About the Book:
Teen Cy Vance wants to do one thing: D-R-I-V-E. Except he has nowhere to go and no way to get there. But when he’s given a note at church, he discovers his dad–one of the FBI’s Most Wanted–is alive and well in Mexico…and he wants Cy to meet him ASAP!
With the help of a best friend, Cy escapes Child Protective Services and flees to Mexico.
What he doesn’t know is that his father is going to ask even more of him when they meet.
How far will Cy go to help his family, and will it cost him his life?
RUNNING AWAY IS ESCAPE. STAYING PUT IS UNTHINKABLE. THE ROAD AHEAD IS ANYTHING BUT STRAIGHT…
Sorry for the lapse, dear reader. A lot has happened on BrianLTucker.com since Thanksgiving and a lot more to come in 2016!
I’ve worked through some BIG items on my upcoming novel. Here are just a few:
New book title (no longer, The Silence of Sacrifice)
Shaved 35k words from the original manuscript (from 100k to 65k)
BrianLTucker.com experienced 3 hacker attempts
Book submitted for Final Proof online today
Cover Design for book is underway
Market launch date for book currently listed as 2/2/16, print date to follow
Advanced Reader Copies will be going out in the coming weeks to those chosen few!!
I’d like to add to this list:
I’m currently reading War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy (often considered the greatest fictional work of all-time) **I’m still beholden to Moby Dick as the greatest** But, I’ll try to submit a full review later
As it currently stands, I couldn’t help but label today’s blog “War & Peace …Eternity” because these hackers’ attempts to sabotage our site helped me realize there’s a lot more in life than just “War” and “Peace”.
There’s “Eternity” too.
Everyday there’s a struggle between good and evil. And it coalesces into what constitutes life and eventually what comes next. Eternity -eternal- everlasting. So, while there’s warring parties of people pursuing evil and/or good. And there are those wanting to see the demise of Christians worldwide. There’s still that small voice begging each of us to choose eternity with the one worthy of everything. May your December (and mine) be Eternity-centered.
This doesn’t have to be an Ichabod Crane fear toward Sleepy Hollow, or anything.
Plain and simple – what causes you to experience some trepidation?
Talking to a stranger in an elevator?
Driving to your in-laws for the holidays?
Cooking with chick pea flour?
Watching a marathon of Katherine Heigl movies?
Mouth-breathers?
Long-winded history lecturers?
Large arenas filled with an opposing team’s obnoxious fans?
Whatevs…
Step out there my friend (I’m taking my own advice here).
What better time of the year to stand firm and work through a petty fear?
November is a month of tackling stuff, I’m learning.
A month reserved for dodging the razor (“No Shave!), writing a book (NaNoWriMo), eating enough turkey to make you cry (tryptophan). November has it all.
So, keep tackling those fears. Whatever they may be!
Stand up. Give Thanks. Pray for hurting families. Ride a horse bareback. Take a family portrait with an awkward John Hughes theme. Give Thanks. Listen to that one uncle’s ridiculous tall tales. Memorize and recite the Gettysburg Address for kicks. Bring back an “outdated” hairstyle. Give Thanks. November is waiting for you to step up and be awesome.
That moment when NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) kick starts in November again, and you’re still working on the same book from LAST year:
Your friends might be working on that “exciting” NEW thing, but you my friend are persistent. Stick with it (and be happy) unlike grumpy cat. You got this.
Stephen King makes it look easy. I guess it’s because there’s nothing else to do in Maine?
Share your BESTlife story on the ‘Contact‘ form of this site and be entered to WIN a copy of Brian’s story collection “Baptisms & Dogs.”
Official announcement on Halloween!
2 copies will be mailed out to the 2 BEST stories we receive by that date. (Criteria: ANYTHING! It’s a subjective selection process. Can be a funny story about the embarrassing things Grandpa did on vacation once, or, a time when you didn’t think you’d make it out of Disneyland alive. We want your BESTlife story thus far!) Also, we’d like to share those winning stories on the site – proudly displayed in the ‘Blog’ section of BrianLTucker.com . So, it’s SUPER important to send your story soon! (Don’t worry. There aren’t any grammar police around to judge.) The 2 winners selected will be asked to supply their mailing addresses following the announcement and the books will be shipped ASAP.
I’ve included my 1st ever BLOG VIDEO on Youtube for you to see! Hope it helps key you in to the exciting developments around this first book of mine, The Silence of Sacrifice. I’m excited to have your readership and support.
“Story is massive. Story is the most powerful tool to compel a human brain. Every human being self identifies as the lead protagonist in the story.” – Donald Miller
“One of the deepest of all human longings is the longing to belong, to be a part of things, to be invited in. We want to be part of the fellowship. Where did that come from?” – John Eldredge, Epic
If one word emerged from my recent work trip to Vegas, it was this: spectacle.
My co-workers took in the sights, sounds, and yes, smells of Vegas.
We were stationed in Caesar’s Palace, and it was where we attended conference sessions throughout the week.
There were all kinds of magnificent statues and displays throughout the hotel.
But, not a one of them were the real thing.
Vegas boasted higher prices than pretty much any place in the continental US. And I wondered, why?
The spectacle didn’t offer originality.
Was it fun to roam around in ‘Italy’ and ‘France’ almost simultaneously? Of course. But, it wasn’t it at all. The facades were a welcome distraction from the day-to-day sights and sounds, I guess.
I still found myself happy to be home last night. Home: where a bottle of water is not $7. Word to the wise, if you pick up the items in the Vegas hotel mini-fridges for more than 5 seconds it will bill you for the snack.
But, it’s still a place I’m happy to have seen. Now I can safely say it’s a place like any other. It comes with its own set of blemishes, and the spectacle is somehow just a magnification of said blemishes.
Oh and by the way, the fake Elvis’ expect a tip if you take your picture with them. Just a heads up. 🙂
Had the good fortune of seeing John Mark McMillan play in Chattanooga last night at The Camp House. If you haven’t caught him on his Tongues of Fire tour, I highly recommend it.
I’ve heard this music scene described as a hipster, Jesus convention, but hey, Jesus loves hipsters, too. Right? And we ARE capable of looking away from the skinny jeans, if we try hard enough. (I think I’m just jealous I can’t fit into skinny jeans.)
Anyways…
I couldn’t help but marvel at a performer so on fire for eternal truths, genuine conversation with his audience.
It was great to see a “younger” audience (I’m dating myself, I know) tied into the deeper topics as well. One song which especially stood out to me, and I hadn’t heard before was titled: Future / Past, and the lyrics are below:
“Future / Past” by John Mark McMillan ::
You hold the reins on the sun and the moon
Like horses driven by kings
You cover the mountains, the valleys below
With the breadth of your mighty wings
All treasures of wisdom and things to be known
Are hidden inside your hand
And in this fortunate turn of events
You ask me to be your friend
You ask me to be your friend
And you,
You are my first
You are my last
You are my future and my past
The constellations are swimming inside
The breadth of your desire
Where could I run, where could I hide
from your heart’s jealous fire
All treasures of wisdom and things to be known
Are hidden inside your hand
And in this fortunate turn of events
You ask me to be your friend
You ask me to be your friend
And you,
You are my first
You are my last
You are my future and my past
You are the beginning and the end”
If this were a Sunday school lesson, I’d say ‘Amen,’ and we’d all head home. But, I wanted to bring up the relevance of JMM’s ability to connect with his audience AND deliver a message. The 2 go hand-in-hand. And…he did this in a way I hadn’t seen in a loooong time.
It was refreshing.
He said about halfway through his set that he didn’t know what he’d done before he was writing songs, but he felt like he’d wasted it.
To him, any time prior to songwriting and singing had been squandered.
And, I’m starting to see the need in my own life (writing as an example), to live on purpose. To care for those around me.
I pray the same is happening in your life. Whether it’s singing, songwriting, or whatever gift you have: use it.
It was refreshing to see someone similar in age having such an impact on the world around him. I wanted to post a video of the live environment I was trying to describe above. Hope it works for you:
