THE RADICAL RIDE by Lanny Smith

 

I’m thrilled to be showcasing THE RADICAL RIDE, a novel that takes the reader from suspense, to terror, to the demonic. Now let’s find out a bit about this novel…

 

Suspense/Paranormal

Seven strangers become the center of a series of assumed terrorist attacks on Los Angeles, California, that change their lives forever. News anchor Andi Stokes is on her way up in the world of television broadcasting when something she’s reporting gives her more publicity than she could hope for – because she’s the target victim. When she meets Randy White, a California surfer, she knows she’s met the one, but these violent events taunt their relationship. On the other side of town, Andi’s old high school teacher, Jeff, is the target of demonically possessed men out to kill him. Through a series of horrific, violent events, they find themselves deeply embroiled within a demonic terrorist’s plot. ~ With the poser of faith, can they stop this evil in time?

 

Excerpt:

A few moments later, five men entered the room. Andi gasped underneath that tape covering her mouth at two of them with the bright red eyes. These were the figures on the recording. She did so again when the last man entered, with not only a brighter set of glowing red eyes but also with a reddish luminescence surrounding his head…. He seemed to be embracing the moment, as if in a drug-induced euphoria. He also appeared to be accompanied by the outlines of two, dark shadows behind him, filling the room with a heavy, demonic presence.

 

So, Lanny, tell us what’s so “radical” about THE RADICAL RIDE? 

I think the reader will experience a literal and figurative “ride” of sorts from this story.  In the world of surfing, becoming one with the wave is an example of achieving THE RADICAL RIDE. A skydiver will certainly take a thrill-trip every time he or she jumps from either a plane or a mountain top. A near death experience is the best example of THE RADICAL RIDE. 

I’m speculating that when someone crosses the line of religion to religious fanaticism, then this person is on his or her way to taking a spiritual ride of their own.  When a person loses a loved one and is on the verge of losing hope, I believe that an encounter with Jesus Christ will certainly prepare that person to get up and get back on the road to healing, hope and purpose – which can be considered a radical ride in itself, created by the most radical person who ever walked the earth!

 

 

Lanny Smith is a Christian high school teacher, a former “Class B+” surfer and veteran of the U.S. Air Force.  He currently lives in Florida with his wife and two of his three children.

 

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon. http://is.gd/Rv1QGF

Barnes and Noble. http://is.gd/9mHfF9

CBN. http://is.gd/KKrSJ3

The Web Store. http://is.gd/UaUdGJ

Tate Publishing. http://is.gd/Laeirl

Gun Toting Mommas ~~ Happy Mother’s Day

When readers think Christian Fiction, they usually don’t think of a “mother character” in terms of a woman with children at home who is carrying a gun. Yet, more than one Christian author has penned mother characters who are packing heat.

Kathy Herman’s THE REAL ENEMY, first in the Sophie Trace Trilogy, comes to mind with its heroine Police Chief Brill Jessup. This police chief got her nickname Brill due to her 18-year career filled with brilliant detective work before accepting the position of police chief in a small town. She most assuredly carries a weapon and knows how to use it.

http://goo.gl/qAaQa

Issie Putnam, the heroine in Fay Lamb’s BECAUSE OF ME is a mom on a mission to keep her son’s insane rapist father from learning about the precious boy she loves. Issie doesn’t like guns, so she carries and .22 caliber pistol and she shoots it with deadly accuracy at its farthest range. Issie and Cole are the only ones who know about the safe room Issie built in the attic of their farmhouse, and Cole knows exactly what he is to do if he ever needs to seek refuge there. No one will hurt Cole, including the man Issie loves. If Michael Hayes can’t see past the ugly truth of Cole’s beginnings and learn to love her son, well, he can’t love her. Even if Michael is the only safe refuge Issie’s heart has ever known. At Amazon. http://goo.gl/6ab3i

Christine’s Lindsay’s heroine Abby Fraser has brought her young son to India intending to begin life with her British Army lieutenant husband now that WWII is over. She’s faced with one disappointment after another, threats, and danger to herself and her son during periods of upheaval in the colonial sub-continent. The wives of British officers have been advised they must learn to be proficient with firearms. Abby, who learned to shoot in the states, shocks them all by repeatedly hitting the bull’s-eye on her first try. SHADOWED IN SILK recently won the 2011 Grace Award in the Action-Adventure/Western/Epic Fiction category.

http://goo.gl/49Vy6

Author Wendy L. Young’s creation, Laura Harmon, is a gun-toting Momma with four kids and a fifth on the way. Licensed to carry a concealed weapon, she knows her rights and knows how to use them. She grew up with a much-older brother who was a Marine and Police Officer and has been married to another officer for over 25 years. Until recently, she never had a cause to use a weapon but things are changing in Campbell Creek and she aims to protect herself and her family. Soon she will have her gun trained and know that she is ready to use it, whatever the cost. This third novel in the series is coming in Summer 2012.  Laura and her husband Will are the main characters in The Campbell Creek Mysteries:  COME THE SHADOWS http://goo.gl/cE0Ax and RED SKY WARNING http://goo.gl/OlJG3 .

*****

I’d like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to gun toting mommas wherever they may be: in law enforcement, on the battlefield, driving bank armoured cars, and so much more.

A Crime Fiction Twist on Easter/Resurrection Sunday

As we approach Easter, I wanted to bring to everyone’s mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:39 [NASB] ~ “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

St. John further expounded upon this theme when he wrote: “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ~ 1John 4:8 [NASB]

If there is any over-arching theme I hope to convey in my writing it is that love never fails, never dies, and always triumphs. Some might wonder how I can reconcile this with penning stories that open with a dead body.

While the crime fiction genre (murder mysteries, thrillers, romantic thrillers, police procedurals, suspense novels) can be seen as dark, it also has a “light” side. The good guys often at peril to their own lives fight against evil and for justice. It’s my contention that the “who dun it” originated in the Christian west. The history of the murder mystery is that of solving a moral dilemma (a deadly crime). The main characters may have to sacrifice and endure great punishment to bring the guilty party to justice. Yet they persevere and do what is right.

I’d like to wish everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ a blessed Easter. I’d like to wish my Jewish brothers and sisters a happy, healthy Passover.

Must Read Blogs For The Crime Fiction Writers ~ Researching

Mark Young’s Hook ‘em and Book ‘em blog is one of my personal favorites. It’s a blog that’s always interesting and topical.

Hook ‘em and Book ‘em. http://hookembookem.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

I took a Romance Writers of America (RWA) course on the History of Forensics given by Doug Lyle and it was fantastic…just as his The Writer’s Forensic Blog is.

 

The Writer’s Forensic Blog.  http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

On Lee Lofland’s blog The Graveyard Shift, a writer can learn to cook with cops and also find out about a myriad of things law enforcement officers face every day.

The Graveyard Shift. http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/home/

 

On the Law and Fiction blog, Leslie Budewitz, author of Books, Crooks and Counselors, will tell you whats going on with the Supreme Court, at the state court level…or you might just get a Saturday writing quote.

Law and Fiction.  http://www.lawandfiction.com/blog/

 
A blog I find myself going back to repeatedly is PoliceOne.com. You can find so much info here from breaking police news to article on the police wife and a policeman’s life. http://www.policeone.com/police-blogs/

If you need to know what’s going on with the Supreme Court of the United States, you can’t beat the SCOTUS blog sponsored by Bloomberg Law. http://www.scotusblog.com/

GOODBYE NOEL and BURNING HEARTS Final in the Grace Awars 2011

I’m honored to have two novels final in the Grace Awards 2011 and I’m deeply appreciative of my loyal readers who took the time to vote for my stories. I have the best readers ever, I’m sure.

GOODBYE NOEL finaled in the Suspense/Mystery/Thriller/Romantic Suspense category.

Historical Romantic Thriiler ~ bodies piling up, kidnap, a warm love story.

 

 

 

BURNING HEARTS finaled in the Romance/Historical Romance category.

Historical Romantic Thriller ~ A sweet love story, arson/murder, action.