My Hero

By Kelly Bridgewater

On October 14, I introduced my heroine, Chloe Walker. This week, I’m introducing my hero, Devin Sanders. I attached a picture of Nick Stokes from CSI because he was always the silent, smart, and attractive science guy.  Stokes was dependable and a great guy. I thought he would fit the description of Devin well. Plus, he’s handsome. Who wouldn’t want to follow Nick Stokes around for a thousand pages? I would. So here is Devin Sanders bio. At least, what I know about him right now.

27 years old

BS in Criminology

Oldest child of three. Has two younger brothers (Cole, whose 24 years old, and Matthew, whose 20 years old.) His parents are still married. About to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary.

Biggest fear: Watching a loved one die because of the nature of his job.

Biggest lie: I don’t measure up.   Also, can’t recover from Chloe and him breaking up. It has hindered all his past relationships since her. Every girl is measured to her and doesn’t make the cut.

 

Preferences:

-Loves Dr. Pepper

-Mexican food

-Rock Music (Bon Jovi, Poison, Metallica)

-Clothes: Anything that moves quickly, for instance, khakis, jeans, polo shirts, pull-over sweater.

-Hair: Short, but not bald. Enough to run his fingers through.

-Loves the way he looks. Works out at the gym or runs every day to stay fit especially for his job.

-Extrovert (Loves being the center of attention, but knows when to calmly have a conversation with someone)

-Organized (Probably from his police training, but everything has a place and everything should be there)

-Biggest Pet Peeve: Hate seeing men treat women like their not worthy of their time.

-Risk Taker

-Been hurt in the past by Chloe Walker, so he doesn’t get that close to woman in relationships.

-True romantic at heart. Find what the girl likes and pursues her through her interests. Loves spending time with his significant others.

Character’s abilities: Can read people really well. Knows when someone’s lying or something wrongs. Loves solving crimes for a living. Using his knowledge of science and police work to put the guilty person behind bars.

How do you handle frustration? Not afraid to get in the person face and tell them they are doing something wrong. Not afraid to start a fight when he believes he’s right.

What stands in the way of your happiness right now? No kids. No wife. He always imagined marrying Chloe and starting a family. On the other hand, he’s glad he’s not married because if he was then every time he encounters a crazy person and put them behind bars, he would have to worry about his wife and kids ending up dead.

Current relationship with God: He has fallen away from his relationship with God. Why believe in someone who would allow Chloe, the love of his life, to walk away? God didn’t care, so why should he care about him.

If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be? I would never have let Chloe Walker walk away.

Have you ever done this for a character? Are there any suggestions I should include to fully develop more heroine more realistic for my characters?  Here are the ultimate questions: Do you like or dislike Devin Sanders? Could you see yourself spending time with him in a three part book?

Mary Weber: The Storm Siren

By Kelly Bridgewater

Mary Weber just published her debut novel, The Storm Siren, from Thomas Nelson Publishers. It is a first in a three book series rightly entitled The Storm Siren Trilogy. This is a Young Adult Speculative fiction piece that takes place in another time.

The story features a seventeen-year-old protagonist, Nym, who is a rare Elemental because up until her existence all Elemental were males and killed at birth. Somehow she had bypassed that law and lives at seventeen. Elementals have powers to control certain aspects of the atmosphere. With the title being, The Storm Siren, you could probably guess by now, that Nym controls storms—all the lightening, clouds, thunder, and rain.

As the story opens, Nym is standing at the on a stage being bided off to slave owners. She has been through this number of times. Standing high above everyone else, Nym observes a little red head girl getting smacked around by her new owner. Anger rises from every core of her being, and Nym releases a huge storm killing everyone around her.   

Adora, a wealthy woman, purchases Nym and allows her to live in her elaborate home and take lessons to control her elemental powers with Colin, another trainee, and Eogan, the trainer. Nym must decide to protect war-ravaged Faelen or be killed. Of course, she chooses to train. Over a course of five weeks, Nym learns how to control her powers.

The book may be designed for young adult, but I truly enjoyed the story. The character, Nym, is a character that most people can empathize with. She doesn’t feel like she belongs in her world, and no one would understand her. I truly wanted to see her succeed and throw away the bonds of slavery that wrapped around her wrists a number of times. Both metaphorically and realistically.

The plot moved right along that you really felt like you were walking through the rough terrain of Faelen. You experience the wind blow and the rain droplets when Nym allowed the storm to explode.

I truly enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the next installment. Plus, I love the cover on this book. I can't wait to see what art work will appear on the next book.

I received an ebook copy of this book from Netgalley, and all the opinions stated above are my own.  

A Thanksgiving Prayer

By K. L. Bridgewater

Heavenly Father,

As we come to another season of thankfulness and my birthday, I want to thank you for a few things this past year. First, I want to thank you for my husband, Michael, for the past thirteen years. Without him, I don’t know if I would have finished my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. I probably would be worrying about how to pay my bills. I wouldn’t be exploring my ability to write. I wouldn’t be a stay-at-home who has the time to write while watching my children grow. Even being at home, my children seem to grow too fast at times, but then on the other hand, they sometime don’t appear to grow at all. The life of a parent.

I want to thank you for Elijah, my oldest son, who is in seventh grade and twelve years old. I love the creativity you have given him, and the child-like faith he still has even though the world is probably pressuring him to change. I enjoy watching him build and play with his Lego’s. However, please help him control his hyper movements and allow him to be a big brother not a parent. His time will come soon enough.

Next, I want to thank you for Isaiah, my middle child, who is in fourth grade and nine years old. I enjoy his moments of wanting to be cuddled, even at his age. He loves to crawl in my lap and just talk to me. It still feels nice when he wants to do that. Isaiah love language is spending time with others. When you don’t pay attention to him, then he starts to become moody. However, please teach him how to control his temper and learn to keep his room clean.

Obadiah. My baby. He appears to be so big at times, that I can’t believe it. He started kindergarten this year, which still surprises me. Lord, keep his love of learning going as he advances through the years. Allow him to absorb all he can from his teachers and never leave his competive spirit. I pray for his grace and understanding as he grows older. I pray that his joy of sitting in my lap and being read to advances him to a life-long reader.

I thank you, Lord, for my two dogs, Happy, our seven-year-old golden retriever, and Snoopy, our three-year-old Beagle. I couldn’t imagine anyone having a home without a dog. They love you unconditionally and are always happy to see you. Whenever you feel down, they know it and will sit next to you, wanting you to pet them, which will put a smile on both your faces.

Last, I want to thank you for the desire to write. I want to use my words to lead others to you. I want to create a story where the reader forgets their reading a book, but they learn something about your grace and love and ponder if they should be seeking you with their life.

Thank you, Lord. I appreciate the path you have set my life upon. I thank you for your saving Grace in my life, even though a lot of times, I don't feel like I deserve it. Thank you for loving me!

Your daughter,

Amen.