 Written by Samuel Parker When a day trip out of Las Vegas with his wife takes a turn for the worse, Jack is sure that he has the ability to get them home. But he drove into something far beyond reason. Rescue comes in the form of a desert hermit, but hope fades as the couple realizes that the nomad has no intention of letting them leave. A chance encounter with a kidnapped runaway and her crazed abductor leads them all farther into the wilderness—and closer to the cold brutality that isolation brings. At the edge of his sanity, Jack begins to learn that playing by another’s rules may be the only way to survive. In a voice that is as hypnotizing as a desert mirage, debut novelist Samuel Parker entices readers down a dangerous road, where the forces of good and evil are as crushing as the Mojave heat. This is suspense in its purest, most unfiltered form.  Fragments of Imagination
There is a scene from the film adaptation of A River Runs Through It where the young Norman Maclean presents his father, his schoolmaster, with a piece of writing. Norman hands in his composition and his father marks it up with red, telling him “Again . . . half as long.” This happens several times until the writing is approved, thrown in the trash, and the boy runs off to fish. The Art of Brevity In a world where the mark of a “true” writer seems to be the word count tally of the day or week or month, brevity can be a sign of lack of discipline. However, brevity can be a valuable tool to wield and provide space for a reader to incorporate their own imagination into your story. One of my favorite chapters in my book Purgatory Road has only 48 words. It looks a bit odd in book form, taking up less than a half page. But I feel it is one of the more unique chapters in the book, as it conveys so much more emotion, context, and suspense than what would have been accomplished at 10 times the word count. (For context, the couple is stranded in the Mojave for a long while when we arrive at this scene.) 17 Morning light skirted the eastern ring of the valley as gently as an Easter sunrise. “Jack,” she whispered. “Yeah?” “Jack . . . water?” “No.” “It’s all gone?” “Yeah,” he said. “Oh.” “Sorry.” “Okay.” They drifted in a daze between waking and oblivion. “Jack?” “Yeah?” “I thought you left.” “Nope.” “Okay.” Brevity causes you to be confident in the words you have chosen, and confident that the reader will add what is flexible and implied, giving them more investment and bringing the story to life with much more vividness as it becomes laced with their own imagination and memory. One perfectly placed sentence can cut to the heart of a thought as quick as a Ginsu and with just as much ferocity. In fact, I think it can do more to impress on the reader the gravity of the story than burying them in superfluous prose. The Sound of Silence Music composition uses silence just as much as sounds. A pause or muted part allows the listener’s mind to wander, reflect, or ponder, as one writer said, “what it is that echoes in the silence.” [1] I would argue that sentence, paragraph, page, and chapter composition can accomplish much of the same effect. The problem that surfaces is our fear of trusting the reader to imagine our world in their own minds, to relinquish the keys of creation, and let a fragment echo in the silence and expand apart from the written word. In Purgatory Road, I use fragments to a level that caused my editor a bit of concern. Sentences are not supposed to look like this; even Microsoft tries to flag our attention and scream “This is wrong!” Below is an example of something I like to do in controlling the pace of a narrative with single words: Laura stared out of the windshield. The road ran off out of sight, disappearing into the horizon, mesmerizing in its seemingly magical disappearance. Alone. She thumbed her wedding ring in absentminded play, the sweat beginning to seep out of her skin, causing the band to roll freely around her finger. She looked at it, its jewel sparkling, shining in the rays streaming through the glass. The “Alone” gets grammatically flagged, but as read, it causes the reader to stop. A bullet. Even if it’s only for a fraction of a second, the reader has to contemplate that word in isolation. It’s more forceful than saying “she was all alone sitting in the car.” Alone. There is something slightly menacing in reducing the clutter and getting down to the raw bone of what you are trying to say. The world is not binary, so this bit of advice will not work for all occasions. Some things need explaining, some do not. But I would challenge you to look at your recent work, the one with the mega word count that you celebrated to your friends on Twitter about, and hear the voice of Norman Maclean’s father as you reread it: “Again . . . half as long.” You may surprise yourself by how a more direct and simple word choice cuts down to the marrow of the story you are trying to tell. [1] http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2009/08/silence_is_golden.html.
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 Featuring guest author, Mesu Andrews
Does it surprise you that historians and biblical scholars alike question the dates of the Exodus? Some choose to place Moses in the mid-1400’s BC while others place him in the mid-1200’s with the famous Pharaoh Ramesses and Queen Nefertiry. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I settled on the Ramesses dating. I mean, who can argue with Cecil B. DeMilles and DreamWorks, right? Perhaps a bit more convincing was the relief (hieroglyphs) in the west wing of the Great Hypostyle Hall (Karnak Temple Complex, Egypt) in which Pharaoh Seti is pictured with a mysterious military officer known only as Mehy. Though the Egyptians-of-old were meticulous record-keepers, Egyptologists have found no genealogy or historical record regarding Mehy. Even more intriguing—the Hypostyle relief shows Pharaoh Ramesses—Egypt’s longest reigning king—made an attempt to replace Mehy’s image with his own. Why had Ramesses wanted to wipe out the record of Mehy in Egypt? I believe it was because Ramesses discovered Mehy was Hebrew—and that Hebrew was Moses. Deeper research uncovered the more precise Exodus dating around 1250 BC. Ramesses ruled Egypt ca.1279-1213 BC. Based on historical accounts of his ascension age, he was approximately fifty-three when the Israelites left Egypt. Exodus 7:7 tells us that Moses was eighty years old when he returned as God’s chosen leader to free the Israelites. Have Cecil B. DeMilles, DreamWorks, Exodus: Gods and Kings been lying to us about Moses’s best friend? Say it ain’t so! Ramesses and Moses likely would not have been close in age or reared as brothers as the movies depict. In fact, if Moses was indeed Mehy, Seti’s military officer, it’s more likely that Moses and Seti were the best friends and reared together as brothers. Which could also explain Ramesses’ jealous attempts to replace the mysterious officer’s image from the relief in Hypostyle Hall. Though neither historical nor biblical records tell us Moses’s Egyptian name, it’s been fun to imagine what Moses’s life might have been like as a true prince of Egypt who was later God’s chosen deliverer. I hope you’ll enjoy the full account of Moses from infancy to the Exodus in my two-book series: The Pharaoh’s Daughter and Miriam.  Featuring guest author, Morgan Busse What is steampunk? I’m asked this question a lot, especially with the release of Tainted, the first book in my own steampunk series. In a nutshell, the genre steampunk is a fusion of our history (usually Victorian or western) and science fiction/fantasy. For example:
What I love about steampunk is the possibilities. Steampunk isn’t just science fiction or Victorian. It can have magic if you want. Or you can borrow from the time period of your choice without being confined to it or to the technology that existed. So if you want to invent some kind of steam powered cell phone, go for it! The thing that sets steampunk apart from other genres (both visually and in story) is the feel. Steampunk has a feel of fantastical inventions, adventure, and science/discovery. Usually cogs, clocks, corsets, goggles, airships, and alchemy are associated with steampunk stories. But you don’t have to have any of those if you don’t want to. Have fun and create your own technology, weapons, and culture. My own steampunk series borrows heavily from the Victorian era and science. I also had fun inventing things such as mechanical animals, an airship that runs on solar panels, a sniper rifle hidden within a walking cane, and a prosthetic arm that functions as an electric cannon. But like any other genre, the story cannot stand on just the genre underpinnings. What connects the reader to the story is the story itself, with characters the reader can relate to. So while you’re having fun inventing your steampunk world, remember to tell a story, one that will grip your readers by the heart and mind. How about you? Have you ever heard of steampunk before? What do you like about this sub-genre? *** What Happens When Your Soul Dies? Kat Bloodmayne is one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. But she carries a secret: she can twist the natural laws of life. She has no idea where this ability came from, only that every time she loses control and unleashes this power, it kills a part of her soul. If she doesn’t find a cure soon, her soul will die and she will become something else entirely. After a devastating personal loss, Stephen Grey leaves the World City Police Force to become a bounty hunter. He believes in justice and will stop at nothing to ensure criminals are caught and locked up. However, when Kat Bloodmayne shows up in his office seeking his help, his world is turned upside down. Together they search World City and beyond for a doctor who can cure Kat. But what they discover on the way goes beyond science and into the dark sphere of magic. Book one of The Soul Chronicles series. Order your copy of Tainted here: www.enclavepublishing.com   Written by Morgan Busse What is steampunk? I’m asked this question a lot, especially with the release of Tainted, the first book in my own steampunk series. In a nutshell, the genre steampunk is a fusion of our history (usually Victorian or western) and science fiction/fantasy. For example:
What I love about steampunk is the possibilities. Steampunk isn’t just science fiction or Victorian. It can have magic if you want. Or you can borrow from the time period of your choice without being confined to it or to the technology that existed. So if you want to invent some kind of steam powered cell phone, go for it! The thing that sets steampunk apart from other genres (both visually and in story) is the feel. Steampunk has a feel of fantastical inventions, adventure, and science/discovery. Usually cogs, clocks, corsets, goggles, airships, and alchemy are associated with steampunk stories. But you don’t have to have any of those if you don’t want to. Have fun and create your own technology, weapons, and culture. My own steampunk series borrows heavily from the Victorian era and science. I also had fun inventing things such as mechanical animals, an airship that runs on solar panels, a sniper rifle hidden within a walking cane, and a prosthetic arm that functions as an electric cannon. But like any other genre, the story cannot stand on just the genre underpinnings. What connects the reader to the story is the story itself, with characters the reader can relate to. So while you’re having fun inventing your steampunk world, remember to tell a story, one that will grip your readers by the heart and mind. How about you? Have you ever heard of steampunk before? What do you like about this sub-genre? *** What Happens When Your Soul Dies? Kat Bloodmayne is one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. But she carries a secret: she can twist the natural laws of life. She has no idea where this ability came from, only that every time she loses control and unleashes this power, it kills a part of her soul. If she doesn’t find a cure soon, her soul will die and she will become something else entirely. After a devastating personal loss, Stephen Grey leaves the World City Police Force to become a bounty hunter. He believes in justice and will stop at nothing to ensure criminals are caught and locked up. However, when Kat Bloodmayne shows up in his office seeking his help, his world is turned upside down. Together they search World City and beyond for a doctor who can cure Kat. But what they discover on the way goes beyond science and into the dark sphere of magic. Visit Morgan Busse at morganlbusse.com
 Written by Dr. Richard Mabry, MD When you think about relaxing reading for the summer, I doubt that a mystery, thriller, or suspense novel is what comes to mind. Matter of fact, I had that same hesitancy. Some of the books classified in that fashion, even those that were Christian or “inspirational” (to use the newer terminology), were either too graphic or too suspenseful for me. Someone, I can’t recall who, said that if you don’t like the books that are out there, write what you’d like to read. So that’s what I did. Some of my colleagues write what I call “sleep with the lights on” books. I still recall reading Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians. I was alone in the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters at Lajes Field in the Azores, 2000 miles from home, awaiting the arrival of my family. Many of the other rooms on the floor were unoccupied, and it was deathly quiet. I hadn’t become accustomed to the time change yet, so I decided to read the paperback I’d picked up at the Base Exchange earlier in the day. It held my attention so well that I read it straight through, finishing at four AM. I slept with the light on for the balance of the night. It made an impression on me—a negative one. I write what I like to call “sleep with the lights off” fiction. Oh, sure. There’s action and drama between the covers, but never enough to make the reader put the book away and say, “I can’t read this tonight.” Matter of fact, the complaint I most often get is that they pick up the book with the intention of reading a little before bedtime, and can’t put it down. But when they do, they turn off the lights. That’s the kind of fiction I write. This is why I included my last three novels--Fatal Trauma, Miracle Drug, and Medical Judgment—in the list of books I think are right for vacation reading. I hope you like them. And when you finish, I think you’ll be able to sleep with the lights off. Visit the Doctor at rmabry.com
Featuring A Refuge at Highland Hall Interview by Brock Eastman Brock: How did you come up with the idea for this book or series? or What was your inspiration for writing this book or series? Carrie: Early in 2012 I attended the American Library Association Conference in Philadelphia with another author friend. I spoke to an editor there and asked what she was looking for. She said she’d love to see and English historical romance series set in the same time period as Downton Abbey. I’d enjoyed watching the first season of Downton, and I especially liked the way the screenwriter gave equal time to developing the storyline following wealthy family as well as the loyal servants. I didn’t know much about Edwardian England, but I jumped into the research, and fell in love with the time period. The ideas for the characters and plots rose out of my research and the issues of the time. The titles of the novels in the Edwardian Brides Series are The Governess of Highland Hall, The Daughter of Highland Hall, and A Refuge at Highland Hall, which releases October 20, 2015. Brock: Tell us about the main characters? Who are they, what makes them unique. Carrie: Each novel in the series includes members of the Ramsey Family and their loyal staff, but each story stands alone and is complete because different people step forward to take on the role of heroine or hero. In A Refuge at Highland Hall, Penny Ramsey, a wealthy young aristocrat, sets aside her dreams for the future to help her family and do her part for the war effort. When she meets Alex Goodwin, a Royal Naval Air Service pilot in training, her dreams reawaken, but should she give her heart to a man headed off on such a dangerous assignment? Brock: Give us one fact about each main character that no one else knows. Carrie: Penny used to sneak out on the roof of her family’s home to view the stars and dream about the future. Alex rode an elephant in India as a boy. Brock: In three sentences (or you can choose three words) what is this book about? Carrie: Trusting through trials Brock: Do you outline the entire book before starting, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story? Carrie: My publisher asks for a synopsis, so I usually have a good idea of the main events in the story before I start writing. My editor gives me feedback after she reads the synopsis, and I often incorporate her ideas. But I like to let the characters show me how we will arrive at those turning points in the story. That’s the fun part. Brock: How do you believe this story relates to the lives of readers? Carrie: I think readers will identify with Penny’s hope for love and a happy future and also with her willingness to sacrifice her desires for the benefit of others and make a difference during the war. I think readers will enjoy watching Alex and Penny’s friendship blossom into romance through the letters they exchange. And I think they will be encouraged by the growth of their faith through the hardships of war. Brock: What is your favorite genre to write for? Carrie: I have written inspirational contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and historical romance. I love that last genre most, because I like stepping back in history and learning about another time and place. I have especially enjoyed writing these last three stories set in England. Brock: What is the biblical background or basis for the series? Carrie: The theme of this book is God’s faithfulness and finding strength in Him through times of trial and testing. Brock: How many books are planned for this series? Carrie: There are three books in the series. The Governess of Highland Hall, The Daughter of Highland Hall, and A Refuge at Highland Hall (October 20, 2015) Brock: Any certain research required for the book, or is it all from your imagination? Carrie: This series required quite a bit of research, including two trips to England and hours reading books about the time period, customs, and issues in Edwardian England. Understanding life “below stairs” was just as important as understanding the aristocratic class in England in the Edwardian era. I watched several documentaries that were helpful, and read one biography about a brave, young British pilot that was a wonderful inspiration for the hero. I also took an online course about World War One aviation to help me write the hero’s scenes set in France. Brock: Can you tell us about your research trip to England? Carrie: My husband and I visited England in 2012 and focused our time in Oxfordshire, the Peak District and the Cotswolds. Our tour of Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is set was the highlight of that trip for me. I loved seeing all the rooms where Downton is filmed, including the great hall, the library, the upper gallery and bedrooms. The gardens and greenhouse were lovely, and I had those in mind for several of the scenes in The Governess of Highland Hall. But I wanted to find a unique estate and setting for my books. My online research led me to Tyntesfield, a beautiful estate near Bristol in southwest England. It was a perfect choice. Tyntestfield is featured on the cover of A Refuge at Highland Hall and The Governess of Highland Hall, and I used the interior design of this house to help me envision the scenes in my novels. I was very excited to visit Tyntesfield in May 2014. What a thrill to see all the rooms and take a private tour of the day nursery and the governess’s bedroom! It’s even more beautiful than my online research revealed. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit to Tyntesfield. I have a Pinterest board filled with photos to help me remember everything I saw there. Brock: How was culture changing during the period in which you wrote, and how do the books in this series reflect that? Carrie: As the Victorian era came to an end, the moral climate became less strict. This is reflected by incidents in both The Governess of Highland Hall and The Daughter of Highland Hall. William Ramsey, the head of the family, is impacted by the choices of other family members and must decide how to respond. The differences between the classes were also changing. Working-class people were less satisfied with being “in service” as maids and butlers, and they wanted increased wages and benefits, putting pressure on the upper class. Taxes, especially death duties, put tremendous financial stress on families who inherited large estates. This plays a role in books one and two in the series. All these changes were even more apparent in the later half of the era because of the changes World War I brought to English society. The Ramsey family and the staff at Highland will be going through World War I in book three, A Refuge at Highland Hall. Brock: What do your readers think about your latest series? Carrie: I enjoy connecting with readers on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, and through my blog and website. Their comments and reviews have been very encouraging to me. They are enthusiastic about the series and eager for this final book. The Governess of Highland Hall was a finalist for the ACFW Carol Award and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. The Daughter of Highland Hall has been nominated for an Inspy Award. Brock: Why did you choose to focus on both the male and female protagonists? Carrie: Most of my readers are women, so I give the heroine a few more scenes than the hero, but in this book the hero, Alex Goodwin, has several key scenes showing his role as a pilot chasing German Zeppelins across the front lines in France. Those are quite exciting scenes that are inspired by real events, so I think male and female readers will enjoy those. I also try to balance the number of scenes given to the staff with those of the family so readers have a view into both sides of life. Brock: Do you plot or outline the entire series before you begin writing, or do your books take on lives of their own? Or is there a combination? Carrie: I’d say there is a combination. When I propose a series I write a paragraph or two about books two and three, but I don’t plot out the second or third book until I start writing them. Brock: How much leeway do you give yourself with facts in a Historical Romance? Carrie: All my books are inspired by real events and real locations. There is historic precedent for what my characters do, and I am often inspired to create a character based on someone who really lived through an event. In this book the hero is based on a real person, and I used many facts about his background and actions in World War One in the story. But the rest of the plot and characters are fictional and the result of my imagination. Brock: How do you hope parents will use this book with their kids? Carrie: My husband writes parenting books and speaks at homeschool conferences, and when we are there, I often meet teens who have enjoyed my novels. Reading historical fiction is a great way for young people to learn about a time period, so I hope parents will consider giving my books to their teens. Brock: What do you hope kids take away from this book or series? Carrie: My heroes and heroines are in their late teens and early twenties, so I think teen readers will be able to identify with the issues they face and be encouraged to see how their faith can help them as they move ahead in life. Brock: Where do you like to write? Carrie: I use a laptop, so I write in several different places in my house: in my kitchen, at my desk in the dining room, and in the living room in a comfortable recliner. Brock: Are you a full-time or part-time author/writer? Carrie: I am a full-time writer, but also a full-time wife, mom and grandmom, and part-time ministry leader. Brock: How long does it usually take you to write a single book? Carrie: When I’m working on a series it usually takes me a year because I am revising the last book and promoting a book that is coming out, and writing the next one. Brock: What is your "how I got published" story? Carrie: Our family spent a year in Kenya, and when we came back to the US, I missed Africa so much I decided to write a story set there as a way to relive my experiences. I had written reports and papers in college, but never a novel. I poured out the story and enjoyed the process, but when I showed it to an editor at a writers’ conference, she told me I needed to learn fiction techniques. That was disheartening, but I joined a local writers’ group at my library and also American Christian Fiction Writers. I kept writing, reading, and submitting my books over then next five years. I finished five books before the first one was accepted and published in 2005. It was hard to keep going in the face of rejections and waiting, but through ACFW I met other writers who encouraged me and helped me improve my writing. You learn to write by writing…so that’s what I needed to do. Brock: What was your favorite book as a teen or child? Carrie: My Great Aunt Frances was a teacher and she loved books. She often gave me award-winning books as Christmas gifts. Some of those early picture books are still some of my favorites: Make Way for the Ducklings and One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey. Then I read Charlotte’s Web, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Bronze Bow, Little Women, and Anne of Green Gables. All were wonderful stories that have stayed with me all these years. Brock: In what ways does your faith impact how you approach writing? Carrie: My faith is the central core of who I am, and that comes through in my writing. I believe God has answers for the struggles we face, and I like to show how my characters wrestle with their faith and discover how God is at work in their lives. I am learning a new level of dependence on Him as I write and pour my heart into these stories. He is a wonderful creator, and it’s exciting and fulfilling to partner with Him as I write. Brock: Favorite place to vacation? Carrie: England, especially the Lake District! Brock: Favorite season? Carrie: Spring Brock: Do you have a particular drink or food you consume when you write? Like coco, raspberry tea, animal crackers? Carrie: I’m a tea drinker…Earl Grey….Plantation Mint….Good Earth. Brock: Favorite color? Carrie: Blue Brock: Do you listen to music while you write? If so what are some examples? Carrie: Yes, I like to listen instrumental soundtracks from movies while I write. A couple of my favorites are Little Women and Cider House Rules. Visit Carrie Turansky at carrieturansky.com
 Written by Mesu Andrews Does it surprise you that historians and biblical scholars alike question the dates of the Exodus? Some choose to place Moses in the mid-1400’s BC while others place him in the mid-1200’s with the famous Pharaoh Ramesses and Queen Nefertiry. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I settled on the Ramesses dating. I mean, who can argue with Cecil B. DeMilles and DreamWorks, right? Perhaps a bit more convincing was the relief (hieroglyphs) in the west wing of the Great Hypostyle Hall (Karnak Temple Complex, Egypt) in which Pharaoh Seti is pictured with a mysterious military officer known only as Mehy. Though the Egyptians-of-old were meticulous record-keepers, Egyptologists have found no genealogy or historical record regarding Mehy. Even more intriguing—the Hypostyle relief shows Pharaoh Ramesses—Egypt’s longest reigning king—made an attempt to replace Mehy’s image with his own. Why had Ramesses wanted to wipe out the record of Mehy in Egypt? I believe it was because Ramesses discovered Mehy was Hebrew—and that Hebrew was Moses. Deeper research uncovered the more precise Exodus dating around 1250 BC. Ramesses ruled Egypt ca.1279-1213 BC. Based on historical accounts of his ascension age, he was approximately fifty-three when the Israelites left Egypt. Exodus 7:7 tells us that Moses was eighty years old when he returned as God’s chosen leader to free the Israelites. Have Cecil B. DeMilles, DreamWorks, Exodus: Gods and Kings been lying to us about Moses’s best friend? Say it ain’t so! Ramesses and Moses likely would not have been close in age or reared as brothers as the movies depict. In fact, if Moses was indeed Mehy, Seti’s military officer, it’s more likely that Moses and Seti were the best friends and reared together as brothers. Which could also explain Ramesses’ jealous attempts to replace the mysterious officer’s image from the relief in Hypostyle Hall. Though neither historical nor biblical records tell us Moses’s Egyptian name, it’s been fun to imagine what Moses’s life might have been like as a true prince of Egypt who was later God’s chosen deliverer. I hope you’ll enjoy the full account of Moses from infancy to the Exodus in my two-book series: The Pharaoh’s Daughter and Miriam. Visit Mesu Andrews at mesuandrews.com Mesu Andrews/©2016
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