Novel Review: Angels, Saints and Sinners by William David Ellis.

I reviewed this novel on 03/07/20 in a previous blog I had, now defunct.

Angels, Saints and Sinners.

Sherlock Holmes scoffed at the notion of the supernatural. Till a demon stole Watson’s soul. Forced by his own famous logic: eliminate the impossible and whatever remains however improbable is true and a dark ripper haunting the hovels of London. Holmes faces the most fascinating and transforming adventures of his life.

Once that door opens, and he begins to see, all types of creatures, living… dead… and parts, make their way to 221B Baker Street. This is the journey of the world’s greatest consulting detective from agnostic to practitioner.

You’ll love this is the journey of the world’s greatest consulting detective from agnostic to practitioner because the stakes are eternal.

Perspective by Peter:

I was asked by the author to review this new novel. I accepted as I have not read any of the novels concerning Sherlock Holmes, including the original by Arthur Conan Doyle. I have not seen any of the movies, only the TV series with Cumberbatch and Freeman (circa 2010 to 2017) and the odd depiction of the author in the TV series Murdoch Mysteries where his novels were being created and hinted that Sherlock was to be based on Detective Murdoch.

I thought it would be interesting to see how a Christian author mixes Biblical Truth with the mind of one who relies solely on his investigation abilities, his intelligence, his logic, his disguises, and his use of forensics and on pure observation on what is seen rather than not seen.

Now, due to my ignorance of all things Sherlock Holmes, I wondered why Ellis depicted Holmes as an Injecting drug user. I was shocked. I knew Holmes smoked tobacco as his pipe is part of the many images of his head with his deerstalker cap and this pipe, see the cover of this novel for that. I Googled this and was relieved that Ellis had not taken poetic licence here as Doyle has his cocaine addiction as part of Holmes' persona and, like pipe-smoking, was a common practice in the 1800s. I found a very good article about Holmes' addictions.

It must be a challenge for any author to continue the characterisation of one of fiction's most famous and celebrated characters and detectives. Maybe I am not the best one to comment on this seeing I have not read the original stories by the Doyle, but only have the TV series mentioned to compare it to. However, from this TV series, I believe it did give me a good insight into what the original Holmes is like from Doyle's depiction. My only caution here is that was not set in the era of 1887 to 1914 in which Doyle had set his Holmes. However, in the Murdoch series, it does give an indication of what this era would be like as Murdoch Mysteries is set in this time period, albeit in Toronto, Canada. However, I can say that Ellis's version does give an 1800's England era feel about it and I felt that this version of Holmes is an accurate one from what I have seen of this character.

The other aspect of this era and of the persona of Doyle's Holmes is the language spoken in this time period. I loved it in this novel. Occasionally I had to look up a few words that I was unsure of the total meaning or had never heard of before or had to re-read the sentence to get its meaning from how it was phrased and constructed. I do like it this in a novel but the language and syntax do need to suit the period of time it is set in and for it not to detract from the novel's plot or pace especially if it is an action/adventure and/or fast paced one.

Ellis is successful here as his language and syntax reflect the character of Holmes as we have come to know him and of the era of this time. However, I found it amusing when Holmes is transported back in time to the 1300s and some of his refined language was totally lost on the character he was defending and others which resulted in some confusion by these.

I was expecting Ellis to have depicted Holmes as being resistant to the supernatural, trying to explain it away with various theories or from physics and/or forensics, but Ellis has Holmes' use his detective expertise of observation and logic and his trademark adage of,

"...when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. What I have seen wth my eyes and heard with my ears and touched with my hands, I believe." 

I do not know if in any of Doyle's series he has introduced the supernatural or from any of the other TV series, films or authors who have continued the storylines of Holmes, so I can only say here that if this is the first novel where this has happened, Sherlock has therefore not excluded the impossible (supernatural as perceived in the era he is depicted in) if he has not been exposed to it or experience it until this novel.

So when he accepts that the murders in the first story arc can only be from a disembodied spirit, he is exposed to the supernatural realm. He not only experiences it but is now convinced it is real and the majority of the population of the world is unaware of its existence. This changes both Watson and Holmes. He does not deny it or believe this to be from the effects of drugs or other substances causing hallucinations but feels the tangible effects on him. He sees first hand how the effects of prayer and spiritual warfare using Biblical principles overcomes the spirit and reverses its dominion. It was fun to read Sherlock dealing in the usual Holmes manner having the last word before the spirit was banished from London. It was also good to see the seed of faith is planted in Holmes from this subplot and his recognition of the Biblical God.

Now that Holmes is a firm believer in the supernatural and that of the Biblical side of it, he is ripe for more of his expertise in another supernatural case. This time, he experiences time travel as we know it, and correctly identifies who his client is, leaving Watson surprised at this revelation. But Watson is not to accompany him on this case. This was a great story arc. Interestingly, when I Googled the date and year of this subplot, nothing came up in the search results. I had to wait until the end of this subplot to find out the significance of this in history. I could not find the crime this person had been accused of and trialled so Ellis may have taken poetic licence in the story here to show Sherlock's expertise in solving another case but now with a supernatural twist. I loved that. It also could be seen as an example to someone who has not read anything about Sherlock Holmes what he is all about and the uniqueness of his detective style and deduction.

The third case in this novel only ups the pace, mystery and suspense and develops further the supernatural and faith-building of Holmes. In the first case, he was more of an observer of the demonic but in this one, he has first-hand dealings and leads the charge against this "criminal". He uses his detective skills in identifying who the culprit really is and despite his newfound faith, does not know specifically how to deal with this using the Biblical methods of spiritual warfare. Instead, Ellis has depicted him in ridding this spirit using physical items that repel these entities.

I would have liked Ellis to depict Holmes using Biblical methods such as commanding this spirit to leave in the name of Jesus and/or prayer. However, he depicts the end result as the same, the spirit leaves but is not bound to Hell but free to roam and continue their possession and havoc.

The fourth case is not as suspenseful or involved as the previous three but it does set up the scene for the next volume. And it should be interesting to see where Ellis goes with this. I know this author has a sense of humour as I have listened to him being interviewed. I roared laughing at the answer by Holmes' client (who is made up of many parts from other people's bodies, can you guess who this would be?) as to why his wife left him. His answer is so outrageous and shocking that it is funny! I can still see this being said today for all the same reasons Holmes' client said it, from ".....acting like a very young husband!"

I am pleased to see that Ellis has a desire to continue this series. He does put a condition on it though, that this novel is well received and readers want more of it. I hope it is well received and there are more volumes. I can see Holmes becoming a supernatural warrior using the usual Holmes flair and expertise in solving crimes that we are now so used to reading and continuing to enjoy.

This is one inventive and imaginative version and further development of the Sherlock Holmes phenomena. If there is a future volume or in the plural, then having full-length novels would be a better working than the 101-page length of this first offering (Kindle version).

Strongly Recommended.

If you would like to investigate this novel further, click on the image below:

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading Angels, Saints and Sinners and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media platform you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

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Interview with Authors of The Crossover Alliance Anthology 3: Superheroes

To celebrate the release of the 3rd Anthology of The Crossover Alliance: Superheroes, we have conducted an interview of sorts to showcase the contributing authors and to give some background to their stories to see where the edgy and speculative elements originate. There are no questions in this interview, just the authors being in the driver's seat telling of their inspiration that led to their stories.

Before we continue, here is the background to The Crossover Alliance for those visitors who do not know what we are about:

The Crossover Alliance is a unique publishing company specializing in Christian fiction that contains edgy, real-world content. We weren't satisfied with the 'rules' that many Christian publishing companies have tried to pin Christian authors in - however well-intended these rules were - and so we set out to create a publishing company that both breaks many of these rules and also adhere to biblical principles. Our fiction is fearless, sometimes scary, sometimes raw and edgy. But there in the middle of it all, you will find a light to help you find your way through it, you will more than likely find redemption within the darkness, and most importantly you will find fiction that is true to the story, not the rules.

What We Publish

When we say 'real-world content' in Christian fiction, you might be wondering what that covers exactly. Real-world content can mean a great many things - violence, cursing, sexual content, etc. But it can also represent themes that aren't always welcomed or addressed in Christian fiction, such as abortion, slavery, genocide, etc. We want to be a publishing company that specializes in compelling, true-to-the-story, authentic fiction while also keeping with Biblical standards. We don't try to be edgy just to be edgy. We aren't into shock-and-awe, but more into telling a story that entertains, enriches, and even sometimes digs to the deepest part of you and shows you the horrors of the world while also showing you the path through those horrors.

To investigate more about The Crossover Alliance, go here:

http://www.thecrossoveralliance.com/home/

The Crossover Alliance Anthology 3: Superheroes

Some pursue heroism, others are thrust into it. Superheroes. They live among us, some hidden in plain sight, others as well-known celebrities. All carry a burden and a purpose: to destroy the evils of this world and keep the common man safe from harm. But evil is a strong thread that refuses to be cut. How much sacrifice will need to be made to destroy that which seeks to destroy us, and are there enough heroes to do the job?

________________

Ok, sit back and let the authors of The Crossover Alliance tell you about their stories that comprise our 3rd Anthology:

Steve Rzasa

Author of Airfoil: Hotspots

I'm the author of eleven novels of science-fiction and fantasy, with a handful of short stories to my name. My professional career has been split between newspapers and libraries, but both have focused on the written word. It's always been my passion, whether reading or writing. Marcher Lord Press (now Enclave Publishing) printed my first two novels, The Word Reclaimed and The Word Unleashed seven years ago, and ever since I've been expanding my horizons, telling stories that carry messages of hope and redemption. The methods I use to tell those stories, however, have changed, and thus I've become involved with The Crossover Alliance.

Airfoil: Hotspots is an adventure my hero, Brandon Tusk, endures over the span of a week. He's juggling home life as a single father, work as a librarian, and friendships as he tries to stop a maniac arsonist. I wrote Hotspots last summer, when I heard about the proposal anthology, as a follow-up to the yet-unpublished but finished novel Airfoil: Origins. It's a self-contained adventure that takes its cues from the superhero tales I enjoy - DC's Arrow and The Flash, the Marvel properties like The Avengers and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. What always fascinates me is the clashing of the mundane with the extraordinary. How do you stop devastating evil, while making sure you have a job and can bring home a decent salary to support your family?

The Airfoil stories, couple with my latest novel Man Behind the Wheel, are my foray into a new type of fiction, one unconstrained by the rules that hamper traditional Christian story-telling. Taking greater risks makes all of us better writers - and readers.

Website: www.steverzasa.com

Twitter: @SteveRzasa

Facebook: Steve Rzasa

Michelle Levigne

Author of  Living Proof

I've been a word addict since the Cat in the Hat and Weekly Reader Book Club. On the road to publication, I fell into fandom and am now a card-carrying recovering Trekker, with 40+ stories in various SF and fantasy universes. My training includes working in quality control in an advertising agency, support staff at a weekly newspaper, the Institute for Children's Literature, a BA in theater/English and MA in film and writing. My writing career became "official" when I won 1st place in the Writers of the Future Contest -- check the winner's anthology volume VII if you don't believe me! Since 2000, I've had 60+ novels and novellas published in SF, fantasy, YA, and sub-genres of romance. I freelance edit for a living, but only enough to give me time to write. I still hope to break into Hollywood, or at least convince SyFy to film one of my series.

How "Living Proof" came to be:

I created a shop full of magic called Divine's Emporium, and its mystical proprietress, Angela, for a short story. The town of Neighborlee, Ohio, grew around it. It's a combination of Roswell, Eureka, and Sunnyvale, but without the vampires or weird science. Lanie Zephyr, our heroine is one of the guardians of Neighborlee's magical weirdness. She is also based on my brother, a wheelchair-bound comedian. With a liberal amount of his totally bizarre sense of humor and doorknob-level view of life. When I figured out how and why Lanie landed in her wheelchair, I "discovered" she used to be a high school teacher and track/basketball coach. I also "discovered" the Neighborlee tradition, of Senior Prank Night -- when high school seniors make a last-ditch effort to avoid walking through graduation. Lanie was just doing her duty, as schoolteacher and guardian. And the rest is Neighborlee history.

Website: www.Mlevigne.com

Blog: www.michellelevigne.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MichelleLevigne

Facebook: michelle.levigne.7

Kristin L. Norman 

Author of The Last Call.

Kristin was born and raised in the ‘forgotten borough’ of New York City. She has lived on each coast and now resides in the frozen tundra that is Northern Michigan. She is a pastor’s wife, mother of two, teacher, worship leader, and now…an author. The Last Call is her first published work but sees this story as only the beginning.

You can follow her at:

www.facebook.com/KristinLNorman/

Glenn Odell (the main character of my story) came to me as I was driving to work at 7:30 am. I was passing a large farm and in the distance, I could see a couple of cows milling about and the thought came to me…what if someone had a superpower where they could smell everything they could see? At first, it seemed ridiculous and I enjoyed filling the duration of my car ride playing out what that might look like. As the thought developed, I found myself creating an entire character, story, and world. I realised that I needed to tell Glenn’s story. With that, my journey into becoming a writer began. I submitted my short story, The Last Call, but the writing did not stop. Within four months of my short story submission, I began and completed my first novel.  

Timothy G. Huguenin 

Author of The Bald Man

Timothy writes short stories and novels in the speculative fiction genre, generally leaning toward horror. He lives in West Virginia with his wife and dog. You can find his first novel, When the Watcher Shakes, on Amazon in ebook and trade paperback. His second novel, Little One, will be released in July. Visit tghuguenin.com to keep up with his life and writing.

I came up with the idea for The Bald Man when the superhero movies were starting to get big again. My wife sometimes argues about what technically makes a superhero—if a superhero doesn’t have super powers, doesn’t that just make him an ordinary hero? We have all these humans/aliens with strange powers that decide to use their powers for good. Then there’s Batman and Iron Man, whose powers are…being rich and smart, I guess. The super villains are usually the opposite: humans/creatures with extraordinary abilities (or lots of money) who decide to leverage their power for their own gain or amusement, to the direct (and usually intentional) harm of others.

But I wanted to explore a character who finds himself with an unnatural ability but wants zero attention or responsibility. An unwilling superhero—well, he has the super, but with only that, should he be called something else? And, in the end, will he be held accountable for what he does with his power?

Website: tghuguenin.com

facebook: facebook.com/tghuguenin

twitter: twitter.com/tghuguenin

Rosemary E. Johnson 

Author of Fly Like A Bird

Rosemary lives in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. She’s known to sit in the sun and carry on conversations with her cat, make fairy houses, and run around barefoot. She’s fascinated by the Myers-Briggs personality types and finds them extremely helpful in coming to understand her characters (she’s an INFP). Music is a big part of her life—she plays violin in the Auburn Symphony and enjoys listening to music while she writes.

As a fantasy girl, Rosemary has a thing with dragons and thinks it would be cool to speak Sindarin. One of the reasons she writes speculative fiction is summed up in this quote by Lloyd Alexander: “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.”
Rosemary has three short stories published in anthologies by Inspire Christian Writers, and she’s excited about her superhero story with The Crossover Alliance.

Fly Like A Bird was written because I was pushed off a cliff. Metaphorically, of course. My friend saw the submission guidelines and said, “You need to do this”. I resisted at first because it was a stretch and I don’t like cliffs, but she’s a pro at pushing me. So I poked around on Pinterest and found some random story prompts and took it from there. I thought it’d be fun to do a story where the protagonist gets a superpower and hates it. I wrote the story, edited it, sent it to my friend for critique, edited it, and finally submitted it. And guess what. I flew.

Website: rosemaryejohnson.com
Facebook: rejdragonwriter
Twitter: twitter.com/rejdragonwriter
Pinterest: rejdragonwriter

Adam Collings

Author of Chronostream's Father

Adam David Collings is an author of speculative fiction. He lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife Linda and his two children. Adam draws inspiration for his stories from his over-active imagination, his life experiences and his faith.

Adam is a great lover of stories, enjoying them in books, movies, scripted TV and computer games. Adam hosts the monthly youTube show 'Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Bulletin' sharing the latest news on releases from Christian who produce speculative fiction. He is also involved in mixing the live video stream for his local church.

Reason for this story: 

 I've been a life-long fan of superheroes, so when I heard that the Crossover Alliance were using them as the subject of their next anthology I knew I had to submit something. I started a story, and it was okay, but it didn't really go anywhere. Life moved on. Other projects grabbed my attention. As the deadline neared I knew that I had to get something together or forget about it. Then, in a way that I can only describe as God inspiring me creatively, the story came to me.

The story Chronostream's Father explored some issues I was struggling with. I have a son with special needs. I think all parents feel unqualified for the job sometimes, but this is heightened when your child needs that little something extra. I wondered what it would be like to raise a child with super powers. It seemed a fun twist on the genre to tell the story from the parent's point of view. I created a flawed protagonist. A Christian who doesn't quite have it all together. I'm sure we can all relate. Ultimately, the story reminds me that God's grace is sufficient for me.

I had to decide what type of powers my character would have. Time travel is another love of mine. I realised that the ability to pause and rewind time would be cool, but what really got my blood pumping was the idea that due to the wibbly-wobbly nature of temporal mechanics, this hero's origin story would not be at the beginning, but at some indeterminate time in the future.

As a bit of extra fun, I set my story in the same universe as an unfinished superhero story I had sitting on my hard drive. Good inspiration to get back and finish it. Finally, I set the story in my home state of Tasmania. Why? Because it's one of the most awesome places on earth. Trust me.

http://www.adamdavidcollings.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/collingsshow
http://twitter.com/#!/adamcollings

Jen Finelli

Author of Hierro 

God killed his son, but let Jen Finelli live. Since then, Jen has ridden a motorcycle in a monsoon, hunted down two secret societies, swum with sharks, betrayed an organization trying to control the news, discovered murals in underground urban city tunnels, and etc ad infinitum. She's going to be a superhero one day if God lets her, but for now, she's a multi-published sci-fi author four months away from her MD. You can read more about Carl from Hierro, and his teammates, at http://igg.me/at/BecomingHero, where a comic book character kills his author. Or you can follow Jen's upcoming movie, a pro-marriage comedy ala Pina Colada Song, at mysweetaffair.com. Or you can read some of her crazier works and meet the woman herself at byjenfinelli.com!

Why I wrote the story:

Hierro is about a Puerto Rican engineering student struggling with Multiple Sclerosis. As a medical student, I've not only helped treat patients with MS but also found deep inspiration in the lives of activists like the late Chris Klicka who made a difference despite their debilitating disease. Because I live in Puerto Rico, and I've worked in construction and studied engineering, in some ways Carl's experiences also reflect mine. If you enjoy the story, you can also read about the other heroes of the team Carl starts in "Origins: A Guardian Anthology" which you can get as an add-on if you order my book about the comic book character who shoots his author.

Clayton Webb

Author of The Trojan Initiative

My name is Clayton Webb. I grew up on a farm in Alberta Canada fighting whatever evil creatures were lurking nearby. Now I fight the evil creatures lurking in the imaginations of my 4-year-old son and my wife Trisha. I work as a communication technologist and spend the day dreaming of anything that isn't work.

You can find me on twitter at c2webb@87 and I hope to have my blog up and running in the next couple of months and it is www.c2wtales.com

I wrote this story because I love superheroes and I loving trying to encourage the readers of my stories to dig a little deeper into what being human is all about.

Free Audio Drama:

Enjoy a free audio drama of The Trojan Initiative by Clayton Webb, courtesy of our friends at the Untold Podcast! Click on the link below:

http://www.untoldpodcast.com/tca3

Nathan James Norman 

Author of Without Blemish: A Philosophy of Preaching.

I am a Husband. Father. Pastor. Storyteller. Reader. Comic Fan. Slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Without Blemish: A Philosophy of Preaching is directly connected to my professional life as a pastor. I dedicated it to J. Kent Edwards, my ongoing preaching mentor because I wanted to give readers a grotesque image of what the state of preaching often looks like in the Western Church.

Several years ago, one of the main scenes came to me while I listened to a sermon that mangled the biblical text to suit the speaker's agenda (rather than God's). It was a great scene, but I couldn't figure out how to wrap a believable story around it. When the topic for this anthology was announced I realized the superhero genre was the type of universe this story belonged in. 

I also have an ongoing fascination with local folklore. Whenever I visit a new place I enjoy getting my hands on locally written ghost stories and legends. I've lived in Northern Michigan for five years now, and the legend of the Dogmen has fascinated me. They worked perfectly for a superhero story.

So, my love for good biblical preaching, and enjoyment of local legends resulted in "Without Blemish: A Philosophy of Preaching".

Nathan James Norman blogs at nathanjamesnorman.com, 

He hosts a speculative fiction podcast on untoldpodcast.com,

He preaches at the Orchard Church in Traverse City, Michigan— orchardchurch.net.

He can found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/untoldpodcast

Twitter: @nathanjnorm and @untoldpodcast

JD Cowan 

Author of Someone Is Aiming For You.

I started writing when I realized the stories I wanted to read were not being written. Not being a fan of modern fiction, I decided to try my hand at it. My blog, Wasteland and Sky, is mainly about entertainment and storytelling and musing on both.

Someone is Aiming For You started as a desire to tell a superhero story from a vigilante perspective. Old noir and detective pulps had always interested me, and this gave me the tone I needed.

I'm a fan of old heroes like The Shadow and The Question who add a bit of a thoughtful approach to heroes. What exactly is The Shadow? Is he a man? A demon? An angel? Justice incarnate? That mystery behind his origin always fascinated me into questioning just what he was. On the other side of the coin is The Question. The Question is a hero searching for Truth while evil crashes in on him from every angle. His struggle for Truth is just as engaging as his fight for justice. These two heroes inspired me greatly. The Seeker came from them.

Oh, and there was also Daredevil, specifically based on the TV version. His battle between God and Satan fascinated me. As a Christian, I wondered just how a hero who knew there was evil out there just outside his door would react to constantly being faced with it. Matt Murdock can go about his day as a lawyer; the Seeker doesn't have that luxury.

Those who want to find me can see me can do so at wastelandandsky.blogspot.ca, twitter @lonewolfandjd, and my e-mail at lonewolfandjd@gmail.com.

D. A. Williams 

Author of sinEater

D.A. Williams is a farmer’s wife and mother by day and a dark Christian fiction writer by night. She finds time to write between cups of coffee and is prone to bouts of procrastination and dreams of grandeur.

I wrote sinEater as an exploration of the lines of villainy and heroism. I wanted to blur the lines between the two and juxtapose true morality with that notoriously slippery sin, Pride. I hope that readers will find sinEater to be a different sort of superhero story that makes them question the roles we are assigned in life, and to seek discernment and wisdom, both.

I wrote sinEater as an exploration of the lines of villainy and heroism. I wanted to blur the lines between the two and juxtapose true morality with that notoriously slippery sin, Pride. I hope that readers will find sinEater to be a different sort of superhero story that makes them question the roles we are assigned in life, and to seek discernment and wisdom, both.

www.d-a-Williams.com 

Facebook.com/dawilliamsdecchild 

Pinterest.com/writerwilliams

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To purchase DRM-Free Digital Editions of this anthology, click on the links below:

Newer Kindle/AZW3

Older Kindle/Mobi

Nook/Epub:

PDF

Also Available at the links below:

Amazon.com 

Barnes and Noble 

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Thank you, authors, of edgy, speculative fiction for giving us a glimpse of the creative talent that God has gifted you! Readers always appreciate where a story comes from and it is even more real and special when you tell us of your inspiration! This only encourages us to read more of your work, and develop a greater love for this emerging genre.

A Time To Play (Realms of Our Own) by Zerubbabel Emunah

A Time To Play (Realms of Our Own)

The conflict between the two raged on, the players chosen, the sides clear. Or were they? It was one warlord and his soldiers against another. That is what it appeared to be. However, is that what was really going on? Or, was there something much deeper happening behind the scenes that few truly understood? Will you get caught up in the conflict and miss what is coming? 

The Guru's Review: 

I had fun with this one! Cat and mouse, almost bordering on double cross! This was just the right length for this short to be really effective. I was thinking while reading this that it reminds me of spies, espionage, betrayal, rules of engagement constantly changing.  The result? Fast paced, cannot put down, keeps you guessing, then that clever twist at the end, made me chuckle and brought me down to reality and out of this cat and mouse environment. 

For a debut novel, Emunah has done a great job. He writes well, good plot structure especially where he keeps you guessing as to who is after who when you have just worked that out! I agree with this statement he made in an interview I facilitated with the authors of this anthology, 

While this short story is not anywhere near the length of a novel, it still had some of the same elements within it.

It does feel like a novel despite its length and I feel that this is due to the structure of the plot, its flow and the cat and mouse action that he has depicted. Another factor is the development of his characters, this adds to the sense of length and also of depth. Despite Emunah stating in another part of the aforementioned interview that he would not partake in another anthology of this type, I do hope he continues to write like this and progress to a full length novel. He has the talent to do so. This short definitely showcases this talent. I want more. 

Highly Recommended

The Revelation (Realms of Our Own) by Stanley Dixon

The Revelation (Realms of Our Own)

Sophie sees things that no one else can and has behaved very oddly after these episodes. Her parents and even she, herself fear for her sanity. After one of these episodes, however the truth is revealed.

The Guru's Review: 

All I can say is, 

"Stanley Dixon, what are you doing to me? You write well, drop me in an supernatural, spiritual warfare environment, the action flows, and then you leave me hanging wanting more!"

Seriously, this is one very good short! And his début story as well.  I am impressed! I hope Dixon has considered developing this further as this would really make a great series or full length novel and be an effective platform to further him as an author. 

As short as this short is, Dixon achieved a good plot structure that flowed well and kept you interested. A real page turner. This all added to the cliff hanger ending.

In an interview I facilitated with Dixon and the other authors of the Realms of Our Own (ROOO) anthology, that this short belongs to, he states the following about his experience writing this short and his debut experience, 

I really enjoyed this collaboration because it gave me a chance as an absolutely new author to work with established, published authors. I got to get at least one of my ideas out of my head and into a format that someone other than myself can enjoy it. One challenge I had was to use other characters in my work when some of them did not fit the initial story I had in mind. I had to stretch my creative muscles right away. This, I think, will make me a better author in the future.

Yes, Stanley Dixon, I feel it has made you a better author. I would love to see you submit another short for the next ROOO anthology. 

Highly Recommended. 

Interview with the Authors of the Realms of Our Own Anthology Part 1

I discovered the anthology of Realms of Our Own (ROOO) through the Facebook group, Iron Sharpens Iron. This is a group

"for authors, would-be authors, or just fans of Christian speculative fiction to exchange ideas, brainstorm, and swap experience and advice about navigating the difficult road of being a Christian author in a predominantly secular genre." 

The only other anthology I have read is the Crossover Alliance Anthology, but in that anthology, it is stories that fit in the edgy Christian speculative fiction genre and are not related to each other in plot, characters, worlds, or time frame. When I read about the concept of what ROOO was, I found this to be very innovative, unique and was very curious to see how this worked. So I bought the first 7 books in the 10 book anthology (the remaining 3 to be published very soon) and have reviewed the first 5. It is from reading and reviewing these, that I felt it was worth exploring more about this concept and to see what the challenge was like for the authors involved. 

So instead of myself as interviewer asking the questions, I have let the authors be in the driver's seat and let them describe their experiences of being part of this unique anthology. In doing so, it will give potential readers the background and encouragement to check out this innovative concept. 

Part 2 of this Interview, will be published when the remaining 3 books are released within the next month or so. 

So grab a coffee, relax, and be transported into the imagination of these pioneering authors. Enjoy!

The Concept of the Realms of Our Own Anthology. 

Realms of Our Own (ROOO) was conceived as a unique spin on a popular genre. Collaborative anthologies in Speculative Fiction were truly popularized by Robert Asprin in his Thieves’ World series. The city of Sanctuary was created as a common setting, and a collection of Fantasy authors came together, created their own unique characters, and wrote short stories set in Sanctuary. These stories would occasionally feature characters submitted by other authors, although usually only in support or cameo roles. The success was far greater than anticipated as fans loved to see different aspects or viewpoints of the same characters viewed through the perspective of other, different Point Of View characters.

Others went on to emulate this model, such as George R.R. Martin’s Aces High, which was set in an alternative future New York City, after an alien engineered virus gave random mutations to humans, many of which became superhero-like (Aces) while others horribly twisted mutations (Jokers). The fact that this concept was not only extremely popular among Fantasy fans, but that it could cross genres within Speculative Fiction was the genesis behind the idea.

So the new “twist” in ROOO is that, rather than a single, unified setting with different characters interacting within it, the characters themselves would be the constant, while the stories, settings, and sometimes even embodiment of the characters themselves would be the variable. This will allow authors to truly use their creativity in creating unique stories, while stretching their imaginations as they figure out how to incorporate nine other characters into their story and setting. The only requirements is that each character must appear and be recognizable (preferably at least named) in each of the stories, but it is up to the individual author which characters will take the leading roles in their story, and which characters will be supporting or cameo characters. 

Click on the book cover, to read more about the book and buy from Amazon.com.

David G Johnson

Author of Time To Change.

Developed the Character of Molan Hawkins.

Wow, what can I say about ROOO? Honestly, you ever see those classic Sci-Fi B (or maybe C) movies where the mad scientist creates something that grows completely out of control? That's a bit how I feel about ROOO. I have LOVED collaborative anthologies ever since I first read Robert Asprin's Thieves' World. What a brilliant concept, a shared setting with each author writing their own characters and stories within those bounds. One day I got an idea. What if we took this to the next level and created characters, but all authors had to use the characters in their own worlds. The possibilities were staggering, but I had no idea how truly cool this would be.

ROOO was riddled with frustration for two years. How do we post it, how much do we charge, how do we all claim credit for the same book? That plus the limitations of self-publishing, royalty splitting, etc just brought it to a standstill. I was still sold on the idea, but was very frustrated at the inability to execute it. Then, it hit me. The stories are set in a multiverse, right? Well let's publish as a multiverse. We have each author publish their short story individually, charge the minimum Amazon will allow, and cross promote. It seemed to be the answer, and the idea of ROOO was resurrected and has become a reality.

What strikes me as the best thing about this project, now reading half the 10 stories already out and looking forward to the other half due out soon, is how unique and engaging the stories are. I was afraid people might get bored seeing the same characters over and over, but since each author "reimagines" the characters in their multiverse, and in their unique setting, it is not repetitive at all. It is like digging into a box of chocolates and waiting to discover what amazing filling is inside this one. You kind of know what is coming, yet are still surprised at the delicious new taste each time. Each author brings their unique flavor and imagination to different stories, and each author selects different characters as main and supporting cast, so you get a delicious mix in the end.

Honestly I am excited to see the remaining five stories in their final versions, but I also have already begun gathering authors and characters for ROOO2. I can't wait to do this again. This is without doubt the most unique and fun project I have ever gotten to work on, and seeing the results is worth every bit of the trouble we went through to get it done.

Jeremy Bullard 

Author of Rewind.

Developed the Character of Grayson Floyd.

For me, ROOO was a completely unique experience. I presumed that having so many characters pre-made for me would make the story-writing much easier, as with writing fan fiction, but in fact, the opposite was true.

When you write fan fiction, you do have pre-made characters, but you generally have had weeks or months to get to know the characters -- their personalities, their flaws, their quirks and strengths -- so even if you write a completely unique story involving them, the characters themselves remain roughly the same. You do have to craft the story a bit, but it can   till be incredibly organic.

Further, when a writer writes his own story from scratch, EVERYTHING -- each character and situation -- comes from within himself, so he has a front row seat with their development. It's even easier to disengage the mind and allow the story to write itself. Because the story and the characters come from you, it's totally your rules. You can go in ANY direction with your story (so long as it remains consistent), without restrictions.

But with ROOO, each writer had only one character that was actually theirs. The other nine were total strangers, so you're effectively writing a story about characters that even you as the author don't know! It made writing my story extremely difficult. Still, I considered it an amazing experience, and am eager to participate in the next round.

Kessie Carroll 

Author of Soul Thief.

Developed the Character of Indalrion "Indal" Tay. 

I signed up for the ROOO anthology on a whim, because I thought it sounded fun. I had assumed we'd be trading around two, maybe three characters. What do you mean, ten characters? I have to tell a coherent short story with ten characters? I wrote down all the characters and their profiles, and stared at them for a while. Then I grouped them into pairs that made sense to me--the wolf anthro and werewolf, the two tortured teens with second sight, the homeschooling mom and the weird kid, the shapeshifter and the autistic savant. That left the angel and the woman in the wheelchair--and as my mystery plot began to take shape, I found places for them, too. In the end, I think Soul Thief worked out satisfactorily, clocking in at 8000 words.

Parker J Cole, 

Author of Godforsaken.

Developed the Character of Natasha Genesis.

For Book Trailer go here: Godforsaken

My major works are in romance so what’s a romance writer trying to do, hanging out with the speculative fiction powerhouses?

Working on ROOO was an exercise I thoroughly enjoyed. My first love is speculative fiction, with an emphasis on horror and sci-fi (thanks Stephen King and Gene Roddenberry). I didn't discover romance till I was fourteen years old. So when this opportunity came, I wanted to see if I could blend all my loves into one story.

When we were presented with the characters, I had the toughest time working with these various people. A wolf, an angel, an AI, an assassin, just to name a few, had to be included. What was I going to do with them? It was a hard question to answer. Yet, after a while, it became a wonderful exercise as I molded them into what I wanted them to be.

The best part about this project has been reading the final product from the other authors in the series to see how your character faired. In one of the books, my character Natasha Genesis had her soul stolen. In another, she’s the underground connection for illegal activity. In still another, she works with outcast angels who left Satan to right the evil in the world. How cool is that to see your baby portrayed in different ways. 

The sky’s the limit to what we can do and I look forward to contributing to more.

Zerubbabel Emunah, www.onetorahforall.com

Author of A Time To Play.

Developed the Character of
Karyn Littleton.

I have been a writer/author for most of my life. However, this is the first time for me to venture into the realm of fantasy. It was a very fun challenge.

The reason I choose to get involved in this project is that I hope to one day write a novel. This project helped me put into perspective some of the challenges of doing that. While this short story is not anywhere near the length of a novel, it still had some of the same elements within it.

Probably the greatest frustration to me personally was the editing process. I lost track how many editors we went through. My story saw at least five editors, each one different in his/her approach, some of the later ones pointing out possible corrections that were the result of previous editing changes. Now if that doesn’t frustrate a person, I don’t know what would. I am used to working with proof readers/editors, so that was not really a difficulty here. It was the fact that they were not consistent.

My particular story is a challenging one, in that, in order to portray the particular message behind the story, it needed to be written in a style that is not common. Thus, most of the editors balked at the style, rather than to look at the possibility there was purpose in it. I saw no other way to write this particular story.

We had some great characters to work with in putting these stories together. I have noticed that the next ROOO project that the characters will be more restrictive in what one can change and not change. I personally thought that the characters in this first project were great, but if certain traits needed to be tweaked just ever so slightly, then the author should have been able to do that, as long as the character was still recognizable. What I would like to have seen would have been something along the lines of an author having the ability to change one major characteristic or two minor ones, if needed, but beyond that, all the details of the character stays the same. A lot of the details were left out on purpose, which was good. However, as an author, I felt that this one area of control over our stories was taken away from us, control over our characters. But then, that is just me.

The time element of this project was quite a challenge. Getting ten writers, who are naturally loners, to work together in a timely fashion was really something to be a part of. This project has been two years in the making. It was not supposed to take that long, but between changing editors, losing focus, and the monetary issues, it came close to not happening. Losing focus? Yes, at one point the focus was taken off of the ROOO project and placed upon a magazine, which I was not interested in doing. Every one became excited about the magazine and as a result the ROOO project suffered and fell by the wayside. At that point, I gave up and figured that this was one project that would never see the light of day. I still followed along, but my heart was not in it any longer. Then with the monetary issues, that all but killed it. But I was wrong, thankfully. I am really glad to see that it is being completed.

The greatest blessing I had in this project is that two of my sons are also in it. We had lots of fun sitting around talking about this project and still do. I had that unique situation in which I could discuss the project face to face with other collaborators. I hope one day that my sons and I can do a project together.

Would I do this again? No. Why? The logical perfectionist within me has taken a few hits along the way in this project and I am not interested in repeating those hits. Thus, I will let others play in this room. I do believe that it is a worthy project, a worthy idea to pursue. It is just not for me.

Stanley Dixon, 

Author of The Revelation. 

Developed the Character of 

Sophie "Sophie" Sanchez.

I really enjoyed this collaboration because it gave me a chance as an absolutely new author to work with established, published authors. I got to get at least one of my ideas out of my head and into a format that someone other than myself can enjoy it. One challenge I had was to use other characters in my work when some of them did not fit the initial story I had in mind. I had to stretch my creative muscles right away. This, I think, will make me a better author in the future.

MICHAEL CARNEY, 

Author of Then Again.

Developed the Character of Jesse.

For Book trailer go here: Then Again

For me, the Realms Of Our Own project was very much a case of right place, only just right time. I was approved to join the Iron Sharpening Iron Facebook Christian writers’ group mere hours before the deadline (to take part in the collaborative project) was due to expire, with one author slot left to fill. I had no idea that there was even a project on offer when I applied to join the group – but as soon as I was approved as a group member and went and had a look around the group posts, I discovered the ROOO project. Sudden decision time: it was a case of “act now or miss out”. I grabbed the chance, offered up as my character contribution Jesse (one of the supporting characters in my Outcast Angels series-in-development), and off we went.

CHALLENGES & OBSTACLES

I guess the biggest challenge for me was that before writing this story, I hadn’t written any fiction for around 25 years – and what I wrote back in those days was stage plays. I’ve been writing professionally (i.e. writing and getting paid for it) since I was 17, which is now forty-something years in the past. But most of that writing has been advertisements, brochures, newsletters, blogs and so on. These days, I write online training courses about topics such as Social Media, Mobile Marketing and eCommerce, all of which need constant updating, so I’m writing almost every day – I’m just not writing fiction.

I’ve authored two non-fiction books (three if you count a book I ghost-wrote) and I’ve been pondering a book series about my Outcast Angels for a couple of decades, but it’s only in the last year or so that I’ve actually been working on creating the Outcast Angels universe.

Writing novels and short stories is different from writing plays (doh!), particularly in terms of characterization (in the plays, I simply cast people who matched my mental image of each individual part) and setting (I have to describe things a little more fully than EXTERIOR: CASTLE). On the other hand, playwriting has given me a solid grasp of story structure, plotting and dialogue.

GETTING STARTED

The first challenge for me in terms of the story itself was shaping the diverse range of contributed characters so that they could coherently inhabit my alien-less universe. In line with the rules of engagement for ROOO, I was able to conveniently ignore any extraterrestrial backstory and attribute most individuals’ powers to genetic experimentation (radioactive spiders being unavailable). Perhaps the most significant constraint was the existence of a chronomancer, which effectively demanded that the manipulation of time be included in the storyline. I chose not to try and invent a scientific explanation for that ability.

Once I’d assembled the cast of characters, I then looked for some task that might tax their collective skills. I like working with existing historical facts and giving them a tweak, so I decided to set my story on Millennium Eve and then went Googling to see what happened on that day. I quickly stumbled across the early resignation of Boris Yeltsin and that provided fertile ground for my imagination. I tossed in various bits of backstory from my Outcast Angels world and the story began to assemble itself.

Once our stories were written, we authors were assigned partners with whom to swap manuscripts for a first sweep through the editing process. That part of the process seemed to go relatively smoothly, with the biggest casualty being several of the dashes that I usually sprinkle far too liberally through my writing. Many more dashes and ellipses gave their lives valiantly in subsequent editorial exterminations.

ON TAKING PART

I’ve loved every minute of being part of this project. My collaborators have shared some wonderful characters with me, the reviewers have been kind and the result is a finished story that I’m delighted to have created as the first step in bringing my Outcast Angels to the world.

THE FUTURE OF SUCH COLLABORATIONS

Is there a future for multi-author collaborations such as Realms Of Our Own?

Absolutely – but there are always practical considerations when assembling such collaborations. The fact that this first ROOO endeavor has proven as successful as it has is a real tribute to the creator/co-ordinator David G. Johnson. 

Conceptually, the idea of a shared cast of characters is a fabulous one. In practice, one is faced with issues such as:

Who chooses the participating authors, if there are more who wish to contribute than can be effectively accommodated? 

Do contributors have the necessary writing skills (and is each of a comparable standard)? 

Will the authors deliver on time, creative muses being notoriously tardy? 

If those types of issues can be satisfactorily addressed, then concepts such as ROOO should enjoy a glorious future.


Thank you all ROOO authors for allowing us to get an insight into what you faced in bringing this new type of anthology to life. It has given me, and I am sure our readers,  a greater appreciation of you as authors and a greater love for this new, unique and innovative type of anthology.

Stay tuned for Part 2 in the very near future.