I wanted to talk a little bit about my forthcoming Christian western titled THE CALLING.
Esau Fitzpatrick is bad at being good and even worse at
being bad. While he waits for his sweetheart, Ella Allen, inside the little
white church in Paisley Settlement, Texas, Esau has no idea that the events
about to transpire will forever shape his life on this earth . . . and beyond. Upon
hearing tale that Ella and her parents are late to services due to a stuck
wagon, Esau fingers the golden wedding band in his pocket and decides to brave
the brewing storm in order to help the woman he loves – and whom he plans to
propose that very day. Before he can exit the church, the storm erupts and
lightning strikes, setting the church aflame. Ella and her parents pull Esau
from the fire, but not before his parents succumb to the blazing inferno.
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| Thank you Livia for the beautiful cover |
Angry at God and distrustful of His plan, Esau flees Paisley
Settlement and all he holds dear only to fall in with the first group of people
he meets -- notorious Covington-Jones Gang. To them, stickup’s, bank robberies,
and parlor houses aren't sins, they’re a way of life. As he journeys down the
path that leads only to destruction,
Esau is forced to relive the hellish fire in his nightmares for nights
on end, driving him deeper into darkness.
Meanwhile, Ella is left clinging to the golden ring that
should have been her engagement band and the prayer that Esau will find his way
back to a godly path – and to her. However Ella learns that it is always hard
to wait, even when it’s God’s own will, especially with her parents and society
pressuring her to move on to a more
appropriate partner. With Esau gone and her world falling to pieces, Ella must
lean on God in a way she’s never had to before as she follows her heart against
everyone’s wishes.
When Esau’s tumultuous way of life comes to a head during an epic
cattle rustle, he is forced to choose between eternal hell fire and the rocky
path of the Lord, without knowing if Ella will still be there waiting for him
or not. God reaches out to Esau again in the form of lightening, but will it be
too late – or just in time?
***
Not only have I been a fan of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood since I was a youngster, but Marty Robbins has played a significant role in my upbringing as well. My good ole dad bought me the cd Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs when I was 13 . . . then there was no going back. 
After all, I was already a die-hard Lonesome Dove fan who had done her 6th grade book report on Larry McMurtry's epic novel and who preferred to play shoot-out at pretend wanted posters sketched with a likeness of Blue Duck in the backyard more than just about anything else. But as much as I liked the song The Master's Call, I found myself skipping over it more than listening to it. It gave me chills and that was unnerving.
It wasn't until my four beautiful babies were born that I opened the window of our home in Oklahoma one morning and something was different on the breeze. It was early summer, the wind was whistling along some of the most historic land of the United States . . . the coffee was hot and it was time to get ready for the day. But there was one thing I had to do first, and I put on my Marty Robbins' cd. I changed the track to The Master's Call and listened to it with my four precious children -- and my entire heart. Here, if you didn't catch it up above, here it is again.
I hope you enjoy The Calling when it releases April 1st. I have certainly enjoyed writing it for you. It's been a lifetime in the making.
