Book Goals
Several people have asked me recently why I’ve been writing this series of books about Matt Zampolos. It is an unusual story because, while it’s fiction, I have based it on what I believe or suspect the spirit world might be. It’s a look at life in a realm we know little or nothing about, yet we have been clearly told it exists. I created a place called Yahlandice, because it seems logical to me that Agents/angels need to constantly go from the spirit world to the physical world so much that it would be confusing or problematic for them to be only in the eternal realm. I might be totally wrong, but maybe not, and it gives me a place to tell about their work, their training, their relationships and social interaction with one another in that shared realm. And since they are at war with the Agents of Darkness, Satan’s angels, it seemed logical to me that there would be some rules and restrictions about when and where those battles took place. Yes, the absence of information allows for a lot of speculation and dreaming, but hey, isn’t that what fiction is supposed to do.
From the start I’ve had very clear goals. First, I want to have fun and I want the readers of theses books to have fun. The older I get, the more my mantra for life is, “If it stops being fun, I’ll stop doing it!” I’ve said that about my passion for bow hunting, taking trips, and even about writing and doing the job I do. You have to enjoy it or why do it! The second goal I’ve had is to challenge the thinking of those who read these books. If I can make you think then what I write will be bigger than the story. I follow that same goal in my sermons. If I can get people to start thinking about something, then the lesson will live on and bring change far beyond the lesson I present. Everything about Matt’s new world – his job, his team, Camp Omega, the spirit realm, and the conflicts that are part of his story – all these things make us wonder what’s going on that we don’t see. I truly believe in spirit warfare, and I think we will be surprised about what angels do to help, protect, and guide us – not to mention their battles with Dark Agents. I really wanted to challenge our thinking about the work of angels. They are not a small or insignificant group in the Bible. We are just not told much about them. So I filled in the blanks!
The final goal in my writing was to generate discussion. I purposely wrote about people, actions, and events in the spirit realm without using religious or biblical terms. I did not want my story to be an “in your face” religious book. I was even hoping to avoid calling it Christian Fiction, but it was unavoidable. I wanted a story that non-religious people could read and just enjoy as an action adventure. At the same time, I wanted to write a book with connections and characters that anyone with Bible training would get and understand. My hope was that Christians could recommend these to their non-Christian friends and create a discussion about the spirit realm and our inevitable connection with it.
It’s that simple! Have fun! Challenge thinking! Generate discussion!
I guess time and everyone promoting these books will tell whether or not I succeeded.
