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Hello! I've been negligent in posting here, but that's because I picked up my blog at my website. So you may follow my blog at

My 49th blog looks at the diversity of books on my shelves, in hopes this review of topics and authors provides insight on how I think and who I am. See for yourself! Have a great day!

Last summer my family came together for a grand reunion near the southwestern Colorado spots where, in my childhood, my father and mother often took us camping. Journeying out to the festivities led me by Monarch Pass, an old trading post on the Continental Divide that's been a favorite rest spot for as long as I can remember. Often during those treasured vacations of old, my father would give us a break from driving at that gift and snack shop, and we'd stretch our legs and breathe deep the clean highland air nurturing that highway crest. As you might guess, I renewed those beloved memories on my reunion journey, taking an extended stay to ride the old tram (but a few years younger than me) to Monarch's peak, just over 11,000 feet above sea level. Rather than enjoy that return trip, I strode down a one-lane gravel service road that wound ever so slowly back to the post.

Such strolls do wonders for your mind and heart, providing an honest perspective on your role in life. Clouds drifted by both above and below me, sometimes limiting my gaze to just a few feet, other moments revealing vistas crossing what seemed like hundreds of miles. Often I stopped to wonder at the ragged tree lines, grassy fields, still ponds, wildflowers, stubborn boulders, and lingering pools of snow. Some of those firs and pines must have stood there before my childhood visits, thriving upon awesome giants of rock and earth that had withstood all the harsh elements could throw at them for thousands of years, and yet these monuments to creation were themselves dwarfed by the soaring clouds that came and went, their fluid forms rarely ever staying in any one shape or place for longer than the time I spent considering them. It reminded me of James 4:14 � "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

At one time the sun broke through the vapors, revealing a verdant valley stretching to the next peak. A natural belt of green grass seemed to stretch from my spot to that cloud-shrouded pinnacle apparently oh so close to the west, though I knew many detours surely lurked along the way, invisible to my eye. The forested slope also displayed a gravel road winding about one side, though that path ran but a portion of the way before disappearing beneath the trees. Both avenues called to me, not just with the promise of unblemished beauty, but of adventure and mystery, and yet my reunion timetable beckoned, and as my comforting heart reminded me, I still had the magic of that never-traveled (by me, anyway) service trail before me, one that promised its own measures of discovery and delight. So I paused, took a photo, and resumed my journey.

It was this photo I chose for the cover of my new book, The Road to Renewal. Though this novel takes place in central Oklahoma, the symbolism of that mountain vista captured the scope of my book quite well.

The Road to Renewal tells how one follower of Christ, a newspaper humorist shaken by divorce, crosses paths with another believer battling his own personal demons. These characters endure a three-day plunge through challenges many Christians do not like to face, like sex, prejudice, debt, crime, loneliness, and suicide. It proves an enlightening road, involving Issues that impact believers and nonbelievers alike. Its satirical wit may offend some believers, but I hope this honesty and realism opens doors in our increasingly divided society, allowing doubters and cynics to consider things Christians themselves debate and yet hold dear. If readers set aside preconceptions and study their lives anew, as standing upon such mountain vistas forces all to do, everyone might find something to ponder, marvel, and laugh about within the mystery and hardship of these pages. I hope so.

The Road to Renewal made its debut Oct. 9 at online outlets everywhere. You may find further details at !

I've been putting off blogging for the longest time. I really don't know why other than I can't help wondering who really reads all these thousand of e-verse posts. When I lost my job of 31 years and decided to go into self-publishing (a tale I'll tell later, perhaps), I put off various blog recommendations. When my first book (God's Furry Angels) hit the market, I managed to avoid the blog pressures (easy to do, with a website and all that PR to create and manage), and that led me to write a second book (A Year in the Lives of God's Furry Angels), leaving no time for experimentation. That's what I told myself, anyway. But this third book demanded no infrastructure overhauls, and so the siren song of blogging whittled away at me until I figured I had to do something. So I wrote up a press release, which I'll use to introduce you to my newest creative baby:

"Three days. Two guys. One lives. One dies." That's the cover hook for The Road to Renewal, a 280-page novel that debuted Oct. 9. It marks the third published book by Kirby Lee Davis, author of God's Furry Angels and A Year in the Lives of God's Furry Angels.

Reflective of yesteryear's screwball comedies, the tone in The Road to Renewal undergoes dramatic change through its 42 chapters. While Davis penned it as an amusing farce suitable for teens through adults, the paperback often delves deep into tragedy.

“At least once in our lives, we face a trial by fire that threatens everything we hold dear,� said Davis, who based The Road to Renewal on events in his past. “Some people draw strength from such sieges, while others suffer scars that never fade.�

The Road to Renewal tells how one follower of Christ, a newspaper humorist shaken by divorce, crosses paths with another believer battling his own personal demons.

“They share a three-day plunge into despair, darkness, and death,� said Davis, 58. “Both question their faith through hardships each is sure can get no worse, only to be proven wrong again and again.�

How these two respond to such twists and turns reflects their different mindsets, a battleground Davis enters at full throttle.

“The Road To Renewal by Kirby Lee Davis is a Christian novel that certainly messes with your head,� wrote ChristianBookaholic.com reviewer Julia Wilson, who called the book “fabulous.�

“I enjoyed it," she wrote, "although at times I found it hard to get my head around the action � what was real? What was imagined? The novel was certainly realistic as it showed the battles we all have inside our head as our spiritual side wars with our flesh side.�

Davis hopes the questions raised in this book help his Christian drama reach and appeal to secular markets. The book pulls no punches while examining sex, divorce, prejudice, debt, crime, loneliness, suicide, and many other elements of modern life, frequently drawing laughs amidst its escalating conflict. In her review, Wilson warned readers of language some may find objectionable.

“Its satirical wit may very well alienate some Christians, and then there’s the subject matter,� Davis said with a smile. “But I hope this aggressive, honest approach opens doors in our increasingly divided society, allowing doubters and cynics to reconsider what Christians themselves debate and yet hold dear. If readers may set aside preconceptions and study their lives anew, all might find something to ponder and laugh about in this book. I hope so.�

"The Road to Renewal’s" brief cover synopsis reflects Davis’s passion for music. As the poem evolved, Davis turned it into the first verse of a song he’s long played with. That lyric dominates the book’s back cover: "Three days. Two guys. One lives. One Dies. One father who struggles to survive his divorce. One son whose troubles allow no remorse. One sinner who fails to dig his way out. One believer whose trails leave no room for doubt. Three days. Two guys. One lives. One dies."

The Road to Renewal made its debut Oct. 9 at online outlets just about everywhere. For more details, check out .