richard come together for the first time in centuries they clash, I mean we are talking anger on epic proportions. The only thing they seem to hate more than each other is the fact that they have been forced to live out life, one as a werewolf, the other as a vampire.

The point of Never Ceese (and Sue's other book, Forever Richard) is that they are under a curse. After the initial class they forge an unlikely bond and Richard helps Ceese break the bond of the curse over her. This is the Christian story. We are all born under the curse of sin. In fact Scripture says that at one time we were enemies of God. It is by Jesus, and through His death and resurrection, the the curse has been done away with for all who call upon Him. As the Bible says, Jesus became a curse for us, and in so doing broke the bondage of that curse over us.

Learn more about Sue Dent and her writings HERE


Never Ceese can be purchased from the following sites:

Thirsting for Blood
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books a Million

August CFRB Tour

Now this is one fun story. Written for young adults, and appreciated by almost all ages, League of Superheroes, by Steven L. Rice follows the antics of 4 teenage boys, one of their younger sisters, and a friend they met online. Before you start going "Ho, hum" let me tell you a little about this unlikely, but likable group.

The 4 boys are all geeks. They've formed a club called "The Mad Scientist Club" which, in some contrast to the name of the group is really about their love of comic books, especially superheroes who are regular people made heroic and super by means of science and technology. One of these boys has a little girl who is always tagging around and bugging them. The story actually begins with something of the sort, although what she wants at the time is help "chat" with a 7 year old girl she met online. Soon she is talking to all of them on a different site, learns of the boys' interest in techno-superheroes, and then springs a whopper on them. She explains that she can build suits for them that would give them the powers of their favorite superhero. They pretty much think she's off her rocker until the first of the suits arrives 2 weeks later. After several weeks all 4 boys have a different supersuit that enables them to have, more or less, the super powers of their favorite techno-hero.

Now I want you to think for a moment. Teenage boys can be a handful, and given their natural tendencies to get into all kinds of trouble, even when trying to do good, what would it be like if 4 of these teens were given supersuits? The laugh-out-loud story, with a serious plot and a lot of serious teachings that get mixed in so subtly that you don't realize it, makes for one really super book.

One of the things that is really great is that while all 4 boys are Christians, they are all from different denominational backgrounds. This doesn't seem strange to them, although at certain moments they do find themselves at odds over one thing or another. Still, they are able to reduce (or increase as the case may be) the core of their beliefs to Jesus is the author of their salvation. His birth, life, persecution, death, resurrection and promise to return is something all of them share. In short they all have made Jesus the foundation of their lives.

If you want to read one really fun book, look no further. You've found it. League of Superheroes, by Steven Rice is an excellent read, fully charged with laughter, drama, and some seriously interesting twists you won't find anywhere else.

You can learn more about League of Superheroes HERE
Or visit Steve's blog HERE

You can purchase your own copy at the following locations:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books a Million

August CFRB Tour

Okay, this may seem a little self-serving, but I'm not about to skip over the book I wrote just because I wrote it. I'll freely admit there are some problems with the editing, but the story content is fascinating. If you like a mystery you'll love The 3rd Covenant.

Nat Adams is a character I'd been toying around with since the early 1970s. Initially he was supposed to be a comic book hero. Later, in the 80s I was working with Marc Burns on a book called The Red Sash, which, unfortunately, we were unable to complete. However, this bulk of this work provided a history for Nat as well as brought with him his own cast of characters; David Ng, Peter Chen, and most importantly David's sister who later becomes Nat's wife, Susan. Nat is both a NYPD detective working homicide out of the 5th Precinct as well as a Christian. He has problems with his Christianity. He's not perfect, but he keeps working at it.

May K. Wish was a new addition because I wanted to play around with the name. I also needed someone to keep Nat quiet enough so I could tell the story. Consequently May is an agnostic and works as a crime scene investigator. They are first partnered together in this adventure that begins with the bayonet slaying of a Catholic priest.

Our principle characters following the different leads they have end up chasing the same man, an ex-convict who calls himself "The Bishop". He has, in fact, started his own religion called The Church of the 3rd Covenant. The people in this new religion he uses to reach his own deadly goals.

You'll find forensics, police procedure, serious talk, comic relief, and a number of interesting spiritual truths, explained, but not pushed. We follow the ups and downs of this adventure through some amazing twists. In fact I wasn't sure how the book was going to end until 2 weeks before I finished the rough draft.

The 3rd Covenant was nominated by Deadly Ink for the David G. Sasher, Sr. Award for Best Mystery Novel of 2006. During the Summer quarter I was the featured author for the WhoDoneIt online magazine out of California, by Starr Reina. I'm currently putting the finishing touches on the 2nd Adams/Wish novel.

To learn more about me and my writing you can go HERE.

You'll find it on sale at the following locations:

From the Heart of David (needs to be updated)
PublishAmerica
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Enjoy a mystery today. Start with The 3rd Covenant.

August CFRB Tour

Today I'd like to talk about one of the most fantastic books I've ever read. Time Masters; Book One: The Call, by Geralyn Beauchamp was intimidating when I received it in the mail. At nearly 600 pages it was as thick as my Bible. I was so afraid of reading it because of its length that I put it off for 3 days. When I finally got up the courage to read it I was drawn in so completely that it amazed me. I'm a slow reader by nature, and yet had the time to read this work through twice before posting my first review.

It's 1692 and we start in Glencoe Scotland. Here Dallan MacDonald watches as his entire clan is wiped out in the Glencoe Massacre. The reason Dallan isn't able to help his family is that he's captured by this huge "dark" man. Wounded and having his breath fairly squeezed out of him, Dallan passes out only to awaken in a village much like those he's used to, but the year is 3688. For 10 years he does battle in the courtyard against Kwaku, the very man who captured him. He is finally told that he's being trained to be a Time Master. Dallan thinks everyone has lost their mind. When he learns that he must go back to 1995 to convince a young woman to marry him, only she's really not human, things take a decided twist.

This fantasy where one finds themselves flying back and forth through time as easily as one crosses the street, is filled with all kinds of wonderful gems. Geralyn has a marvelous way of driving home the suspense while sprinkling in the most amazing humor. One of my favorite scenes is the one that takes place in the antique shop filled with ancient weapons. Her ability to create realistic characters with all kinds of unique traits, and get their individual speech patterns down is quite an accomplishment. It's a romance, a suspense, and a time traveling adventure you won't want to miss.

Check out her site HERE to learn more about this fabulous author.

You can purchase Time Masters at the following sites:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

This talented author had the unfortunate adventure of watching her publisher close shop and had to wait until another venue allowed her to get her work back on sale. Nevertheless I can tell you this is one work you will totally enjoy.

August CFRB Tour

CFRB, that's the Christian Fiction Review Blog to those who are not familiar with the site (found at http://cfrblog.blogspot.com) just ran a review of Caprice Hokstad's first book, The Duke's Handmaid last month. This month we are allowed to pick past books that we liked instead of all doing the same book. One of the books I've chosen is Nor Iron Bars a Cage, the sequel to The Duke's Handmaid. I have a great appreciation for Caprice's literary skills. She will be one of those writers people will look back on and say, "Did you ever read anything by Caprice Hokstad? She's fabulous. In my opinion she forged a whole new sub-genre in writing fantasy." They'll be right, of course, only I know her, at least by association with CFRB and through reading her books. And I know her before she's famous, which has a great appeal to me. I feel the same way about several of the authors.

Getting back to the book, we continue following the lives of Duke Vahn Rebono and kee. In this book we get really deep into some wonderful, and not so wonderful things. For anyone who wants to know that God is in control even when things seem to be falling apart at the seams, this is a book they can read to encourage them, although that wasn't the reason she wrote it. She simply wanted to take the reader further into the tales of the Duke and Kedrina (kee). The main thrust of the book is the Duke's attempts to locate and retrieve his son, who was stolen by his now estranged wife, and taken into Ganluk. He can't go looking for his son himself, because of the political powder keg crossing into that country would create. His faithful servant kee comes up with a bold plan, one in which she must subject herself to all kinds of cruelty just to learn about her master's son, and where the child might be found. Meanwhile, back at home, the Duke trips over his ego and finds himself in an extremely awkward situation. I don't want to say too much other than if you like The Duke's Handmaid you're going to love Nor Iron Bars a Cage. Sometimes when people come out with sequels they are less exciting, but it's as if she used the first book to build up to this story. You'll love it.

Pay special attention to the various Christ-like attributes you will find here, from mercy to righteous judgment. She sneaks these in without the least compromise to her storyline.

You can visit with Caprice and even read the first few chapters of either The Duke's Handmaid or Nor Iron Bars a Cage by clicking HERE.

You can purchase Nor Iron Bars a Cage at:

Amazon
Books a Million
Barnes & Noble

Legal stuff:
Hey, I already had the book, so I'm just telling it like it is. No one paid me to do anything I didn't want to do. This was my choice.