Davis Bunn's Blog, page 23

‘Skillful Storytelling’, Writes ‘Rare Earth’ Reviewer

By Diana Williams, To Plant a Seed

Twists. Turns. International intrigue. Adventure. Environmental disaster. Rare Earth has all of them. It has been many years since I have read a story that I could not anticipate what would happen next. Bunn has told a story with well-crafted characters and realistic settings. Though I have never been to Kenya, Bunn put me there.

About Rare Earth

Marc Royce stares out of the helicopter, a sense of foreboding rising with the volcanic cloud. Below, the Rift Valley slashes across Africa like a scar. Decades of conflicts, droughts, and natural disasters have left their mark.

Dispatched to audit a relief organization, Royce is thrust into the squalor and chaos of Kenyan refugee camps. But his true mission focuses on the area’s reserves of once-obscure minerals now indispensable to high-tech industries. These strategic elements—called rare earth—have inflamed tensions on the world’s stage and stoked tribal rivalries. As Royce prepares to report back to Washington, he seizes on a bold and risky venture for restoring justice to this troubled land.

But this time, Royce may have gone too far.

I give Rare Earth 4.6 stars

Why 4.6 stars?

Characterization: 5 stars

I have worked in response to natural disasters and despite the strain of the situation there are human relationships that just naturally form. Bunn masterfully brings out these bonds between soldiers and agents and men and women as they respond to the disaster. He then takes it to another level by adding in a layer of government corruption and international greed.

Creativity: 5 stars

Bunn gives us a rare glimpse into what can happen when multiple cultures come to faith in one Savior—centuries of hatred is broken down and unity arises.

Content suitable to a diverse audience: 4 stars

Though the book underlines the Christian faith it shows us what it looks like when other faiths come to believe in Jesus. We get to see through their culture.

Command of language: 4 stars

Bunn’s command of the language paints and contrasts the darkness of an erupting volcano and the hope arising in Marc Royce as he heals from the loss of his wife. My only reason for not giving him five stars is I thought some of the language of a soldier was not fitting. Otherwise his language takes the reader on a ride through Africa.

Connection to current issues: 5 stars

I believe this book reflects current issues because we are living in a time of multiple natural disasters around the globe and corruption is not as rare as we wished.

Diana K. Williams is a former Environmental Scientist who now pursues writing full-time. By God’s grace she is a past winner of Writer’s Digest Magazine’s annual writing competition. She blogs at www.ToPlantASeed.com

This review was originally published on Diana’s blog. Reprinted with permission from the author.

Lord, make me a tough soldier for You…

Friends,

I have recently received several new reader reviews of Hidden in Dreams. Below, you’ll find excerpts from the reviews. I urge you to click the links at the end of each excerpt to read the full review at the authors’ blogs.  -Davis

————————–

“Dr. Elena Burroughs is presented with a calling to help the world.  She will have to make the choice to come out of the shadows or watch the world suffer.  A financial crisis is looming unless someone takes a stand and discovers the truth about specific dreams happening all around the globe.

It’s a riveting story that will invade your opinions about the plight of America, the elections and your Christian witness.  I could easily see myself in the role of Dr. Burroughs.  When I turned the last page of the book, I immediately prayed that God would keep me strong and help me to be ‘A tough soldier for Him.’”

-Debbie Jansen, The Mommy Detective

————————–

“The spiritual elements aren’t just inserted here and there, but are woven naturally throughout the book. In fact, the book would not be complete without the faith of the characters…If you are enjoy contemporary Christian novels, especially those with a little mystery and inspired by our current economic environment, you’ll love this book.”

-Jocelyn Green

————————–

“Do dreams foretell the future? Can people of faith affect a possible global crisis? Fast-paced and laced with supernatural elements, Hidden in Dreams is a remarkable story.”

-Julie  Cannon

————————–

“The book was fast-paced and the plot well-developed with a few great twists to keep me interested and engaged in the book through to the end.”

Lynn Dove, Word Salt

————————–

Here’s the trailer for Hidden in Dreams

Click here to view the embedded video.

I Want to Write Full-Time. Should I Quit My Day Job?

A reader writes:

I’m seriously considering leaving my job writing full time. What steps might I might need to take to begin a new life of writing Christian fiction?

My reply:

The question is, can you make a profession of your writing? Can you live from your work?

There are certain issues your would-be CBA agent or publisher will be looking for. The first is, are you willing to change?

The second component of this is, are you able to deliver on time, and on their schedule? As in, a new story every year or less. CBA fiction is commercial fiction. They sell you, the author, as the product, as well as your book. You must enter into this realm producing a minimum of a book a year. Now. While holding down your day job. But I’ll come back to that in a minute.

You need to face the fact that the initial books may or may not be workable in the current CBA market. And a great deal of the changes that are required–not to your book, but to you the writer, will NEVER be completed successfully through rewrites. There is only one way for you to come to your full potential, and that is by facing the challenge of the empty page.

When I first started out, the delivery schedule was a new full length book every six months. And like you, I also held down a full-time job, as a business consultant traveling to two and sometimes three countries every week. I learned to write in taxis, busses, planes, conference rooms, everywhere I had a spare fifteen minutes. I wrote for nine years and completed seven novels before my first was accepted for publication. I don’t think you will need such a long lead time. But it will take time. And you need to prepare.

Two things they all will be looking for, related to the above. First, under no circumstances can you forsee a solid financial situation from the writing, and on the basis of this hope quit your day job. The CBA publishers no longer drop an author if they quit a job on the signing of a contract, but it used to be the case. I can assure you, however, CBA publishers and editors and agents all cringe at the prospect. It is, to them, a sign of singular immaturity–as in, I, the author, am the center of my universe, such that the current economic realities do not impinge upon my desires.

Agents will start refusing to accept your calls. Even if you are signed with them. They will not work willingly with someone who shows such poor judgment. Agents and editors are there to sell books. They don’t want an author who becomes a potential weight, a drag. You don’t want their responsibility, their mortgage worries; why should they accept that from you? So don’t even discuss it. You are in your current situation. Deal with it.

It is important to understand just how crucial this element is to success in the CBA market. There is a far stronger personal tie between the people there, and they want to be assured that you are genuinely mature in your perspective. You are seen from the perspective of becoming a teacher, a leader, and a public face to their publishing ministry. It is vital that you consider all such issues from this perspective.

In my opinion, here is a stark rule of thumb you should tattoo to your forehead:

You need to wait four years from your first contract, and have a minimum of three CBA published books, before you should consider giving up your day job.

The second matter: Discipline. You need to focus upon your next work, and show this discipline prior to meeting with anyone. No matter what they think of your previous work, the critical element I mentioned at the beginning must be accepted. There is no other genre except perhaps romance fiction where steady output is held in such high esteem.

You need to complete your first novel before making an initial pitch. When meeting with agents and publishers to present your first title, their first question will be, “What are you working on now?”

You need to answer with the first thirty pages of your next book — or better yet, the first thirty pages of TWO next books — and two page overviews of each.

Before you argue with any of the above, remember this: The current rate of acceptance for new CBA novelists is very stark and very well known. For every new author they sign, a CBA publisher will have turned down one thousand manuscripts. One thousand. It is not enough to be good. You need to be PROFESSIONAL.

I see too many highly talented authors lose their chance by not understanding the current market dynamics. It is crucial that you enter into this realm with a determination to deliver solid commercial fiction, on a regular schedule, and without whining over your current job requirements. Everyone that I have ever met has had to struggle against the impossible pressures of work requirements and a day job.

This pressure does not lessen once you are published. It only changes. I am doing three titles a year now, one CBA novel, one ABA, and a screenplay. I am also lecturing in the new creative writing department at Oxford. All the marketing and interviews and rewrites and such are simply part of the mix. It is vital that you do not carry a literary writers’ attitude towards productivity into this market. You must adapt.

Marc Royce: A Troubleshooter Who’s In Trouble

Friends,

I’d like to share with you some reviews of Rare Earth I’ve received recently.

-Davis

—————————–

Marc Royce is a troubleshooter, and from the time he lands in the Rift Valley in Kenya, he is in trouble. He was expecting the poverty and wretchedness of the refugee camp he was sent to, purportedly to audit a relief organization, but he was not expecting Kitra Korban nor the adventures they would share.

He meets tribal councils, the “rulers” of Kenya, and the powers behind all action there. He has harrowing escapes, goes on exciting escapades, and escalates U.S. action in the area.

Rare Earth is a thriller and a romance, and rarely predictable – I could not put it down, nor could the other two readers in my household. My husband, after raving about the book, when asked to give it from 1 to 5 stars, gave it 4.5 stars.

When I asked him why, he replied, “Because it ended!”

Run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore or click immediately to purchase this book – you won’t want to miss it!

- Deb Haggerty

—————————–

I am a fan of Davis Bunn books but I think having not read the precursor to this book, Lion of Babylon, I missed out on how Davis developed his Marc Royce character in the first book. As such I thought the characterization in Rare Earth a little weak. That said, I thought the story-line was good with Royce working for the State Department and sent to Africa to uncover corruption in the squalor of hunger-ravaged and crowded refugee camps.

Davis’ vivid setting descriptions transports the reader to experience the camps, the sights, the sounds, the smells all coming to life in a way the reader feels like they are walking the landscape with the characters.

It was a great plot, and I definitely appreciated the fact that Marc Royce’s faith was strongly evident throughout the book. It wasn’t preachy but it was definitely a factor that had him stand out amongst the people he encountered.

Rare Earth is another fast-paced novel by Davis Bunn and for the most part was a very enjoyable read.

-Lynn Dove, Word Salt

—————————–

Video trailer of Rare Earth:

Click here to view the embedded video.

High Stakes and Nightmares (‘Hidden in Dreams’ Review)

By Sarah Gunning Moser, Family Education Services

It is not often that I find a story “haunting” me, but both of Mr. Bunn’s books in this series do. With disturbing current economic forecasts as a backdrop, Hidden in Dreams is both astonishing and chilling, fiction thought it may be.

I admit I am a “sold out” fan of Bunn’s work. His ability to weave current events into a powerful story is notable, his pacing and characterization compelling. This book is no exception.

PICKS UP AFTER THE BOOK OF DREAMS

Hidden in Dreams picks up where Book of Dreams left off. Bunn reintroduces us to some familiar characters, including protagonist Dr. Elena Burroughs, an internationally known expert on dream interpretation. As with many other people, she has frightening dreams about a coming worldwide economic collapse. As the story progresses, Elena finds these dreams are a plague of recurring nightmares.

EVIDENCE MOUNTS WHERE TERROR BEGINS

Elena has her own personal terrors: a dear friend recently died, she is not sure which key person in her life is trustworthy, and her love life is in limbo. These events intertwine with the growing body of people having the exact same dream as Elena’s, and the evidence mounts that there is a specific and frightening message inherent in these dreams. Elena at first thinks she has it decoded, but through a series of circumstances the reader must discover, she begins doubting even her own thoughts. Elena has been down similar roads before and has survived them, but this is different. Even in the opening chapter, Bunn hooks us in with this stunning image of the protagonist:

“The previous year had basically been a disaster. Elena considered herself an optimist by nature, tempered by a hefty dose of realism. But she had no trouble with the truth, even when it bent and twisted her most recent memories into a torrent as steady as the rainfall beyond the classroom window.” [page 2]

A DEFTLY WOVEN STORY

Bunn leads us a merry chase through an international setting, rife with scientists, university professors, pharmaceutical researchers, Elena’s friends…and treachery. The author’s knack for keeping his readers guessing does not let up in this book and is one of the aspects of his writing I enjoy the most. At times he deftly creates intimacy with his characters, alternately describing the person and allowing us to understand them.

CLARITY

When Elena has dinner with the president of the college where she teaches, we experience a moment of clarity for her:

“What [Elena] heard was a current that ran far deeper than the spoken words. Here were people she could trust, she decided. Either she opened up, or she didn’t. They would not pry. But as she listened to the talk and the quiet laughter, there in the ruddy glow of flickering candles, she saw the faces of friends she had yet to truly know.” [page 92]

THE STAKES INCREASE

Tension mounts and the stakes increase. Elena and her compatriots must decide what to do about the growing phenomenon of frightening, debilitating dreams being reported from around the world. But on whom can she depend? One wrong step will sink her and possibly others. Bunn hauls us through this riveting story to uncover what Elena does. Hidden in Dreams is an exciting read, unusual in its structure and premise. Don’t miss this one.

This review was originally published on the Family Education Services website. Reprinted with permission from the author.

Book Fun Magazine Premieres — I’m Officially a Cover Boy!

Friends,

I am so honored and humbled to be featured as the cover story in the premiere issue of Book Fun Magazine (October 2012).

Book Fun is the official magazine of The Book Club Network and is THE magazine for reading groups. Their focus is on Christian publishers and authors and on family-friendly books. Subscriptions to this online magazine are free — just go to bookfun.org.

The cover story starts on page 36, and is an interview with Nora St. Laurent. Our interview is followed by a review from Rick Estep of my novel, Rare Earth.

I hope you’ll read the story and leave a comment, below, letting me know something new you learned.

P.S. If you’re interested in learning the history behind the picture of the airplane on the cover, please read my post, “Our New Digs.”

‘Rare Earth’: Straight Into the Heart of Africa

By Lena Nelson Dooley

Guest Reviewer

My friend, Lisa Harris, is a missionary in Africa and writes Christian suspense novels set in Africa. So I’ve really learned to love novels set there.

Rare Earth by Davis Bunn is set in Africa. The story pulled me straight into the heart of the people, who have been displaced and had their land stolen from them. I know that the conditions he created in his book are mirrored in several parts of that continent.

I loved the fast-paced plot line that could have been ripped from the headlines. Exploitation and corrupt government officials are often found in many of the countries in Africa. And international aid workers are active just as they were in the book.

I especially like the way Mr. Bunn revealed the divergent paths trod by the poor as opposed to the wealthier people in the area. He made the setting so real that I could almost taste the dust and smell the volcanic eruptions. He even wove in some of the legends of the natives.

The suspense element kept me guessing for a large part of the story. And the characters leapt from the pages and performed feats of valor right in front of my eyes.

There was just the right balance between the spiritual thread and the character development. And no book would be complete for me without a romantic thread woven through. He did a masterful job of that as well.

I highly recommend Rare Earth to discerning readers.

Lena Nelson Dooley is the award-winning author of Maggie’s Journey, Mary’s Blessing, and Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico (www.lenanelsondooley.com )

Clarification on ‘Falconer’s Quest’ and ‘Florian’s Gate’

Carole writes:

Is it possible to purchase your Heirs of Acadia Loyal Renegade anywhere? I truly hope so. I love your historical fiction.

 

Dear Carol,

Thank you so much for the lovely note.  Unfortunately, ‘Loyal Renegade’ was never written.  I know, it is mentioned there in the previous book.  Originally I intended to do one additional book in that series.  Then Janette Oke, who had retired five years earlier, decided her health was good enough to let her return to writing.  

We had discussed the possibility of doing a Bible-based series back before she retired, and it was something I really did not want to do on my own.  There simply wasn’t time to write the new series with her (‘Centurion’s Wife’ and ‘Hidden Flame’) and do two more in the Acadia series.  So with Bethany’s blessing I compressed the two final books into one.  ‘Falconer’s Quest’ was the result.  To be honest, I consider it the best of the series.  I miss John Falconer.  Writing in his company was a blast.  I’d love to bring him back some day.  

John Errington writes:

My mother-in-law is 79 and a committed Christian.  Over the past few years we have bought her all of the Janette Oke books and she has particularly enjoyed the most recent – the Song of Acadia and  Acts of Faith sets which you co-wrote.  She would dearly love to have the Heirs of Acadia series but try as we might I have been unable to find the set of five books in a condition fit to give her as a present. 

I have tried the usual sources – amazon.co.uk, eden.co.uk, the book depository, abebooks, but have not been able to source the complete set. I wonder if you could possibly direct me to a bookseller that might be able to help? Many thanks. 

Dear Reverend Errington,

 I have checked online, and confirm that finding a complete boxed set is impossible. But Amazon’s authorized  booksellers do have all copies of the series available individually, and at reasonable prices – I checked like this a couple of years ago for another title, and found it on sale for two hundred dollars. Shame none of that would find its way into the author’s pocket.

The Heirs of Acadia series books are available from online booksellers and from your local library. Here is a list of all five books in the series, in order:

Book 1: The Solitary Envoy

Book 2: The Innocent Libertine

Book 3: The Noble Fugitive

Book 4: The Night Angel

Book 5: Falconer’s Quest

Lyn writes:

It was a pleasure to read Florian’s Gate, the first I have read of Davis Bunn’s. Pleasure seems a strange word to use for a book that was so informative on the sufferings of the Poles. Even sufferings seems too light a word. Although the story line is about the pain about Alexander Kantor’s hidden pain there is so much about the history of Poland and their resilience in the face of so much pain and destruction. I learned so much also of antiques and how they were used. I learned so much about the fine line of truth and the sometime yoke we put on ourselves and others with the admonition of ‘telling the truth’. I recommend this as a book to read that challenges one’s concepts. That on the reading, one may come to the end somewhat more humble than at the beginning. Thank you so much. 

Dear Lyn,

What a delight to receive your email, and how nice to have this opportunity to revisit ‘Florian’s Gate.’ This was the first in a series of three books, entitled ‘The Priceless Collection,’ based around the experiences of my wife’s family after WWII. The books have been out of print now for over a decade, and it is amazing that just this month I have received five different fan mails based upon these stories.  

Two things might be of interest: First, the trilogy is to be re-published in 2013; ‘Florian’s Gate’ in February, ‘Amber Room’ in May, and ‘Winter Palace’ in November. Second, two recent books that other fans of the series have found to contain a powerful connection are ‘Lion of Babylon’ and ‘Gold of Kings’.

What’s Hidden in your Dreams?

By Stacey Shannon, Written Creations, LLC

My entire life I’ve had vivid dreams.  Sometimes I am active in my sleep as well.  There have been some times when I’ve woken my husband up screaming at the top of my lungs or yelling for him to “Watch out!”  When I’m pregnant, my dreams are even more vivid.  Sometimes I wish for a night without dreams just so I can feel more rested when I wake up.

So when I got a chance to read the latest book by Davis Bunn, Hidden in Dreams, I was interested.  I’ve read books by Bunn before.  What I like is that he’s a Christian author without being super preachy.  He uses modern settings.  He writes books that are intriguing and thrilling.  They keep me turning the pages time after time.

This latest book was no different.  In fact, when I was near the end I had an evening I planned to read for 30 minutes before bed.  However, I stayed up an hour later because I just had to finish the book.  That’s the kind of book I like.  I also had moments while reading the book that took me time to get back to reality because I was so into the fictional world Bunn created.  I call that good writing — and I’m sort of picky about writing.  I can’t turn off my inner editor.

Hidden in Dreams is actually a sequel to Book of Dreams.  I was told you don’t have to have read the first book for the second one to make sense.  I haven’t read the first book, and I can say that is true.  I had no trouble understanding this book at all.

The story centers around Dr. Elena Burroughs, the world’s foremost expert on dream analysis.  Bunn uses the current economic crisis and weaves a story of dreamers all around the globe have the same dream foretelling great global financial ruin.  There are many twists and turns and controversies in the book.

Just when I thought it was headed in one direction, it took a turn to another direction.  I like that.  That keeps me reading.  In fact, I don’t want to say much more to ruin the suspense of the book.  (This is coming from someone who doesn’t read book jackets before reading a book because I want to be completely surprised by a book.  Of course, this doesn’t always work out well!)

It was definitely a page-turner and well worth the read.  It’s also a pretty quick read.  With a nearly 3-year-old daughter, I don’t have as much time for reading as I used to and I think I finished this book within about a week.  Pretty remarkable around here these days!  I was left wanting more.

And it has left me continuing to think about my dreams.  I’m not the only one.  Just today in perusing Facebook before getting on task and getting my work done, I read two posts about dreams from others.  Dreams are universal.  I think we all wonder at some point what dreams me.  I’ve kept a dream journal in the past.  Sometimes that helps dreams make sense.  I’ve had dreams over the last few weeks where I was sobbing because something happened to my husband.  I realized this week it’s probably because we’re talking with our insurance agent right now about life insurance.  My subconscious is dealing with those fears that are there whether I sit and dwell on them or not.

If I were to rate Hidden in Dreams, I’d give it a four out of five stars.  I’m knocking one star off just because sometimes the challenges faced by the main character were just too many.  However, I’m hoping there will be a third book in the series.  I’d definitely pick it up!

What’s hidden in your dreams?

Stacey A. Shannon, M.A., is a freelance journalist who has had more than 800 articles in various local, regional, national and international publications.  She blogs bi-weekly about motherhood and life at www.writtencreations.com/blog

*This review was originally published on Stacey’s blog. Reprinted with permission from the author.

Book Suggestions for Military Veterans?

Jude writes:

I have read several of your books, and have enjoyed them all. I am a Vietnam veteran who has always tried to keep God in my life, but has suffered with P.T.S.D. for many years. Especially with the recent events. Have you ever thought of writing a book dealing with that subject?

Dear Jude,

Thank you so much for your note. It is always a pleasure to hear from male readers, I’m sorry to hear of your personal after-effects from service to our nation, and wish you both peace and healing.

As far as my books go, two deal specifically with issues related to such service, and the healing that many require: All Through The Night, and Lion of Babylon. Others who have served – and suffered – have written to say that they have found the stories to be of benefit. Both were written in close step with sources who have lived what I, blessedly, did not.

Gary writes:

Just finished All Through the Night for the third time. Wayne Grusza holds a special place in my heart because I love helping young men learn how to walk in victory in Jesus. It has been a special ministry throughout my life. And I love the way you develop that same thing in your characters — especially in Wayne. I think I shall always read this book periodically.

Anyone who writes like you surely has a deep and abiding relationship with the Father, and I desire to have some fellowship time to hear your heart from your own mouth.

Until then, I will keep reading and re-reading. 

Dear Gary,

Every now and then I pick up one of my earlier titles and reread it as my Sunday afternoon downtime. Last week I did this with My Soul To Keep. I have just given it to a local actor, a non-believer who is being mentored by Burt Reynolds. He had some cynical things to say about the Christian film industry, and I gave this to him as a response. I wanted to reread this in anticipation of our discussion. It was so good to return to these pages. I so enjoyed this renewal of the friendships, and the drama. 

Helene writes:

I have just finished reading The Presence and have found this book to be the most amazing fiction book that I have ever read. I have read most of the books of Karen Kingsbury, Dee Henderson, Robert Whitlow and others and have enjoyed them all immensely but this book is in a class all on its own.

I could carry on and heap praises on you but what I really want to say is that how I would love to be aware of HIS presence on such a level, to feel HIS peace so tangibly. We do not feel it most of the time but how wonderful when we do feel it. This book draws the reader closer to God, closer to His Holy Spirit and awakens the desire to live more fully for Him and for that I thank you. 

Dear Helene,

I am so grateful you would take the time to write and share these thoughts. The Presence has been out of print now for about nine years, and it is lovely to reconnect with it through your words.

If I might suggest, two more recent titles which other fans of The Presence also enjoyed, are Lion of Babylon and All Through The Night. If you ever have an occasion to try them, I hope you find that same sense of divine inspiration.