Tuesday, October 8, 2013

New book out by Kevin Mark Smith - Flashback

 


The inner struggle that plagues us all

All great stories begin with inner conflict. For Christian novels this is especially true. The protagonist needs something to move him away from worldly appetites and toward Christ. This is how the idea for Flashback came to me as I sat in a Freddy’s Steakburger restaurant in Derby, Kansas, sometime in January 2012. Specifically, a question occurred to me. What if the image people see of us indicates success? Yet, the image is an illusion, a mask to cover something deeper—a long lost desire to be a better person and not just strive for monetary success. With that Kenneth Cartwright, rich entrepreneur and lawyer, was born.

We are all guilty of wanting more things in our lives. New cars, boats, jewelry, clothes, whatever. It’s the product of a consumption-based economy. The TV bombards us with images of success, images we want to be part of. We want to be that buff model standing on the bow of the yacht with long, flowing hair blowing behind us. But what if the better part of our souls speak loud enough for us to hear it? What if it poses the questions, “Are you really happier with all those expensive toys? Wouldn’t life be better if you sought true success, the kind that lasts forever?” In Flashback I take these nagging truths to another level. What if we had the chance to live that better life but turned our backs on it, only to realize later how much the choice cost us. Kenneth sees that life in parallel when he sleeps. He sees the wife and daughters that complete his dream life then awakens each morning to the same old drudgery that the world tells him is success.

Ouch. God reminding you every night how stupid you were being smart. How humbling is that? God’s grace is always enough. In Flashback, God’s grace is first manifest in the angelic Stacy who listens to Kenneth as he tells her about his disturbing dreams. But is Kenneth’s meeting Stacy just some sick joke, a further reminder of how dumb he was to take the left fork in the road, the one away from God and family and toward wealth and success? She is too good for him, so what’s the point in developing a friendship with her? God’s grace also gives him a case and client to remind him how vain it is to seek after fleeting things. The client dies under suspicious circumstances and Kenneth scrambles to discover the truth behind his death, a truth that threatens his own life and those closest to him.

Conspiracies, drug lords, assassins, and a shocking end. Will it be enough to open Kenneth’s eyes to the truth? Will he finally realize what it is God is trying to tell him, that choosing success over God and family was the wrong choice, perhaps a fatal one? Buy Flashback now to find out. $.99 for Kindle for a limited time.

Enter to win prizes including a Kindle  at: http://www.john316marketingnetwork.com/
 

BIO: Kevin Mark Smith is an attorney in Wichita, Kansas, where he writes and practices law. He is married with three daughters, all aspiring writers. You can find out more about Kevin and pending writing projects on his law firm web page, www.acelaw.net, his author page, www.kevinmarksmith.com, and the Flashback launch page, www.flashbacksuspense.com.
Get your copy of Flashback here: http://goo.gl/FN6Qts