Review of The Transformation by Terri Kraus

Back in February, I interviewed author Terri Kraus. Below find my review of the third book in Terri’s Product Restoration Series.

The Transformation is a work that speaks to issues far deeper than the renovation of a historic old church into a modern restaurant and night club. As the restoration project progresses, it parallels the changes that transpire in the lives of the characters involved.

The book presents a strong message of redemption backed by sound theology and accurate Biblical references. It leaves the reader with the realization that anyone, regardless of past sins, can be redeemed through the amazing power and grace of God.

Oliver Barnett is a good Christian man who honors his God and his mother. Yet, his attraction to a woman outside his faith tests his moral fiber and threatens to devastate his doting mother. Oliver struggles with his feelings while attempting to rekindle a relationship with a past love interest, a woman who needs the stability he can offer and whose presence in his life would please his mother.

Samantha Cohen, real estate developer and woman of the world who is bound by the Jewish traditions of her widower father, has never met a man like Oliver. As she tries to lure him away from his moral code, Samantha discovers why his beliefs have molded him into the man she has come to love.

Robert the Dog is a delightful canine creation who serves to give a deeper dimension to Oliver’s character. A well defined array of other characters, including Oliver’s brother, Samantha’s father, an old preacher, and even the workmen on the project, flow into the plot in a harmony of circumstances that force Oliver and Samantha to search their hearts for truth.

In this third book in the Product Restoration Series, Terri Kraus dares to pose questions about religion, love, and morality through an entertaining tale that takes the reader on a soul-searching journey.

Commitment and Accountability

Our critique group has been dragging its feet for quite some time now Not just one of us. All of us. We are all equally guilty of procrastinating, putting other things in front of our writing, and just slacking off in general.

Part of the reason is that life gets in the way. There’s always something else to be done before we can sit down in front of the computer and put words on paper. However, one of our partners decided enough was enough and took the initiative to challenge us to commitment and accountability.

I’ve often heard that the best way to tackle a big project is to break it down into smaller portions. So, this is what we have decided to do. Rather than submit a 10-20 page chapter, we have agreed to submit a 2-6 page scene every week. We all agreed that even with a busy schedule, we can manage to eke out a few minutes here and there to put together somewhere between 500 and 3000 words in a week.

It was suggested that we start in October, but said partner put her foot down and insisted we start right away, as in this Sunday. So, here it is Saturday evening and all four of us have cast our scenes onto each other’s computer screens for perusal, scrutiny, and constructive criticism.

Every time I send out a piece for critique, I ask myself why I don’t do this more often. Yeah, it’s scary, but come right down to it, it’s a lot of fun too. It stirs those creative juices to know someone else is actually looking at the words you labor so hard to put on paper.

So, here’s hoping our critique group is off to a brand new start, committed to making phenomenal progress on our WIP’s and accountable to each to do just that.

Thanks for reading my blog.