I'm baaaaaack!!!!!!!!

I actually started on a book once, about four years ago. Working title was Fist of Redemption. It was a Christian theme, about a martial artist who accidentally kills his best friend in an exhibition match (guy had an aneurysm he didn't tell him about and took a kick to the head that punched his ticket). The hero is agnostic and his friend is evangelical. The hero has resisted his friend's attempts to get him to listen to the Gospel because he enjoys his life (he's a serious party bachelor). Anyway, after the accident he goes off the deep end and crawls into a bottle for a couple of years. He has an encounter with a local pastor who shows him that God never wanted him to conform to any preconceived notions of a good church boy. MEANWHILE: A guy has been killing people in the Fayetteville NC area (the setting). The detective on the case has noticed that the killer uses his bare hands, and the victims are very capable fighters (Special Forces, SWAT, local martial artists, etc). The killer has set his sights on our hero (who had a successful movie career before his downfall). The pastor our hero encountered helps him sober up and find the strength to forgive himself by showing him the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ in a real way. Our villain challenges our hero and flies into a rage when he is gently rebuffed. He blames the pastor and, knowing how close he is to the hero, kills him horribly, desecrating the altar at the church with his body and leaving him to be found by our hero. The hero is with the pastor's wife when they enter the church and discover the pastor's broken and bloody body on the altar. The pastor has not yet died. The hero witnesses the pastor's last living words in his wife's arms--he tells her he has no regrets as her has fought the good fight and not wavered in his faith, expresses his love for her, prays for her, and expires praising the Lord. When our hero sees the manner of his friend's passing he immediately drops to his knees and converts to Christianity. Meanwhile, the detective is closing in on the killer and asks for our hero's help in apprehending him by accepting his challenge to a fight (at which point the elusive killer will be apprehended). He agrees, but is diverted and has to face the killer in another location. He beats him and avoids the temptation to kill him, instead subduing him and calling in the authories. The final scene is of the hero reuniting with his late friend's family, who had tried to forgive and love and support him when the accident happened but were unable to penetrate his self hatred.

There is a lot of action, and a spiritual component with a demon named Wu (means violence) who was driving the villain, and an unnamed angel who watches over the hero.

Somebody stole the flash drive that had the entire outline, the first three chapters, and all the characters' backstories. I remember the plot and theme but was heartbroken when all my work disappeared. Now I got no time and am frankly nervous about pouring my heart and soul into another attempt. I have a little something to say, but I don't know about another book. I was thinking about making that one into a screenplay with Mark Dacascos as the hero (Albert Santos).

 

Holiday is over; I can get back to work. Starting with a local two stop shag ending up in Fort Collins. Swapping reefer for a dry van (thank you) at our yard in Henderson first.

 

Have learned the wizards in the tower have dissolved the temperature controlled division and reefer loads are now being treated like any other load.