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One of the questions I'm asked most often is this:
"Why would someone who spent years writing biblical nonfiction suddenly begin writing fantasy?" The answer is surprisingly simple. I never really left. For years, I devoted my writing to exploring Scripture, history, and the languages behind the biblical text. I wanted readers to look beyond tradition and wrestle with what the Bible actually says. Research became second nature. I loved tracing ancient words, comparing manuscripts, and asking difficult questions. But somewhere along the way, I realized something. Facts inform the mind. Stories reach the heart. Jesus Himself understood this. He could have presented theological lectures, yet so often He chose parables. A farmer scattering seed. A lost son. A traveler left beaten beside the road. Those stories linger because they invite us to experience truth rather than merely understand it. That realization changed how I viewed writing. I began asking myself, What if I could explore the same biblical themes through the lens of a story? Not a sermon disguised as a novel. Not allegory. A genuine fantasy that treated Scripture with respect while imagining the unseen world hinted at throughout the Bible. That question became Blood of Starlight, another novel after the Realms of the Fallen series. The series, Realms of the Fallen and Blood of Starlight, draws inspiration from passages that fascinate me: the rebellion of Lucifer and the Watchers, the mysterious references in Genesis, the Book of Enoch, spiritual warfare, redemption, and humanity's place within a conflict far older than civilization itself. Those elements form the foundation, but imagination builds the house. Fantasy gives me room to ask "What if?" without claiming, "This is how it happened."
Research still fills my laptop with ancient texts. And I continue to examine biblical languages and historical sources because I believe good fantasy should feel grounded, even when it ventures into impossible places. The difference is that now, instead of presenting conclusions in chapters of nonfiction, I invite readers to walk beside characters who must wrestle with those questions themselves. In many ways, fantasy allows me to explore truth from another angle. A reader may close a nonfiction book having learned something. A reader may close a novel having experienced something. If Realms of the Fallen encourages readers to think more deeply about redemption, sacrifice, free will, and not only the hope woven throughout Scripture, then it has accomplished exactly what I hoped it would. So no, I didn't leave biblical writing behind. I simply found another way to tell the story. And in many respects, I think it's the story I was always meant to write.
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There was a time when stories were not confined to the pages of books. They were spoken around fires, shared across generations, and woven into the identity of entire peoples. Before there were novels, there were storytellers. Long before there were publishing houses, there were voices asking the timeless questions:
Who are we? Why are we here? What happens when good and evil collide? "The greatest story ever told" is found in Scripture. And, yes, they even made a movie with that title. It is the story of creation, rebellion, redemption, and restoration. Every great tale written since has, in one way or another, echoed those themes because they speak to something deep within the human heart. Fantasy, at its best, is not an escape from reality. It is a different window through which to examine ones reality. When we read about courage, sacrifice, betrayal, forgiveness, or hope in another world, we often recognize those same struggles within our own. A kingdom at war may remind us of the battles we fight every day. A hero wrestling with destiny may reflect our own search for purpose. Even dragons, angels, or forgotten realms can illuminate truths that ordinary settings sometimes cannot. That is one of the reasons I write biblical fantasy. The world of Blood of Starlight is filled with ancient mysteries, fallen Watchers, hidden kingdoms, and supernatural conflict. Yet beneath every page lies a question that is profoundly human: Can those who have fallen ever find redemption? It is a question that reaches beyond fantasy. Every one of us has known failure. Every one of us has wondered whether our past defines our future. Scripture answers with remarkable consistency that redemption is possible, not because we earn it, but because it is offered by a God whose mercy is greater than our brokenness. My hope is that readers come for the adventure but leave thinking about something more enduring. If a chapter causes someone to consider forgiveness, grace, sacrifice, or the nature of true freedom, then the story has accomplished far more than simple entertainment. Stories have always shaped civilizations because they shape people. Perhaps that is why Yeshua so often taught through parables. Stories bypass our defenses. They invite us to wrestle with truth rather than merely observe it. As an author, that is the kind of story I aspire to write: one that entertains, stirs the imagination, and quietly points toward the greatest story ever told. Thank you for walking this journey with me. Whether you've been reading my work for years or have only recently discovered it, I'm grateful you've chosen to step into these worlds with me. May every story remind us that even in the darkest places, the smallest light can reveal the way home. |
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