The Leveler of Life’s Playing Field
To celebrate the upcoming release of Fatal Homecoming, I’ve invited author Fay Lamb to share her thoughts about the novel’s themes. Fay is the only daughter of a rebel genius father and a hard-working, tow-the-line mom. She is not only a fifth-generation Floridian, she has lived her life in Titusville, where her grandmother was born in 1899.
Since an early age, storytelling has been Fay’s greatest desire. She seeks to create memorable characters that touch her readers’ hearts. She says of her writing, “If I can’t laugh or cry at the words written on the pages of my manuscript, the story is not ready for the reader.” Fay writes in various genres, including romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary fiction. Don’t miss her social media links at the bottom of this post (and a free short story from me to celebrate Valentine’s Day). Welcome, Fay!
In Stacey Weeks’ novel, Fatal Homecoming, I was struck by the truth that in all things God is the One who levels the playing field. Romans 8:28 declares. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” That’s about as level as it gets.
What does it take for God to level that field?
In Weakness, God Brings Strength
The heroine of Fatal Homecoming is Jessie, a young woman who almost lost everything before leaving her hometown. Her attempts to move forward in life in her own strength have actually brought her home again, right back where she started. This time, though, she’s lost even more. She questions God and struggles to cling to her faith as even the man she trusts seems to let her down.
How refreshing is it for us to know that God is our strength, that in Him our weaknesses build muscle. We might almost call this Scripture cliché, but truly there is no Scripture that can be called old-hat. Truly, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
In Chaos, God Brings Order
When our hero and heroine meet, there is disorder—or conflict. There has to be. Without it, there is no story. Their world is turned upside down by events that disrupt their lives, which were already somewhat chaotic.
One of the characteristics of God is that He is orderly. One only has to look at the detailed instructions God gave for the building of the Tabernacle and His Temple, even the priestly robes. Every detail is described. When Moses spoke with God about the events prior to the Exodus from Egypt, nothing was left to chance, especially not the Passover. And how detailed was God with Moses about the Law?
In life, sometimes God’s detailed-oriented character is forgotten, and He is thought of as a God of chance. By chance, maybe He will take care of this prayer request or He’ll resolve this problem. It isn’t until the end of a sequence of situations that the order of events reveals that God was all over the solution from start to finish. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints,” says 1 Corinthians 14:33.
Into Darkness, God Brings Light
God does bring light into the dark corners of our lives because in His presence the darkness of sin cannot exist. It must flee His holy face, and those who seek Him can rest in that light. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
It is no secret that evil dwells in darkness, and it is no secret that the hero and heroine of a romantic suspense are going to have darkness come into their lives. In Fatal Homecoming, such is the case with Rick and Jessie. They weave through an incredible story of intrigue and mystery that will captivate the readers’ attention and share the light of God’s love with the reader while doing so, and this is one read that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
It was murder. She was sure. And that assurance could cost her life.
Author Fay Lamb
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorFay/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FayLamb
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1482814.Fay_Lamb
Amazon Central: www.amazon.com/author/faylamb
Check out two of Fay’s books below.
STORMS IN SERENITY / Fay Lamb
Serenity Key, Florida, has seen its share of hurricanes, but this time, one foul weather system is about to collide with another storm, and this one has nothing to do with atmospheric pressure.
David New has guarded his secrets for years, but when two brothers, John and Andy Ryan, arrive in town and he gets news that the daughter he’s never told anyone about has disappeared, possibly the victim of a heinous crime, and the lives of many of the town residents begin to unravel in the gale force consequences of David’s past, he has nowhere else to turn.
God is the only one Who can calm the storms, but can David and the good folks of Serenity Key survive until He does?
A tempest has been brewing for thirty years, with only one island town in its path.
Storms in Serenity: http://bit.ly/StormsNSerenity
DELILAH / Fay Lamb (RELEASING APRIL, 2019)
Calling a truce with the man you love? What’s the fun in that?
Newly elected judge, John M. Turner, tries his best to call an end to his war with former Circuit Judge Delilah James, the woman he bested in the election by only a narrow margin. Delilah refuses to accept his flag of surrender. Worse yet, a vengeful assistant state attorney, the other candidate whose entry in the race actually handed the win to John, is seeking to have them both removed from the Florida Bar, and the game Delilah has forced upon him has given their enemy ammunition for his disbarment.
Delilah likes the give and take she shares with John. What fun is there in surrender? She is trying to make amends, though, but she makes a mess of every attempt. Added to her foibles, life has become complicated: John’s teenager sister hates her, Libby Carter, has been arrested for battery on a police officer and has embroiled Delilah in the plight of the homeless. Her past has returned to haunt her, and if that’s not enough, she’s deep into the one experience in life she never thought would happen to her. She’s fallen deeply in love.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Don’t forget – today at 9:00 A.M. a free Valentine’s Day story is available on my Facebook author page and Twitter.