Hearts of Compassion Publishing
  • Home
  • Books
    • In The Image of Man
    • Restoration's Journey
  • Compassion
  • Authors
    • Robert Roush's Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Planning a Spring Break?

1/25/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
It's cold!

What better time to be thinking about a warm sunny trip to somewhere tropical for Spring Break? That is, unless you're an author. Several years back, we packed up the family (five kids) and headed to Arrow Springs, Missouri. Only problem, there is no such place as Arrow Springs, Missouri. Except in my book In The Image of Man.

In an effort to be realistic to the setting I had chosen for the book, we visited the location, walked around the fields, took lots of pictures, and discussed the town. The pictures above are actual pictures of the location of Arrow Springs. I still recall telling my oldest, "Right over there. That's where Sarah's house would be. River of Life Church would be over there. And we're standing in the River's Edge Bar."

Yeah, I know, a bit odd. In fact, my wife asked me why I hadn't written my book to take place in Hawaii. I told her that would be the next book. Actually, it's not. But, I did take her to Hawaii a few years back. A bit nicer than Central Missouri. No offense to anyone from Missouri. It's a bit nicer than pretty much anywhere on the planet. I love traveling as it provides a great opportunity to experience new places and people. You never know when you might need material.

What about you? What strange locations have you visited on vacation?

'Till next time!

1 Comment

Book Review - Checkmate: The Bowers Files by Steven James

1/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
I remember when I picked up my first book from Steven James. It seemed like everywhere I went, the cover of the book The Pawn--bright yellow with a tipped over pawn from the game of chess--jumped out at me from the bookshelf. Eventually, I had to pick up the book and give it a read. The Pawn was released back in 2007 and I can't believe that eight years and eight books later, I'm writing a review of the final book in "The Bowers Files" series.

In my opinion, Steven James is an excellent example that you can create a fast-paced, edgy, real-to-life crime drama without the need for excess profanity or gore. That said, I certainly wouldn't suggest these books for younger readers. In fact, I didn't allow my children to read them prior to adulthood, assuming that happens at 18. Steven deals with some very real challenges that face both adults and teenagers.

Aside from the disappointment that the series is really done, Checkmate will in no way disappoint readers of the prior books in the series. With twists, misdirection, and clues galore Checkmate, and the rest of the series, will appeal to both mystery and thriller fans alike. Steven exhibits a mastery of the ability to create believable characters, including frighteningly realistic psychotic antagonists. As an author, I find at times I'm intimidated to reveal the truth of the darkness that a creative mind is capable of dreaming  up for stories such as these. I can only imagine Steven must feel this at times as well.

Along these lines, I loved the struggle Patrick Bowers, the protagonist of the series, deals with as he faces his own demons while hunting down some of the worst criminals imaginable. What is justice when dealing with serial killers? How different are these psychopaths from the rest of us? How close to the line does one dare go before the pull of darkness drags them across?

Perhaps, my favorite line in the series appears near the end of the last book:

You strive for justice, you move toward the light when you can, and you shake off the darkness that clings to you from living on this fractured planet of lost dreams and sharp heartache.

This is a great illustration of the phrase in John 1:5, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." We all should remember that if it weren't for the grace of God, we all would find ourselves on the short end of being able to control the darkness that permeates our souls. Only the true light of Christ is capable of driving out the darkness and giving us an opportunity to pursue righteousness. Not our own, but that of Christ.

Thanks you Steven James for this intense, yet insightful series.

'Till next time.

0 Comments

Book Review - Orion Connection by S DeGiorgio

1/11/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
With millions of books and ebooks available online, how do you find the ones that are worth reading? Often it seems that readers solve the dilemma by sticking with the big names or those they see everywhere on the shelves. I have to admit, this often applies to myself as well. But, are the big names or big publisher books better than the Indie books out there? Unfortunately for those of us trying to promote Indie books, the answer is all-too-often, yes.

In the past months, I've made a commitment to read more Indie books. This has even resulted in the creation of a new bookshelf on my Goodreads account. This shelf is called "Shelved." As the name implies, this shelf is for books that I started reading, gave sufficient time, but just couldn't make the time commitment to finish reading. This doesn't necessarily imply a bad story. It could also be poor writing, significant mistakes (not the petty grammar errors that some like to point out), or a lack of believable plot or characters.

Enter Orion Connection, by husband and wife team S DeGiorgio. This is the best written indie work I've read to this point. The authors' mastery of the craft allows the storyline to shine through. The characters are believable and the reader doesn't just read, but feels what they are going through. The story, though relatively familiar--given several similar Sci-Fi plots, including some bigger name movies--is engaging and makes the read move quickly.

I'm not saying that this is a perfectly written book. I certainly wouldn't say such a thing about my own work. However, the story was engaging and I quickly moved from looking for craft related issues to not caring if they were there or not. It is important to note that this doesn't always happen. Often, books with a great plot never engage the way they should because of poor writing quality, POV issues, or excessive mistakes. This was certainly not the case here.

If you like space-based Sci-Fi, I would recommend this book for an enjoyable and engaging read. Personally, I look forward to the sequel.

'Till next time.

1 Comment
    Picture

    Author -
    Robert Roush

    I've been a husband for 28 years and am the father of five children, three boys and two girls, ages 24 and under.

    My vocational years have been an eclectic mix of software developer, electrical and manufacturing engineer, manager, and even five years as a worship pastor. So, I guess it only stands to reason that my aspirations as an author are equally unique. As an author it is my desire to challenge one's mind with what ifs, one's heart with if only, and one's sense of justice with if not me.

    Archives

    May 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Angels
    Book Launch
    Book Review
    Characters
    Compassion
    Demons
    E Books
    E-Books
    Life Updates
    Marriage
    Passion Week
    Process
    Promoting
    Short Stories
    Spiritual Warfare
    Study
    Travel
    Websites
    Writing

    RSS Feed

    Tweets by @AuthorRob
© Hearts of Compassion Publishing