Author/Novel Spotlight: Jarrod and Isabella Edge, Authors of The Art of Eten Chu

Sometime in 2014, I discovered a new author, Jarrod L. Edge after seeing his debut novel, The Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth: The Battle Between Light and Dark, Book 1. The book description captured my attention so I bought it. Then, in May 2015, The Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth: The Battle Between Light and Dark, Book 2 was released and now I have these waiting to be read. I have kept watch on the reviews of both these books and of the author. I like what I see and this has whetted my appetite to read these, hopefully, sooner than later (when my list of author requested reviews list dwindle!)

Imagine my delight when I saw on November 28, that a third book, The Art of Eten Chu (The Acts of the Dragons Book 1) was released and is part of this series and co-authored by Jarrod's 9 year-old daughter, Isabella!

This review blog exists to promote Christian fiction and its Christian authors, especially debut authors. Adult authors need all the encouragement they can get and this especially applies to young authors as well, even more so at age 9 so it was a no-brainer for me to contact Isabella's father and suggest that I promote Isabella's debut novella and give her a boost of encouragement. 

But before we do that, here is some background of the first two novels, so you can see where The Art of Eten Chu fits in: 

The Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth: The Battle Between Light and Dark, Book 1

Chosen as a Finalist for the 2015 Book of the Year by the Independent Authors Network! 

"A well-done first installment in a promising Christian-themed action series." -- Kirkus Review 

The complete review from KIRKUS REVIEW:

The first book in a fantasy series about a Christian family battling the forces of darkness. 

In approximately 100 A.D. in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, the aged Apostle John shares a secret prophecy with his young caretaker about “an evil not born of this world,” intent on coming to Earth and destroying the forces of light. He also tells of a chosen one who would arise to “stand for all mankind.” In 1999 Florida, a pregnant woman survives a car crash just long enough to give birth. The child’s father, FBI agent Johnathan Sette, is still unconscious in the hospital when a mysterious stranger abducts the newborn baby. This sparks a search that takes up a good portion of Edge’s novel, as forces of light and darkness align around the little girl, who’s the embodiment of the Apostle John’s prophecy. Agent Sette immediately suspects an international crime cartel, the Syndicate, of kidnapping his daughter, but there are even more malevolent and otherworldly forces at work under the control of a being called the Destroyer. In order to protect his other children, Sette insists that they be extensively trained in martial arts by the super-adept Seven Dragons family. Edge handles these disparate plot strands with considerable ease, and he shows a cinematic flair in standout scenes: There are enough car crashes, fight sequences, and tense standoffs to satisfy any thriller reader. The story is suffused with an uncompromising but never preachy Christian ethos, in a rare instance of religious fiction that can be readily enjoyed by a wider audience. Edge maintains a fast pace but cuts the mood frequently with humor and pathos. Minor, annoying formatting problems, such as a copyright notice at the bottom of every page, only slightly distract from this accomplished first novel. 

A well-done first installment in a promising Christian-themed action series.


The Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth: The Battle Between Light and Dark, Book 2

The second book in the excellent E7Prophecy series. 

One FBI Agent, 4 Children trained in an ancient form of Martial Arts, Angels, Demons, Aliens, Monks, Priests, Hackers, Dragons, Mossad, Snipers, Terrorists, SEALS, an Evil Corporation, the United Nations, the Vatican, Voyager, NASA, a President, a Prophecy and an Apostle! 

Everything you need for an excellent Sci-Fi Fantasy Action Mystery Adventure. 

The Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth, The Battle Between Light and Dark, Book 2.

Here is the rundown of Isabella's novella and where it fits in with Books 1 +2:

The Art of Eten Chu (The Acts of the Dragons Book 1)

One of the first in the Acts of the Dragons series to be released, The Art of Eten Chu gives us a look into the lives of the young Dragons Sette. While learning an eclectic form of martial arts called the Art of Eten Chu, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Matthew, and Jacob have a run-in with a Syndicate operative named Niro and his partner Sandman. The Dragons also go up against a New York City gang named the EPOLICS.

Co-Authored by Jarrod's daughter, Isabella Edge (9 years old), this Acts of the Dragons story takes place during the Sette's stay in New York City during the time frame of the Battle Between Light and Dark, Book 2. It is full of laughs, action, mystery and a few surprises as well.

Now let's hear from both Isabella and Jarrod, 

  

Bio of Jarrod L. Edge and Isabella M. Edge

Jarrod L. Edge grew up in Clinton, Maryland and currently resides in Florida.

Jarrod joined the United States Navy after high school and served onboard the USS Forrestal as part of Light Attack Squadron Thirty Seven, the VA 37 Bulls. During his time in the military, Jarrod was blessed to travel around the world and visit countries such as Spain, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.

He was also known as a very talented drummer as well as a music producer. He has performed around the world. His name can also be found on many recording artists' works. Today you can hear his original music on all of the trailers for his books.

As the world of information technology started to take off, Jarrod decided to take off with it. As a Microsoft Certified Developer, he traveled the world contracting and teaching programming to businesses around the globe. Once again he was blessed to travel across the United States and to countries such as Guam and Japan, as well as various islands in the Caribbean.

In 2005, God introduced Jarrod to his wife, Lisa. They were married shortly after and have been happily so ever since. Their four children, Kari, Taevon, Edward, and Isabella are, in his own words, "absolutely awesome."

Throughout his travels and his experiences, good times and bad, Jarrod has always held to one thing, his love of the Lord. He believes that God is his source and that Jesus died on the cross for him and for you. When asked about the inspired book series, The Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth™, Jarrod had the following to say:

"I was blessed to be the vessel that God poured this series of books into and I am so thankful that He chose me to share this beautiful vision with. It's like watching a movie unfold in my head. I hope that this book, and the books that follow become a blessing and a soul altering experience to you, your family, and your friends. Be blessed and may all the glory be to God."

Jarrod's youngest child Isabella is a beautiful, loving, and incredibly smart young lady. She loves to be outside and is always surrounded by friends. Although it is not clear whether or not Isabella would like to grow up to be a full-time author, it is clear that she loves creating characters and storylines with her father.

"Isabella is a promising young author. Character creation comes natural to her and so does humor."

I asked Jarrod to provide some background on "The Acts of the Dragons series" and "The Art of Eten Chu". Here is his account: 

During the creation of The Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth, The Battle Between Light and Dark, Books 1 & 2, I realized that there were so many stories to tell about this wonderful family that God had shared with me. In this world of the E7Prophecy, there were tails, short stories, that I wanted to write into Book 2, but I was worried, 1 that it would distract from the main story and 2 that it would make Book 2 into a million page book.

Part of the Prophecy as stated by Münir at the end of Book 1 says that the Dragons would perform great acts. "Oh, how badly he wanted to see the 'Acts of the Dragons' firsthand". And true to form, God had filled my mind with "movies and scenes" about the Dragons and how they fall into odd, or heroic, or amusing situations. Those odd, heroic, amusing situations are the basis for this series.

In all, it kind of adds up to an alternate version of The Battle Between Light and Dark, Book 2. All of the stories that are between stories. All of the answers to the "eggs" that were dropped in Book 2. All of a sudden, every character or side character that was mentioned in Book 2 takes center stage in The Acts of the Dragons series, like Niro and Sandman for example or Cali and Sam. There are plenty of new characters as well, most created by Isabella.

The title, "The Art of Eten Chu" came about after dinner one day as I was talking with the kids about the series. There was enough laughter surrounding the topic that it made sense that it would make a great story. The story fits nicely into the Book 2 timeline. (Be sure to always read the chapter, time, and location. That way you will see the exact place/time that the story fits into Book 2. The timeline is very important and is actually a big part of the overall E7Prophecy Universe, providing context for everything you read).

I also asked Jarrod to include the Christian elements to this latest book and the series in general:

My Pastor tells a joke that goes something like this: "Someone asked me if I was a Christian. I answered, "You'll have to ask my wife." I kind of feel the same way about the E7Prophecy Universe books, including The Art of Eten Chu. I would never say that because I am a Christian that my books should be labeled as such. So I'll say it this way, most people read one my books and say that I have a different approach to writing a "Christian" themed book. They say, "it's not too preachy" (whatever that means. How much is too much?). Some classify them as "clean reads". Still others say that I took a family, a family that happens to have very strong Christian values (but not perfect), and wrote an action packed sci-fi fantasy around them. And that's what I tried to do.

First of all, the stories are written by the Grace of God! He opens my mind and gives me these movies. I just write them down and arrange the words in a way that best describes the scene in my head. Somehow (again Grace of God) it just all comes together. And I have fun doing it. I mean imagine what would happen if a father, let's just say an FBI Agent, had four children who, along with him, absolutely believed every one of God's promises. And what if this family was trained in an ancient form of martial arts. What if they believed everything in the Word about healing, about love, about identifying the enemy, about spiritual warfare, about… (well you get the point). And what if a prophecy was spoken by the Apostle John before he died that said that this family would do great acts in the Earth. And what if they were called Dragons.

That's the Acts of the Dragons and the first book in the series, The Art of Eten Chu, displays all of this and sets the groundwork for the rest of the series.

Thanks, Isabella and Jarrod for being part of this Spotlight. I look forward to seeing more of your writing and published stories, Isabella. You have a very talented mentor in your father and it looks like this talent may have been inherited by you as well! 

You can find more about the Prophecy of the Seventh Elizabeth and The Acts of the Dragons series here:

Website: www.e7prophecy.com where you can get more info about the entire E7Prophecy Universe including concept art, upcoming series and books, author info, timelines, etc.

More on The Acts of the Dragons series:

http://www.e7prophecy.com/Pages/Series/The-Acts-of-the-Dragons.aspx

More on The Art of Eten Chu: 

http://www.e7prophecy.com/Pages/Books/The-Art-of-Eten-Chu.aspx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheProphecyOfTheSeventhElizabeth/

Jarrod Edge Amazon Author Page: 

http://www.amazon.com/Jarrod-Edge/e/B00GHZQN62/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1449363866&sr=1-1

The three books can be found and purchased here: