The Staff of Light pre-release available after nearly three decades of work. I can’t tell if I’m excited, exhausted, or simply grateful to be almost done with it. The comments from beta readers have been excellent. They also provided many excellent suggestions. I am grateful for their help. The ebooks are for sale at $0.99 until the release on Palm Sunday. As usual, Kindle is not too cooperative.

My goal has always been to provide an exciting, enjoyable, and believable fantasy with characters who have a close personal relationship with the Lord. I could not have done it without the direct help and guidance of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Time and time again I’d get off into my own gratification. But, the Lord would jerk my chain, “Only the readers’ lives matter. I have things I want you to tell them.” What a blessing that has been.

My beta readers have told me that it worked

With the Staff of Light pre-release available here are a few quotes from them to titillate

First off, I’d like to say I really enjoyed the story. It pulled me in and kept me turning pages curious to learn what would happen next. The whole premise, your involved world building, the trauma brought on by the actions of those seeking power by embracing evil was amazing. I liked that the Lord was vital and active, not some absent, illusive power. — CW

This is a Christian novel that has been brought to life in remarkably rich fantasy world detail.It is hard to pin down what sort of subgenre it belongs to. It seems somewhat like a medieval European urban fantasy or grimdark fantasy, but not completely. On the other hand, this book may be the start of something different. It may be the start of a new subgenre of Christian fantasy, of which a name eludes me. Categorization aside, I suspect that this book is what Christian fantasy readers have waited a long time for: A story that clearly portrays the Gospel and Christian spirituality openly and not buried in allegory. — DW

I love this story and look forward to reading more. You have nailed the concept of fantasy world that holds true to how our Creator God relates with those He has a personal relationship with. I think you have done a wonderful and believable job of this. Evil and good is very good – this is so hard to find. Overall, the flow of the story is just plain wonderful. — SC

The Staff of Light pre-release available now — it’s finally begun

It’s hard to believe all I have put into this book over the years. Praise the Lord! He has sustained, comforted, and guided me throughout the process.

Here’s the blurb.

At fourteen winters of age, Joen Bjarn’son was forced to listen to his mother’s rape and murder while being constrained to silence. Overcome by rage, he withdraws into himself. Then he does something very stupid. He lashes out at the man responsible. But Primate Heglin Roark, head of the Ansélan church, strikes back with a vengeance. His plans to deal with Joen’s kind are basically genocidal. Joen’s campaign of rage against him results in the first general purge of the Known in Roark’s Ascendancy. The entire Guild in which Joen grew up receives total destruction. Shield soldiers of the church invade break off piles of wood and debris from the homes and shops inside the walls—torching that entire area of the city. Other squads of the Shield, led by the elite Thorn warriors, seal all the gates of the Guild walls so no one can escape. With his father and mother, all of his world of experience is also gone. He’s devastated by his guilt, insignificance, and isolation. The feelings wash over him bringing him to his knees on a hard studio floor in the mountains where he was brought unconscious by a princely stranger fleeing the flames in the city. Yet Lord Ansél has plans for him beyond his wildest imagination. Joen finds himself called to lead the entire island continent of Ferellon into freedom. Absurd! Far off, in the king’s Castle Fendrale, Princess Raqhel Fendrale lies in her suite of luxury terrified by her brother’s physical advances the morning before. What was to become of her? What should she do?

If you want an advanced reviewer copy, please let me know!