THE ASSAULT: Harbingers, Cycle Two, Book Three

by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy

The Assault: Harbingers, Cycle Two

The Assault: Harbingers, Cycle Two

Well, I’m not gonna lie. I haven’t finished reading it yet. But, since I never give away the ending, I figure it’s okay to tell you what I know so far.

But first . . . MOM. STOP READING.

I’m not kidding.

Spoilers to follow.

You can revisit this post after you’ve read the book.

We good?

Okay. Carry on.

Y’all know that Andi is my favorite character of the team, right? So how giddy do I get when I get to read Angela Hunt’s contribution? Pretty. Freaking. Excited.

Books One and Two took us to the Vatican and back to Florida. Andi, as you’ll recall, was institutionalized for withdrawing. Seems those orbs the team saw in Cycle One were causing some more problems. The Gate is at it again, trying their mind control to create a collective knowledge void of any creator other than themselves. Of course, the team saves the day, and while there was never any doubt, it was still quite the nail biter.

So, now the Professor has had a change of heart and not so adverse to being part of the team (Man, you should have heard his complaints up ’til now. Oh, wait. Read the book and you will!) but once his dear Andi was in jeopardy, something inside him triggered and he realized he might not know everything, and the team might know more than he thinks.

So he rents this house in Florida. A one-month deal, just long enough, he hopes, to gather information to combat The Gate. He had also collected a damaged orb and brought it to the team for inspection. But by the time he reached the house, it had put itself back together again. I know ~ weird, right? Like the whole journey isn’t weird. But anyway . . .

Andi, as his assistant, starts to investigate and study the orb. Her contact with it resurfaces the voices, the control, from Book Two when the fungus took hold inside her. Yes, I said fungus. Read the book. Read all the books. The Professor gets her to go to a doctor where she spills her guts and he asks her to keep a daily journal. No problem.

Back at the house, packages start arriving. Boxes for the Professor. Turns out he subscribed to a clipping service, and had them print and ship every article they could find on The Gate. Turns out these boxes of documents are noncommittal. The Gate is a rumor. The Gate is from Medieval Times. The Gate is new and improved. Andi finds out The Gate is now online. Forget subtlety. They’re all about in-your-face, taking-over-the-world tactics. And they say so! But in a way that almost makes you want to know more. Of course, we know if we know more, it will be the end. Tank likens it to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Once they knew more, they knew evil. And once they knew evil, it was the end of paradise.

Brenda also gets a package. From her dear Auntie Rene: A life hammer to smash out the windshield if their car runs off a bridge. A can of shark repellent. And mosquito wipes to prevent the little buggers from biting. They laugh and Brenda sets the items on the coffee table. Immediately, young Daniel scoops them up and offers them back to her. “Keep,” he commands, in the way he has. The way that lets the team know he knows more than any of them.

And that’s where I’ve stopped reading for the night. Hey, This Girl needs sleep, too. But that’s okay. As soon as the sun comes up and I find some spare minutes, you can bet I’ll be finding out if Andi’s free of the mind-control fungus, if the orbs will leave them in peace (doubtful), and what’s significant about Auntie Rene’s interesting care package.

What are you reading this week?

TWEET THIS: #AmReading Harbingers, Cycle Two, Book Three #Infiltration @MollyJoRealy

And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share:

Firsts in Fiction Special: Steven James

by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Firsts in Fiction Team

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Firsts in Fiction Team

The FiF Team is at it again, folks. You won’t want to miss tomorrow’s live podcast episode as we continue our discussion on genres. This week, we’re talking mystery/police procedural, with very special guest Steven James.

Steven is a national best selling author of over thirty books including fiction and nonfiction. His Bowers Files series has been called “nailbiting,” and “psychological thrillers.”

He’s also a very talented public speaker.

I met Steven at my first Blue Ridge Conference. Anyone who has taken his classes walks away with more than information and guidance. He teaches writing in a way that lets the writer live what we learn.

Join us tomorrow evening, 6:30 PST as Steven shares his insights on writing a remarkable thriller.

Click here to join the podcast: Firsts in Fiction: Steven James.

And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share:

Frankly, On Faith: God Will Give You Rest

by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy

Frankly, On Faith.

Frankly, On Faith.

God doesn’t lie. He doesn’t manipulate, coerce, or push us into doing things.

Sure, there are times on this earth when life goes sideways or worse, upside down. That’s not God’s design. That’s the result of free will and sin.

You know what God’s design for us here on earth is? Joy. Peace. Community. Love. Beauty. Understanding. Freedom. Rest.

There’s at least one reference to resting in God in each book of the Bible. I’d say that means it’s a pretty significant message, wouldn’t you?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me,
all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NLT

The thing is, we’re taught to carry our own loads. That it’s not “cool” to ask for help or slow down the busy pace of life. We especially don’t want to inconvenience someone else. Am I right?

But what if that part of our teaching is wrong? What if we could simply stop, take a breath, and ask God to help us? Do you think He would?

Frankly, On Faith: God Will Give You Rest

Frankly, On Faith: God Will Give You Rest

Resting is our body’s way of healing itself. Whether it’s just a day’s work, or a significant illness, during sleep our bodies are working to recover and get back to God’s design for our humanity. So is it really out of the question to think He should be our first Go-To Guy when we need rest of any kind?

Whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, God’s got this. We just need to let Him.

TWEET THIS: Will you give God the opportunity to give you rest? @MollyJoRealy #franklyonfaith #restinHim

And Franky, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share: