Trinity – Military War Dog (Book Review)

Jan17
Reading Time: 2 minutes

trinity mwdI have loved Ronie Kendig’s writings after reading her Discarded Heroes series (click on the name to see my review). I had been wanting to read Trinity for awhile and finally had my chance.

This is an intense romantic suspense. Ronie is a master at understated romance. I love the romance between Heath and Jia/Darcy and how Trinity, the dog, seemed to keep bringing them together. I don’t want to give away the plot or any of the surprises but there are some sweet moments woven into the tension of the war that the characters are involved in.

Heath was a Green Beret until he was injured and left with a traumatic brain injury. His dog refused to work with anyone else so both were dumped from service. Pulled into a moral boosting training program called A Breed Apart, Heath has to struggle to swallow his pride at the lost dreams. Heading oversees to a military base and running into the unit he used to be an integral part of only rubbed salt in the wound. He meets Jia and something seems familiar with her and he is instantly attracted to the elusive woman he nicknames “Rock Girl.” She ends up being so much more — the focus of his future as well as a ghost from his past.

I have great respect for Ronie’s deep research of the military, the way they work and the role of the often unsung canine warriors who put their lives on the line to keep others safe. Again – another wounded warrior here is finding a place to be useful once again and is willing to lay his life on the line for others. Heart-stopping action, well written and the ending left me with a smile on my face for a long time. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Angel on Fourth Street (Short Story)

Jan13
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Top-secret missions were never all the movies make them out to be. He was glad this would be his last.

Sean stepped out of his black Altima and moved to the sidewalk on the dark street. The Bottoms Up bar was around the corner on Fourth. Its neon sign swung out over the concrete as he walked toward the building. His palms were sweaty. It had been 18 long months since he’d seen or even spoken to his bride.

The months in between had been torture for him, literally. He could still feel the vestiges of continued healing in his body. All he’d wanted for the past few hectic weeks was to surprise Jessi by coming home on their anniversary. She still lived in their apartment. His key had worked in the lock, but she hadn’t been home when he arrived. He searched and found her calendar with this place written on it. It also had a heart with their names on it. He smiled to himself.

Now he was downtown, hoping to surprise her, although this was not quite the romantic location he would have chosen. As he drew nearer, there was a commotion at the door. A woman with her coat half on stumbled out onto the pavement. The heavy bass of a country tune followed. He caught her before she could fall. She looked up at him with a blank stare and a silly grin.

Jessica? Recognition slammed him in the gut.

A burly man followed, coming to an abrupt halt before Sean. “Let her go, man. She’s with me.” The brute was dressed in dirty ripped jeans, construction-style boots, and a wife-beater T-shirt that said, Give blood—play rugby. He reeked of beer and sweat.

The girl in Sean’s arms stiffened as she turned to look at the loser. “I am most certainly not with you,” she spat out.

Sean’s years of military training brought him to high alert at the man’s threatening stance and tone. He’d hoped to live a peaceful life now and had left any weapons of his past occupation back at the base. In comparison to this man before him, he probably looked soft, wearing dress pants, a crisp white dress shirt, suit coat, and tie. He glanced down at his disheveled wife. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her blue eyes appeared glassy as she gazed up at him. Whatever it took, he would protect her.

“I know you, don’t I?” Her eyes squinted. She’d obviously forgone her contacts, but where were her glasses? She looked adorable in her confusion.

“Come on, Jessica, you promised me,” the bully said as he flexed his muscles in an attempt to intimidate and reached a hand out for her.

But Jessica continued to gaze at Sean. Slowly she turned to glare at the loser, her speech slurred. “I promised you nothing, Artie. You can leave now. I’m with him.” She placed a hand on Sean’s chest, and his heart flipped.

Sean wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close as they faced Artie. “You heard the lady. You will leave now.” Sean spoke low, but his voice was edged with titanium. He had no weapons, but even with his hands and feet he was a highly trained killer. He could feel adrenaline pump through his veins as his body prepared for a possible fight. This certainly wasn’t how he’d hoped to spend his anniversary. But then, in the past year and a half, when had anything ever happened like it was supposed to?

Artie’s eyes darted nervously between Sean and Jessica. He shifted on his feet, clenching and unclenching his fists. Sean stared him down. The man finally turned and walked back into the bar, leaving them alone on the dark sidewalk with only the neon lights from the bar sign providing illumination.

Sean relaxed and let out a breath of air he didn’t know he’d been holding. He turned Jessica toward him, pulled her coat up over her shoulders, and held her gently by her upper arms as he bent to look in her eyes.

Jessica stared at him, and her head wobbled. “You’re cute. You remind me of…” And with that, her eyes closed and she fell limp.

Sean swept her up and took her to his car. Maneuvering her into the front seat, he reclined it back and buckled her in. He tried to wake her up, but she didn’t respond. Her pulse was slow and weak. Saying a quick prayer, he drove her to the emergency room. She couldn’t be drunk. She hated alcohol.

A short while later, Sean sat in the hospital room, his shirt unbuttoned, his tie loosened, and his sleeves rolled up. His jacket lay over the arm of the recliner. His suspicion had been right. The date rape drug had been slipped into her drink. Her blood-alcohol level had been so low it was almost nonexistent, whereas the amount of the tranquilizer was enough to have killed her. Sean thanked God for bringing him to her when she needed him most.

Needed him most? She’d needed him over the past 18 months, and he hadn’t been there. He’d been listed as missing in action and had suffered severe injuries in Iraq. If not for the kind ministrations of a missionary family, he would have died. When he recovered, he completed his secret mission for the government…and returned home to find his bride in serious trouble.

Why would she ever go to a bar? It wasn’t her style. But she had no way of knowing he was alive and well. The military had been unwilling to tell her, due to the sensitive nature of his mission. Could that have driven her to this? He shook his head. That part of his life was over now. Over for good. He was here in the States to stay. He hoped. But there were never any guarantees for career military personnel.

He watched Jessica hooked up to the monitors but breathing, thankfully, on her own. His heart ached for the pain his service to their country had cost her. Tonight could have turned out tragically different. The weight of that settled around him like a wet woolen blanket, suffocating him in guilt. He should have been here.

But his country had needed him too. His injuries had complicated things. She didn’t even recognize him with his slighter weight and different haircut. New scars littered his body. Would she find those repulsive? He cried out to God as he held his head in his hands and wept for all the should-have-beens.

Deep in his spirit he was reminded that God was a God of grace and mercy, and He had brought Sean back in time to protect his wife. God had seen him through the war and the trials in a foreign land. God saw and knew the pain of both of their hearts. If God could bring him here to this moment in time, he could certainly trust God for their future. The weight lifted, and he settled back into the leather recliner and slept….

A warning prickled the back of his neck. Someone was staring at him. He could feel it on the edges of sleep. He tensed. Where was he again? He inhaled slowly. Wherever he was smelled funny, and he could hear a steady beeping. Then it came back to him. He wasn’t in Iraq, but in a hospital room in the States. He let himself relax. Opening his eyes, he saw white everywhere with soft blue walls as a backdrop. Jessica was lying there, squinting, watching him. He rose, went to her purse, and dug for her glasses. Gently placing them on her face, he moved a strand of hair off her cheek.

Her eyes focused, but he could tell she still didn’t recognize him. He reached down with his left hand to clasp her left hand. There was a white line where her wedding ring had been, and his heart cracked a bit that she had removed it. He had saved two years for that ring, starting after their first date, certain she would be his. Her hand warmed at his touch.

He gazed into her eyes. “Jessie…did you doubt I would return for you?” He croaked the words out. The man who could speak with authority to soldiers in battle was struggling when faced with his wife. Uncertainty filled his heart. What if she didn’t want him? The thought was devastating.

Her eyes widened as she glanced from their joined hands to his wide gold wedding band and then up to his face. “Sean?” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Reaching for a tissue with his free hand, he wiped the tears, then held the tissue for her to blow her nose. She did so noisily, like a foghorn . . . something he’d always teased her about but secretly loved. He smiled at her and tossed the tissue to the can by the side of the bed. Her eyes closed, and her grip loosened in his hand. “Jessi?”

She didn’t respond, so he sat back down to wait and pray as she slept.

Awhile later he returned from the snack room with a cup of instant coffee that tasted like heaven compared to what he got in the field. Entering the room, he saw her eyes open. She seemed startled when he turned the corner by her hospital bed. Little lines appeared on her forehead and between her eyes. He came to set the coffee down and put her glasses back on her face.

“You were listed as missing,” she whispered. “It was after a horrible attack, and so many died. But they couldn’t find you. They told me you were probably dead.”

He gave her half a grin. “Not happy to see me, Jess?”

“How are you here?”

“Later, Sweetheart. I’m sorry you had to go through all you endured in my absence. I’m home now and hope to make it up to you somehow.”

“Make it up? How can you make up the past year and a half? You waltz back into my life and want to pick up as if nothing happened?” He could hear the pain and loneliness in her voice. She never was one for surprises.

“You were drugged last night, Jess. If I hadn’t ‘waltzed in’ when I did, you would likely have been raped and dead by now.” His voice was soft, trying to take the hardness out of the reality.

She gasped. Her eyes held his as if to test the veracity of his words. “I don’t remember much. Only that you were like a guardian angel. I was safe in your arms.”

“I told you I would come back to you.”

“Pretty words, Sean, but you’re human, and I thought you had died. I thought God had taken my best friend from me.” Tears began again and Sean wiped them away with his thumb. She brushed his hand aside. “You couldn’t have called or emailed or Skyped to tell me you were well?”

“I was alive—but not well—and in enemy territory. Knowing you were waiting for me back home was the only thing that kept me fighting to come back from the hell I was in. I had no way to contact you. I can explain more later. I feel awful that you suffered so in my absence.”

Her body shuddered as she fought back more tears. Sean smiled. His redoubtable wife. She was his treasure, a gift from God he would try to never take for granted. He had missed her so much.

“If the doctor will let you come home, we can start fresh, you and I. Would that be okay?”

Jessica nodded. She reached to touch his unshaven chin, and he leaned forward to make it easier for her. Her frown deepened as her hands moved to his head and traced the scars amongst the short hair and along his cheekbone and forehead. “You almost died, didn’t you?”

Sean nodded. “But I didn’t. I came back for you. I’d hoped to surprise you for our anniversary. I had so many dreams of how wonderful our reunion would be.”

Jessica dropped her hand. “I was heartbroken you might never be coming back. Connie, a friend from work, invited me to meet her at the bar to visit and play pool. I didn’t want to be in our apartment. Alone. Missing you.” She shrugged. “I kept getting hit on and finally decided to leave.”

“But someone had other plans for you. I’m glad I came in time, Love. I would have been inconsolable to learn that anything had happened to you.”

Jessica smiled. “But you are here now. Thank you, Sean.”

“Anytime.” He smiled down at her.

The nurse came in to disconnect Jessica from all her apparatus and Sean left so she could dress. When he returned, he held out a bouquet of flowers. “Happy anniversary, Jessi. I’m home.”

Jessica walked to him and took the flowers. She brought them to her nose, inhaled, then set them on the bed. Clasping her arms around his neck, she pulled his face down to hers. His arms went around her waist as he waited for her next move.

“Kiss me, Sean. Please? I have so missed your kiss.” He willingly obliged. Her kiss felt like home.

Mission accomplished.

This story was one of 39 published in I Choose You, an anthology by Oak Tara Press.

The rights reverted to me last year. 

The Last Detail (Book Review)

Jan10
Reading Time: 2 minutes

the last detailThe Last Detail is the most recent work of Lisa J. Lickel and while billed more as women’s fiction, it has a nice romantic thread to it.

Merit is a medical missionary who is injured on the field and sent home to recover. The only problem is, the mission board refuses his request to return to the field. Cast adrift and trying to figure out what to do with his life, he moves into a large empty home that is an inheritance left to him and his sister. While struggling with his value and direction, he is intrigued with Amalia who has taken on the task of managing final details of the estate that the house is a part of.

Amalia runs a business called The Last Detail, (hence the name of the book), that helps people with other end of life planning beyond the funeral. She is stuck in a relationship with the funeral director, Hudson, who assumes they will marry. Can Amalia break out of her rut and embrace a larger life than the one that had been prescribed for her by her parents and business associate? Perhaps one that takes her beyond the borders of her city?

Both characters have to struggle with their relationship with God and with each other as obstacles continually emerge to confuse and complicate their lives.

I don’t want to give any spoilers away! Just read the book and enjoy the story as it unfolds. This is a well-crafted story that has hung with me for days after reading it.

Shoot the Messenger

Jan6
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Image courtesy of seaskylab / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of seaskylab / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve seen this situation many times. Someone gets upset about something in ministry and instead of going to the source they start talking about it with others.

I understand this too well. See, I’m human too. Sometimes it’s easier to complain than to actually approach a leader and ask questions or express my views.

I’ve been on the leadership side and let me give you an image. Being a leader is putting a large target on your back and silently begging people to shoot at you.

Those shots hurt. Even with the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit, they hurt. See most people don’t take issue with a decision, they attack the person making the decision.

Whether I’ve been in leadership or not, I have pledged to defend and protect my leaders.

That doesn’t mean I’m ignorant of their failings or humanness. It doesn’t mean I mutely accept every decision made or never voice my opinion. I do, with respect. And sometimes I don’t get my way and I back down knowing that God knows better than me and our leaders are held to a higher level  of accountability. They need our prayer, not our criticism.

It means that I will try to encourage others to take the high road. To not, however innocently, post veiled attacks on Facebook, or in a group. To go to the source and if that doesn’t work, do the Matthew 18 thing and take a friend or another person who is impartial to verify and hear out the disagreement.

Strange how people rarely gossip about the good things others do, isn’t it?

Anyway, time and again I have tried this method of redirection and even trying to suggest more positive re-framing that people could consider instead of jumping to suspicious conclusions or motives.

It doesn’t matter. The messenger gets attacked and called ignorant and people take the comments as personal slander even though they were never named or even thought of in comments written or spoken.

It’s sad that we can’t cut each other grace, speak the truth in love to the person we have an issue with and move on. I guess that’s the reason so many pages of Scripture are dedicated to the “one-anothers” so we are reminded this is not an us against them kind of issue, but it is about us growing as a body of believers to become more and more the bride (the church) that Christ is coming to wed.

I love the local church. I have spent years pouring myself out in service to her as paid and unpaid staff. To be honest though, sometimes, because of these “friendly fire” situations, I wish I could just walk away. The only thing that keeps me is that not everyone is like that. There are those who do take the high road and walk with integrity and regardless of how they feel, avoid the petty backbiting and gossip. Some of them have defended me against others who have slandered me behind my back and they suffered for that as well.

Jesus also suffered in a similar way (and far worse) by those who proclaimed to love God.

Sorry to use this as venue to whine. I want the Bride of Christ to shimmer and shine. I want her lace to be pure and clean. It’s just that those kinds of negative behaviors don’t show a good witness within the church or without. So maybe we can all try harder with God’s help and a lot of prayer for our leaders.

And I’ll once again pull out the arrows and slap on a band-aid of forgiveness and try again, even when it hurts. Because Jesus is worth it and so are His people and the mission He has called us to.

Picture Perfect (Book Review)

Jan3
Reading Time: 2 minutes

picture perfectI have enjoyed Janice Thompson’s Weddings by Bella series for her ability to write humorous characters and sweet romances. I was thrilled that she is continuing her tradition with her new series, Weddings by Design. Picture Perfect is the first in this series but it flows beautifully from the Bella series as many of those same characters appear here.

Where Weddings by Bella had found humor in Italians living in Texas, Picture Perfect has fun with Texan Irish. Mix a little Italian in there and another wedding fiasco, because you know they can never run smoothly, and you have a lighthearted and fun romance.

Hannah McDermott finally has what she had longed for. A successfull business as a photographer and her opportunity to be “the best” on the island after she landed a prestigious wedding. She is forever haunted by a friend from high school who had stolen her boyfriend for prom. She feels like she is always coming up short. Right now, coming up short is being in competition with the handsome Drew Kincaid.

Drew however is not so put off by the idea of competition with Hannah and soon the two band together and are embraced by Bella’s boisterous Italian family, and associated friends. Will life stay the same? Will Hannah before ever falling second or can she set aside her competitive spirit and fear of second place, to share a delightful adventure with one really charming Irish man?

If you have read and enjoyed any of Janice’s books, you will enjoy this one too. Humor and romance and yet spiritual truth are woven together beautifully. I look forward to the next in the series.

Rescue Team (Book Review)

Dec27
Reading Time: 2 minutes

rescue teamA complex and satisfying romantic suspense came out this year, by author Candace Clavert. Rescue Team makes the most, once again of Calvert’s experience as an ER nurse. She not only takes you behind the scenes at a hospital Emergency Department, but in this novel, opens up the world of Search and Rescue operations.

Kate Callison has a tragic past but it catches up to taunt her when a baby is found delivered and dead on the bathroom floor. Did the mom check in at the ER desk? Is she responsible for abandoning her baby when Safe Haven laws would have allowed her to give it up? Who is going to be held accountable for this? As Kate runs the ER it ultimately falls on her shoulders and she had even spoken to the woman in obvious distress. Should she have pushed harder to help her? If only she had known . . . But Kate is burdened with overcoming the spectre of the fabulous nurse who had been previously in charged. Much loved and murdered. How does one compete with a dead woman?

Wes Tanner specializes in finding lost people. Having once been lost himself as a young man, he has nver forgiven his mother for abandoning him before she killed herself, nor has he forgotten the feeling of being found again. Something about Kate Callison intrigues him. Her walls are up, but just who is she hiding from? She denies being lost, but is that true? Confronted with his own demons from the past, can he overcome his resentment towards his mother and love Kate in spite of her own past?

Throw in a swarmy lawyer, a repentant father, a cast of characters who are friends and Wes’ family and a flood, and you have a story that keeps you enthralled and wondering how it would ever be possible for these two lost souls to find God–and each other. When they both realize God never lost either of them, well, that’s when the magic happens.

Her Salesman (Short Story)

Dec23
Reading Time: 6 minutes

She dreaded attending the company picnic. Erik said he would come. They had talked several times a week about business and at times about their personal lives. He was in sales and she was in support. He had never failed to make her laugh and his deep voice had given her dreams that a single Christian girl should never have.

Today she was going to meet him face to face. At least it was in a crowd of over a hundred employees and most from her department were here. Home was only an hour’s drive away so if she needed to escape it wasn’t out of the question.

She spied him. She had the advantage because being in sales, his photo was on the website. She had always envisioned him in his suit like he wore in the picture she had drooled over. Today was casual. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt that fit him well and khaki cargo shorts and flip flops. His hair curled around his ears.

He was a hunk. She was about to leave but he turned and his eyes caught hers. She was caught. A slow smile spread across his face. He made a quick comment to the man he was with and walked towards her.

She swallowed hard. Run. You can still go! Her feet didn’t obey. She bit her lip and a breeze blew her tresses across her face.

His hand came forward and brushed the locks behind her ears. “Alycia?”

She nodded, her mouth dry. “Hi, Erik,” she squeaked out.

He reached for her and enfolded her in his arms and she could hear his heartbeat as her head nestled against his broad chest. He smelled of Irish Spring and sunshine. He released her but stood close. “I have been waiting months to have a chance to finally see you face to face. Come, let’s sit over by the lake and talk.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

Remember, he’s a salesman. Alycia, don’t get sucked in by his charm and good looks, it’s what makes him successful.

They sat side by side and he put an arm around her and hugged her to himself again but did not release her this time. She tried to pull away.

“Erik, we hardly know each other.” She protested in a soft voice.

Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

He looked down at her with a grin and twinkling blue eyes. “I know you better than I know any member of my family or even my best friend Chad. We’ve been talking for months. You’ve listened and shared with me on your lunch breaks and you’ve given me ideas that have helped me meet and exceed my quotas. You’ve made me laugh on those hard days and you’ve made me long to come and wipe your tears away when life was hard for you.”

She opened her mouth to speak but a finger came to rest upon it.

“Let me finish. Your favorite color is blue. You love brandy old-fashioned sweet but rarely drink alcohol because of your depression medication. You have a greyhound named Bingo that you rescued and who practically pushes you out of bed during the night. You love country rock – especially if it’s Christian and you’ve not yet met a man who knocks your socks off.”

Alycia giggled and let her head rest against his shoulder. “I can’t believe you even want to be seen with me.”

“Why?” he pulled away to turn to her, “what’s wrong with you that you would say that? Your hair shimmers in the sun and your eyes remind me of toffee, which is my favorite candy if you remember. You come to my shoulder and you look adorable in that outfit.” He sniffed at her neck making her giggle some more. “You smell like a pina colada. So what’s the problem? Why wouldn’t I want to be with you?”

“I’m short and rounder than I should be.” She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

“Stand up.” He pulled her to her feet and stepped back, putting a hand on his chin as he looked her over.

“You told me you were a woman.”

She nodded, trying to avoid his eyes and resisting the urge to fold her arms over her ample chest.

“And I’m a man.”

“I noticed.”

“Did you? Good.” He pulled her back to the bench and put his arm around her again and leaned to whisper in her ear. “Did you know that men like girls with curves? I have to admit I’ve been having some not-so-nice thoughts of what I would like to do with yours.”

She pulled away, “EriK!”

“Why are you shocked? You are a gorgeous woman and I’ve come to know the girl inside before I ever managed to get Rick to snap a picture of you so I could see what you looked like on the outside.”

“Afraid I was a fifty year old frump?”

He chuckled and she could feel the rumble in his chest. “Hold on.” He moved his arm and reached around to pull out his wallet. He flipped it open as he leaned back next to her. He flipped it open to a picture – of her!

“How did you?” She had to admit was a good photo of her, candid, laughing, as she talked to someone on the phone, the headset mic almost hidden in the angle. “Rick?”

Eric nodded. “Wanna know who you were talking to at the time?”

She placed her hand on his chest. He nodded.

“Listen, I’ve been wanting to go out on a date for months and you have always resisted. Now we’re here and you are still resisting me. Why? What have I done wrong?”

Tears sprang to her eyes as she shook her head. “Nothing. You’ve done nothing wrong, Erik. It’s just you seem too good to be true.”

“Too good to be true? Didn’t I tell you about how messy my car is and how I hate folding laundry so I live out of the basket and spend a fortune in dry cleaning because I’m too lazy to iron my own shirts?”

She nodded as a tear escaped.

“Alycia, what’s the problem? I fell in love with you months ago. I want to have a relationship with you.”

She leaned her head against his chest and felt his arm come around her again, holding her close. She knew this man, how good he really was. So why did she hesitate? Erik loved God and he had tried to pursue her for months even when she put him off out of her fear that he would meet her and it would destroy what they had. Erik hadn’t rejected her. She tipped her head back and he looked down at her with those baby blues that took her breath away in the photo she had of him and even more so in person. She pulled her other hand up to caress his cheek with the light stubble growing there.

“I’ve loved you for so long, Erik, I think I’ve been afraid I would wake up and find it was all just a wonderful dream.”

He grinned, “I’ll give you something to dream about, Alycia.” His lips met hers and all her fears melted away as her arm moved to pull him closer to her. He pulled away and took a deep breath. “Maybe we should skip dating and go straight to the wedding?”

Alycia smiled. “No. We’ll date first. This has been worth the wait and all the sweeter for it.”

“If you insist.” He leaned down and they kissed again. When she pulled away she kissed his cheek.

“You were wrong about one thing.”

“What was that?”

“I have met someone who knocks my socks off—if I were wearing any!”

It took a few seconds for him to understand what she was saying and  his grin widened. Alycia laid her head on his chest. No man had ever wanted her like this before.

“As much as I would love to canoodle the day away here in this fashion, I think it would be prudent to engage in some other activities here.” Erik removed his arm and stood to his feet and extended a hand to her.

“What did you have in mind?” She took his hand and looked up into his smiling face.

“How are you at volleyball?

“I love the game but play horribly.”

“Then we are a perfect match.” He pulled her to her feet and kissed the top of her head. Grasping her hand they headed off to the courts.

The Love Thief (Book Review)

Dec20
Reading Time: < 1 minute

TheLoveThiefThe Love Thief is a novella by Daisy Jerico and is her debut work out by Prism Book Group

Sandra has overcome a difficult past and is on the cusp of realizing her dream of being a jewelry designer while she manages a jewelry store for her boss.

A break-in and theft at the store, however, threatens that dream when she comes under suspicion. The problem is, Sandra didn’t steal the jewelry which included her own design that she had sunk every last penny into. Now her job is in jeopardy as well as her freedom. On top of her life falling apart, a mammoth dog has chosen her to be his owner. How much more can one girl take?

She’s not given much of a choice but to work with an ex-thief to try to trap the real culprit, her former boyfriend, a Svengali type of guy who still thinks that Sandra would want him back after he set her up for a fall five years ago.

Throw in a mammoth dog and some mishaps and you have one humorous yet suspenseful love story.

Will Sandra catch the thief and live to tell about it? Could love flourish in the midst of this? Spoiler – the real love thief is Viking, the dog. Thoroughly loved this story and the cover makes me grin.

This is a novella and available as an e-book only.


Do You Make Jesus Look Stupid?

Dec16
Reading Time: 3 minutes

IMG_20131214_090959_409I’m stepping out on a limb here because something has bothered me a lot lately with social media.

Christians are making statements and polarizing themselves over things that are inconsequential. Oh, I know, you believe your views are important and I respect that, but please, hear me out here.

Does your firm stance and insulting words about whether someone is Republican or Democrat show the winsomeness of Christ?

Or whether you believe in Creation or Evolution?

Or, whether everyone should say “Merry Christmas?”

I’m not saying that these things are unimportant. What I want to propose though is that the militant stand that many take might be doing more to alienate those from the truth of the gospel and the holiness of this time of year than attract them to it.

Insulting someone to try to win them to your point of view is the equivalent of throwing manure on them rather than the sweet aroma of baking Christmas cookies. It doesn’t work.

Our opponents are fellow image bearers of Christ, whether we agree with their political, cultural or theological positions on things.

I have my perspective and stand on issues too, and some I feel strongly about. However, the reason I initially went to pursue a degree in Christian counseling was because I saw too often that the words and behaviors of many Christians were a stumbling block to unbelievers.

Granted, we are all in the process of sanctification–and I am at times as guilty as anyone of being obnoxious about things I believe strongly in. However, I believe as Christians we need to have an extra filter on our conversations on-line. The filter of the question: “Will this bring honor to Christ and make Him desirable for others to pursue?”

Yes, I know Christianity is objectionable to many. But consider this. Is it because of the truths of the Bible itself,or could it be due to the way those who claim to be Christians behave and respond to the world around them?

I’m not going to tell you what to believe about how you educate your child, whether or not you should vaccinate or if you should be for or against Obamacare. I respect the fact that there are people on both sides of the aisle of these issues. And that’s okay. (No. Really. It is.). God can be honored and glorified in many of the diverse opinions we hold depending on the manner in which we hold them.

Does that make sense? I believe God can be glorified in the family that chooses public school as well as  those who homeschool (or private). God leads and guides us all in different ways because He desires to shine His light in all the dark corners of the world. When we can love others in spite of their views on abortion (gasp!) or how they vote, we elevate their dignity as humans created in the image of God above our own agendas. Do we have to negate what we believe in to do that? NO! But we can love and listen and even disagree without disrespecting those who hold opposing views. We can stand for truth, certainly, but let us do it with grace.

Ultimately our goal is to win the world to Jesus, but if  the world sees us as fighting about minor issues as to what color of skin Jesus or Santa had or get militant about boycotting stores that say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” then how does that draw them closer to the very Savior we proclaim to worship and adore? When we do things like this we are slamming the door of the inn in their face and tell them they can’t belong with us because of some corporate policy dictated to them by a handful of people removed from the day to day interaction at a cash register.

Go ahead and say Merry Christmas in response to a benign greeting. Sometimes those employees are obeying orders but can respond to your comment with their own Merry Christmas when you open the door instead of being hostile. And the sweetness of Christ will prevail instead of more animosity.

This goes beyond Christmas – but the war seems to be more heated than ever at this season. Christianity is not supposed to intentionally alienate people from the truths of the Gospel. The gospel can do that on it’s own but those who believe in Him should not. We hold our faith as a precious and beautiful gift of grace that is meant to be shared, not horded.

Secrets (Book Review)

Dec13
Reading Time: 2 minutes

secretsIt’s probably appropriate that I publish this review on a Friday the 13th given the dark undertones to Kristin Heitzmann’s novel, Secrets.  Well, that’s if you are in any way superstitious.

Lance Michelli is a young man burdened with a big heart and impulsive, passionate nature that sometimes gets him in trouble, in spite of his best intentions.  In trying to live up to his deceased brother’s memory, he embarks on a quest to discover the secrets his grandmother cannot tell.  What has her so agitated? Will he uncover the answers that will soothe her soul as she recovers from a stroke? Or will he be too late.

His quest takes him from the East Coast to Italy and now to Sonoma where his cooking skills win him a place in the home that might legally belong to his grandmother. The new owner, Rese Barret is fighting her own demons as she remodels this home into a bed and breakfast. Lance agrees to cook, clean and fix up part of the property but never tells this young, tightly wound woman, the real reason he is there. How could he, when he doesn’t even know himself?

Attraction builds as secrets are uncovered for both Lance and Rese. Lance tries to share his faith with Rese but she refuses to believe in a God she can’t see.  Having a mother who had a boyfriend she couldn’t see has made her wary of anything spiritual. Understanding more about schizophrenia though and the truth about her mother, is enough to push her over the edge – to madness- or to faith. Will Lance be there to catch her when she falls?

Complex character with an organic faith line woven in, Kristen slowly peels back the mystery of the secrets in both her main characters lives as they are drawn to each other. A fascinating tale and the subject of mental illness is handled with great care and realism.  This is only the second book of Kristen Heitzmann’s that I’ve read, but I will gladly pick up another by this gifted author.