Davis Bunn's Blog, page 41

Want to Win 'Lion of Babylon'? Here's Your Chance!

I'm so grateful to the many readers who are reviewing Lion of Babylon, my contemporary suspense novel set in Iraq (releasing in early July from Bethany House Publishers).

Lena Nelson Dooley published a tremendous writeup on her blog, "A Christian Writer's World."  Lena is giving away a copy of Lion of Babylon – to enter her contest, all you need to do is post a comment on the post at:

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2011/06/lion-of-babylon-davis-bunn-free-book.html

Here are two additional links I hope you'll enjoy, from other bloggers who are participating in the blog tour for Lion of Babylon:

Faith… Creativity…Life, by Michelle Rayburn

http://faithcreativitylife.blogspot.com/2011/06/after-reading-several-of-davis-bunns.html

Michelle's review begins:

When I closed the last page of the book, I think I actually tasted the desert sand of Iraq and felt the searing heat of the sun.

Michelle also posted a separate Q & A interview with me on her blog.

Hook 'em and Book 'em, by Mark Young

http://hookembookem.blogspot.com/2011/06/interview-novelist-davis-bunn.html

Mark's post features an in-depth review, plus a Q&A with me that's entirely different than Lena's. He writes:

Davis Bunn has written another edge-of-your-seat thriller guaranteed to make readers lose sleep.

Click here to pre-order Lion of Babylon from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bethany House Publishers.

Reader Calls Book of Hours 'Glorious Mind Candy'

Heidi writes:

I woke up this morning and had the joy of reading your blog post about the Acts of Faith series… Thank you for giving the historical background of this time period. Your in-depth research is one of the many aspects of your books that I so truly enjoy.

I think one of your first novels I read was The Meeting Place and I've now gone through and savored each of them since…some multiple times!  I keep a well-stocked library of Christian fiction…so well stocked that several of my friends' husbands call me their wives' "book pimp"!

I am a non-fiction writer and am absolutely drawn to the way God has gifted you to use words. Each book is unique in how it captures me. In The Book of Hours, for instance, your writing seemed more about creating each scene and emotion perfectly and there were moments where I got caught up in the sheer pleasure of the words over the actual story line. Your creative genius and use of language made reading it like experiencing glorious mind candy page after page!

Dear Heidi,

I'm thrilled to learn of your enjoyment of my books, and appreciation for the research that underlies the structure and story. This positioning within place and time is a crucial component for me, both in my own work and in the fiction I most enjoy.

Vickie writes:

The Book of Hours held my attention throughout. I love the way it comes together. You are a great writer and you use the gifts and talents God has given you. I am thankful and grateful for Christian books to read, from such a wonderful and talented man.

Dear Vickie,

I'm thrilled that you found this to be a solid and enjoyable story, especially as it remains one of my own personal favorites.

Best-Selling Author Jane Kirkpatrick Reviews 'Lion of Babylon'

By Jane Kirkpatrick

Guest Reviewer

Lion of Babylon is a terrific and deeply moving book. The story provides remarkable insights into important connections between the world's faiths.

Now I want to go to Iraq and smell the mint and feel the dust on my face and in a small way try to understand better the layers of history and politics and religions surface in this place.

Reading Bunn's story reminds us that the past and the present are interchangeable in these cultures, yet Jesus has a vital place here as well. I have long admired and appreciated Davis' work and I will say I think this is his finest. I was moved over and over and read sections out loud to my husband, a sign of an immediate desire to share Davis' words with someone I love.

So I want to go to the Middle East now, and I want Davis Bunn to be the tour guide!

*Note: Lion of Babylon releases July 2, 2011 from Bethany House Publishers. Click here to pre-order your copy.

[image error]Jane Kirkpatrick is the author of 20 books including 17 historical novels. Many of her titles are based on the lives of real people or incidents set authentically in the American West. Visit Jane at http://jkbooks.com/

Will There Be a Book 4 in the Acts of Faith Series?

Judi writes:

Loved the series, I'm so sad The Damascus Way is the last. Can't you churn out a couple more? Thanks for many enjoyable hours of reading.

Barbie writes:

When will there be another book in the Acts of Faith series?

Robyn writes:

Words can't describe how much I enjoyed The Damascus Way. Mrs. Oke and you have such a talent that I just have to devour!  Out of 426 pages it only took me three days to read!  Of course the very best part was when Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. I was reading that part while my husband was driving because I couldn't put it down.

I wanted to know, is this the last book of the series?  Or are there plans for more?  Unlike the other two there were no "cliffhangers" but I'm still hoping…

Karyn writes:

I just wanted to say that I loved them all. I got so involved I lost track of time. The world around me could have been on fire and I would not have noticed

Dear Friends:

Thank you so much for your lovely comments. I'm so very pleased that you found such enjoyment in the trilogy.

Alas, I must tell you that, at least for the moment, no fourth book is planned. Obviously our publishers would love to have another, especially now that the third book is #2 on the national bestseller list.

But Janette Oke has not been feeling a hundred percent lately, and as a result has intended for some time to make Damascus her final book. No matter how much I understand her decision, the news holds a piercing quality. I have so enjoyed working with her, and learned so much from her both as an author and in my own personal walk.

But we have gone out on a very strong note, in my opinion. The Damascus Way is truly one of our best, if not the best, works together.

**If you would like to read all three books in the series, here is the correct order:

Book 1: The Centurion's Wife

Book 2: The Hidden Flame

Book 3: The Damascus Way

Bodacious Bookworms Reviews 'The Damascus Way'

Missy Shay and her husband celebrate their anniversary together by inhaling a few books.

*This review was originally published on the Bodacious Bookworms blog. Reprinted with permission from the author.

By Missy Shay

Guest Reviewer

What a great book! I was supposed to have written this review weeks ago, but I was suffering from terrible sinus headaches and have not written any reviews in a while! Then I was out of town at camp meeting last week.

The Damascus Way is the the finale to the best-selling Acts of Faith trilogy co-authored by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke.

Here's a link to my review of The Centurion's Wife. And here's a link to my review of book 2 in the series, The Hidden Flame.

I was so excited to read the third book!

The Damascus Way is about a young rich girl named Julia. She has everything money can buy, a mother and father who loves her, but something is missing. They don't have any friends and company never comes over. She does not understand why until a terrible secret is revealed to her. The only one she can turn to is Jesus, but it is dangerous to be a follower of The Way.

Abigail's brother, Jacob, is now a young man. He is a believer, but does not where he belongs in the world. He feels that he is treated as a child still by his guardian. Should he continue as a caravan guard, or does God have another way for him to travel?

The book also tells about the Apostle Paul before he was saved and how terrified the Christians were of him. The title of the book comes from Paul's salvation on the Road to Damascus.

The book is very well written, at one point there is a terrible sand storm, and I could just picture myself there. I live in TX, and while I was reading the book we were having very high winds and dirt was blowing everywhere and I was covered with dirt from the wind storm, but it was nothing compared to the sand storms in the Middle East!

This is a must-read to help you understand what it was like to be a Christian and have to hide from authorities and friends when going to church services, and not being able to talk openly about your faith without fear of persecution.

We have many freedoms here in America that are slowly being taken away. We need to pray for our country and its leaders to make sure this does not happen here!

Missy Shay is a Sunday school teacher who loves to bake, decorate cakes, sew aprons and read. She likes to read good Christian fiction and share what she reads with other people. You can find her blog at bodaciousbookworms.blogspot.com. Missy blogs about baking, decorating cakes, aprons and sewing at missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com.

A Gift from a Fan: Zero to Sixty in Four Point One Seconds

There have been a number of times when fans have surprised me with little gifts. I will often receive cards of thanks when a book touches someone, or when a lecture has a special impact. And increasingly fans have asked how they can help get out word about a book, or want to help put together new talks, or talks in regions where I've never been before.

Today was something very different.

A fan of Gold of Kings and The Black Madonna happens to be sales director for Jaguar Cars in South England. On Monday he wrote to invite me to a Jaguar rally.

Now I have been a huge fan of cars since before I had a license. In England, we are called 'petrol heads'. I have had a bunch of cars and loved almost all of them, even when they have been major pains to keep up.

These rallys are very big deals, and extra exclusive. The group carts out this mass of vehicles from their museum, and select drivers are permitted to take them for a couple of circuits on a closed track.

A closed track is like Daytona, only in England all the tracks are built like the roads, which means they have curves. If you have ever seen a Formula One race, you will understand when I say that I find these to be a lot more interesting than the banked ovals used in America races.

In England, almost all of the older tracks are built around air bases. This is because back in World War Two, almost all of the pilots were petrol heads as well. And so on their off time they would race around the perimeter fence, which followed the line of fields and neighboring farms and roads. Many of England's greatest tracks still follow these same winding routes—Silverstone, Castle Coomb, and where I was today, Thruxton.

When I arrived this morning just after dawn, I was in for a huge surprise. They had the vintage cars, including one of the first E-Types ever to roll off the assembly line. I spent a lot of my growing up years yearning for one of them.

But when it came time to drive, they rolled out a fleet of the new supercharged racers.

Eight cylinders, twin turbo chargers, five hundred and fifty brake horsepower, zero to sixty in four point one seconds.

Each of us were assigned a professional racing driver. Mine was named Rod. Rod was a very patient man. He needed to be. I had never been on a circuit before, and had also never driven a car with paddle shifters.

Rod drove one circuit. I was seriously scared by the end of it. And he kept saying all the while, "Now, I'm driving gentle-like, on account of how you need to be making note of all the turns and such."

And little me, I'm holding on for dear life, thinking, well, hmmm.

And of course there are a lot of turns. Sixteen in all. Each of which needs to be met at a different point, and a different speed, with a different combination of brake and acceleration.

There was no chance to take notes, I would have lost my grip on the door. And then of course there was the small matter of how on earth I could read what I had written, while driving. Which Rod told me I needed to do.

The car's engine did not go. It growled at me, and then it went. My eyeballs and other body parts were left in the pit lane. My buttons worked their way through my interior and wedded themselves to the seat cushion.

At some point in the acceleration process I think I managed to say something extremely intelligent and witty, like, "Wow."

Rod was great. He had to be. I survived that first lap. It was all down to him. He had this extremely calm voice, like a fireman entering a smoke-filled apartment filled with screaming people. He kept to this steady tone. "Aim for the sign, bank left, accelerate out of the turn, begin braking here, aim for the judge's box, shift to the center, follow the line of the course."  Like that.

We did one lap at a very easy speed, somewhere north of seventy. Then I turned it up a bit, and we did another. Twice I hit a hundred miles an hour. When I ended the lap and turned into the pit lane, my hands were so slick with sweat I could scarcely put the gear in park.

When I found my voice again, I asked Rod what was the first thing I needed to focus on. I've learned this from my writing. And from teaching others. No matter how glaring and bulky the errors, they can only be overcome if first they are separated out and attacked one at a time.

Rod looked at me, and said in an almost funereal voice, "Sir, you really need to speed up out there."

Hokey Dokey.

The thing was, I trusted Rod. And I think Rod saw that. I was determined to follow his instructions totally. Even if I thought the man was completely, utterly, unreservedly mad.

This time, when we left the pit lane, Rod said, "Hit it."

And I did.

One hundred and forty-three miles per hour on the straights.

Two of the chicanes, or S-curves, at ninety miles per hour.

Banking out of the exit-curves with the pedal on the floor, accelerating through controlled spin turns, my hands gripped the wheel so hard my fingers are still numb, four hours later.

The tires did not squeal. They stuttered. The car has a computer-controlled system that balances the suspension with the speed, and literally fights against the g-force. The car whined through the revs, the tires fought for a grip, and I left the curve at a hundred and seven miles an hour.

What I didn't tell Rob: The only reason I wasn't screaming was, I had forgotten how to breathe.

At the end of the course, Rob congratulated me and said, "On that last chicane, you were five miles below competitive track speed."

I started to tell him that entering into that first turn I thought my heart had stopped. But I decided that wouldn't sound cool. So I just thanked him. For one truly amazing ride.

I left the course feeling intensely grateful for the day, and for this sense of being drawn closer to God by, for lack of a better way to say it, an adrenaline-stoked joy. There was fear, yes, but there was also an intensity of having lived a very rare moment, a time of sheer abandon. I had stretched my limits, and counted the hour as a rare gift.

I would love to hear from others out there who have known such moments, when life's boundaries are passed through with an intensity that borders on ecstasy, and feel as though God's presence became part of the joy, and of the intensity where joy and fear merged into one.

Zoom. Zoom.

'Lion of Babylon' Packed With Behind-the-Scenes Chaos in Modern-Day Iraq (Review)

By Mary A. Hake

Guest Reviewer

Plunge into modern-day Iraq for a behind-the-scenes experience of the culture and the chaos. Accompany Marc Royce on a secret mission for the U.S. as he seeks to locate and rescue kidnapped Americans and Iraqis. Watch in amazement as he maneuvers, surviving the streets of Baghdad and winning the hearts of the people.

Written with sensitivity to both Muslim and Christian beliefs, Bunn masterly accomplishes a feat that would leave the State Department in awe. Perhaps they could take lessons from Lion of Babylon.

The nonstop action and suspense demand to be met by fast-paced reading. I finished the novel in less than a day, but wished it hadn't ended. I thrilled at the Middle East adventure, but was glad to experience it from the safety of my comfy chair. Not only do we learn about Middle East life, history, and traditions amidst the engaging story, we observe lessons of sacrificial love and acceptance, offering hope for a future where we can live together in peace.

I highly recommend this powerful masterpiece.

*Note: Lion of Babylon releases July 2, 2011 from Bethany House Publishers. Click here to pre-order your copy.

Mary A. Hake is a freelance writer and editor, with hundreds of published pieces, including a Creation curriculum for children. She serves as president of Oregon Christian Writers and has helped with OCW conferences for many years. She is also chairman of her local Library Advisory Board and works in the library as needed. Her website is www.maryhake.com.

Ramblings and Stray Thoughts About Acts of Faith Series

Review #1: Ramblings of Emily Rose

By Emily Rose

Guest Reviewer

Emily is a 19-year-old girl from Colorado. She was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school and graduated in the spring of 2010. She loves reading, writing, history, music, movies, and her friends.

This review was originally published on the Ramblings of Emily Rose blog.

The Centurion's Wife

I had seen this book at Barnes and Noble several times, but I just shrugged it off. It really didn't interest me. One of my favorite books, The Robe by Lloyd Douglas, was set around the same events. Why bother reading another book that could in no way match up? Warped thinking, I know. But that's the way I felt.

Then one of my favorite people in the world told me I should read it. That she would bring it to church for me. And that I must hurry with it because other people wanted to borrow it from her. I didn't want to hurt her feelings and say, "Not interested!" So I took the book and started it. And finished it. And wanted more.

I loved the historical information. I loved the characters. I loved everything about the book. So off to the library I went to find the sequel…

The Hidden Flame

When I first started this book I was somewhat afraid that I wouldn't like it. The focus is shifted to new characters. But in the end, I still loved it! In fact, I think that the character shift was a great idea! I "got to know" some of the people better through the change in perspective, but everyone I loved from The Centurion's Wife was still there.

This book also inspired me to begin reading through the book of Acts in my Bible. I wanted to check and see just how much was being made up and how much was really scripture. Characters such as Ananias and Sapphira, Stephen, and Peter, are given time in this book. I wanted to make sure that they didn't get fixed in my mind the wrong way.

After reading The Hidden Flame, I decided that I'd better get on paperback swap and put the whole series on a list of books I want. I went to my library's website and requested the third book…

The Damascus Way

I went to the library soon after finishing The Hidden Flame, so I was able to get The Damascus Way right away. Several days and many many books had passed between The Centurion's Wife and The Hidden Flame, so the former isn't as firm in my mind right now… But I'm pretty sure that The Damascus Way is my favorite of the three books.

The characters were still great. The history was still so much fun. I had expected the series to start to take a down turn as many series tend to do. I'm thrilled to say that there was definitely no down turn. At all. I'd recommend this series to anyone without hesitation, though I would also recommend reading your Bible alongside.

Review #2: Stray Thoughts

By Barbara H.

Guest Reviewer

Barbara is a 50-something stay-at-home mom who loves to write about her family, funny or interesting things she sees, and things God has taught her.

This review was originally published on Barbara's Stray Thoughts blog.

The Damascus Way, is the third installment in biblical fiction series Acts of Faith by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn, yet I think it could easily be read as a stand-alone book if you've not read the previous two in the series.

If you're very familiar with the story of the Apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus in the book of Acts, then the title of this book would suggest to you that it might be about him. It does cover that incident, but until it reaches that point, Paul — known as Saul's pre-conversion — is seen once and referred to many times. He is less a character in the story through most of it than a sort of dark cloud of threatening persecution of the believers.

That increasing persecution drove many of the early believers from Jerusalem in the Bible, having the effect of scattering the gospel with them across the land, and that's the background of the story that is portrayed here. Abigail, the widow of Stephen, reluctantly leaves with her young daughter, Dorcas, and a group of believers heading one way. Jacob, her brother, is a guard for a wealthy merchant's caravan and becomes a courier for the underground network of believers. One of his contacts, to his surprise, is Julia, the beautiful daughter of his employer.

Julia is the only daughter of the merchant, and though well-to-do, she realizes that she and her mother are not welcomed in the community. Discovering why shakes her world to its core, and her turmoil leads to faith in Christ. She and Jacob are the primary characters in this story, though there are strong subplots involving Abigail as well as Linux and Alban, two Roman soldiers who became believers in the previous books.

I enjoyed seeing how believers from various backgrounds and nationalities who would formerly have been enemies became one in Christ.

And one passage that came back to mind many times after reading it involved the testimony of what we call "the woman at the well." I knew that she came out to draw water alone at a time when other women were not there because of her shame and her status. I knew that she was surprised that Christ spoke to her in the first place and that He knew all about her. But one sentence in the story said, "He seemed to know all about her, yet He did not shun her" (p. 265). Though the last few words are not explicitly said in Scripture, they are implied, and though I knew that in one sense, in this reading the contrast between the shunning of "good people" and the kindness and respect shown by the Savior really stood out to me.

For all the possible intrigue of the dangerous activities of the couriers and the secrecy of the believers to avoid persecution, you would think this would have been a real page-turner, but the plot seemed to drag to me in a few places, which I don't remember happening in the previous books. But I may have just been a little "off" somehow while reading it — other reviews of it I have read use words like "sweeping," "intriguing," and "vivid."

Nevertheless, I am glad to have read it and can recommend it. I'm not sure if there will be further books in the series — since it is covering the book of Acts and there are several more chapters after Saul's conversion, I would hope so. If so, I'll be looking forward to them.

Even More Reviews!

Here are three more blog reviews of The Damascus Way:

Quiverfull Family
FLinG (briefly reviewed all three books in the Acts of Faith series)
A Simple Catholic

Quiverfull Family –

http://quiverfullfamily.com/2011/04/29/book-review-the-damascus-way-acts-of-faith-3-by-davis-bunn-and-janette-oke/

FLinG (briefly reviewed all three books in the Acts of Faith series)

http://magenmyshield.blogspot.com/2011/04/book-review-acts-of-faith-3-book-series.html

A Simple Catholic

http://catholictraveller.blogspot.com/2011/04/damascus-way.html

Readers Comment About the Storm Syrrell Adventures

Margie writes:

Gold of Kings was a fascinating story! And I loved the video clip you made with Bob Marx. I am a history buff so I really enjoyed seeing a glimpse of Harry Bennett's treasures. Absolutely amazing!

Dear Margie,

Working with Bob Marx has been such a blast. Every time we meet up, I walk away feeling overfull of impressions, recollections, and thoughts for new books. His ability as a treasure dog is matched by his love of tales.

Karen writes:

The Black Madonna is a great book! I was pleasantly surprised that there was a follow-up to Gold of Kings. However, the second book's ending did leave things hanging. Did Raphael die? This is the reason that I am visiting your web site for the first time. I was hoping to hear there would be a new book with more on Storm and Raphael.

It is a blessing to find a writer who honors God with inspirational messages and moral stories without compromising values just so more books can be sold. God bless you and your wife.

Dear Karen,

Thank you so much for the delightful review. Yes, I know, it was an odd way to end the story. And when I sent off the manuscript, I waited for the editor to come back and say, YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO YOUR READERS.

Instead, she said she thought it fit the story extremely well. Big sigh of relief for me, huge outcry from a lot of fans, including you.

Yes, there will be a sequel. But as you may have already seen from earlier notes, it will be a couple of years off.

Shirley writes:

I have read just about all of your books – may have missed one or two. I have just finished reading Black Madonna, and once again you have solved a seemingly impossible problem. But how could you leave Raphael lying there in a coma, with Storm so much in love?  She deserves better than that. I assume (at least I hope) there is to be another book in process to resolve their situation, and create some new unsolvable issues.

Dear Shirley,

I know, it was an awful thing to do. Then again, it made for a superb ending to that story. It is sort of like the ending Janette and I put together for the first of the Acadia series, when the babies were switched and then that night was the great expulsion.

In any case, yes, a third and final book in the series is planned, but the publishers have asked that I do one book before then.

Readers Comment About First-Century Power Players Blog Series

Sandra writes:

I've been reading with interest your series on first-century power players referred to in the Acts of Faith series. I'm writing a paper on the same period and would appreciate knowing some of the reference works you used.

Dear Sandra,

Thanks so much for your note. As a novel does not require a bibliography, I rarely keep track of my book sources – perhaps in the future I should change this. A couple of special sources do come to mind, however.

Bethany House Publishers has recently put out two books on the world and culture that Jesus knew, as well as a massive Bible history reference book. All of these were most helpful, as was a book entitled 1AD, available in the UK in paperback, written by an Oxford trained historian.

Also 'Pilate', from Doubleday, a great source book for studying the political structure of the time, as was 'The Trial', a look at the legal process that Jesus went through prior to The Passion.

Vicki writes:

I just finished reading part 10 of your blog series, "First-Century Power Players," and they have all been so helpful in explaining the power structure of ruling Jewish body. But it is the 10th blog that brings us into the picture and is so very powerful. Thank you for the blogs and your books.

Dear Vicki,

Thank you so much. These blog posts were the result of my studies with an Orthodox rabbi in Israel, who has come to know the Lord with all his family. A remarkable man, and a wonderful teacher. It is so good to know that his teachings have resonated with so many readers, and come alive in this trilogy.

Jane writes:

I wanted to let you know my husband and I were discussing your 10-part overview, particularly your last one, #10. I get so tired of hearing people wanting to get out of here and always saying the rapture is right around the corner.

Our Lord said to "occupy until He comes."  Sure I would like to get out of here but I don't live to do that!  He's give us all a mission to fulfill.

We loved particularly The Damascus Way because of what you did with the caravans and Paul's conversion. You do such a good job explaining that era. We both love the history and the "what could have happened" in all 3 books. It makes it much more of a reality. Thanks again for all your research!

Dear Jane,

Thank you so much for the lovely comments. I am indeed glad to know our stories have brought a new light to this vital segment of the Holy Book. Again, thank you for writing, and my best to you both.