Monday, February 19, 2024

A 4-star review of Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories

I received a 4-star review from my favorite review site: Pages and Paws. Shazam! Here's a link to the review: Just Click Here

Mystery Collection is the Dog’s Bow-Wow

4 Comments

The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories

By Doralynn Kennedy (2022)

Genre: Fiction/Supernatural Mystery, Cozy Mystery

Pages: 125 (Print)

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can two retired spooks figure out why a Ukrainian professor died, how his dog learned to drive, and why Archie had a homing device in his collar that may have had its origins in the jungles of Vietnam? 

Hold on to your fur, friends. Cuz that’s only a few questions swirling in this finely crafted collection of mystery-ish stories. The collection runs the gamut of emotions and covers the waterfront from creepy to cozy to the back woods to the dog house. 

The longest – and in our opinion, the strongest – story in this collection is the first one, The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog. Cuz, hey Dog! Hello!? ‘Sides. This story pulls you into the action like a dog after a bone (Hi, Kimmi). In one wag of Archie’s tail you’re neck-deep into a shadowy world of spies, sleuths, mystery, and “Boa Constrictor” nets. It’s just a lot of fun.

Arthur and Emily Gossington are two retired spooks. They live a quiet, pedestrian life until they find a mysterious device inside the collar of a stray German shepherd named Archie. Also: Do archeology and AI tie-in? How? And what’s up with Mr. Fitzgerald “Fitz” the pampered Persian cat? (Nobody’s purr-fect. Sorry. Couldn’t resist. – Kimber.) 

Competition

This story is smart. Sassy. Arthur and Emily put the crank in “cranky” and the “mudge” in “curmudgeon.” So Her Momness has some competition. And a coupla kindred spirits. Finally.

The one thing we didn’t like about this story was that you get to the end and it kind of goes “thud.” We didn’t get a sense that anything was solved or any mystery unraveled. It just kinda runs out of ink.

Meanwhile, The Adventures of Darrel and Lloyd is hilarious! Would-be bank robbers toting a skunk named Daisy into a bank! We kept seeing “Larry, this is my brother Darrel, and this is my other brother Darrel” from Newhart. The story’s a riot, whereas The Death of Jaime VanCamp is full-on creepazoid of the Edgar Allan Poe variety. The Mysterious Mr. Majestic is something you probably don’t want to start during a power outtage. There’s also illicit moonshiners and a Thing you don’t want to run into on a dark and stormy night. Or in the daytime.

Bravo!

One thing we really appreciated about this collection is that it’s a professional-level publication. It’s been proofread. And edited. It makes sense. Is structurally sound and briskly paced. (You wouldn’t believe how much stuff we see that’s None of the Above. Kimber: Gag me with catnip!)

Gotta admit that we missed the Gossingtons after the first two stories. Mr. and Mrs. Cranky put in an appearance in the second story, The Brownstone Mystery. That story unfolds in an old brownstone apartment on the Upper West Side. It revolves around disappearing Christmas presents. Are the disappearances due to sticky-fingered neighbors? Secret passageways? A former tenant? An escaped con on the lam or a runaway?

The game’s afoot when the Gossingtons show up in the next-door apartment. House-sitting for a friend. But Em and Art fly the coop after that. Too bad. Would’ve liked to have seen more of them in subsequent stories. Maybe a few cameos here and there. But let’s not get picky here, okay? After all. Fitz has that market cornered. Sheesh.

Overall

Overall, The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories is an enjoyable and engaging read. It’s also nice when one of us wants to grab something quick to read start to finish without investing hours in same. It’s chockful of colorful and richly textured characters that practically stand up and walk.

Full-Bodied

So if you’re looking for something fresh, nimble, and full-bodied like a fine wine, check out The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories.

While you’re doing that, I gotta find Mom. What? Hiding in the closet? Again? Sheesh.

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Ebook - Mystery of the Fox Down Dog will be free Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and Day 2022

 I am running a free promotion for my new novella, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories. The digital version will be free on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2022. The digital version will also be free on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 2022. I have included the link to the book in this post. It is also available in paperback, and hardcover, but I am not running a promotion for those formats. The link and a five-star review are also in this post. Thanks! 

Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKVCP213

Here is my first review: 

5.0 out of 5 stars
Humor and horror in just the right mix

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 5, 2022

"This is a fun collection! Kennedy writes very well, blending mystery, quirky humor, crime, and horror in a set of stories with an array of different characters and settings. In the most chilling story (to me), which felt rather Stephen King in mood, a ouija-board-like toy does exactly what we all fear a ouija board might do; while on the other end of the dark/light spectrum, the funniest story covers a few quick episodes in the lives of Darrel and Lloyd, muddleheaded criminal disasters. But to me the standout was the longest story, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog, in which the role of small-town amateur sleuths is played by an elderly married couple who happen to be retired CIA agents. Emily and Arthur are a delight!"

See my previous post for a larger image of my cover. Thanks again!




Thursday, November 10, 2022

New Fiction Novella

I just released the hound. Well, not exactly. I just published a new novella, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories. It is available in digital, paperback, and hardcover. I use my full name since this is not a Christian book. It has Christian characters, but it is not a "Christian" book. However, there is not much in it that will be offensive to Christians. My first books, which were secular, were published with my full name. All of the stories in this novella, except the first one, were written while I was still writing secular fiction and are several years old. I wanted to be sure they were preserved for my family and friends, so I decided to publish them. When I began writing Christian books, I used my initials to distinguish them from my earlier, secular work. The link for Fox Down Dog, a five-star review, the cover, and an excerpt are below. If anyone stumbles upon this, I hope you enjoy! 

Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKVCP213

Here's my first review: (Actually, it's my only review.)

5.0 out of 5 stars
Humor and horror in just the right mix

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 5, 2022

"This is a fun collection! Kennedy writes very well, blending mystery, quirky humor, crime, and horror in a set of stories with an array of different characters and settings. In the most chilling story (to me), which felt rather Stephen King in mood, a ouija-board-like toy does exactly what we all fear a ouija board might do; while on the other end of the dark/light spectrum, the funniest story covers a few quick episodes in the lives of Darrel and Lloyd, muddleheaded criminal disasters. But to me the standout was the longest story, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog, in which the role of small-town amateur sleuths is played by an elderly married couple who happen to be retired CIA agents. Emily and Arthur are a delight!"

Here's a larger image of my cover: 


Here's an excerpt from the fourth story in the novella. This short story is entitled, Night on Big Foot Mountain.

     It was a frosty night. Slips of snow eased over the sloped roof and fell with soft, steady plops onto the ground below. Orly waited for some sign, not knowing what it would be, but certain he would recognize it when it came. It could be the hoot of an owl, a light in the woods, or a dark shape along the old farmer’s road. 

     "It came as a soft whistle, forlorn and eerie, easily mimicking the winds that would blow down from the north and hiss through the narrow cracks around his windowsill. But there was no wind tonight. An old floorboard creaked outside his door. Orly held his breath, waiting for more sounds. There was another creak, then another. A door was eased back on rusty hinges, then silence. 

     He waited until he saw three dark shapes emerge from the shadows and disappear into Sump Woods. They were met by other dark shapes. Orly wrapped his wooly scarf around his head, slung his knapsack over his shoulder, then moved across his room as quietly as his bulk would permit. Orly was a big man, big enough to fight Jack Dempsey according to his papa; but, truth was, he’d rather cut off a finger than lift it against anyone. Quiet reflection was as important to him as the illicit moonshine still in the woods was to his papa and brothers. "  

You can read a much longer excerpt at Amazon with the "Look Inside" feature. The long excerpt at Amazon is from the title story, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog. (I'm still trying to finish my Christian fiction book about the last days, but I've hit a snag with it that I can't seem to get past yet. I have published a non-fiction book about the last days. You can see that here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FH4WDMG) Thanks!




Sunday, March 14, 2021

A New Christian Book About the Bible's Last Days

Photo by Ann from Pexels
I am working on a new fiction book based on the Biblical End of Days. I have written several chapters and hope to have it finished later this year. (I am notoriously slow.) I originally published this on one of my other blogs, and I have archived this on the WayBack Machine, but I might take this post down in the future. This chapter is first draft, so there will most likely be some tweaks and changes. Here is the opening:

 

Chapter One

The ticking grandfather clock was all that remained in the room now. Emily stared at it, holding onto it like a lifeline in a restless ocean, and the last remnants of the room faded away. Was she dying? Going blind? The clock’s noise grew louder, and each tick slowed, until the pounding thud reminded her of a steady, drawn-out drumbeat. What was happening to her? She tried to move but couldn’t; wanted to call out for Mike, but was silent, wished she could scream but wasn’t even afraid. Some invisible force held her to her chair. It was as if her body had turned into steel, and she was in the grip of a powerful magnet.

The door of the grandfather clock blew open, blown back as if by an explosion, and letters swirled outward and up, a’s and b’s and c’s, filling the room like blown snow on a winter’s day. They settled and gathered into words, and the words joined other words, until her living room was a wall of sentences and paragraphs and headlines.

There was another noise in the room now. Footsteps. Was it Mike? She hoped it was Mike. She began to read aloud. Her voice a far-away monotone.

“SANTIAGO, Chile - A massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Santiago early Monday morning, collapsing buildings and leaving roadways impassable. A ‘state of catastrophe’ has been declared as the death toll reaches 81 people and is expected to soar.”

The words dissolved and new ones formed. She could hear Mike’s frantic voice, but it sounded as if it were coming from a distant dimension—one connected to the restrictive laws of physics, space, and time. Such things didn’t apply here.

Wherever here was.

She continued reading.

“IRAN Vows Revenge as Airstrikes in Syria leave 57 Dead. The Israeli military is suspected in the deadly airstrikes which killed 57 Iranian-backed fighters in Homs Governorate, Syria. The airstrike targeted military sites belonging to Iranian militias near the town of Khirbet Tin Nur. The Israeli military has made no comment on the incident, but Israel routinely targets Syrian military sites backed by Iranian fighters. Several secondary explosions were reported, and the death toll is expected to rise.” 

New words. New sentences. She dutifully read on, even though the words weren’t in any language she was familiar with. Her voice was audible, almost bell-like, but she didn’t know what she said, or how she was able to read the foreign words.

One by one the block-like letters dissolved and new words, in new languages, formed. She continued to read until there were no more letters. No more words. The clock dissolved. The world dissolved.

And everything went black.

The laborious ticking of time was all that remained. It filled her existence until even it ceased. The silence was like waiting, like a breath held too long. Then the ticking resumed, but it was faster now. It quickened like panting, like gasping after a long run in the woods. It grew louder and louder, then abruptly changed, morphing into a wail; a sinking, rising cry that filled the void. She was reading again, but this time the words were scrolling across her closed eyelids.

When the world returned, she was no longer in her living room or her comfortable chair.

She was in a hospital bed, and Mike’s bloodshot eyes stared down at her.

“What happened?” she asked, straining to sit up.

“You’re asking me?”

She couldn’t tell if he was going to laugh or cry. His head dropped and he didn’t answer. She waited, then reached forward and took his hand. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

She could tell now. She could see it in her husband’s tortured expression. He wasn’t going to cry. He had been crying. She knew him well enough to know that he was trying to hide his tears, not wanting to frighten her, or himself. Speech was impossible. He’d break down. He was struggling to hold everything together, struggling to be in charge of a situation that was beyond his control. Probably had been for days judging by how he looked.

“When was the last time you slept or showered? You look like Barney.” She smiled as she thought about the homeless man they bought hamburgers for. Barney walked around town with a sign that read “the end is near” on one side and “have a nice day” on the other.

Mike looked up, wiping at the tears that flooded his eyes, determined not to let any of them fall, and half laughed, half wept. “It’s odd you ask about Barney. He dropped off a hamburger for me at the information desk this afternoon and left a get-well note for you.” 

He reached into his pocket with hands that shook and pulled out the stained and crumpled piece of paper. “He can’t spell, but his heart is in the right place.”

She took the note and read it in silence, “will soon cellebrate hmbunger at The Stoore. all the love onn planet. U get wel before i starrve now. do not u forgget old barney. wil not foget what you do.” Some of the letters faded, leaving only a cryptic message that leaped out and glowed like a neon sign. I can help. Get out now.

She handed it back to Mike. “Ignore the first “w,” the punctuation, and the spaces. Then read every seventh letter, but not out loud.

His eyes grew wide and he stared at her with a bewildered expression. “What do you think it means?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure, but something tells me we should take it seriously.”

He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I think we should take it seriously too. I don’t like what’s happening around here. Apparently, some of the things you said were classified, and the earthquake and airstrikes you predicted happened right on schedule. I was live-streaming when this began, and Facebook has taken down my account, but it’s too late. After the earthquake and the airstrikes in Syria, this thing exploded. It’s gone viral. Everybody, and I mean everybody, has been asking questions, and I don’t have any answers.”

It felt as if time were slowing down again, rewinding, moving backward. When she spoke, her words seemed far away, detached. “Tell me what’s been going on, Mike. And don’t leave anything out.”

When he spoke, his words formed grainy pictures in her mind. The past played out in front of her like an old black and white movie. She slumped back against the bed and watched, but she was watching from inside Mike’s head.  

+++

Raking was pointless until the wind died down. Leaves swirled over his head and around the backyard, piling up in corners and crevices. They were so deep he almost missed the tiny fawn frozen in fear on the far side of his lawn. It was nearly impossible to imagine that a deer could ever be so small. He glanced around for the mother and saw her standing at the end of the garden trail. She was as motionless as her baby. Mike eased his phone out of his pocket and began recording, live-streaming to his Facebook page as he did. The mother took a hesitant, prancing step forward, stopped, then repeated the movement. The slow methodical dance continued until she reached her baby, then she turned and bounded away. Her miniature-self followed close behind. They didn’t stop until they reached the end of the lonely lane; then they turned and stared back at him, making sure he hadn’t followed.

The wail of wind died down, and the flurry of leaves found new corners to pile into. Mike bent and removed the rake from the sidewalk, then he hurried toward the house, anxious to show Emily their tiny visitor. He entered the living room with the words, “Wait until you see this,” but his next words were never spoken. His first thought was stroke. Saliva had pooled at the corners of Emily’s mouth, bubbling up like foam. Her eyes were open, but the gaze was as fixed and frightening as death.

He heard the porch door open behind him and a familiar voice rang out. “Package, Mr. Mays.”

He whirled toward the sound, “For God’s sake, Avi, call 9-1-1. Emily’s having a stroke!” Then he bent over his wife and rubbed her hands, pleading with her to talk to him. Then she began to speak, but it wasn’t to him. It sounded as if she were reading the evening news.

+++

Avi stood behind him as they waited for the ambulance and fire department. “It’s Hebrew, Mr. Mays. I didn’t know your wife spoke Hebrew.”

Mike turned and stared at him. “She doesn’t.”

Avi didn’t move, just continued staring at Emily. “Well, she is now. It sounds like she’s reading a newspaper article about a mutated strain of Coronavirus. She says there are new lockdowns in Israel, and they are expected to last longer than anything that came before.”

Mike turned back to his wife. “Before you walked in, she said there was going to be a 9.0 earthquake in Santiago, Chili, and that military strikes would kill 57 Iranian fighters in Syria. I’ve never heard of someone with a stroke speaking clearly, especially in a foreign language they’ve never spoken before.”

“I don’t think this is a stroke, Mr. Mays. My grandmother had Alzheimer’s. She was hallucinating and hearing voices before...”

His words broke off abruptly, but Mike knew what he had been about to say. Before she died.

The wail of the approaching sirens dragged him away. He ran to the front door and unlocked it, calling to the firemen and paramedics, “This way! Hurry!”

+++

Mike looked up as Doctor Edelman closed the curtain of Emily’s hospital room and approached, holding a chart in his hands and looking bewildered. The FBI man, Becker or Decker, or whatever his name was, stood behind Doctor Edelman like a guard at Buckingham Palace. Agent Whoever had been at the hospital since day two. Did he and his team never leave? Could they even speak? All they did was listen. They let everyone else ask their questions for them. They followed everyone who had any connection to Emily—from visitors and cleaning staff, to doctors, nurses, and the press—especially the press—everywhere they went. Their warning was noticeably clear. Anyone who talks will answer to us.

Even us.

Their perpetual silence was unnerving. Perhaps that was the point. 

“We’ve ran a battery of tests, Mr. Mays, and all of them are negative. I can’t find anything physically wrong with your wife. Her PET scan lit up like a Christmas tree.” His last sentence was mumbled under his breath as if he were talking to himself. He looked at Emily as if she were a visitor from another planet. “That’s Japanese now. I visited there once. I recognize a few of the words. They don’t make much sense though. ‘Ships, buildings, emergency.’ I thought you said she only speaks English. She’s been speaking at least seven or eight different languages since I admitted her.”

Mike was losing his patience. How many times did he have to tell these people that she only spoke English? He’d been married to her for twenty years. They’d married right out of high school. Of course he knew what languages she spoke. They’d grown up together. “Like I’ve said, she only speaks English. I have no more idea about what’s going on here than you do.”

The guard looked at him with narrowed eyes and Mike wanted to punch him in his smug, silent face.

“I’ve consulted with some…” Edelman began and then hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at the guard, “...with some colleagues. It looks like she will have to be transferred to another hospital.”

He looked away, unwilling to meet Mike’s eyes. What was he hiding?

“I’m sorry. I wish I could help. I’ll let you know when everything is final. Until then, the guards will keep out unwanted visitors.”

Mike almost asked, keep them out or keep us in? He held back. It might not be wise to let this man know that he didn’t trust him—or his colleagues.

+++

The men walked out of the room and Emily followed them. She was no longer in Mike’s head. It felt as if she were floating along the ceiling. She didn’t feel dead, but she was no longer in her body. Oddly enough, everything seemed right about that.

Whatever she was out here, this was her real self.

The big man turned and entered a locked door. Emily moved through the closed door behind him and waited. There was something in here that she needed to see or hear. There were three other men in the room. One of them looked up.

“Well?”

“The husband is going to get in our way. We don’t need him, but we can put the wife to good use. Sutter, you take care of the husband, but don’t leave any traces.”

Sutter threw down the newspaper and stood. “OK, Deck. Consider it done.”

Decker put a hand on the man’s shoulder as he tried to walk past him. “Not now, you idiot. Wait until the transfer. It will be easier then.”

+++

Emily’s eyes flew open. She was back in her hospital bed and Mike was still talking. Had all of that taken place in the blink of an eye? Mike didn’t even seem to be aware that she had been gone for days or that any time had passed. She reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“It’s alright. I know what’s been going on. Barney is right. We have to get out now!”

 

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

A Five Star Review

Kristine, and Kimber the Magnificent, at Pages & Paws have reviewed Thirteen Miracles and have given it Five Stars! Here is the link to the full review: https://pagesandpaws.com/2020/10/07/thirteen-miracles-my-new-best-bud/

They are my first readers and my first review. (Well, technically, my editor also read it, but she doesn't count. She was working and not what I would call "a reader".)

I am on wings after this review. I didn't know what to expect because some of the reviews at Pages & Paws are a little on the scary side. (Actually, they're a lot on the scary side.) So, for my book to be labeled "a gem" and to get a five-star review from this formidable review site was more than I'd hoped for or expected!  

Please visit the blog and check out the review. Here's the link again:

https://pagesandpaws.com/2020/10/07/thirteen-miracles-my-new-best-bud/

Here are some of my favorite bits: Bebo is now Kimber's new best bud. That made me cry all by itself. And Kristine said Thirteen Miracles is "a little Narnia, a little This Present Darkness, a little The Shack, and a bit Hatchet all rolled into one." She also said it "packs a wallop" and that, "There's so much joy and hope in the final pages" that she's thinking of "buying stock in Kleenex!" She called it a "beautifully written story that's warm, invigorating, and maybe even a little bit extraordinary." Called it "nimble, creative, and fresh," and said it was, "brimming with engaging, lively characters who learn and grow. Ditto credible dialogue and enough mystery and intrigue to keep you guessing until the last page." She also gave it a rare 5 stars!! Which, according to her rating system, means: "Superb. Our highest rating. Better than bacon! A remarkable achievement. Must have a transcendent theme. Rings heart bells. May qualify as life-changing. Would read over and over and over." 

What writer wouldn't want to get such a review?

It was one exhilarating review, and I am smiling from ear to ear as I read it -- in between sobs of joy! I'll always be grateful to Kimber the Magnificent and the equally Magnificent Kristine.

Wow.

And, on a much lesser note, I have a new cover. I had run some small test ads at BookBub, and my first cover did not do well. My second cover did even worse. This is actually the third cover, and it performed like a champ in a test ad at BookBub.

 

 

Monday, September 21, 2020

Thirteen Miracles Now Available and an Interview

Thirteen Miracles is now available, and it has a new cover! It is available at several locations, and it is available in many different formats, including paperback and hard cover.   

Here are all of the links I have so far; there may be more in the future. You can also check with your local library and bookstore to see if they have Thirteen Miracles available.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JJDWLYG Amazon  (Print and Digital)

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thirteen-miracles-dl-kennedy/1137716871  Available in paperback and hard cover.

Once again, here are the blurbs and an excerpt, as well as the trailer. 

Short blurb: A woman's search for God ends in a miraculous rescue mission in the marijuana fields of the Devil's Backbone.

Here is the longer back-cover blurb:

Legend says it was the landing spot for Lucifer when he was cast out of heaven. That's not the only thing it's known for. It is also a land of marijuana fields, opium poppies, kidnappings, and drug-related killings. It's the last place you would expect to find God, but Abby Welles is looking for Him there, and her search will lead her on a miraculous rescue mission inside the heart of The Devil's Backbone.

But she is running out of time. 

And she may have already run out of luck.

+++

Here is an excerpt:

The black bird was back, or whatever it was,
and it was in Scarface’s gunsight.


     It was perched on a dead tree overhanging the mountainside, watching the activity below. Something in the bird’s gaze and mechanical head movements troubled her. Was it watching the activity or controlling it? She silently ridiculed the thought. She was being paranoid. This place did that to her.

     The rifle fired, and she jumped. An unexpected explosion ripped through the early morning quiet.

     Scarface gave a sudden shriek of pain and fell to the ground, clutching his face with blackened and bloodied hands. Unearthly sounds accompanied his cries and repeated off the wall of rocks. Bebo joined in the chorus, barking furiously, teeth barred. Abby wanted to silence him but knew it was pointless. His barks were lost in the sea of strange sounds.

     She tugged on him, pulling him back. He had strayed too close to the edge. Once he was on safer ground, she strained to see where the other noises were coming from. Had the weapon backfired? Was shrapnel pinging off rocks? Not that it would explain what she was hearing. These were more like animal yips and howls, but not quite.

     Whatever was producing these noises wasn’t apparent from her vantage point. Fear gripped her every muscle and nerve as the sounds continued and grew more bizarre. Surely these weren’t the natural sounds of nature. They didn’t even seem to originate from anything she could see—or ever would see—in this world. 

+++

Here is the trailer: 

 


Interview: This interview is a combination of questions from the Smashwords interview feature and a Q&A with my niece.

Interview Questions:

Describe your desk

I'll paraphrase Zola Levitt. For evidence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, one need only look at my desk. Everything on it is moving from a state of order to disorder.

When did you first start writing?

In eighth grade. I had an amazing teacher, Mr. McIntyre. He gave us contracts at the start of the year. We decided what grade we wanted to earn. I wanted an "A", but that meant I had to write three short stories. He read those stories out loud to the class. Fortunately, he was an actor, and he did a really good job reading them. The class laughed like crazy and everyone enjoyed my stories. I've been writing ever since.

What do you want readers to know about your Christian book, "Thirteen Miracles"?

There are a lot of layers to "Thirteen Miracles" and a lot of archetypes. For example, I think of Abby's husband, Charles, as a "type" of Christ. He goes into Satan's territory hoping to save his wife. I also want readers to know in advance that this is mostly a story about a woman and a dog in a wilderness survival story. So there is not a lot of dialogue. I think that no matter how many people are with us in this life, we are ultimately alone with God in the wilderness. I want readers to feel they have been inside Abby's head, heart, and soul by the end of this story. But my goal is to tell a good story. I hope I've done that in "Thirteen Miracles."

What is "Thirteen Miracles" about?

It's about a woman's search for God. Abby has gone to Mexico to write a book about miracles and to meet a Christian mystic who has the gift of prophecy. After some family struggles, Abby is reeling. She has lost her faith and feels that she must connect with God again if she is ever going to recover from her depression. She feels that she must get away from the "screaming commitments" in her life in order to do that.

On her journey, she is separated from her guide and must survive on her own with the help of an albino boxer named Bebo. As she attempts to find her way home, she discovers that two sixteen-year-old boys have been kidnapped by drug runners. She decides she must try to free them from their captors, and the book follows her journey inside The Devil's Backbone as she attempts to survive the wilderness and free the hostages, but she has some supernatural resistance to her goal as well as some natural ones.

You have called this a supernatural adventure, is that the best description of your story?

Yes. It is a Christian, supernatural adventure. I also think of "Thirteen Miracles" as a missionary story. As human beings, we have been separated from God and must find our way home. If we do, our goal is then to attempt to rescue others who are being held captive. But, it is an allegorical story in many different ways. It is the reader who will decipher the symbols and decide if they succeed or not. I don't want things to be taken too far, however. It is just a story, after all, with symbolic undertones. Above everything, I want the reader to experience a good story and be impacted by it.

Will this appeal to non-Christians?

Maybe. I'm not sure. I can't see this appealing to people who don't believe God exists. I think it would be offensive to them. In fact, I think there are many Christians who would be offended by "Thirteen Miracles" as well. Christians who don't believe in miracles will have a problem with this book. Christians who don't believe in an unseen, demonic world will have a problem with this book. I have a disclaimer at the end of the book. It states that my goal was not to teach doctrine or theology. It was to tell an entertaining story. I hope I succeeded, but that is up to the reader.

+++

The Interview was originally posted here: 

https://www.smashwords.com/interview/DLKennedy 

 
 






Saturday, September 12, 2020

September 13th or maybe later

I was hoping for a release date of September 13, 2020 at Amazon. However, it's looking like that is not going to be possible. A more realistic date is probably sometime after that. Hopefully, within one week of that date. At any rate, it won't be long now. Everything is almost finished. 

After Amazon, it will be released at other sites, such as Barnes & Noble, but that will take more time. 

Thanks for your patience. 

Once more, here is the back-cover blurb and the except for Thirteen Miracles

 

Blurb:  


Legend says it was the landing spot for Lucifer when he was cast out of heaven, but that's not the only thing it's known for. It is also a land of marijuana fields, opium poppies, kidnappings, and drug-related killings. It's the last place you would expect to find God, but Abby Welles is looking for Him there, and her search will lead her on a miraculous rescue mission inside the heart of The Devil's Backbone.

But she is running out of time, and she may have already run out of luck.


Excerpt:


The black bird was back, or whatever it was,
and it was in Scarface’s gunsight.


     It was perched on a dead tree overhanging the mountainside, watching the activity below. Something in the bird’s gaze and mechanical head movements troubled her. Was it watching the activity or controlling it? She silently ridiculed the thought. She was being paranoid. This place did that to her.

     The rifle fired, and she jumped. An unexpected explosion ripped through the early morning quiet.

     Scarface gave a sudden shriek of pain and fell to the ground, clutching his face with blackened and bloodied hands. Unearthly sounds accompanied his cries and repeated off the wall of rocks. Bebo joined in the chorus, barking furiously, teeth barred. Abby wanted to silence him but knew it was pointless. His barks were lost in the sea of strange sounds.

     She tugged on him, pulling him back. He had strayed too close to the edge. Once he was on safer ground, she strained to see where the other noises were coming from. Had the weapon backfired? Was shrapnel pinging off rocks? Not that it would explain what she was hearing. These were more like animal yips and howls, but not quite.

     Whatever was producing these noises wasn’t apparent from her vantage point. Fear gripped her every muscle and nerve as the sounds continued and grew more bizarre. Surely these weren’t the natural sounds of nature. They didn’t even seem to originate from anything she could see—or ever would see—in this world. 

 

And here is the trailer: 

 



A 4-star review of Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories

I received a 4-star review from my favorite review site: Pages and Paws. Shazam! Here's a link to the review: Just Click Here .  ...