You may have noticed that the blog has been a little quiet for the past couple of weeks.

I am sorry about that, but I’ve been busy.

First, it was the stomach bug that attacked every member of my family. I’ll spare you the gory details.

But we recovered. I did laundry for a week.

And then…well…like I said, I’ve been busy.

Very busy.

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Out of the Boat should return to regular programming next week!

Grace and peace,
Lynn

Placebo by Steven James

Placebo is the first book in Steven James’ new series, The Jevin Banks Experience.

Jevin Banks is an illusionist with a successful stage show, a wife, and twin sons. Until tragedy lays him bare.

Placebo opens with a first chapter that is so painful to read, I kept having to remind myself that it wasn’t real. The 2nd person voice enhances the agony. This experience is so vivid, so raw, that even the character living through it needs a way to distance himself.

Despite  the fact that we meet Jevin Banks at his lowest point, the story that unfolds is not depressing. And it is not a particularly gruesome story. Don’t get me wrong, this is Steven James after all! His bad guys are creepy. But while I usually need to leave the lights on and only read his books when I’m in a safe place, Placebo‘s plot kept me turning pages well into the night and left me eager for the next experience.

I never give away the plot when I write a review, but here are a few teasers for you.

1. Placebo deals with quantum physics and entanglement theory, but you don’t need a Ph.D. to follow the plot. If you ever read something you don’t understand, don’t worry. None of the characters in the story fully understand it either. That’s the point. Just keep reading.

2. The secondary characters are awesome. We meet everyone from a conspiracy theorist with a thing for cheese to a brilliant computer security expert with a wandering eye. Trust me, you’re going to love them.

3. The best fiction deals with questions that we all struggle with. Placebo asks some tough ones. How do we go on when people we love make horrible mistakes? What’s the point of getting up in the morning? How powerful is prayer and does it really work?

4. The very best fiction asks tough questions and doesn’t leave you depressed. Placebo is some of the very best fiction out there.

Get it. Read it. Experience it.

Available November 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The super fine print: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

It’s November 1st. The day when writers all over the world flex their fingers and dive in to the wild and crazy ride that is NaNoWriMo.

In case you aren’t familiar with that acronym it stands for National Novel Writing Month and the idea is to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

I’ve done it in the past but I’m not participating this year for two reasons.
1. I’m a little too far into my work-in-progress. (The rules state that you are supposed to start on Word Zero).
2. I’m going to be on vacation for a week. (I’m not interested in trying to squeeze in 50K in 21 days).

Since I’m not NaNo’ing this year, I decided to talk about the ways writers like to procrastinate. And believe me, writers procrastinate in all sorts of “writerly” ways.

I’m over at The Write Conversation today, with my “You Know You’re A Writer When You Procrastinate By….” thoughts. I’d love it if you’d come over and say Hi. (And leave us your favorite way to procrastinate in the comments!)

~~~~~~~~~~~
Sneak Peek: Check back here next Thursday for my review of Placebo by Steven James!

Shelves waiting to be filled.

First, an update on Addie Reese. Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous! She is currently on a rehab floor at the hospital in Charlotte, and they are already talking about outpatient therapies for her when she comes home. Thank you for praying for this sweet little girl and her family!

Second, you may or may not have noticed that the past few blog posts have come “from the archives.” I decided to take a few weeks off and pull older posts so I could focus on getting some things done around my home.

Boring things like laundry and cleaning out closets.
And fun things…like bookshelves! My dad outdid himself. I knew they would be awesome…I had no idea how awesome! (For those of you who don’t know, my dad can build anything!)

Way back in 1815, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Adams that included this phrase . . .
“I cannot live without books.”

All the books-finally out of boxes.

I understand that. Since we moved in March 2011, the vast majority of my books have been in boxes in my formal dining room. Over the past 18 months, I have opened every single box as I’ve searched for specific friends. And yes, I do think of my books as friends.

They have been my companions when human friends were few and far between, my escape from reality when life has pressed in hard, and my teachers on subjects that vary from theology to musicals.

My favorite spot!

I’ve missed my friends. And there’s something very satisfying about having them out where I can see and touch them. Their presence has already made this once unused space into my favorite room in our home.

Now, they wait for a new friend. I don’t know how long they’ll have to wait, but I’m confident that someday, they’ll be joined by a book that has my name on it!

It’s your turn…what’s your favorite book, series, author? I have four empty shelves that need to be filled!

I had something else planned for today, but it can wait.

Today, I would like to ask you to take the time you would normally spend reading this post to pray for Addie Reese and her family.

Addie Reese is the 7-year-old daughter of my friend Alexis. She fell from a tree on Saturday and cracked her skull. So far, all the scans have been promising, and she has spoken and even tried to sit up, but she has still not fully wakened. Whenever they back off of the sedation, she’s in so much pain they have to give her something that knocks her back out.

My mother’s heart is broken for my friend. I cannot imagine a harder path to walk than one that leaves you watching your own child suffer.

So please join me in praying for pain relief and full healing for Addie Reese. For comfort and a strong sense of God’s presence for Alexis and Nick and the entire family. And for wisdom and discernment for the doctors and nurses caring for Addie Reese.

Abba – I do not understand. But I know that You do. I know that You have experienced the agony of watching a child suffer and I know that You alone have the power to comfort, to speak peace to their hearts, to ease Addie Reese’s pain, to give clarity and insight to the physicians and nurses, and to bring something beautiful out of this. I do not understand, but I trust You.

Books: Finished The Meaning of Marriage by Tim and Kathy Keller. This should be required reading for everyone—single, dating, married—doesn’t matter. Amazing Biblical insights. (Available through the Greenville County Library system…just sayin’).

Writing: I terrorized a mall full of children this week. I’m not sure what I think of myself right now! (Disclaimer: No real children were frightened in the creation of this plot line.)

Family: My dad has been here this week building my bookshelves! He’s awesome!

Home: The bookshelves! Finally, my books can be released from their cardboard box prisons and breathe the free air again!

Food: My husband recently obtained a charcoal grill. Our gas grill may never be used again. The chicken he fixed earlier this week was A.MAZ.ING!

TV: I know politics matter. I have very strong opinions on the subject of who our next president should be. But I cannot bear to watch the debates. I try, but after a few minutes I find myself wanting to throw things at the screen.

Wonders: Are you familiar with the wonder that is the Monkey Hook? These things will change your life. No screws, no half-inch size holes in your dry wall. No hammers or drills. Just a tiny bit of pressure, a little twist, and you’ve hung a picture. No wall is safe from me now!

Weirdness: Um, see Wonders! 🙂

May your weekend be filled with wonders and weirdness!

Grace and peace,
Lynn

I like detailed directions.

Extremely
detailed.

If you ever need directions to my house, I don’t just say turn
left on this street and right on that one. Oh no. I include important
information such as “Approximately 8/10 of a mile after you turn left you’ll
come to a curve that makes you feel like you should put your turn signal on. The
curve is 1/10 of a mile from your next right turn.”

People love
my directions.

Okay. Actually, they laugh hysterically when the
read them, but the reality is, if I give you directions, you are not going to
get lost. At least, not if you follow them.

This need for detailed
direction is probably why I struggle with Psalm 119:105.

Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

I
learned the verse as a child and my mental picture involved an enormous
spotlight shining its powerful beam a good 100 yards down the path.

But
that’s not what we’re talking about here. Oil lamps don’t give off that much
light. We’re talking about just enough light to avoid stubbing your toe on a
root or slamming into a boulder.

And this frustrates me.

After all, God is quite capable of giving detailed
directions.

Have you seen the book of Leviticus? I mean
honestly. Talk about details. (I like to think I get my detail issues from the
Almighty—it’s nicer than admitting to being a bit OCD).

And talk about
lighting a path. This is the God of the Shekinah glory cloud and the pillar of
fire. God knows how to light up a path when He wants to.

And yet . .
.

He seems to prefer to give me just enough information to take
the next step.

No more. No less.

You can’t race along a
path with that little bit of light. Each step must be measured. Each foot
placement considered. You have to be on your guard at all times. And you have to
have faith that the destination is worth the harrowing journey.

Of
course, my faith is what’s at issue.

I have to trust that the One
who lights my path, knows my path.

So I continue to step out,
never knowing what’s next, but knowing He does.

from the archives
When A Heart Stops
Book 2 in the Deadly Reunions Series

Back in May of 2011, I reviewed Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason. It was the first in the 3-book Women of Justice series and all three were excellent. Then, I eagerly read When the Smoke Clears—the first book in Lynette’s new Deadly Reunions series—as soon as it became available. (You can read my review here).
 

So you can imagine how excited I was when I realized that the second book in the series, When A Heart Stops, is about Serena Hopkins. You see, I met Serena back in Lynette’s first series and I love it when a secondary character winds up having a story of their own.
And Serena’s story will have your heart racing. From page one.
In her job as medical examiner, Serena Hopkins sees death on a daily basis. But when former classmates start turning up dead, it becomes clear that someone is sending a message. And that she may be next.
FBI Agent Dominic Allen has known Serena since she was a little girl playing with his sister (Alexia from When the Smoke Clears). But Serena is all grown up and Dominic would love to get to know her better. Before he can see if there’s a chance for them to be more than friends, he’s going to have to find the serial killer who plans to make her the next victim.
Lynette ratcheted up the shiver factor for this one! The opening pages are intense and the serial killer is a long way past creepy.
When The Smoke Clears
Book 1 in the Deadly Reunions Series

As I’ve come to expect from Lynette, the story never ends quite the way I think it will. I had a pretty good idea who the bad guy was…but there was a twist!

Now, one word of warning. The Deadly Reunions series has a continuing suspense thread that has not been resolved. This doesn’t bother me one bit! I love it when a series answers most of my questions and leaves me hanging…just a little!
 
But, If you haven’t read When the Smoke Clears, it will be tricky to follow the nuances of the plot in When A Heart Stops. If you have read When the Smoke Clears, you might want to take five minutes to refresh your memory about the key players and the drama that surrounds Alexia, Serena, and Jillian.
 
Then, turn on all the lights, lock all the doors, and dive into When A Heart Stops. You’ll be glad you did. And you’ll be just like me…anxiously waiting for Book 3!
Special Note:
For those of you who live in the Greenville, SC area—Lynette will be signing copies of When A Heart Stops at the Lifeway store on Haywood Rd. Saturday, October 20th from 1-3pm. You won’t want to miss it!
 
The super fine print: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not obligated to provide a positive review. All opinions are my own.

I’m back at The Write Conversation today, sharing a few more of my favorite Scrivener features.

Check it out!

I hate carpet for one reason.

You can’t clean it.
You can get most of the spots out. But they’ll come
back.

Because they weren’t ever really gone.

And
that’s why I love the hardwood floors in my house.

Herds
of small children can run around carrying cups of purple grape juice and I don’t
care.
Babies can leak. I don’t care.
Adults can drop pizza, toppings
down. I don’t care.

Because when handfuls of potato chips are crushed by
tiny tootsies, it’s no big deal. A broom, maybe the mop. And, voila! Clean
floors.

But—I
have discovered one problem with my floors.

While the epic spills are
easy to clean, the day-to-day droplets of life are a little trickier.

I
can dust, sweep, and mop every square inch of my downstairs, and then the light
streams through a window and I see it . . . a streak a foot
long.

How did I miss it?

I’ve learned over the
past few months that I have to clean my floors during the middle of a sunny day.
I open all the blinds, and if you could see me you’d think I was setting up a
putt at the Master’s. I walk around my living room, squatting down, leaning from
side to side, checking the angles.

I haven’t lost my mind.

I’m looking for the spots.

I have to hunt them
down. And once the light shines on them, I attack.

But no matter how
thorough I try to be, I always find more spots.

As I was tackling one of these
random spots with a damp paper towel, I thought about how easy it is for me to
see the spots in other people’s lives. Their judgmental nature. Their
negativity. Their harsh spirit. Their sin.

But until the Light
shines on their spots, they can’t see them.

It dawned on me
that in most cases, instead of nagging, I need to be praying. I need to leave
the light shining up to The Light. When He’s ready to shine His Light on a spot,
He’ll do it.

Very spiritual of me,
huh?

Yeah.

I’m embarrassed to tell you that I had mulled
this idea over for a couple of weeks before it occurred to me that
maybe—just maybe—there might be spots in MY life that I can’t see. That maybe
instead of worrying about the obvious spots of others, I ought to be praying for
the Light to shine on my own spots.

It’s easy for me to see the
big spots of my epic failures.

But the spots that build up over
the course of the day—the bad attitudes, the pride, the selfishness, the unkind
words—are harder to see and so much easier to ignore. I could spend a lifetime
trying in my own strength to make myself shiny and spot-free.

But
I’ve realized that my heart is just like my floor.

It can only
be cleaned in the bright Light of the Son.

Psalm 51:10 ~ Create in me
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (ESV)

(edited from the archives)

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