Nine years ago, I saw one of the most awesome movies ever made—Gladiator. I left the theatre building enamored with the story and the nobility of the main character, Maximus. Before I arrived at my car, I started thinking about how justified Maximus seemed in seeking vengeance for the killing of his wife and son; I was sure the rest of the audience felt the same way. Then, I remembered the scenes of Maximus praying to God and I wondered how would He have felt about Maximus’s actions. Notwithstanding that it was just a movie, was Maximus’s revenge part of God’s plan all along or might God have wanted him take another course of action. I also wondered if Maximus was supposed to be a God-fearing man, what conflict, if any, did he go through in reconciling his faith with his lust for vengeance. That’s when it hit me that I’d seen lots of movies with the same flaw. Movie producers most likely figure that if the audience is already hooked by the emotional drama and the action involved in killing the bad guy, why “dilute” the story, and “more importantly” future sales, with showing humility to God’s will.
On the way home, I imagined how cool it would be to create a story as compelling as that of Gladiator, but at the same time, demonstrate both the turmoil and triumph that comes with aligning one’s spirit with that of the Holy Spirit in the face of adversity. My mind called upon the two genres of literature prevalent in my childhood, comic books and the Bible, to provide the brick and mortar for building the story that would become The Latter Rain Chronicles, my first series. Being the son of a Christian Methodist minister had afforded me many opportunities to hear the teachings of Christ and my passion for comics, like Spiderman and the X-men, fired the embers of my imagination, as well.
For me, Christian speculative fiction was the perfect combination of these two world views. It became a second language for me to use to express myself. The road to publishing the first installment of The Latter Rain Chronicles, Where Truth Lies, was a rough one, since I had so much to learn about writing effectively and getting published. I still have a long way to go to understanding the literary arts, but the adventure so far has been wonderful. Sometimes, I don’t even know how my books are going to end until I get to the last page.
The Latter Rain Chronicles is the first fruit of my unique expression of faith, but hopefully, not the last. To all of my friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances who have supported my writing efforts so far through words of encouragement, referrals, purchases, and prayers, I give you my appreciation and I wish you every happiness in the name of Christ. To all those who enjoy exciting stories filled with imagination, please see [Books link] so that you can begin the journey yourself. Stay tuned to this website because we’ve only just begun.