Serials and Scenarios - Deadfall

Robert Liparulo's latest, Deadfall, is a power-packed read. He returns to the Dregs on Friday. In the meantime click on the book cover or here to find out more about Robert and Deadfall.

Read the special offer at the end of this post!

My Review:

If you aren't already watching Robert Liparulo's climb to the the inner circle of big gun contenders in Christian fiction, you really need to. Robert Liparulo will become one of the names that defines thriller.

Deadfall starts with a bang and ends with a well-deserved sigh. Every chapter in between is a tension driven page-turner full of twists, realistically rendered impossibilities and narrow escapes. Not only is the book driven, its full of characters that grab at the heart of the reader. Evil has faces and heart -- misguided, but painted like a real, living, breathing human being with subtle nuances, dysfunction and a definition of justice and humanity.

Technology that could be real, could be in existence right now or will be in just a matter of time is terrifying in its potential misuse, just as Liparulo demonstrated with biology in Germ. There is no preaching in Deadfall. Just a sense of evil's destruction paired with a fragment of hope and a hint of God's hand.

Those who can't handle thrillers need to leave this one alone. Blood and guts are present but not overdone and certainly not gratuitous. Fans of Monster by Peretti will likely love Deadfall. Lovers of sport, video games, fiction with twists and turns, Dekker fans, hunters and those who love the stories of overcomers and against-all-odds tales should find much to like in Deadfall.

It won't be long before Liparulo joins Dekker and Peretti.

A NOTE from Bob:

I’d like to give away five signed copies of Deadfall to readers of CFBA blogs during my tour.

All they have to do is sign up for my e-mailing list (they won’t be inundated!) by going to my website (www.robertliparulo.com) and going to the “Mailing List” page. Or email me with “CFBA giveaway” in the subject line.

And a second NOTE from Bob:

I wanted to let you know that I’m holding a contest on my site:

**one winner a week till the end of the year for a signed Deadfall

**one winner a week till the end of the year for an unabridged audio MP3-CD of Deadfall

***and on Dec. 31, I’m giving away an iPod Nano, pre-loaded with an unabridged audio recording of Deadfall

Winners are selected from my e-mailing list—sign up at my site. If a winner has already purchased what he/she wins, I will reimburse them for the purchase price (or give them another—whichever they choose), so they don’t need to wait to see if they win before buying Deadfall.

Scribbles and Scrambles - Vessels and Vanity

I hopped over to Novel Journey to catch my friend Janet's Sunday devotional and discovered it talked to me where I'm at today.

How often I look at others and envy what they have. But how often am I willing to walk in their shoes? Or live in their life?

I tend to want to pick and choose from the grocery store of life with the option to discard the consequences of those choices like a banana peel. Kind of "have it my way....always." Belly up to the deli counter, load up on summer sausage and ask for the cholesterol on the side, thank you very much.

Janet shared a story nearly as old as time. Cain and Abel. Not that I'd ever want to murder someone for their talent or attitude or success, but occasionally I've toyed with the green-eyed monster when he whispers sweet nothings in my ear.

My aunt sent me a couple of links about Paul Potts. If you haven't seen this here's your chance. Watch the faces of the judges and audience as the video progresses.

Is there anything more wondrous than raw material or an imperfect vessel in the hands of God? Is there anything more amazing than the God of the universe attaching talents, gifts and good works to earthen vessels here today and gone tomorrow?

So, who are we to question God's choice of who will receive what? Who am I to envy the success or talent of another when I don't necessarily tend to my own path. Maybe I should plant gardens along my road instead of eyeing the beautiful patches belonging to my fellow sojourners.

Thank You, Lord for Your incredible patience and wisdom. Help us to discover who You want us to be, and what You've given us to complete, and help us find the joy and the peace in the journey.

Scribbles and Scrambles - NO!

What's in a word?

One of my personal favorites is a short one. To the point. Concise. Oops -- I've become redundant.

One syllable. Easily learned by toddlers and a staple for two-year-olds.

A cinch to interpret unless you have no access to body language or voice inflection.

But there is a problem with this word.

Kind of like the teensy, tiny systemic meltdowns that we all experience during cold and virus season. One not-visible-with-the-naked-eye germ can stomp us for days.

One well-timed "no" can destroy my day.

And just like bacteria can dig in deep and become resistant to antibiotics and actually become life-threatening...my attitude toward the word "no" can become a life-ruiner.

Suffering from any forms of no-itis?

Scribble and Scrambles - Crunchy Leaves and Spastic Animals

Thought I'd drop in with some animal related blogging.

How can I not? The distraction of eight pounding paws through crunchy autumn leaves is a little distracting.

Okay, so this picture is NOT Lily or Lola. If I attempted to find the digital camera and capture images of Lily and Lola flying, leaping, and galloping it would look a lot like this -.-*-, (-.-?.

I'll have to post some good pictures soon. They were taken a few hours after their "unmentionables" surgery, so far the only time we've been able to actually snap more than a lucky shot of one animal with a background blur for company or the normal double blur with random flying body parts.

But for now, I'll have to share the 45 lb "twins" favorite activities. Number one would have to be Feral Will interaction. All three animals are fascinated with each other. I.E. The puppies are supposed to be minding their master, and Feral sneaks behind said master and torments them. Think Tom and Jerry but with more chasing. Is Feral the 5 lb kitten concerned? Oh no. His favorite activity is clinging with all twenty talons and however many teeth he can sink into their loose skin and taking a little ride.

Number two...for Lily especially, is vertical jumping. Lily can gain four feet of air with just a little hop. I experienced this first hand last night when she bounced up, landed exactly in the middle of my stomach, and bounded to the other side of the couch while chasing Feral. I did mention she weighs 45 lbs, right?

Number three...that old standby, two identical toys or bones, two dogs, and the fight for the "best toy."

Hope you all have a little fun this weekend. Maybe a little chasing, some leaping or at least the best toy.

Serials and Scenarios - Surrender Bay

My final book of the crazy book reading blogging week. Whew!

Click on the cover as per usual.

Visit author Denise Hunter here or here.

My Review:

Had I been given the opportunity to pass on Surrender Bay, I likely would have. I've not read Denise Hunter before, but the romance/love story angle wouldn't have appealed to me. Not that I'm against romance and love. But sometimes , well, I tend to like stories that are more than just escapism.

But Surrender Bay replaced another book that I had signed up for. So I read it.

And what I found surprised me. There is a complete lack of Christian lingo in Surrender Bay. Sam, the heroine isn't very heroic at all. As a matter of fact I wanted to throttle her a few times. Landon, as hunky as he came across, should've cut his losses a dozen or so years earlier and moved on. In my book, anyway.

What Denise Hunter has done is paint a picture of screwed up people, their consequences, victimization and slimy pits and she has added undeserved love also known as grace. This is a story of grace and all it overlooks.

Who should pick up this novel? Romance lovers, yeah. Looking for a well plotted tense love story? Sure. Wanting to discover a story published in the CBA that lays life out in all its messiness? Seeking edgy Christian Fiction that includes alcohol abuse, drunkeness and sexual situations? Need a story that shares a portion of God's good heart with just a hint that it's all about God? Then you need to check further into this story.

Serials and Scenarios -Boo Humbug

Looking for a new, fun Christmas tradition?

Here's an idea.

Click on the cover to visit the Amazon site for additional reviews and info.

My Review:

Families who love to laugh together, lovers of things off kilter, and fans of fun might want to check into adding Boo Humbug to the Christmas traditions list.

My Christmas is not complete until we've laughed through A Christmas Story ("You'll shoot your eye out!") or Christmas Vacation ("Squirrel!"). If either of those movies appeals to you, keep reading.

The small town of Skary, Indiana is the setting of a slap-dash, sleep-deprived vision of Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol. Nearly everything that can go wrong does. Humor and a surprising amount of tears keep the story whipping along at a brisk holiday bustle. A sweet twist toward the end brings it back home and evokes the warm fuzzies that every classic Christmas feel good movie/book produces.

This charming tale is a reminiscent of my favorite moments of Christmas cheer like, A Christmas Story, Skipping Christmas and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Anyone who is a fan of any of these beloved Christmas mainstays might want to look into adding Boo Humbug to their library.

As for me, my first Boo book will not be my last. If these characters are this charming during Christmas madness, they'll be a delight to get to know a little better during a "normal" day in Skary.

Serials and Scenarios - Austin Boyd - Down to Earth

I'm mixing it up a bit this week. Four book blog tours. Oh my. But based on the two I've read and already posted, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a good book to read should you be looking for one.

Austin Boyd - i.e. techie-genius sci-fi guy, dropped in with some answers to some of the standard Scrambled Dreg questionis. (that's Latin, I think : ) or maybe Italian. )


If you were assured of writing a best-seller, what genre would it be? Give us a sliver of information, a characteristic or glimpse of a scene.

Fiction, literary novel. A boy and his dog:

Troy found Scooter fifteen years ago, the puppy’s leg broken by an impact with a passing car. The little guy was a mutt, his mother and father connecting just long enough to make him, and neither around when he needed nurturing. That is, until Troy showed up, a curious boy, age 8.

Scooter learned the neighborhood chasing Troy’s bike, learned about girls when Troy missed filling the feed bowl, learned about college when Troy left for months, and Scooter learned about age as his best friend discovered marriage. Best friends for life, Scooter had little life left in him as Troy ascended the last mile of the trail up Maine’s Mount Khatadin.

2000 miles and fourteen years ago, they began this trail together in Georgia, a boy and his young dog, and a wild cub scout troop, climbing a bug-infested Springer Mountain in the sweltering heat of July. Every year they conquered hills together, found water, ran off snakes in summer, or curled together against the freezing rain of a spring weekend storm. This last summit, their last mile, was all that remained in this life of adventures as Scooter rode to the top on the back of his lifelong buddy. A cold October wind whipping against his face, Scooter buried his nose against the warmth of the nape of Troy’s neck… one last time. The great adventure was at a close. This was as far as he would go.

Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

Most identify with: The Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz. He wants a brain, and I find myself asking for wisdom and creativity often. He gets the stuffin’s knocked out of him and pastes on a smile, then comes back slugging. You can’t get the guy down. He’s the ingenious one, a 1950’s McGyver, who always figures a way out of a jam. I love the guy.

Most like to be: Tarzan or Spider-Man. They were my childhood heroes and still are. Larger than life, making a difference, conquering foes and both with great loves in their lives who are confident women conquering their own challenges.

If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

Easy question. I ask it all the time. Jesus, what’s your will for my life? OK… that’s pretty heavy… but it’s the truth. I might also ask Him where the woman came from that Cain married. God doesn’t always give us all the answers… and that’s part of what makes faith so invigorating.

Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.

I get up at 4 or 4:30 AM to write, stopping around 6:30 to take my daughter to school. I write in the AM so that I can be a Dad in the PM. I do an extensive outline before every novel so that I can refer to it each morning when I get up to write… in a sleepy fog, I can go right to the scene that I’m supposed to do next, and off we go!

What crayon in the box describes you on a good day? Bad day? Which one do you aspire to be?

Ever sniff a box of new Crayolas? I love that smell. Good day, blue or green. Bad day, one of those stupid colors in the middle between blue and green that aren’t one or the other. I aspire to be the green. Good solid bright green. Verdant.


What makes you feel alive?

Exercising and praying at the same time. I’m the old guy in spandex on a blue bike talking out loud as I zip down the road. Neighbors think I’m nuts, but God knows I’m communing with Him.

Where would you most like to travel ----- moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – and why.

The Holy Land, right now. So much of history, and current events, seems to be wrapped up in that area. I want to see it before I pass on.

Favorite season and why?

Fall. The colors, the smells of the forest behind our house, the hunting season (bow) and the cold air. Pumpkins, corn stalks, leafy trails on the mountain, deer moving and squirrels burying nuts. Cross country season and Thanksgiving. School starts. Birthday in October.

Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?

“I couldn’t put it down and got no sleep last night.” I write suspense and techno-thrillers. If she can’t put the book down, then the reader has invested herself in the storyline and is living it. That’s the best compliment for a writer. The worst is, “I couldn’t get into it. I put it down after 2 or 3 chapters.”

What would you do today if you knew you had only a week to live?

No changes, except I probably wouldn’t be in the office. I’d be in the woods walking with my daughter, riding the bike, and working in the yard with Cindy. No focus on the end, but enjoying every bit of living. No special trips. I’m very happy where I am.

Favorite chore

Gardening with my wife. We love to work in the yard together, whether it’s cutting the grass, pulling weeds, or planting a new garden. Outside work is fun. I also love to clean a kitchen. Cannot stand to cook… won’t even boil water… but give me the ugliest yuckiest kitchen after a big dinner party, a rag, a bottle of dish soap, and turn me loose. Love it.

Grammatical pet peeve…sound off.

Use of the word ‘which’ . Somehow people stick it into sentences in the most egregious ways when they are talking.

Societal pet peeve…sound off.

Not washing hands in the bathroom. Why is it that most of the architects in the world are clueless and design bathrooms so that you have to pull the door open from the inside?


Thanks, Austin. Okay, people come back tomorrow for Boo Humbug. A frightfully/lovely twisted Christmas Carol.