Today I’m reviewing SECRETS by Robin Jones Gunn for Random House/Multnomah. I’ve read several of Gunn’s “Sisterchicks” books, so I was happy to receive this book to review.

Jessica Morgan is a woman with secrets who comes to Glennbrook to begin a new life. Fleeing her past–and the reader is not let in on what is her dark secret that she flees from until much later–Jessica Morgan arrives in Glenbrook to take up the job of teacher. Because she crashes her car on the way in, the first person she meets is a friendly, handsome paramedic, Kyle, who rescues her and takes her to the hospital. Here she finds out her friend and confidant, the principal of the school, has had a stroke and Jessica must begin her new life on her own. She goes astray immediately by taking on a false last name to hide her past, fearing her last name would reveal her secret and drag her back into the life she is trying so desperately to escape. She might have succeeded but for the suspicious meddling of the unfriendly interim principal and the continued interest of the paramedic, who is a Christian. His caring leads Jessica on a quest to learn to trust. Accompanying Kyle and some Christian kids on a mission trip to Mexico, she meets her Lord and learns she can trust Him as well as the man he has picked out for her, Kyle.

Gunn’s style is very readable. The book is a page turner and has undeniable spiritual value in teaching the reader that secrets can build a wall that keep us from trusting our Lord and those who would help us and enrich our lives. Yet I felt there are parts that could have been made more believable–the car crash, her treatment in the E.R. (I’m an E. R. nurse), the heroine’s existing on practically no food until her first paycheck, and the fact that the school seems to have no way of checking the heroine’s teaching license status–even though the book was originally written in 1995, that seems a bit unbelievable . And the past that the heroine is fleeing doesn’t seem all that dire, when it’s finally revealed. The book really gains strength during the mission trip when Jessica comes to grips with her Savior. And I have to admit I enjoyed the spiteful interim principal’s comeuppance.

I felt the good parts of the book far outweighed the parts that could have been better and I remain a fan of Robin Jones Gunn.

This book was provided free for review by Random House/Multnomah.

Blessings, Laurie Kingery

Working the Muddle Out of Your Middle

The sub-genre of Christian vampire novels is a relat ively new one, and as a Christian and a vampire novel fan, I am always looking for more of them to read, so when I was offered the opportunity to review Beth Maze’s RABBIT:CHASING BETH RIDER, I jumped at it. And in reading it I discovered a unique, fascinating world. Beth Rider is a southern novelist who’s written a best seller which brings a message of redemption to the Rakum, a vampire-like race who prey upon humans, making some of them into Rabbits, who are subject to endless torture by their Rakum captors. There are also Cows, who are humans who inexplicably donate their blood freely to their particular Rakum. Beth’s novel brings her to the attention of Jack Dawn, a huge nightmare of a Rakum who threatens her at a booksigning, then assaults her later in a  hotel room, making her a Rabbit, then looses her for the delight of other Rakum to hunt down. But Beth is fortunate in that the first Rakum who finds her is Dawn’s proselyte Michael Stone, who falls for her instantly and is sure that his Master erred in making her a Rabbit. Michael knows the fatal cost of trying to protect her, but with the aid of several other Rakum, he risks all to go to her aid. The Rakum who meet Beth are all drawn by her winsome message of light and salvation, and when Beth is captured, they join her in a Hell-like place of Rakum assembly that will pit Beth and her invisible, Heavenly protector against the ancient evil Rakum Fathers. I was cheering at the triumphant conclusion of good over evil, Light over darkness. Big New York publishers won’t often take the chance on a novel like this. It’s too different. As a result, what they publish is often anemic. It is left to small presses and determined authors like Ellen Maze to think outside the box. It could have used a “scosh” more proofeading (but to be honest, so could most New York-published novels these days), and a few fewer characters–I got lost in the panoply of Rakum, Cows and so forth. But that fault may be mine. Brava, Ellen Maze, and thank you for allowing me to review your uniquely entertaining novel!

Blessings, Laurie

Today was a slog through the mud. Many writing days are like that. You sit down with a heavy feeling of “what on earth am I going to write today in this story?” What needs to happen? Is it too soon? Too late? Too much for this particular story? Not enough? Do I really want to write today?

No, I do not. I’d rather read a book, not write one that isn’t even bought yet. But I know if I don’t write, the afternoon will end with me feeling defeated and lazy. I didn’t write, though that’s my job. Writers write. And they don’t wait for the muse, lazy hag that she can be.

When I close the chapter document and sign off of Word, I mark my writing calendar, as I think I’ve told you, with smiley faces whose hue depicts the kind of writing day I’ve had. Yesterday it was purple–not good. I dillydallied and let myself be distracted by the internet and ended up accomplishing no more than formatting the new chapter and writing one word. One. The heroine’s name. Pretty bad.

I didn’t want to end up with a purple “smiley” face today, or even a blue, that shows I tried though it was hard. So I sat down. I kept my derriere in the chair, my hands on the keyboard. I didn’t open AOL. And I accomplished 3 pages in 2.5 hours. It’s not great, but it’s not bad either.

Tomorrow I may look at what I wrote today and think it’s all schlock. But at least you can work with what’s there, whereas you can’t do much with a blank page or screen. Have you slogged through the mud lately?

Blessings, Laurie