Author Archives: Janet Sketchley

About Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer whose Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense novels have each been finalists in The Word Awards. She's also the author of the devotional collection, A Year of Tenacity. Janet blogs about faith and books. She loves Jesus and her family, and enjoys reading, worship music, and tea. Fans of Christian suspense are invited to join her writing journey through her monthly newsletter: bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews.

Review: Then, There’s Love, by Rena Manse

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Then, There’s Love, by Rena Manse (Kindle Edition, 2013)

Ashley McKenny is a twenty-something single woman with a strong sense of family. Her father’s out of work and her mother just received an “invitation to resign” from her CEO position. How can Ashley support the three of them on a nurse’s salary?

The chance to go home with one of her patients as a private nurse looks like a good short-term solution, and Ashley leaves Toronto for upscale New York. Her patient, Val, is a charming elderly woman, and Val’s home in the Hamptons is like a fairy tale. Less idyllic (but dangerously attractive) is Val’s grandson, Aaron, who lives with her when he’s not away on business.

To further complicate matters, Aaron is the corporate executive who came to Toronto to fire her mother. Had Ashley known, she’d never have taken this job. Aaron is desperate to save his international business (the company is called Revealing), and he’ll do whatever it takes. The one thing they do agree on is concern for Val’s recovery.

Then, There’s Love is an interracial Christian romance with strong characters and edgy romantic content. Nothing is inappropriate, although some bits are more sensual and descriptive than I’m comfortable with. One thing I really appreciate is Ashley’s commitment to keep her virginity until she’s married. That’s not unusual in Christian fiction, but this novel has more sexual tension between lead characters and it tests Ashley’s resolve. Her example in staying strong can encourage single (or single again) women whatever their past history.

Ashley has high ideals about love, while Aaron has written it off. He’s also walked away from God, and despite what she’s starting to feel for him, she can’t commit her heart to a man who doesn’t share her faith. Yet they understand one another on deeper levels than their friends can see. The two of them stayed in my imagination after the story ended.

Then, There’s Love is Canadian author Rena Manse’s debut novel, available for Kindle from Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.

[Review copy from my personal library. Amazon links are affiliate links for The Word Guild.]

Celebrating Encouragement

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At the Releasing Stifled Christians blog this week, NJ Lindquist posted about the various possible origins of the celebration and the implications they could have for us today:

The story I like best is the one about an early Roman Christian named Valentine who was imprisoned because of his faith. Among his friends were many children who tossed notes of concern and love through the bars of his cell. Unfortunately, he was executed on February 14th. Later, this day was named St. Valentine’s Day after the martyr.

Cool. The thought of having a day to remind us to cheer up other people intrigues me—like maybe it could actually do some good.

What if we intentionally used our words for encouragement? Please click over to read the full post: Putting the Heart Back in Valentine’s Day.

Wisdom is a Choice

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And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’
Job 28:28, NLT*

The Book of Proverbs spends a lot of time looking at the thoughts, actions, and ultimate ends of the wise and the foolish, the godly and the wicked.

Wise and foolish, here, aren’t about intelligence. They’re not natural temperaments or personality attributes. They’re choices and learned behaviour.

They begin with our choice to seek or to ignore God.

Growing in relationship with God, learning to trust, obey and love Him—and developing a healthy respect and reverence for the one who adopts us as His own but who is the all-powerful God and Judge of all creation—is the way to wisdom.

The Book of James promises, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5, NLT*)

Wisdom isn’t always about specific guidance about the best thing to do or say in a given situation, although God can give us that. I like how Carolyn Watts puts it: “God promises to give us His wisdom, but the wisdom that He gives is sometimes more about learning to trust Him with the questions than about receiving specific answers.” [Rational Worship, p. 16]

Foolishness and wickedness are choices, and we don’t seem to need much help to excel at them. I’m so glad that wisdom and godliness are valid choices too, and that God offers all the help we’ll need to grow in them.

God who formed the universe, You are wiser than we’ll ever be. Thank You for inviting us into relationship with You. Thank You for the promise of wisdom if we’ll give our hearts to You and follow Your ways.

∞

Since wisdom is a daily choice, our song is Brian Doerksen‘s “Today“. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFs1d32K_ro]

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Review: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Orson Scott Card

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How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Orson Scott Card (Writers Digest Books, 1990)

In How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy Orson Scott Card doesn’t repeat the writing advice he’s given elsewhere (Characters and Viewpoint from Writers Digest Books). Instead he focuses on the particular attributes needed in the speculative genres.

The book contains five sections: The Infinite Boundary (defining the genres), World Creation, Story Construction, Writing Well, and The Life and Business of Writing.

What makes a good science fiction story? A good fantasy? Mr. Card illustrates the differences and provides an extensive reading list. He says we won’t like everything on the list, but we’ll see the varieties within the genre and we’ll see what works and what’s already been over-done. And analyzing our responses will help us discover the style and approach we want to use in our own fiction.

The book offers solid teaching on the crafting and writing of a speculative story (world, history, characters, etc). Mr. Card advocates a lot of thinking and discovery before writing, which may frighten seat-of-the-pants writers, but we’re not starting from the known setting of planet Earth. Without the depth of history and background, our story world and cultures won’t feel real.

Other than the World Creation section (the largest part), any kind of fiction writer can benefit from the information in this book. The examples are from speculative work but the principles apply across genres.

The author gives tips on how to develop what he calls a “Wise Reader,” someone who can read your manuscript and give his/her reactions. The aim is not to get advice on what to do next, but to hear genuine audience reaction to your plot, characters etc. This will help you find those points in the story that don’t achieve your desired impact or effect.

There have been changes since the book appeared in 1990, in speculative fiction and in the general world of writing and publishing. Writers can find that information elsewhere, and will still find this slim book helpful.

If you’re going to write (or are writing) in the speculative genres, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy is an essential resource. If not, you’re still likely to find something helpful in the second half of the book.

Hatrack River is the official website of Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Orson Scott Card (or visit the directory of all his sites).

[Review copy from my personal library. Review first appeared in FellowScript, August 2012.]

Rational Worship

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How do you feel about the Apostle Paul “pleading” with us to give ourselves to God as living sacrifices?

What would that look like in our lives? Can we trust God that much? Are we willing to trust Him?

I’ve been following Carolyn Watts’ Hearing the Heartbeat blog for a while now, and she’s a writer I can trust to be authentic, transparent and encouraging. Not long ago she posted an intriguing question about how this ongoing “living sacrifice” might look. [Read: The One Question You Need for Each Day]

This week she released an online Bible study called Rational Worship: Offering Ourselves to the God of Mercy. It’s six weeks on Romans 11:33-12:2 and related passages from the Old and New Testaments.

Carolyn explains the reason behind the study:

What you really want to know is “Can God be trusted with my life? How can I know that it’s safe to trust Him?” And as many stories as you hear, that answer can only be received in God’s presence. So instead of merely telling you my own story, I’d like to lead you (with those big questions) along a bit of the road He has led me on toward the One who knows how you can best hear His whispers. To the One who has been waiting to welcome you deeper into His heart. [Read the full post: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life (and How to Live it Fully)]

This is a professionally-designed resource that comes with a separate leader’s guide for group study. And it’s free. You can download the PDF and either work from your reader or computer or print out the pages.

The journey is designed for (short) individual daily steps and a weekly group discussion, but it can be taken on your own. For now, that’s what I’m doing. As an added resource, Carolyn’s Monday posts will continue to explore the character and nature of this God who is trustworthy enough to inspire our surrender.

For more information and to download the material, visit Rational Worship.

A Symphony of Praise

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Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
Psalm 148:13, NLT*

The final pages of the Book of Psalms resound with calls to praise – for what God does and for who He is.

From the most powerful people to the least, praise the Lord!

But the praise doesn’t stop there. Psalm 148 calls praise from the armies of heaven and small, scurrying animals; from created things, wind and weather.

It’s a symphony of praise, with each aspect of creation adding its own part. Those who can sing, speak or make noise contribute audibly. The trees and mountains may do their parts simply by existing.

Imagine what this would sound and look like in the heavenly realms: everything reflecting praise and glory to God our Creator and Sustainer.

Psalm 147 says it’s good, delightful, fitting to sing praises to God. It brings perspective (as we remind ourselves of His power and His care) and contentment (we are safe in His hands). It’s what we were made for.

J.I. Packer challenges us “to realize how unlimited are [God’s] wisdom, and His presence, and His power.” (Knowing God, trade paperback edition p. 86) The better we know God, the more we’ll overflow with praise to Him.

Our God, teach us to live so that every action and word reflects our confidence in You—our reliance on You and our praise of who You are. Thank You for giving us a part in the symphony of Your praise.

∞

Here’s a contemporary song of praise: ‘Forever Reign‘ from the Newsboys.

Review: Whirlpool, by Lorena McCourtney

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Whirlpool, by Lorena McCourtney (Kindle version, 2011)

Would you stay in a town where your ex-husband flaunted his lavish lifestyle and new fiancée while he stalls on dividing ownership of your former family business? Well, maybe you would, since there’s evidence he’s been less than honest with the company finances.

Stefanie Canfield chose to stay.

Arson investigator Ryan Harrison spent a miserable portion of his childhood in the town of Julesburg and can’t believe his company’s sending him back there. Surprise number 1 is the discovery that Stephanie’s still in town. After their shared underdog status in school, he figured she’d have distanced herself as much as he had. Surprise number 2: She’s turned into an attractive woman, and they seem to have some chemistry. Number 3? She’s one of the suspects in his case.

Stephanie knows she didn’t start the fire. Her ex, Hunter, is calculating enough to have done it, but she has no proof.

What she does have are odd “blurry” episodes, brought on by stress, when she can’t remember what she’s done. Under the circumstances, these happen more frequently. So when there’s a murder, can she really be sure she didn’t do it? Even if she didn’t, can Hunter successfully frame her?

I really enjoyed this novel, the first in the Julesburg Mysteries series. It has a more serious feel than Lorena McCourtney’s Ivy Malone series or her new mystery, Dying to Read, but there are still light-hearted turns of phrase to bring a smile.

Whirlpool is a good mystery, set in coastal Oregon. I like Stefanie, although her impulsive actions often had me wanting to shake her and say “don’t do that!” Not only has she lost her husband to another woman, she lost her mother to cancer the year before. And she may have lost her faith. After all, where was God in all this hurt?

While the specific mysteries of arson and murder are wrapped up for the authorities by the novel’s end, some of my questions aren’t resolved (will Stefanie’s blurry spells go away, and was the accident that caused them really an accident?). I thought that might happen as the series progressed, but the next two novels, Riptide and Undertow, focus on new characters and new romances. Stefanie and Ryan do appear, and all three books are worth a read.

You can learn more about author Lorena McCourtney at her website, or find her on Facebook. Whirlpool previously appeared in print through Fleming H. Revel, a division of Baker Books, 2002. The Julesburg novels are all available on Kindle, and since they’re re-issues of older novels, the prices are very inviting (under $3 each). See Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.

[Review copy from my personal library. Amazon links are affiliate links for The Word Guild.]

Hurtful Names, Hope-filled Names

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Sticks and stones can break our bones, but name-calling and negative labels hurt us too. Australian novelist Paula Vince has an excellent post about this: To get rid of the reproach of Egypt.

In crawling out from under hurtful labels, I want to step into my identity as one who is shepherded by the Lord Jesus Christ, secure in His love, provision and care.

I don’t need any label other than the new name He will give me at the end. Or so I thought.

“You are a worshipper.”

When I heard those words, they fit. Well, they described what I want to grow into.

People have called me plenty of good things since my schooldays, but those words never stuck.

Some of that was my insecurity, not being able to receive compliments. Some was self-knowledge. Like every other person on the planet, I know the darkness that lives in me with the light.

“You are kind.” No, but God is growing kindness in me.

“You are honest.” No, but God is growing honesty in me.

“You are a worshipper.”

Well, I’m not yet, not completely. Not like I want to be. But I can receive that as an affirmation, an encouragement and perhaps a signpost. God is growing worship in me.

How about you? The next time someone identifies good in you, instead of thinking how far short you fall from perfection in that area, can you recognize a spark of the good? Instead of denial and defeat, can you speak hope for what God is growing?

Photo credit: Janet Sketchley

[Linked to Wednesday’s Word. This first appeared as a guest post on Grace Fox’s blog, Daring. Deep. Devoted.]

To Know God

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Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
John 14:9, NIV*

Have you heard the anecdote about three blind people encountering an elephant for the first time? The one, touching the trunk, said the creature was skinny, long and floppy. The one at the elephant’s side insisted it was huge, while the third one stood at the patient animal’s foreleg and thought maybe it was a tree.

God is so much bigger than we can comprehend, and the silly story illustrates the danger of insisting we know all about Him based on what we’ve personally encountered. We have the Bible to teach us about Him, but we need to be careful to read all of it instead of focusing on what we “get” or on what makes us feel good.

And we have Jesus, who reveals the Father’s character. That makes the four Gospels extra valuable for study.

Majestic and holy God, the better we know You the more we can trust You. And the more our spirits will surrender to You in worship. You alone are holy, all-wise, our Redeemer and our Judge. You are more than we can comprehend, yet You reveal Yourself to us. Open the eyes of our hearts to the truth of who You, and help us to live lives of worship.

∞

For a light touch on the subject, here’s Jonny Diaz‘ song “Figured Out.”

Here’s a link to the story behind the song.

Review: The Superlative Stream, by Kerry Nietz

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The Superlative Stream, by Kerry Nietz (Marcher Lord Press, 2010)

If you haven’t read book 1 in the DarkTrench Saga yet please click to this review first: A Star Curiously Singing. If that sounds like your sort of novel, you’ll want to read it before diving into The Superlative Stream (book 2). And my review of book 2 will be a bit of a spoiler for book 1.

Still here? Okay, here we go.

In a dystopian future Earth, Sandfly and HardCandy are—were—debuggers. Tech support, equipped with brain implants to allow them to access a wireless data stream that makes our internet look primitive. Debuggers have no rights. They’re the property of the masters, and are kept in line by the same implants that let them touch the stream.

Earth has fallen under the control of a corrupted form of Islam. How will the true God make Himself known again? In A Star Curiously Singing, God’s message comes from a distant star and changes Sandfly’s life.

Sandfly is used to the ordinary data stream. What is this superlative stream that freed him from his master’s control and led him away on a mission on the spaceship DarkTrench? When he and HardCandy arrive at the source, there’s no singing star. Instead they meet an advanced race of people who may be too good to be true.

Now Sandfly wonders if he heard right in the first place. All he hears is occasional random sayings that make no sense to him. And he’s seeing things no one else sees.

The DarkTrench novels are written in the present tense from Sandfly’s point of view, except for excerpts of HardCandy’s past. Sandfly has a distinctive voice that I enjoy. He’s funny, direct and honest about his shortcomings. He occasionally speaks to the reader, adding to the conversational feel of his narrative.

I’ve enjoyed the first two novels in the series, and am looking forward to book 3, Freeheads. All three books in the DarkTrench series have been finalists in the EPIC eBook Awards Competition in the Science Fiction category. You can visit the author’s website to learn more about Kerry Nietz and his books.

Janet Sketchley

Writing Christian Mysteries & Suspense

Author Archives: Janet Sketchley

About Janet Sketchley

Review: Then, There’s Love, by Rena Manse

Celebrating Encouragement

Wisdom is a Choice

Review: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Orson Scott Card

[Review copy from my personal library. Review first appeared in FellowScript, August 2012.]

Rational Worship

A Symphony of Praise

Review: Whirlpool, by Lorena McCourtney

[Review copy from my personal library. Amazon links are affiliate links for The Word Guild.]

Hurtful Names, Hope-filled Names

To Know God

Review: The Superlative Stream, by Kerry Nietz

[Review copy from my personal library.]