February 22nd, 2014

On January 28, 2014, my first novel was released by Westbow Press, an affiliate of Thomas Nelson (the Bible publishers) and Zondervan (a Christian publishing company). I am very proud of this work of historical fiction that took me nearly three years to complete.  And in that time, I believe I have written a book people everywhere will enjoy.

Although this book is published by a "Christian" publishing company, it is not what I would call a "Christian" novel. However, there is nothing in it that a Christian would find objectionable; but neither would anyone else. It is simply the retelling of an old story from the ancient traditions of the Jewish people. It is the story of the Judge named Deborah who recruited a farmer named Barak to help her in leading an army against the most powerful military of that day. Oh, and they win.

Oh, there I go giving away the ending again. But, that's okay, because you can find the original story in the book of the Judges, chapters four and five. And most people who grew up going to Sunday (or Sabbath) School have already heard the story and know how it turns out.

What I have tried to do in this novel is to recreate as clearly as possible the living conditions and historical setting of the period of the twelfth century B.C. And yet my premise is that the people who lived three thousand years ago had the same drives, motivations, loves, relationships, and basic human natures that we do today. So, what I did was to place myself in a world where the "givens" of that period are simply accepted and need not be explained other than telling what they were. Then I asked myself just what would drive me and other people in my life if we lived back then.

Now, the difficulty in this is trying to realize that my educational background has highly influenced my thinking, as have all other aspects of my rearing. But, putting that aside as best I could, I wondered if I were raised in that environment (i.e., slavery is normal; there is no such thing as the police; no one drives, they walk or ride in a wagon, etc.) 

So, with these thoughts in mind, I offer to you my new novel, The Reluctant General for your consideration. You may order a copy through all fine book stores or your favorite online book service. It is available as a hardback, softcover, and in all ebook formats. Please let me know what you think and how you like it.

(BTW: I know it is now correct in historical and literary circles to use the indicator "B.C.E."  But, I'm old school and still know that the calendar as we know it today was built around the birth of Jesus Christ.)

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