This is breaking news! DiVoran’s final book in the Florida Springs trilogy, Clear Spring is now live on Amazon! Our webmaster Onisha was given an advanced copy of Clear Spring and she said it is the best book of the series.
Read the blurb:
Mel Nicolaides, one of five children, has lived a happy, sheltered life at Living Spring in Florida. Her goal now, is to become as independent as possible. While her family heads for a vacation in Europe, Mel elects to stay at a remote North Florida spring to work. Her job is to illustrate a book about Seminole Indian medical and culinary herbs for an author whose Seminole name is Walking Woman. The revelation of a skeleton in Mel’s family closet, during her time there, however, forces her to find sources of strength she never knew existed.
Bill took the Christmas Shoeboxes from our church to Park Avenue church for shipping off. We pray abundance and blessing of all kinds for the families who recieve the gifts.
What is Operation Christmas Child?
Since 1993, more than 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have experienced God’s love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ. (copied from Operation Christmas Child websiste)
I have been writing for a long time. I don’t pretend to know anything about what is right and proper, but I trust the Holy Spirit to guide me, and guide He does.
The thing is, He steers me this way and that seemingly at random. Randomness turns into synchronicity, synchronicity to evolution. Evolution? Isn’t that a bad word?
Evolution is the only word I know that adequately describes the journey to fulfillment of any dream or God-inspired passion. We learn, we change, we grow, then it all happens again.
Random=without definite aim, direction, rule, or method.
Synchronicity=the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.
Evolution=a process of change in a certain direction
Writers talk about the oddest things. When Rebekah Lyn and I were on our way to the Indie Book Fest in Orlando, we were talking about our characters and the books we’re working on. I told her I thought my villain might be a sociopath. For some reason I had never known that there were people in the world who had no conscience, but once I found out, I slapped that designation right onto my villain. And really what better profile could a villain have?
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had been thinking about sociopaths, or psychopaths, as they are also called. To my surprise and delight, Rebekah Lyn said she had been doing research and had a book on the subject. She offered to lend it to me and when she came to visit, she brought it.
The book is called, The Sociopath Next Door, byMartha Stout, Ph.D. When I read the title, chills ran up and down my spine. Research has shown that about 1 out of every 24 people is a sociopath. That must mean that some time in my long and happy life I must have known a few. My dear husband and I have been talking about it for the last couple of days. Every hour or so one of us will say, what do you think about so and so? Was he one, or was she one? Am I one? Are you one? Believe me if you are able to ask that question chances are excellent that you are not.
Dr. Stout treats, I would like to say ministers to, people whose lives have been made miserable by those with no conscience. Can you imagine having one for a parent? Sociopaths can lie, cheat, steal, betray, and charm—oh, they are so good at charming people. Charming is their m o, as is making a play for pity. Dr. Stout kindly gives thirteen warnings, which I am going to heed assiduously. I pray for discernment and I know God gives it to me.
It would be good for you to get the book for yourself. Maybe it will help you with your villains, too. Here are a few notes:
1. Accept that the person really is a sociopath,
2. Rely on your instincts,
3. After three whoppers cut your losses and skedaddle.
It goes on from there, but that’s enough to give you a running head start and turn an insipid character into a thrilling personality-as in thriller. A small percentage are killers, but all need human contact so they can have the pleasure of seeing others in pain, otherwise they are as Dr. Stout says, bored and hollow.
I always wondered how anyone could be a career executioner, and now I know, though they can have ordinary jobs and yes, well, live next door as well. Only two out of ten imprisoned criminals is a sociopath, most of them are too wily to get caught. But as Martha Stout says, “I vote for the people with conscience, for the ones who are loving and committed, for the loving and generous souls.” That’s me, that’s my story, and oh, I thank God for my conscience I’d rather have that than all the gold or fame in the world, wouldn’t you? Without that precious inner guide there can be no joy, no love, no happiness, and no peace.
