2024 INTERVIEW WITH KERRY NIETZ

 

Since I started this blog, I've only had one repeat interviewee, that being Donna Fletcher Crow. Well, now Kerry Nietz has become the second. I have interviewed him a couple of other times when I was a contributor on a couple of other blog pages.

JR:  Welcome back to the blog, Kerry. It’s been almost four years since I interviewed you last. To put it in perspective, it was about 6 months into COVID. Anything you’d like to update us about from that time?

KN: Great to be back, Jeffrey. Hard to believe it has been that long. Much has changed since we last talked, not the least of which is that society has pretty much returned to normal. No more masks or quarantines. No more infection counts. 

My family marked a couple milestones since then too. My wife and I celebrated our 20-year anniversary a couple years ago. I now have a child in college and two more in high school. We also took one epic cross-country family trip since then. 

I became a 3D printing enthusiast during that time too. Even printed myself a full set of Halo armor to wear at a writers’ conference. (Realm Makers.) That armor now serves as a cool office decoration.

JR: I remember a line from Steve Taylor’s song “Am I In Sync?” about a scientist who “lost his mind to renegade mice.” For some reason, that makes me think of your Takamo universe series known as The Muto Chronicles, consisting of "Rhats!" (2018), "Rhats Too!" (2019), "Rhataloo" (2021), and "Rhats Free"! (2024). What’s a muto, and would you like to tell us about the series?

KN: Mutos are man-sized space-faring rodents. They hail from a portion of the Takamo Universe called the Rhatsibahn Empire. They’re typically scoundrels and lackeys (think Star Trek’s Ferengi) but occasionally a nobler character emerges. My stories follow a couple of those honorable types.

JR: Hearing about the Takamo Universe makes me hungry, though it might be that I confuse it with the Indianapolis pizza chain Jokamo’s. For those like me who forgot your explanation four years ago, what is the Takamo Universe? Are mutos a regular part of that realm, or are they your unique contribution to this literary world?

KN: Takamo started as a turn-based mail-in computer game (meaning the computer ran the numbers and gave the results) back in the eighties. It was crafted by a handful of college students and grew to have over 10,000 participants. Along the way, an encyclopedia’s worth of lore developed. 

Mutos have been part of the mythos since the beginning. In fact, "Rhataloo" is based on established Takamo canon, though I added a fair deal to the story. The other Muto Chronicle plots are mostly my creation. Randall Ritnour, the driving force behind Takamo today, suggested places for my rhats to visit, what they might be searching for, and who they might encounter. I took it from there. 

JR: You had at least one non-muto book since I last interviewed you, a novel that captured my imagination: "Lost Bits." Could you tell us about the story, and did I miss any others I might have missed?

KN: Sure. "Lost Bits" grew out of an everyday occurrence at home. While searching for something, I happened to open one of our upstairs cupboards and discovered a stack of dusty, forgotten eReaders that my kids had either worn out or outgrown. 

I felt a touch of melancholy. “How sad. These machines that were an integral part of our life are now discarded.” I moved from that to “What if that happened to a robot?” So, I started writing about what might happen if a robot woke up in a junkyard and decided to look for his human family. Along the way he befriends other technological misfits. I think of it as a robot-centric "Homeward Bound." 

As for missed books: Aside from "Lost Bits," I’ve released a short story anthology entitled "Digital Dreams and Other Distractions," another rhats book ("Rhats Free!"), and I contributed an anecdote to a non-fiction book called "My First Novel: And What Became of It."

JR: One of my favorite writers is the late, great Allistair MacLean, and I figured one reason why: his heroes knew the importance of teamwork and each one had one or more others working with him. Should that friend not make it, the hero recruits a replacement. I find the same thing in your stories (Threadbare and Bullhammer, Frohic and Abs, 404 and Sam). Am I the first to notice this? Was this a theme you consciously had in mind, or did these just develop as you wrote?

KN: I rarely go into my stories with the characters fully figured out. I’ll have a few strong ideas about the main character, but the characters he meets along the way spring up from the narrative. 

Subconsciously, I’m sure I’m resurrecting and reimagining people from my past. I’ve been fortunate to have many longstanding friends, some of whom I’ve known since early childhood. Aspects of their personalities show up in my characters often. 

JR: Thank you for your time. And could you believe I wrote an interview without mentioning a certain book? What projects are you working on? Will there be a “Rhats Fore!”? (Sorry, couldn’t resist. Yeah, right.) Anything else you’d like to say? And how can we keep up with you on-line?

KN: Yes, how did you avoid mentioning Amish Vampires in Space? It remains my most talked about novel. You can reach me via my webpage, Facebook, and X.com.

I’m currently working on another story in the DarkTrench Shadow series, which currently includes the novels "Frayed" and "Fraught." It is turning out longer than I originally expected, but I hope to finish it in the early fall and move it toward publication from there. 

After that? Not sure. I have a few non-fiction ideas and another fiction idea or two I’m kicking around. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another rhats book in the future. My youngest son and father are fans of that series now, so I need to give them something new to read. 

I think I’d call it Rhats More!, though.     

FIRST BLOG IN THE PAST WEEK?! WHAT'S GOING ON?

Painted dogs at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. They look as awake as I feel.

Yes, I had been posting three blogs a week for a while, and the past few weeks have me missing some, a trend that doesn't look like it will change.

I've had twice as many interviews from January to April '24 than that same period last year (6 compared to 3), and if I post one interview between May and December this year, I will have posted more than I did in the last 8 months of '23. I have I believe three interviews waiting for completion, and I have a list of others I want to interview, but it will be at least a week before I'm ready to post it.

Another common type of blog are my book and music reviews. As far as book reviews, I'm crawling through several books, so again, I won't be ready to review any until at least next week, maybe longer. When I do a music review, I listen to the project and then write a review, and that takes less time. However, currently I just want music on in the background instead of listening to something to review. Also (if I'm wrong, correct me), I always feel I do a better job reviewing books than music. 

Yes, I have other blogs too. I just have to take the time to write them. (This is a quick off the cuff).

The fourth type of blog I want to have are guest blogs. If someone wants to join in, I'd be happy. Not the first time I've suggested it. But none yet.

Please pray for me. I do have health problems (I have a new doctor to see in a couple of days), and not a lot of energy. There are things I'm doing (being a beta reader for one of my favorite authors, preparing prayer prompts for all the Kingdom Come Festival '24 artists and hoping to finish before the festival starts, cleaning out an e-mail box that I'm getting close to being in the 4 digit range, work, leading a Bible study, being in a D-Group at church, and running sound, and probably more). Pray that I have wisdom to know what to do and what not to worry about. Maybe the time for this blog is over. Maybe not. Please pray.

Thank you for reading this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll follow the example of the painted dogs above and take a nap.
 

INTERVIEW WITH GLENN REMSEN, HOST OF LITHOSCRY PODCAST AND AUTHOR OF STONES THAT CRY

You all know I'm a Divine Martyr fan, right? Well, early last year (2023 for those who might be reading this in the 23rd century), they mentioned they were being interviewed on Lithoscry podcast, promoting their video of my favorite song by them ("Truth"). I watched it, and I became an immediate fan of the program. I'm now binge listening to earlier podcasts.

I also found out about his book "Stones That Cry: God's Precious Metal." While there were a few things I disagreed with, I found myself having a similar mindset on several of his points. 

JR: Welcome to the blog, Glenn. My normal first question would be “How did you come to Christ and what interested you in music?” However, since you answered those questions in the first chapter of your book, and I want to encourage them to read it, let me instead ask: What inspired you to write “Stones That Cry?”

GR:   In many ways “Stones That Cry” is my testimony of how God used metal and hard rock to help heal me physically after having a brain tumor removed.  God also used metal and hard rock to help me cope through the very dark and trying recovery process. 

In writing  “Stones That Cry” there were certain artists I wanted to personally reach to let them know that even though they may not know Jesus, He used them in my life in a profound way. Writing “Stones That Cry” was my first step in an attempt to share my testimony with them. My hope, and it still is, is that many of the artists who God used to help me will be introduced to Jesus through this testimony they were a part of so they too can be saved eternally by Him.   

I also wanted to introduce the church to understand that all too often we stuff God into a “religious box.”  Many Christians have come to believe that God cannot work outside of the church or use things considered to be “secular” to glorify Himself.  However, Jesus said in Luke 19:40 that stones will glorify God if His people are silent  “... I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:40).

JR: I’m going to give you a hybrid question. Can you tell us the origins of your podcast and how it morphed from “Get Real” to “Lithoscry,” with the information that the person asking this question is asking himself if starting a podcast himself is either something he’s called to or whether it’s a busyness that unless I feel God speaking clearly, it’s something I shouldn’t worry about?

GR: Absolutely! the podcast I currently host is not my first media rodeo.  In 1999, I hosted a local cable television program “Arise & Shine!”  This show would consist of a Bible study and music from the worship team at the church I was an assistant pastor at.  In 2001, one of the other pastors and I had a door open for us on radio as well.  The Program Director of the  flagship AM Newstalk Station in Charleston, SC allowed us to host, at no cost to us,  a Christian call-in show that was intended for those who did not go to church. We were made a part of the regular line-up on Saturday Nights.

This was not a preaching or teaching show but a celebration of free speech where callers could voice their concerns, opinions, and questions, and we would share our Christian world view.  The radio show's name was “Get Real.”  The show was intended to premiere in late September 2001.  However, one day after the tragedy of 9/11, the Program Director called me and said, we need you on this weekend, we need your show due to what has happened.  So, for the first several weeks, we found ourselves ministering on the most influential radio station in Charleston, SC to people who were deeply scared, confused, and concerned. 

Just as I was completing “Stones That Cry” God pressed upon me to once again enter the realm of media and to start a podcast that would complement the book.  I decided to go with the Get Real! name that had been established many years prior as a starting point.

As I got further into the project, God gave me more clarity on the direction He wanted the podcast to go and gave me the title “Raven’s Heart.”

Lithoscry, which is means stones or rocks (lithos) that cry is the name for the broad spectrum of outreach which includes the Raven’s Heart Podcast, the book and hopefully future publications, the Lithosbytes podcast which focuses on Bible teaching and prophetic insight, and the Get Revelation Rockfest music festival. 

JR: I have thoroughly enjoyed your interviews on Lithoscry, including former interviewees I’ve had on this blog like Divine Martyr, Reclaim The Day, DeadSin, Crystoria, Worhol, and others I can’t think of right away. Are there any interviews that either surprised you or completely changed your life in some way? 

GR: Yes!  In fact the first interview that surprised me was an interview with Richard Morrill, the former lead singer of the band L.A.P.D. that is today known as KORN.  When I was working on the overall idea of a rock music podcast from a Christian perspective, I shared the idea with a coworker of mine.  I told my coworker that he might think what I am thinking of doing is kind of crazy and shared the idea with him.  He not only told me he thought it was a great idea but that Richard Morrill from L.A.P.D. was his uncle and that he would introduce me to him to get him on the show.  I was very quickly introduced to Richard and we were able to bring him on the show for our one year anniversary.  All of this was a confirmation that I was moving in the right direction.

Other interviews that have surprised me include an interview with Dallas Jenkins, director of “The Chosen” and the late Dr. Michael Heiser.  Each of these interviews were the result of divinely arranged meetings and acquaintances. 

The interview most special to me was with Justin Elswick who goes by the name “Sleepthief.”  Though his music is not rock or metal, he was one of the artists who God used to help me heal physically and emotionally during the darkest time in my life. I was blessed to be able to share with him publicly how God used him in my life.

The interview that had the most impact on me was a recent interview with Lara Landon.  There is a lot of behind the scenes with each show.  We had some scheduling challenges prior to the show and at the end of the show (I can’t remember if it was included in the broadcast), she prayed for me and the Lithoscry ministry.  Within minutes of her praying, we experienced a major breakthrough in the ministry.  The next day she messaged me and told me that she had turned down an opportunity to sing at a major event because she sensed Holy Spirit telling her she needed to do the interview.  This was a very humbling experience that has given us a greater opportunity to minister to many who would not consider going to church and helped remind me of the sphere of influence God has called me to.

JR: One thing that caught my attention in some of those interviews is in dealing with names. Could you tell us how you got interested in that, and how it applies to life?

GR: I have always been interested in what people’s names mean.  Even before I came to know Jesus, when I would meet someone who became significant in my life I would look their name up in Webster’s Dictionary.  Nobody taught me how to do this.  It was just something I did.  In growing in my walk with Jesus I have come to learn that there are no such things as coincidences or random happenings.  I believe this applies to people’s names as well.  To test this I once again began researching the names of people who have ministered to and taken care of me and sure enough their names matched how they ministered to me. 

This is also true as one studies Scripture.  The names of the individuals spoken of in the Bible describe their function in the Kingdom of God. 

As a podcast host, I am a servant of those whom I am interviewing and often times I will be led by Holy Spirit to encourage a guest with how their name fits what God has called them to do for His Kingdom. 

JR: One question that your book deals with is whether God can use the unsaved to glorify His name, further His Kingdom, and minister to His people. Would you be interested in elaborating on this?

GR:  Yes.  There was a time in my walk with Jesus that I believed that only those who have been saved are of use to the Kingdom of God.  However, it was through my experiences with metal and hard rock that this view was not correct.  I searched the Scriptures to see if someone who is not a believer can be used by God for His purposes.  Not only did I find one example but found several.  King Cyrus who blessed Israel and made the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian Captivity was not a believer,  Balaam the wizard who set out to curse Israel was used to bless Israel and actually prophesied of the coming Messiah was not a believer.  The one that is most astonishing, the Magi who sought the Messiah after His birth were men were not men that would be welcomed today in many churches because prior to their arrival to the feet of Jesus, they were practitioners of the mystery religions of Babylon. In the commentaries I have read on the Magi, some theologians struggle with the Magi because of their backgrounds.  

However, we must remember though God may use a person who is not a believer, someone who is not saved may do some things that glorify God; this does not guarantee eternal life.  This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Mathew 7:21-23).

No matter how great a work any person does, the only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is by receiving the gift of eternal life through Jesus. 

JR: Thank you for your time. How can we keep up with Lithoscry and any other ministries you have? Any final thoughts?

GR: The best way that you can keep up with all things Lithoscry is through our website at lithoscry.com  Of course, watch Raven’s Heart every week on Thrusday night’s at 8p EST on our YouTube channel The best way to support the ministry of Lithoscry is to like and share our YouTube content!  Thank you so much for this opportunity. 

  

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DONNA FLETCHER CROW

Author Donna Fletcher Crow on the Riviera. 

So far, I've had several interviews on this blog (especially in '21 and '22, nowhere near as many last year), but I've only had one repeat interviewee. Well, the only twice-interviewed is now my first thrice-interviewed.

I've invited Donna Fletcher Crow, who I interviewed in '20 and '21 (links highlighted if you want to see them) to discuss her latest book "Going There: Tales From The Riviera and Beyond" (click here for book review).

Donna has just reached into the rarified air of authors I've read at least 20 books by (a state that she shares with only Agatha Christy, though Nancy Mehl is knocking at the door with me about to start on my 19th novel by her). The 22 books I've read by Donna include her 6 Monastery Mysteries featuring Father Antony and Felicia, the five part Lord Danvers Investigates, and the five Elizabeth and Richard Literary Suspense.

JR: Welcome back to the blog! Though you've been a guest here a couple of times, it's the first since COVID is more of a nuisance hanging around than the dreaded monster it was in '20 and '21. What is new with you, your family, your church, etc. since then?

DFC: Hello, Jeff! What an honor to be here with you again. Oh, goodness, what a question—I could write a novel. If only I had time. With 4 married children and 15 grandchildren, life is always intense, but it does seem to be more so now than ever. My husband once told our children it was their job to keep us from getting bored. Bad mistake—boredom would be a welcome break. Thankfully, it’s mostly good things. Job changes, some desired and some not, including my husband’s desire to retire, but not yet finding a good exit strategy from his business, and several grandchildren getting to the age that boyfriend/girlfriend relationships are serious prayer topics. Also, the grandson who returned from Afghanistan with PTSD and is now in rehab.

And thank you for asking about our church. The building project we were ready to launch before the Covid lockdowns struck is finally underway. Phase 1, the new parish hall and library are in progress. That’s a huge “Thanks be to God!” but also a major involvement in planning for future ministry to our neighborhood now that we will actually have the space for new programs.

And, yes, along with all of that I am plodding along with my writing. 

JR: Of course, one thing I want to talk about here is your latest book, I believe. (It wouldn't surprise me if you released a book or two or twelve since then.) Tell us all about "Going There: Tales From The Riviera and Beyond." What's the inspiration of the book? What was it like combining non-fiction with fiction in this story collection? 

DFC: Oh, Jeff—in my prime I did, indeed release 3 books a year. Now I struggle to keep up with one. Going There, though, was a fun project that just surprised me by turning up. In the summer of 2021 my daughter-in-law Kelly and I managed to slip through a narrow window of sanity between Covid lockdowns to chaperone my granddaughter Jane in a break between her ballet schools in Monaco and Basel. I was relaxing and reveling in the beauty of the Riviera when I realized characters from several of my series had tagged along. I kept seeing places Felicity was likely to find a body or visiting a church Father Antony would love. Then the home of a writer that Elizabeth and Richard would be certain to want to visit… Another factor grew as and Kelly and I became overwhelmed with the realization of what an extraordinary adventure we were having in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. My love of sharing my experiences with my readers took over as I wrote in my journal.

Combining fiction with non-fiction is really what I do all the time. I always try to use as much actual history and real experiences in my novels as I can. I’m not really very good at making stuff up—that’s one of the reasons I love using historical characters so much. And that’s why Father Antony is such a good character for me to work with—He loves recounting the stories of the saints as factually as he can. Of course, writing actual short stories between my travel memoir events was a new experience for me—which I enjoyed very much.

JR: Another project that was finished relatively recently was the completion of the Celtic Cross series. Was concluding that series a celebration, a relief, an appetizer for another similar endeavor, or some of each?

DFC: I would say it was a great satisfaction, Jeff. The Celtic Cross series was a project I had kept in mind for years. Covid was the perfect opportunity. I had written The Fields of Bannockburn and The Banks of the Boyne, epic histories of Scotland and Ireland in the 1990s. They had been out of print for many years and, of course, eBooks hadn’t even been thought of when they were published. I wanted to make these stories—which I still felt were wonderful, not because of my telling, but because of what the historic people did—deserved a modern audience. I felt rewriting them into a series, rather than 2 massive volumes made them more accessible to readers, and possible for eBook format, since they are limited as to length. Of course, it turned out to be one of those projects I would never have had the courage to launch if I’d had any idea how much work it would be, but I felt the end product, with the help of my wonderful editor and cover artist, was worth the journey.

JR: Okay, I'll ask you to take off your author hat and take your seat at the news desk. Has your time on the Riviera affected how you see things here in the USA? Are you optimistic, pessimistic, or some of both about the coming election and the world situation?

DFC: The thing that amazing trip to the Riviera and beyond most underscored for me was the necessity of grabbing the moment when the door is open. It was an incredible three-generation family time and an opportunity I had never dreamed of and is very unlikely to come again. There were many inconveniences and nerve-wracking moments caused by the world situation—but aren’t there always? I’m so thankful I seized the opportunity. 

Oh, my—the plight of the world… Well, at the end of the day, A Christian has to be optimistic, don’t we? We’ve read the Book—we know how it will end. In the meantime, however, we must face the fact that we live in a fallen world. Without getting into politics, I will have to say, though, that it does seem to be falling faster and further than I have experienced in my very long lifetime. (If you’re curious, I was born 3 weeks before Pearl Harbor.) Which is all to say my advice is to get on your knees, but keep looking up.

JR: Back to writing. What's your WIP ("Work in Progress " in case any reader's not used to writer lingo)? When shall we look for it?

DFC: At this moment I am writing a 4-part series on “The Landscape of Pride and Prejudice” for the “Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine.” When that is done, I will get back to a project I did the onsite research for in 2001 when I went to the Outer Hebrides right after 9/11. It’s the story of the Hebrides Awakening—an account I’ve wanted to relate ever since I first heard about it. This will be Book 7 in the Monastery Murders—quite a departure for Felicity and Antony because it doesn’t involve old Celtic saints. Well, not very much, anyway. I hope to have it out by the end of the year, but we’ll have to see about that.

JR: Thank you for your time. Would you like to remind us how to keep in touch with you?

DFC: Thank you so much for this fun visit, Jeff! Readers can follow me on Facebook, subscribe to my newsletter (and get a free book), write to me through my website, follow my blog, see my YouTube videos, or find all my books on Amazon. Oh, and some might want to check out my brand new offerings on Audible.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR/MISSIONARY/FORMER ACFW CHAPTER PRESIDENT RICK BARRY

Back in 2011, I was interested in joining the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and was also interested in participating in the local chapter. So I met with the then Chapter President Rick Barry.

I had the honor of reading The Methuselah Project, which he has since written a sequel to. Also, he spoke at our church about a mission organization he was in, which I will speak about below. 

JR: Welcome to the blog, Rick. Could you tell us about how you came to Christ and how you got interested in writing?

RB: The first time I realized I was not a true Christian was in 6th grade. In Sunday school, my Sunday school teacher, Mr. Olson, once asked each of us boys to tell when and how we repented and put our trust in Christ. Up until that moment, I had assumed I was a believer. After all, I did go to Sunday school and believed what I was taught. But on that day I realized I just had a head full of Bible facts without any real relationship with the Lord. Sad to say, I turned down Mr. Olson’s invitation to put my trust in Christ that day. Three years later, when I was in 9th grade, a friend from high school began inviting me to teen activities at his church. I went—but mainly because of a young lady there! Long story short, I began attending with him. A couple months later, his pastor gave an invitation to accept Christ. I felt convicted, but returned home still mulling over everything I’d heard. At home, I went into my bedroom, closed the door, fell on the bed, and poured out a sinner’s prayer to the Lord. I asked His forgiveness and for Him to cleanse me. At the end of that prayer time, I heard no angelic choir nor heavenly trumpets, but I knew in my heart that God had accepted my prayer.

Writing came later. In my sophomore year of university I entered a short essay in the writing contest of a Christian magazine. I didn’t win, but the editor bought my manuscript. That sparked my interest in writing for publication.

JR: Would you like to tell us about your latest project, which I'm assuming is The Next Fithian? What's it like writing different genres such as the historical Gunner's Run and speculative tales such as The Methuselah Project and its sequel? 

RB: Years ago, when Focus on the Family still published Breakaway magazine for teen guys, I often wrote stories for it. The editor didn’t care whether I wrote historical, contemporary, spiritual warfare, sci-fi, or whatever, just so I wrote an engaging tale. So, even though those were short stories, Breakaway provided a fun training ground for writing in a variety of genres. In fact, the original seeds for The Next Fithian came from Breakaway. One day the editor telephoned me with an assignment—a “big concept” story. He didn’t know whether it should be sci-fi, or fantasy, or both mixed together just so long as the concept was big. I ended up writing a 3-part Christian sci-fi series called “The Next Fithian.” Years later, those 5,000 words became the springboard for my novel with the same title. In it, a Christian teen is aboard an airliner when it gets blown up. The real action begins when he gets transported to an alternate dimension.  

JR: When I met you, you were the President of the Indiana Chapter of the ACFW. Are you still with that organization? What was it like being a chapter President? Would you recommend that organization for aspiring authors?

RB: I’m still in ACFW. I highly recommend this organization as a great way to meet and network with other writers and publishing professionals. As a chapter president, I had the fun privilege of inviting authors, editors, and literary agents to our chapter meetings to speak and raise our general level of understanding and professionalism. Also, being president may have given my literary submissions a little more clout when my cover letters included the fact that I was the president of the Indiana chapter in this national organization.

JR: Also when I met you, you were part of a mission organization, Baptist International Evangelistic Missions (BIEM). How has that impacted your life? 

RB: Working with BIEM has had a huge impact on me. As part of my duties I have traveled to Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Turkey, the country of Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. It has greatly improved my Russian-language skills, widened my horizons, and given me friends in far-off places. I’ve also been privileged to lead over 25 souls to the Lord in the former USSR. It also gave me an opportunity to tour through the Chernobyl exclusion zone, which provided inspiration for my novel The Methuselah Project: SOS.

JR: I would be interested in your thoughts on the current situation between Russia and Ukraine. Any ideas on how to pray for that region?

RB: I pray for the shooting, fighting, and destruction to stop. I pray for an end of the killing and for justice to be served on anyone involved in committing atrocities. But I also know that God is saving souls in the midst of these troubled times, and I also pray that many more souls would turn to Him for salvation. 

JR: Thank you for your time, Rick. What's on the horizon? Will there be a follow-up to The Next Fithian? How can we keep in contact with you and your writing and other endeavors?

RB: This year my life has gone through a number of rapid changes. For the past 3.5 years I was the caregiver for my mother. After she passed, my life was filled with funeral plans, estate sales, the sale of her home and land, and also a move from Alabama back to Indiana for me. House-hunting became another time-consuming pursuit. In the midst of the chaos, I’ve managed to write some short devotionals that are now published, but I do hope to get back to my novel manuscripts very soon!    

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CAROL BERUBEE

 

You may be used to me doing interviews with fellow believers I learned about in a Facebook Group I'm in, that group being Female Christian Rock & Metal. Well, you'll start seeing a few interviews from authors in a different Facebook Group I'm in, namely Calvinist Dispensationalists Unite! Today, I have the honor of interviewing author Carol Berubee.

 

Before I start with the interview, though, allow me to add something. Yes, I love interviewing novelists and musicians and artists. However, the interviews I enjoy the most deal with theology, as today's and those I did with Mere Liberty's Kerrie Baldwin and Common Thread's Mark Mirza. 

So are you ready for today's interview?

JR: Welcome to my blog, Carol. May I start by asking how you came to Christ and how you got started writing?

CB: Thanks for inviting me, Jeff. Well, my background is not Christian. I grew up in a home that was Deist, at best. There were some occult influences, as well. I had no idea who Jesus was. I heard “Jesus Christ” as a curse word, but had no clue that this was a person. Even in my twenties, I
wasn’t too sure what Christmas was; I didn’t really understand the birth of Christ. I was even more confused about “Easter.” I just had no understanding of it at all.

I was raised in a “moralist” home; we understood that lying, stealing, cheating, and swearing were all wrong, not to even mention murder (including abortion), or adultery, or other sexual sins. We knew that all of those things were forbidden. My parents, at the same time, instilled in us the importance of helping others, of “loving your neighbor.”

But moralism without God leads to grand valleys of failure. With so many rules to obey, it’s easy to cross the line. Then, there comes a time when everything just seems to snowball; or, in my case, there’s one dramatic sin that ensnares you and even though you don’t (at least, on the surface) think that anything is sinful, you just know that your life isn’t right. I was happy until I wasn’t; and then, I’d tell myself that my life was okay and I had every right to be happy. That kind of thinking only takes you so far. 

One night, when I was 31 and was, literally, in the middle of my sin, I just had a moment where I realized that God was there. Without going into details, I was convicted of my sin and the next morning I began to look for Christian books and messages. From there, I finally found a local church, though I would leave there after four years because I came to realize that it wasn’t really Biblical. It did, however, afford me the opportunity to teach women’s Bible studies.

Over the years, I had fielded many questions from fellow Christians about various topics, especially law and grace, and eschatology, so that I began to write a book “in my head.” Eventually, a friend shared something that had occurred in his Bible study group that had to do with how we know we are saved. I was surprised that in my friend’s group, no one had referenced anything from the Pauline corpus. It was evident that “works” had come to the fore and references were drawn from the Gospel accounts and from James’ epistle.

My response to my friend was based on my years of Biblical study that had led me to believe that Paul is our Apostle, that Jesus had come under the Law to minister to Israel, and that James was an Apostle to the Jews, specifically; therefore, we should look to Paul, first and foremost. But how would I explain that in just a few sentences? I had to write a book that would explain to my friend, and others, what the Bible tells us about Paul’s ministry as distinct from Jesus’ pre-Cross ministry to Israel, and even the ministry of The Twelve among the Jews. 

JR: Could you tell us about your most recent book? What other books do you have out?

CB: I’ll begin with your second question, if I may. I knew the first book I wrote would be the beginning of a series, so after making the case for Pauline Dispensationalism, the next book would be a primer on Pauline doctrine. If Paul is our Apostle, what does the Ascended Christ have to tell us through His chosen vessel? What is Paul’s Gospel and what is the “mystery” of which he speaks? 

To your first question, after writing those two books, I set that series aside for the time being so that I could write my most recent book, what I call a “Bible study devotional” for women. It’s a response to some women who have great influence in Christian circles but who don’t necessarily have a Biblical worldview, or don’t believe the Bible is sufficient, or don’t understand walking in grace rather than law-works.
I had also heard women complaining that most devotionals for women are too “fluffy;” they wanted more meat. So, this little devotional is packed with Scripture and challenges ladies to leave aside the pretty pictures to focus on the meat of the Word, which is enough. The theme is “law and grace” and “walking in the Spirit.”

JR: On your Facebook Author page, you state you’re “Helping Christians to know who they are in Christ by rightly dividing the Word – Acts 2 Pauline Dispensationalism.” Acts 2 Pauline Dispensationalism sounds interesting. What is it? Does it differ from other forms of Dispensationalism or theology? Or, taking a different angle, are the teachings of Paul at odds with those of Jesus?

CB: Well, first, Acts 2 Dispensationalism is the default dispensational stance; that is, most dispensationalists hold that the Church, which is the Body of Christ, began in Acts 2. Some dispensationalists are Mid-Acts or later; that is, they believe the Church began at Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, or when believers were first called “Christians” in Acts 13, or even as late as Acts 28 when Paul supposedly goes to the Jews for the last time and concentrates the rest of his ministry to Gentiles only. I’m Acts 2, but I differ from most Acts 2 dispensationalists in that I acknowledge and embrace the unique ministry and message of Paul, and recognize the differences between Paul’s Gospel and ministry over against those of the pre-Cross
Christ and even the post-Cross Twelve; thus, I’m Pauline.

As if that’s not confusing enough to some Christians, we have the added confusion of the label, “Pauline Dispensationalism,” which is used today by Mid-Acts believers. However, it was once used by Acts 2 believers who were distinctly Pauline but because we are all but extinct, there aren’t enough of us to hold on to that moniker and so we’ve lost it to the Mid-Acts folks; hence, my label of “Acts 2 Pauline Dispensational.”

So, the theological differences between your run-of-the-mill (Acts 2) dispensationalist and a Pauline dispensationalist can be quite significant. For example, while the typical Christian, even the typical modern dispensationalist, would hang on every word of the Sermon on the Mount, the Pauline believer recognizes the context of the Sermon as Yeshua Messiah teaching pre-Cross Jews. Christ had been born under the Law to minister to Israel under the Law (Galatians 4:4, Romans 15:8). There is no mention of the Cross, the shed blood, the indwelling Spirit, or the Body of Christ in the Sermon; therefore, we study the Sermon (it IS the Word of God!), but we keep it in its proper context (Israel under Mosaic Law). For example, in the Sermon, Christ says that if we do not forgive, then God won’t forgive us (Matthew 6:15), but Paul says that we forgive because we have already been forgiven by God (Ephesians 4:32). I go through several such examples in my first book. There are also these types of differences between the ministry of The Twelve and that of Paul, and these are explained in the book.

Theologically, the most significant differences have to do with law and grace, the mystery, and the Body of Christ. Even The Twelve continued to practice Mosaic Law after the Cross (Acts 10-11). And then, more than twenty years post-Cross, Peter, James, and John agreed to continue to go to Jews only, while Paul and Barnabas continued to go to the Gentiles (Galatians 2). The Twelve and James had just come to understand, at that time, that the Gentiles were not required to proselytize to Judaism in order to become Christians. This is important because Paul had been teaching grace among the Gentiles from the beginning and, in keeping with that doctrine, he never compelled the Gentiles to look to Israel’s Law for either justification or sanctification. And yet, today, most Christians will say that, at the very least, we are under the Ten Commandments for sanctification, so that we need to “check ourselves” against the Commandments as our daily rule of life.

In relation to “the mystery,” the Bible tells us that The Twelve were preaching what had been plainly revealed in the Old Testament, that the Messiah would come, would save His people, and restore the Kingdom to Israel (Acts 3:19-26; cf. Luke 1:67-70; cf. also Acts 1:3 with Acts 1:6). Paul, however, says that his Gospel message had been a mystery, not revealed in the OT, but revealed to him after his conversion (Romans 16:25, 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:24-29). While Paul certainly believed that Christ would someday return to rule and reign on this earth in fulfillment of OT prophecy, yet his ministry was focused on the mystery of the Body of Christ, an organism already seated in the heavenly places.

JR: Some consider dispensationalism is concerned with either end-times or cessationism, while I always thought it’s emphasis is that the Church and Israel are two separate entities. But your book descriptions and articles give me the impression that you see Pauline Dispensationalism concerned with sanctification. How does Dispensationalism relate to holiness and oppose legalism.

CB: I agree that dispensationalism is, or should be, associated with end-times and cessationism. As well, it is true that dispensationalism must include the doctrine that Israel and the Church are two separate entities, and, in fact, the logical application of that doctrine will affect how we view sanctification. For instance, if the Law was given only to Israel (Exodus 20:2; Psalm 147:19-20; Romans 2:14, 3:19), then we must not put the Church under Israel’s Law, a Law which ended at the Cross. This is basic dispensationalism. So, let me say this: I believe a dispensationalism that only includes the Israel-Church distinction is a “mere dispensationalism” that cannot and will not endure in history. I believe dispensationalism is far more than the recognition of the Israel-Church distinction, and far more than the acknowledgement of an earthly future for national Israel. Today, we have Progressive Dispensationalism, which still features an Israel-Church distinction and an earthly future for national Israel, but which has ceded much to Covenant Theology – the Church under Israel’s Law, Christ currently reigning from David’s Throne in Heaven, etc. In time, this mere dispensationalism, as distinct from Traditional and Pauline Dispensationalism, will be swallowed up by Covenant Theology. 

Traditional Dispensationalism, and certainly Pauline Dispensationalism, emphasizes the law-grace distinction, and the in Adam-in Christ distinction, just as much as a pre-Tribulation/pre-Millennial eschatology, and cessationism.

I would go even further and say that dispensationalism should be viewed as a boon to those who hold to the Doctrines of Grace (a Calvinistic anthropology and soteriology). John MacArthur has preached that all Calvinists should be dispensationalists, and I agree, but I would say that, in addition, all dispensationalists should be Calvinists. What I mean is that Traditional and, to some extent, Pauline dispensationalism recognizes the unfolding of several successive dispensations throughout history and, in each environment with its own set of unique variables determined by God, man has failed the test. Each dispensation has made it clear to man that he is totally depraved, no matter the circumstances, no matter how much light he has been given. God must act in efficacious grace if man is to be saved.

So, I see dispensationalism as far more than an Israel-Church distinction. I would also emphasize this current dispensation, the dispensation of the mystery, as distinctly Pauline so that, therefore, we find our rule of life in Paul’s epistles. In this way, Pauline Dispensationalism addresses sanctification, as you noted. How does the Church live under grace? The Mosaic Law was given only to Israel, not the Gentiles, not the Church. This is a very important truth that can only be discovered and mined in a strong dispensational system. The Church is not an extension of Judaism. The Church is a new organism distinct from Israel and Israel’s Law; therefore, in this dispensation, Paul does not point us to the Law but instead tells us that it is grace that teaches us godliness and righteousness (Titus 2:11-12). 

JR: I’ll admit, the above questions were a little weighty. Maybe this one is a little lighter. Who do you consider worthy following as they follow Jesus (1 Cor. 11:1)? Any authors (fiction as well as non-fiction), musicians/hymn writers, radio/TV pastors, etc. have encouraged your faith?

CB: This is actually a tougher question for me! When I was first saved, I had no idea what to do next because I had never gone to church or read any Christian books (including the Bible), so I found myself watching TBN on television. I was off to a bad start, to say the least! I had a steady diet of TBN for two years and then started going to a Pentecostal church. But God was faithful. He led me out of the Word of Faith false doctrine and out of the Pentecostal church I had attended for four years.

That experience led me to really study the Bible and ask God for discernment. I rarely endorse any ministry or teacher or song writer because most folks who are well known have questionable theology or motives, or both. So, I would say that I appreciate John MacArthur, although I pray that he would be more Pauline, more dispensational. I cringe every time he puts the Church under the Ten Commandments, but I do find that I am in agreement with him most of the time.

Mainly, I only read books from old dead guys. Reading “Romans Verse-by-Verse” by William R. Newell was like finding “home.” His theology resonated with me and I finally understood Christianity. I can say the same for Lewis Sperry Chafer’s “Grace: The Glorious Theme.” Between Newell and Chafer my life was completely changed. H.A. Ironside is fun to read, if not always theologically accurate. I have a lot of books from the 1800s that are rich and edifying, as well.

JR: Thank you for your time, Carol. How can we learn more about your writing and ministry? And what projects do you have coming out? Anything unexpected, such as a science fiction novel? 

CB: It was my pleasure, Jeff. Thanks for having me. I don’t have a lot of social media, but I do have a website at carolberubee.com as well as my FaceBook page @carolberubeeauthor. My books are available at all online booksellers and can be ordered at most brick-and-mortar bookshops. I’m currently writing a book on life after death. It will include a few charts, for which we dispensationalists are known (and often mocked), but it just wouldn’t be as good without them. Someday, Lord willing, I’ll get back to fiction writing. I used to write short stories in high school and my early college days, but then God saved me and took my life in a different direction. Who knows? I just pray that whatever I do it would be for the glory of God.

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST JESSICA PATCH

Courtesy of Emily Shuff Photography, LLC

What two things do YA baseball novelist John R. Cooper, suspense author Allistair MacLean, and Queen of Crime Agatha Christie have in common?

1. They are on my list of favorite authors.
2. They passed away before I had a chance to interview them.

My other favorite authors weren't so lucky. Or is a better way to put it that I've been blessed to interview my writing heroes, and as a result I've had many enjoyable interviews either on this interview or ones with Hoosier Ink (blog page for ACFW Indiana Chapter) and Sleuths and Suspects.

 I can give you a list, and if you ask nicely I will, but I'd like to get to the point you've probably figured out: Today I'm sharing an interview with one of those writing heroines: Jessica Patch. I discovered her when I started reading Love Inspired Suspense (along with Jodie Bailey, who's also on the list). You may remember my drawing of my 20 favorite characters? In that collection was Wilder Flynn, the hero of the first Jessica Patch novel I read, Deadly Obsession. I've read all three of her Cold Case Investigators this year, and have a few more on my list. 

JR: Welcome to Friends of the Prophets blog! I'll start with the basics: How did you come to Christ, and when did you get interested in writing?

JP: I was raised in a Christian home and gave my life to Jesus at age 10. I’ve always loved writing but pursued it professionally in 2008.

JR: Would you like to tell us about your new release Her Darkest Secret? What inspired the story? Or is this a dark secret?

JP: This book follows a fictional FBI team, the Strange Crimes Unit as they track down a Memphis serial killer who is staging his victims in nursery rhyme poses. I think my grandma inspired it with her many nursery rhymes she used to tell me as a child. I just tweaked them a little. 😀

JR: I'll admit - the cover of Cold Case Killer Profile makes this California/Arizona boy homesick. Anything you'd like to say about that novel and the Quantico Profilers? How does Her Darkest Secret differ genre-wise from the Love Inspired Suspense stories you've written?

JP: I love writing about the FBI heroes who profile. It’s fun series with older characters. Her Darkest Secret is a psychological thriller and Love Inspired Suspense are well…suspenses. Less gritty and complex as a trade length book.

JR: Are you more of a plotter or a blank pager? Related - when you start a series, how much do you know about the later stories?

JP: I have to be plotter since my Publisher requires full synopses for each book!  I know enough to write a back cover blurb which isn’t a lot. 😀

JR: I've noticed a section on your web-site about speaking, as well as a recent pod-cast on setting with Lisa Harris. What are your favorite parts about writing? And what advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

JP: I speak often at women’s conferences and events. I really can’t pick a favorite part since I love it all. Be disciplined and write daily! 

JR: Thank you very much for your time. How can we keep up with what you're writing next? And what does the coming year look like writing and otherwise?

JP: You can sign up on my webpage for my Patched In Newsletter which you receive monthly. The coming year is busy busy with writing new books and releasing them!

INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST/FORMER MILITARY METEROOLOGIST H. G. WEGLEY

 

JR: Welcome to the blog, H. L. I have interviewed you several years ago, but could you tell us about how you came to Christ and how you got interested in writing? 

HW: I had attended church from the time I was about 5 years old and believed that what I heard about Jesus from the Bible was true. I told myself that someday I was going to commit my life to Christ. Some day kept being put off until, as a teenager, I met a young lady who challenged me regarding my spiritual condition. She emphasized that my commitment to Jesus was not something to put off, because we do not know how long we have here on planet earth. She gave me the push I needed, and at age 18, I committed my life to Christ. Two years later, I committed my life to that young woman, and we’ve been married now for 56 years. 

About writing—I’ve always been writing something, mostly as a hobby—short stories, essays, poetry. When I became a research scientist, I wrote scientific articles, papers, books, and reports that were published in the scientific literature. But I didn’t start writing fiction until after I retired. A fun project that my kids urged me to do—writing down my childhood stories that I had told to them—was so fun that I tried my hand with a novel. When it won a book contract, I was hooked. 

On a more serious note, writing fiction is a way to convey spiritual truths that people won’t always listen to when we talk with them. But as C.S. Lewis said, one can smuggle a lot of God’s word and His ways into a story and people will read it.

JR: If I remember correctly from a previous interview, you used to be a military meteorologist. For those who hadn't read it (and to refresh my aging memory), how does that differ from the finely dressed ladies and gentlemen on the local news or the Weather Channel? Should we have more respect for their predictions? And are you a fan of any particular weather personality?

HW: Yes, I was a meteorologist in the military and then served in that capacity for nearly 13 years at a national lab. On a Strategic Air Command base as a new second lieutenant in a detachment that was short on officers, I had to fill two captain’s slots. Besides being the Chief Forecaster, I was the Wing Weather Officer, which meant that each morning I gave personal weather briefings to the staff of the Bomb Wing Commander, the Missile Wing Commander, the Helicopter Squadron, the Fighter/Interceptor Squadron, and if requested to the Base Commander. Since I was considered a staff member of both Wing Commanders, I gave them briefings in person while standing in front of a 10-foot screen with an old-fashioned pointer in hand and about 30 stern-looking, high-ranking officers scrutinizing everything I said. The other briefings were my only televised briefings. We used closed-circuit TV and the picture was in black and white.

As you can see, this was not as glamorous as a modern TV weather woman’s briefings. In fact, it could become downright intimidating, because my audience could ask me questions—questions like, “Can I complete all of my planned activities without weather interfering, yes or no?” Forecasts were not given in probabilities of precipitation or probabilities of anything else. Answers were always binary, either yes or no. And if my forecast busted, I had to face the commander the next day and convince him my next forecast was as right as rain … or snow or tornadoes, or whatever. I grew a thick skin and developed excellent forecasting skills, because it was a matter of survival. ☺

I do have a favorite TV forecaster, Shannon O'Donnell. She’s a meteorologist for the local Seattle ABC station. Shannon has the unique capability of explaining the forecast in a way that the general public gets the information they need to know from her forecasts.

JR: Looking at your Amazon page, I see several series. I have read some from three of them (Pure Genius, Against All Enemies, and Witness Protection), but I noticed the Riven Republic trilogy and others like Slanted, Virtuality, and The Janus Journals. Could you introduce each series/stand alone, a brief description, and what you enjoyed about writing that series/story?

HW: Let’s start with the Riven Republic Series. It is based on the premise that American Constitutionalists and the Radical Left have no common ground in their ideologies and so we face an inevitable break up of the nation, a modern-day version of a civil war. I took the state of Oregon as a microcosm of the United States and followed the conflict through the lives of Oregonians on both sides of the political issues. Rather than a nationwide war, I portrayed a fragmentation of the nation along geopolitical boundaries. The fragmentation included a breakup of the military, and that created a real mess, especially as some areas formed militias to protect their families and homes.

The fun thing about this project was that I borrowed from all my books all the characters who lived in Oregon, and I reused them in the cast. It complicated the story, but my readers seemed to enjoy seeing heroes and heroines they knew.

Of my three stand-alone stories, two focused on issues in our country today. Based on scientific research, Slanted showed precisely how search engines influence people’s thinking without them realizing it. In the story, the company running the world’s largest search engine attempts to influence a presidential election, and when a researcher starts to expose the plot, the CEO hires a team to kill him, to kill the eight-year-old girl for which he is a guardian, and a young woman who tries to help the young girl.

Virtuality looks at virtual reality capabilities that are right on the horizon—capabilities that enable people to live their fantasies so realistically that they may never want to return to the real world. The existing technology needed to accomplish this is outlined in the story. The villains are the managers of a porn company who want to steal the technology and use it for nefarious purposes. This is happening to some extent now, and it will only get worse as the technology matures. I wanted to warn people what is coming so they could protect their children and themselves. This story won bronze in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards.

The Janus Journals is a dual timeline story where I tried to create a Cold War thriller but one that was set at the present time. It’s about a KGB deep-cover plant who came to the U.S. as a young man and then, when the Soviet Union collapsed, he just never did his job and tried to live as a patriotic citizen in the country he had come to love. But when he’s discovered, many years later, both he and his daughter become the targets of the vindictive SVR. One timeline runs through the Reagan years. I really enjoyed watching Reagan’s speeches as I refreshed my memory with those things that might serve to change a dedicated KGB agent into a man who loves America. This story won silver in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards.

JR: When I contacted you about an interview, you mentioned you had some big news coming up. Is it a new series? Have you moved from suspense to writing sci fi or fantasy? Are you starting a metal band? Or have you decided to form an exploratory committee for a White House run?

HW: The big news we were keeping hidden for a while was that a group of Christian suspense writers, ten of us, are collaborating on a nine-novel collection of suspense novellas called Winter Deceptions. We have several best-selling, award-winning authors, including 2 or 3 Christy Award winners. Though still in prerelease, Winter Deceptions is already on several best seller lists on Amazon. Since the collection is about 1,300 pages long, it will only be released as an eBook. But the plan is, after sales dwindle, we will unpublish it, and each author will publish their own novella. Most of us are using our contribution as the prequel to a new series we are currently writing.

JR: Some of your stories are political thrillers. I remember one character in one of your novels I read wanting to prevent the Dystopian States of America. What is your view of where we're at? Can we solve this by replacing one party with the other (or giving a third party a deserved shot, since neither major party seems to be putting forth good candidates)? If not, what should the church be doing here in the U.S.?

HW: We are so far removed from our founders’ vision for America that I believe there is nothing man can do to save our nation. We might gain a reprieve for the duration of a president’s term, but long-term we are headed for a godless future of depravity, lawlessness, and probably tyranny. But this is not unlike where the British Colonies were in the early 1700s after the first-generation immigrants died and their children and grandchildren took control. They lusted for money, land, and power. The religious fervor had largely died. They dealt treacherously with the native tribes. What saved our nation then and made it ready to govern itself and take its place among the nations of the world was a movement of God across this land, the first Great Awakening.
From the preaching of Edwards, Whitefield, Brainerd, and others, hearts and minds were changed. The Gospel spanned cultural and racial boundaries, reaching African Americans and Native Americans. Our nation was unified as never before, and the colonies became prepared for 1776 and all that followed.

In my Riven Republic Series, Zach Tanner, a radio talk show host, makes this statement during his radio broadcast in the first book of the series. 

“In America’s history we have seen at least three and perhaps four Great Awakenings, if one counts the Jesus movement of the early ‘70s. These were movements of God that swept across the nation. One lasted nearly fifty years. 

“In each awakening, personal revival led to political change within the culture because God was changing hearts. That led to a change in votes and subsequently in who got elected to state legislatures and to Congress.

“I am pleading with you to hold the line on biblical morality. Don’t cave in to the demands of the radical left. But most of all, pray with me for a movement of God across our nation as it struggles against itself and against God.”

Zach’s last paragraph sums up well what we need in America today, an awakening that changes the course of our nation. 

JR: Thanks for your time. What's over the horizon? How can we keep up with your writing? Any web-sites or the like?

HW: I mentioned earlier the nine-story collection of suspense novellas, called Winter Deceptions, releasing August 11. My contribution, Against the Darkness, is the prequel to a three-book series of the same name which will release probably around the end of January 2023, after Winter Deceptions is unpublished.

Against the Darkness is the story of a brilliant young molecular virologist from Hong Kong, Dr. Meiling Chen. She is lured to the Wuhan Institute of Virology via an attractive postdoctoral fellowship where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their army, the PLA, plan to steal her findings and use them to create powerful biowarfare weapons. But Meiling conceals her most important findings and then destroys all the project data at Wuhan and flees to America with CCP agents in pursuit. If she survives, and finds Americans she can trust, Meiling plans to launch a team that will use her breakthrough findings to counter every biological warfare move by the Chinese.

Readers can find out more about Winter Deceptions—both the authors and their stories—on the project website: https://winterdeceptions.com/ 

I will be updating my website shortly to show the collection, to talk about my story, and to update readers on my progress in writing the Against the Darkness series. https://www.hlwegley.com 

Thanks so much for hosting me, Jeffrey! Hopefully, I’ve whetted the appetites of suspense readers for some excellent Christian suspense stories.