Read my review of the book, then answer a question below for a chance of winning your own free copy of the book. If you answer both questions, you get two chances to win. I will have the results on July 25th. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you, if you win.

AND NOW FOR MY REVIEW:

Davis Bunn is a master storyteller. But the story is not the same every time. He manages to create new plots and new progressive story lines with every book. That is why I keep coming back to his novels. It is folly to think you know how a book will go just because it is a Davis Bunn book. On the contrary, he delights in change and newness. Refreshing! Rare Earth will not disappoint the reader. The second book in his Marc Royce Series, Rare Earth is a stand-alone book. Only the main character, Marc Royce, is the same. Everything else changes­—everything! Drop all pre-conceived ideas and notions about this book, and prepare for a fast-paced, hair-raising, all-consuming novel.

Once again, on short notice, Marc Royce is thrown into an impossible situation that will affect whole people groups, nations and individual lives. Kenya is about to be changed from an idyllic, peace-loving country with unimaginably beautiful vistas to polluted water supplies and money-grabbing fortune seekers. Marc enters the country not knowing his enemies from his friends, and his enemies are the deadliest foes one can imagine. He has to make his friends one by one. In less than five days, he totally changes a starving, dying refugee camp into an orderly operation full of hope. But in the process, he accrues great wrath and uncovers a sinister plot to destroy all of Kenya in the name of wealth. Marc is a man of quick understanding, powerful ideas, and great physical, mental, and spiritual strength; and he needs it all to survive and to stop a heinous crime from taking place. Of course, he succeeds. But not anything like you would imagine. More twists and turns than a mountain road, this book will hold you spellbound till the very last word. Enjoy Rare Earth!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Here are the questions for the contest. Answer both for two chances to win. (Be sure to leave your email address for me.)

1. If you could serve as a missionary in another country, where would you go?

2. If you were a secret agent, what three things would you keep on your person at all times?

Click to see the YouTube book trailer about: www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_WbtTeaubI

Click to read chapters 1-3 for free: http://www.scribd.com/doc/92010687/Rare-Earth-by-Davis-Bunn-Sample-Chapters-1-3

Davis Bunn is an award-winning novelist whose audience spans reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings. He and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Visit Davis at www.davisbunn.com.

Q: How much research did you have to conduct to write this intriguing story?

A: In a way, I suppose you could say I’ve been researching this story all my adult life. I did my studies in international economics and finance. Observing the difficulties our nation and economy has faced over the past three years, as well as what we personally have endured, has been tough. It really was great to have this chance to give voice to what we increasingly hear, that the people at fault need to be brought to justice, and the risk of another economic collapse needs to be halted.

Q: Why is it important for you to write about such timely themes?
A: Economic uncertainty defines the world we live in. I feel it is important to show how the timeless and eternal messages are applicable to every aspect of our world and our lives. And how the gift of peace and wisdom can be used in every circumstance we face.

Q: When you wrote Book of Dreams, did you have plans for this sequel, Hidden in Dreams?

A: Two months after Book of Dreams was released, I had the call every author dreams about and yearns for—a vice president of NBC/Universal suggested we discuss the possibility of turning it into a television series. I was put in touch with one of their producers and over the next six months began working up the basic structure of what this program might look like. One of the ideas I found most appealing became the basis for Hidden in Dreams. There is as yet no firm decision about the television project. But it has been a blast to even be considered.

Q: In writing a sequel it’s always a challenge to include enough back story to satisfy those who haven’t read the first book while still making sure the book stands alone. How do you approach this dilemma?

A: You’re right, it can indeed be troublesome, but this time it all fell together very easily. The structure just flowed. That sometimes happens, where the story seems to create itself. I wish it was true all the time. I can’t even say why it was such a smooth process with Hidden in Dreams. But there was a sense of impatience about the back story, as though I needed to fit in just a few paragraphs, but I couldn’t allow myself or the reader to be drawn too far from this new story’s flow.

Q: Why did you choose to end Elena’s relationship with Antonio? They seemed like a good couple.

A: For this story to work, Elena needed to enter into the dilemma as vulnerable as all the other people who shared the recurring dreams. She was isolated in a new place and forced to be dependent upon her faith and newfound friends.

Antonio (from Book of Dreams) belonged to a different universe, far from what was happening here. I had to make a choice at the outset. Would she remain with Antonio, and the two of them experience this together? Or would she be isolated?

Writing a new story is all about two things: facing the empty page, and choices. It is kind of fun to go back and revisit decisions I made eighteen months ago, when first outlining this concept.

Q: You’re writing about two women in this novel. Is it ever a challenge to write from the female point of view?

A: Learning to write from a woman’s point of view is very difficult for a male writer, as it usually is for a woman author writing a man’s story. Before I was published, I became friends with a husband and wife team who were both opera stars. The woman often sang a male role in a Mozart opera that was originally designed for a young boy, but which nowadays is usually sung by a woman with a slightly lower range, called a coloratura.

I discussed my difficulty with her, of trying to make my women sound real. She told me that my trouble stemmed from working on a woman character from the outside. It wasn’t about making women ’sound’ anything. It was all about making the character live from the inside-out.

As I worked on the point of view issue, trying to put my friend’s challenge into practice, I also began going into any meeting with a woman carrying a secret tape recorder, and taping everything that was said. I then went back and wrote out every word. It was perhaps the most boring month of my entire writing career.

But gradually I found that I could ‘hear’ the speech patterns of these women, and reshape them into structures that fitted around what was happening in my stories. And through this exercise, the emotional content that lay behind the dialogue, the person who was expressing herself, became more real, more solid.

And then I met my wife, Isabella. And the process of instruction at the intimate level of a God-centered marriage began to unfold.

Q: In Hidden, Elena and her colleagues are attacked in Miami. After the attack, why did Elena not take more precautions?

A: Elena had a choice to make, and so did I. Either she could play the delicate flower – fearing everything and going nowhere – or she could go on the hunt. I liked the balance between her internal fears and uncertainties, and her quest as a professional psychologist. She is, in effect, trained to look for clues – to go on the quest of drawing out the hidden. I felt the actions she took, despite the dangers, to be her natural response.

Q: Is there another Elena Burroughs book planned?

A: I have another idea. The question is, what do the readers want, and how positive is the reaction to this story?

Q: Why do you write fiction?

A: I became a believer at age 28. Up to that time, ever since graduating, I had been working in international business. I came to faith while working as a consultant in Germany. I started writing two weeks later. Up to that point, I had never picked up a pen in my life to write anything longer than a business report. But I had always been an avid reader. And the moment I started, that very first instant, I had the sense of invitation. It was the first time I had ever experienced that incredible sense of being drawn in a new, divinely inspired direction.

I wrote for nine years and finished seven novels before my first was accepted for publication. Simply because I had received a sense of calling did not mean I was ready to serve. First the diamond had to be polished. Hard and painful as that was.

Q: While you are a prolific writer, you also get out there and live too! What’s been your most exciting real life adventure?

A: It would probably be better to ask, what has been the most exciting real-life event so far this year. Undoubtedly that would be working on the set of a film being shot from a screenplay I wrote last year.

Unlimited has now ‘wrapped’, that is, filming has been completed. The producer and director are now deep into the editing process. The film is due for release in September, 2013. I am currently working on the novel, which comes out a couple of months before then.

I had the whole thing backwards here, doing the script first, but it has been a lot of fun, and the concept remains very fresh. So hopefully Unlimited will come alive on the page as well as the screen.

Q: What is your goal as a novelist?

A: I want to combine a truly entertaining read with a powerful after-effect. My dream is that long after the book is set down with a satisfied sigh, there are still images that surface, lessons that can be drawn, genuine hope and healing and challenges and inspirations. I want my writing to be worthy of the gift.

Q: How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website and blog are at www.davisbunn.com

Subscribe to my blog’s feed (to get my latest posts via e-mail or through your feed reader) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/DavisBunn

Sign up for my e-newsletter (for subscriber-only giveaways and advance notice of my upcoming novels): http://www.davisbunn.com/news.htm

Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/davisbunnauthor

Twitter: @davisbunn – http://twitter.com/davisbunn

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/davisbunn/

“Once again, Davis Bunn has outdone himself. For readers of his first book in this series (Book of Dreams), be aware that Hidden in Dreams is doubly intense. Bunn is a master of “waste not, want not” mentality. Every page, every paragraph, every word is filled with meaning and tension. Hidden in Dreams is life changing to those characters in the book, and can be life changing for those who read it. Once you start reading, be ready to lay all else aside until Davis Bunn has pushed you to the final page. A person of orderly schedules, my life was totally disrupted until I finished this gripping new novel. You will not be disappointed!

“Dr. Elena Burroughs is desperately trying to rebuild her life: new location, new friends, and new job. But it seems her notoriety with all things dream related has dogged her steps and taken over her life – quite without her permission. How can a handful of people from different countries and professions and lifestyles have the same dreams, down to every detail? Is God trying to give a message that will save the world, or is this a man’s sinister plot to destroy our society as we know it? This is a great read with revelations and lessons all along the way, to say nothing of intrigue.”

(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.)

And now for the question that will place your name in the drawing for a free copy of Hidden in Dreams:

Have you ever had a dream or vision about future events that later came true?

Just leave your answer including your name and email in a comment to this blog, so I can contact you if you win.

Click to see a trailer of the book (really good): http://youtube/o6GurQ5aQSM

Check my next blog for an Q&A interview with Davis Bunn, the author.

You might need to sit in on the teaching to get a good understanding of the charts, but the purpose of this blog is to highlight Judy’s great work.

Carl Sandburg, in his poem The Fog wrote, “The fog comes on little cat feet.” I have discovered that God often comes the same way in our lives. We all look forward to the big jolts of supernatural awareness, some great thing that God has done that is unmistakeable, majestic, and mind-blowing. But all in all, those times are few and far between for our stimulation needs.

In reality, the God Who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5), does more day-by-day in our lives that, when taken together, far outweigh the jolting moments of supernatural awareness. It seems to me that God much prefers and greatly enjoys the quiet, unseen movements in our lives. I think God enjoys our wake-up realizations that “He was there all the time,” as the song goes.

In fact, He has said to me, “I am at work in the quiet places, and the corners, and the edges of your life. Places where you maybe haven’t thought to look for me.” And I realize that that knowledge makes me very comfortable and peaceful.  He does say, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Col. 3:15).

I am glad that God comes on little cat feet, in the every day, hum-drum times of life – because there are so many more of those than the WOW times.

Today I want to highlight a great new novel by one of my favorite authors. Here is my review:

Book of Dreams is not just a novel, but a parable with hidden meanings. Davis Bunn is a prescient storyteller. Most novels and their authors need the first three or four chapters to set the tone, introduce the characters and provide location and timing. Book of Dreams, however, is intense from the very first page and grows in intensity with each page propelling the reader toward the end with a breathless anticipation of the goal.

Being a pastor-teacher, I admit I held this book in my hands with a different view than most readers. But I found a prophetic parable giving a very real scenario of not only possibility, but very definite probability. Davis combines his business acumen with his spiritual understanding. He has produced a book which, although its non-fiction nature is a ‘what if’, chills the reader with the realization that its scenario is actually happening as we read.

The cast of characters are quite diverse, such as: clinical psychologist, politician, priest, banker, and officer of the law. But they have two things in common: their orthodox belief in Jesus as the Son of God and their unorthodox obedience to His guidance. The two uniting factors that make these characters a cohesive group are their dreams and an ancient Book of Dreams. As they learn to push past their human inadequacies and grasp the spiritual reality that is happening around them, they are able to be used of God to stop those whose financial greed would destroy the world.

A little murder, a little romance, a little camaraderie, a diabolical plot and a heroine daring-do-right make this a pleasant and chilling read. Warning! As you begin to read, be ready for a double-read –  the lines of the page and the between-lines. You’ll find yourself turning backward in the pages to pick up important things you missed as you go forward. So read carefully. Even though Davis Bunn does his typical thing of pushing the reader forward at a fast pace, slow down just a little to collect the seemingly unimportant things that you might otherwise miss.  This is not your typical novel.

Click on this link to read the first chapter of Book of Dreams for free: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Book-of-Dreams/Davis-Bunn/9781416556701/excerpt_with_id/17972

About Davis Bunn

Davis Bunn did his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he earned honors degrees in both economics and psychology. He then travelled to London, where he continued this dual approach, earning a Master of Science degree in both industrial psychology and international economics. After teaching at a Swiss university for a year, he entered into a business career that took him to more than 40 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Davis came to faith at age 28, and began writing two weeks later. Before that point, he had never written anything longer than a business report. He wrote for nine years and completed seven novels before the first was accepted for publication. That book was The Presence, released by Bethany House in 1991. Davis and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Visit Davis at www.davisbunn.com

Lion of Babylon is above all a book of hope. Undoubtedly the best from the pen of Davis Bunn yet, it offers bold hope to any who are seeking.

This book is about history, culture, faith, relationship, politics, government, love, trust and much, much more. Suspenseful to the max, plot turns without end, yet it is full of teaching, if one wants to learn about the world around them.

Marc Royce has become mired in nothingness since the death of his wife, praying for some direction, some purpose. God answers prayer. Suddenly Marc is virtually overwhelmed with more than his hands can hold: purpose, direction, hope and more.

The search for his friend Alex becomes the search for his own purpose. It is obvious that Marc’s faith is powerful within him, and he is lead by the Spirit. How else could he know, how else could he so quickly understand, how else could he make such perfect plans, how else could he make the right contacts and friends?

In Exodus we see the Pillar of Fire by night and the Cloud by day. We see it again in Lion of Babylon. This is a great read, but don’t cheat yourself with just one reading!

Surely, at the very least a second book is in the planning.

*Note: Lion of Babylon releases July 2, 2011 from Bethany House Publishers. Click here to pre-order your copy.

It seems this fallen world is designed more for creating and fostering low self-esteem than it is building a good self-image. And if it could help you build a good self-image, it would be fruitless because there is nothing good about us in our fallen state. So what’s a person to do!

As the old church song says, “Look and live! Look to Jesus now and live!” It may be an old song, but it still is good news. We can look to Jesus, we can see Him as He is, we can be fashioned in his perfect image. It still is possible to put off the old life with all its hangups and faults, and put on the new life which is so graciously given us by Jesus. Hallelujah! It is possible!

It is so important that Jesus becomes Himself in us. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” What good news. We don’t have to try to be somebody; we just have to let Him be Himself in us. We don’t have to live from one compliment to another, or endure from one criticism to another. Instead, we can compare ourselves with Jesus, Who is ever showing us by His Spirit what He is doing within us.

So instead of looking at your successes and failures, look to Jesus! He is all success and no failure — and He lives fully in us. He is the source of our self-esteem, for He esteems us worthy of His love. His creation, fallen and in a fallen world, is the only object of His love. What more do you need to feel good about yourself?

It seems this fallen world is designed more for creating and fostering low self-esteem than it is building a good self-image. And if it could help you build a good self-image, it would be fruitless because there is nothing good about us in our fallen state. So what’s a person to do!

As the old church song says, “Look and live! Look to Jesus now and live!” It may be an old song, but it still is good news. We can look to Jesus, we can see Him as He is, we can be fashioned in his perfect image. It still is possible to put off the old life with all its hangups and faults, and put on the new life which is so graciously given us by Jesus. Hallelujah! It is possible!

It is so important that Jesus be formed in us. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” What good news. We don’t have to try to be somebody; we just have to let Him be Himself in us. We don’t have to live from one compliment to another, or endure from one criticism to another. Instead, we can compare ourselves with Jesus, Who is ever showing us by His Spirit what He is doing within us.

So instead of looking at your successes and failures, look to Jesus! He is all success and no failure — and He lives fully in us. He is the source of our self-esteem, for He esteems us worthy of His love. His creation, fallen and in a fallen world, is the only object of His love. What more do you need to feel good about yourself?