S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy by Kevin M. Kraft

 S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy 

Satariel Grigori is a devil. No, he's THE Devil, and he wants to repent and return to his Father in Heaven. But can he? Is it even feasible? The answer may lie in one unconventional preacher at the verge of losing his church. And Satariel, known as "S" to those closest to him, has his work cut out for him in, convincing Thomas of his identity and convincing him to act as his advocate before GOD, all the while concealing his plans to defect from the other Grigori brother, those angels who fell with him long ago, who would most certainly take exception to this. Deadly exception. For while Satariel might have once been the highest angel, that does not presuppose him to be the most powerful. S's change of heart could spell his doom, as well as that of Reverend Abernathy and his family.

The Guru's Review: 

This is the second novel of Kraft's that I have read. MOMO being the first. I read this one for three reasons, I loved MOMO and wanted more of this author, he writes in the edgy speculative Christian fiction genre which I love, and S is by its description, one interesting and potentially controversial subject matter and one that I guess very few authors would dare to play with in Christian fiction. 

I guess anther reason was that I wanted to see how Kraft would treat this controversial subject of Satan being repentant of his sin and wanting to be forgiven and would God forgive him? 

Pondering about this, led me to consider that this could be a difficult novel to construct. With this controversial/questionable topic as the main thrust of the novel, the author would have to keep the reader's attention all the way through as the last thing an author needs here is to loose the reader before they have discovered where this topic is going and have lost the motivation to read more to find out. Kraft succeeds in keeping the reader focussed and wanting to turn the page to do just that, find out more and how is this controversy going to be handled by this author.

Kraft has obviously researched this novel well and this shows in his depiction of the fallen angels; physically strong, able to morph into human form, disappear and reappear at will, influence or tempt people's will, and be masters at deception. One aspect of this research that I am glad he included is the doctrine of being healed by a fallen angel comes with the price of bondage. Depicting the truth of demonology such as described herein adds credibility to this novel. 

I must confess, I did think during the course of reading this novel, that I wish Kraft had depicted Sateriel (Ess) with more depth in his arrogance, evilness and deceptive, fallen nature, but then I remembered that he had addressed this in the recent interview I conducted with him concerning this novel, as he states, 

....while many might take exception to making Satan a sympathetic character, I would remind them that this is a fantasy, hence the subtitle: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy.

and this gave me some consolation as I knew then that this depiction was there for a specific reason and not due to the author showing poor character development from flawed/poor writing skills, all of which Kraft does not suffer from, quite the opposite in fact.  

Getting back to this novel being of a controversial topic, I feel it would be beneficial for readers if I were to include here Kraft's answer to my question relating to this in my recent interview with him:

Can you tell us a little about how your previous novel, S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy came about? I can foresee that this could be quite a controversial topic seeing that Jesus died for the human race only and that Hell was created initially for the satan and fallen angels. 

Controversy? Downright vitriol in some cases! Not many, but...some. S came about one day when my youngest daughter said, “Daddy, you know how the Bible says we’re supposed to love our enemies?” I said yeah. “Does that mean were supposed to love Satan too?” Just like me, her imagination is rich with why’s and what-ifs. The conversation grew from there. We discussed whether it was possible for the Devil to repent and how the Devil is a person and a personality and imagine what kind of personality he might have to do what he did and would God forgive him if he repented and should we pray for Satan’s repentance. We discussed the fact that Satan was an angel, one of the sons of God, and didn’t that imply that God loved them all as their Father and what about the angels who fell with Satan. We also talked about role and nature of sin and why do Christians STILL sin? Jesus died not just to save us from the curse of sin but the YOKE of sin. Why would we be instructed against sin, if it wasn’t possible for us to avoid it? And we discussed if is there ever a time when a believer has no choice but to sin...and couldn’t come up with any examples in the affirmative. We sin because we choose to go against our nature—our new nature—willingly and what does that make us? Also, what is the depth of God’s grace? How vast is it? 

Anyway, all these questions are addressed in S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy. And while many might take exception to making Satan a sympathetic character, I would remind them that this is a fantasy, hence the subtitle. I’ve actually been amazed that, with only a couple exceptions, most people responded very, very, very enthusiastically and positively to S and re-examined their own lives accordingly. Odd as it may sound, it is surprisingly light, was fun to write and is probably my most profound work to-date. 

Personally, I am glad I had interviewed Kraft and got this answer before I read this novel as I may have been one to not accept so well the premise that Satan could be forgiven for his sin in this fantasy. It is always good to know the motivations of someone before the event despite this not always being the case. However, even without this explanation from the Kraft interview, I do feel a deeper explanation of why satan is repentant and wants forgiveness would have been more persuasive for me in understanding the author's reasoning and increase the credibility of this novel, which is strong despite this. 

Kraft has presented a very interesting argument through the main character, Thomas Abernathy, resulting in the release of his book, Sympathy for the Devil. Abernathy believes that the devil gets blamed for our sin while Christians take very little or no responsibility for their own actions, as Abernathy states, 

We are told not to sin. That is clear......In fact, I'll bet, if you thought of it, every sin you've committed since you were saved was not something you were forced to do, but something you simply chose to do..... which speaks more about the sinner than his capacity to avoid it. 

One of his parishioners then states, 

What about the devil? He makes us do wrong.

Abernathy replies, 

My Bible.....doesn't give the Devil credit for making anyone do anything. All he can do is tempt us, attempt to persuade us......I think Satan gets a bad rap. We blame him for our unfaithfulness, for our mistakes. We do something stupid and 'the devil made me do it! It's the Devil!' I believe that life is a series of choices-a single big choice, if you prefer, about how we will live in light of the existence of God, as the Bible represents Him. A sinless life is ours, if we decide to live it. Satan can't keep us from that which the Lord has already provided us, which is the ability, the license, to live free from the yoke of sin, all of us.

And then, later, when he is called to explain his controversial book to his Superiors, Bishop Landry states, 

You're telling people that Satan has nothing to do with us sinning. 

I am saying he can't make us sin, Tom replied. 

Then what of cases of demon possession? You can't believe people under such influence can control their actions. 

I'm talking about the believer. The unbeliever is not protected by the Lord, except at His pleasure. The believer is no longer subjected to either Satan or sin. That's why we are instructed to abstain from sin according to our new nature-that of Christ Himself......Does not the Bible teach that Jesus conquered sin and death on the cross for us? Do we not have the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the way Jesus instructed us? Are we not taught to abstain from sin? Is a sinful life compatible with Christian living?....You try to intimate that I'm heretical, when I'm merely teaching basic Bible, people. It isn't arrogance or pride. It's that I'm simply correct-only because the Bible is correct. 

Are you implying, in your message, Tom, that sin is simply a matter of choice for the believer?

Yes, Tell me one time, since you were saved, that you were forced to sin. We don't sin because we have to. We sin because we simply choose to, in spite of the consequences sure to follow. 

Tom...... think of the bondage of guilt we would put our parishioners under by telling them they have within themselves the power to stop sinning.

Did you just hear yourself? That's the message of Jesus Christ...imagine how much more effectual the Body of Christ would be if they adapt to the fact that sin has no more dominion over us, that through the work of Jesus Christ, the shackles of sin are broken, and our new nature in Him gives us the ability to live just as Christ demonstrated we can. Imagine how we could strip power away from...Satan, by simply choosing the truth of the gospel and the freedom and power over sin Christ provides...I ask you..... And if the leaders in the church won't take seriously the Bible on the matter of sin, how in the world can we expect those who are lost to? 

Hmm, if I had read these snippets before the Kraft interview, there are a few questions I could have included about this and I bet Kraft's answers would have been very revealing or highlight that the above attitudes of the parishioners and clergy exist in churches today. I loved these snippets, as this was not only entertaining where it fitted in with the plot, but also reinforces biblical doctrine. This is why I expect Christian fiction to do for me as a reader: educate, edify and entertain. Kraft does this very well in this novel. 

It is also due to Kraft depicting Abernathy as strong in the Word and in his faith in the Lord that Sateriel chooses him to be his advocate before God,  a great example being where he says to Abernathy regarding his book, Sympathy for the Devil, 

You have managed to grasp a significant truth, not rarely if ever preached from the pulpit. And even when it is, it's never been done adequately enough so as to leave no room for excuses: that sin has no hold over the true believer....can you imagine the impact the Church would have, if everyone adopted that truth as his or her own? The Spirit of the Father would move across the face of this globe in ways you couldn't imagine. Such power! Such freedom. And not just for men, perhaps. 

Ess saw Thomas' gaze changed, soften just a bit with new understanding. Yes, you understand.  

However this choice of Abernathy takes a humorous backfire with one of Sateriel's fellow fallen angels, Pehel. He sets Abernathy up to fall to sexual sin but resists this temptation causing Pehel to be physically thrown from watching this "encounter" about to take place, and Pehel indignantly recounts to Sateriel,

He has proven most resistant. More than most.... I moved the pieces carefully. Created a situation whereby Abernathy and a woman he clearly finds alluring would be in a situation conducive to an act of impropriety....I needed to apply the lightest suggestion a tiny thought, for any man of flesh and blood to succumb to primal lust, completing his fall from grace...he resisted me.....and he resisted the temptation....the sheer force of it knocked me off the house! I fell flat on my gluteus maximus- I believe I've bruised my tailbone! I was delighted none of the other brothers witnessed my utter humiliation. Abernathy must die, High Brother, There's no trifling with this man....the Spirit is strong in him.  

The above is just one example where Kraft has successfully added some humour with Satariel's fallen brothers, Level (pronounced Lev-el) and Pehel amoungst their seriousness and devious, evil ways to tear the Abernathy family apart. I loved the way he has depicted them, each very different and one more devious than the other. I also loved the character of Mike and he is one loveable homeless man whose role I knew would be revealed in the second half and made me chuckle. Very clever, Kevin Kraft! 

This novel is very well put together with plot flow, characterisation and all the loose ends tied up very well and tight at the end, which I am not going to spoil here. The reader can make their mind up for themselves, but just remember, this is a fantasy novel, as Kraft states. I feel Kraft has achieved what he said in his interview, that, 

it is surprisingly light, was fun to write and is probably my most profound work to-date.

It was a fun, but serious novel to read and very entertaining. 

Strongly Recommended. 

Interview with Ben Wolf, Author of Blood For Blood

I recently read and reviewed Blood for Blood, debut novel from author Ben Wolf. It is one of the best novels I have ever read. Due to this and it dealing with a very unique topic, "What if a vampire go saved?", I felt it would be worth getting to know this new author better and also let other readers into some background behind this compelling edgy speculative novel.

So sit back and enjoy more about this up and coming author and his novel, Blood for Blood. 

Book Description: 

What if a vampire got saved? 

Calandra, an evangelist's daughter, is amazed to watch as Raven, a century-old vampire, develops faith. As Raven ceases to drink blood and becomes more human with each passing day, Calandra cannot deny her growing attraction to him even though she is being courted by another man. 

Raven's newfound salvation is both a relief and a burden, as he encounters multiple vampire taboos and must overcome them. Just when Raven begins to get the hang of his new lifestyle, Calandra is attacked by bandits. 

Will Raven revert to his old vampiric ways to save Calandra from certain death? Or will he rely on his faith in God to help him ransom Calandra from a new brand of evil more horrifying than he ever was as a vampire? 

Okay Ben, how about we start with you telling us a little about yourself?

Thanks for having me, Peter. I’m both the hero and the villain in my own story, which makes for some interesting sword-fighting duels in my sleep. I’m the founder/owner/Executive Editor of Splickety Publishing Group, your source for the best flash fiction in the world. When I’m not working on Splickety stuff, people pay me small fortunes (emphasis on small) to freelance edit their writing, whether it’s nonfiction, fiction, or just about anything else.

I’m also the author of Blood for Blood, a story that explores what might happen if a vampire got saved. 

Tell us more about Splickety Publishing Group and your involvement in this.

  

I founded Splickety Publishing Group (SPG) in 2011. Back then we were beginning production on our first flash fiction magazine, then known as Splickety Magazine. Over the years, we developed as a magazine, then as a company, and then we launched two more magazines (Havok for speculative flash fiction and Splickety Love for romance flash fiction). Now we’re venturing into nonfiction publishing as well with our forthcoming how-to book on writing great flash fiction (due out sometime in spring/summer of 2015), and of course, publishing my own fiction as well.

What inspired you to become an author and has it always been a desire of yours to write? 

I realized early on that I loved stories. Authors like Frank Peretti wrote wonderful, imaginative tales that swept me away, and one day I decided I was going to write a book at some point. Since then (when I was just a kid), I’ve been writing goofy stories and I finished my first novel in college.

What tools have you found most successful in advertising/marketing yourself and your books?

I’ve found that reader reviews and the years of personal relationships that I’ve built have contributed to the sales I’ve made thus far. Also, speaking/teaching at writers conferences and other venues has helped me move copies and get myself out there a bit more.

What has surprised you the most about becoming an author?

It’s a lot harder than I thought. Anyone can tell a story (and I really do believe that), and a lot of us can write those stories down and have them make sense, but writing them in a way that achieves that “easy” criteria and is entertaining for readers is another matter altogether. It’s hard work to make everything work the way it should, and even then I don’t think I can ever make a novel perfect. That doesn’t stop me from trying, though.

How has writing and being an author impacted your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

Writing has both brought me closer to and separated me from Christ. I’ve come closer in that when I’m writing a story like Blood for Blood because it forces me to recognize and grapple with deep spiritual questions, and so that challenges my faith. On a practical level, I’m prone to being busy and staying busy 95% of my waking hours, so I struggle to make the necessary time to spend growing my relationship with Christ. It’s a double-edged sword, and I’m still trying to find a workable balance there.

Obviously becoming an author has been a huge accomplishment for you, but can you tell us what a major goal of yours is outside of the world of writing?

I have dozens of goals for my life, writing-related and otherwise. Outside of the world of writing, I’d love to travel more, I think. I visited Australia when I was a kid, and I’d really like to go back. I’d also like to visit Italy, England, and Japan in the near future, in no particular order.

So we know you like to write, but can you divulge to your fans out there what’s something that you like to do in your downtime, when you're not writing?

To probably no one’s surprise, I love to sword fight. No, that’s not a typo, nor is it untrue. I made a bunch of swords with PVC, pipe foam, and duct tape back when I was a volunteer youth pastor and I got pretty good at sword fighting. I recently moved, so I’m looking for new challengers.

Do you think there is anything significantly different about Christian fiction, as opposed to secular fiction?

This is a loaded question, and I could probably write an entire book on the subject. When it comes to almost every genre of fiction besides speculative fiction, I think that Christian fiction is fiction written for Christians, by Christians, and Christian values are highlighted in such stories. With regard to speculative fiction, I think those lines are much blurrier. A lot of Christian speculative fiction authors are Christians who write fiction, but not necessarily Christian fiction. This is, in part, because Christian speculative fiction doesn’t sell very well in the marketplace, but speculative fiction (without that Christian qualifier) does.

Your first novel, Blood for Blood, is very edgy and speculative. This is a relatively new, evolving, not very well accepted or understood Christian fiction genre (and one I love and read the most in). How did you come to write in this genre first and not in the safer, mainstream Christian fiction genres? 

This hearkens back to my early influences  in life, particularly Frank Peretti. I’ve always loved and enjoyed speculative fiction in its many forms, so it made sense to create in that genre. What’s more, the stories that have come to me have been primarily speculative in nature, or at the very least, edgy, like you said. I don’t often get ideas for romance novels or historical novels, but I think up speculative ideas all the time. And as far as them being edgy goes, for me that’s a must because it makes the story more interesting and in some ways more realistic.

How did B4B come about?

I actually didn't come up with the concept for Blood for Blood. At a writers conference several years ago my friend and fellow writer Matt Sheehy mentioned how hilarious it would be if a vampire got saved. Maybe a Christian vampire could help out with a tent revival, and maybe he'd have to use a hammer and big wooden stakes to secure the tent to the ground. The juxtaposition of the vampire using tools traditionally used to kill his kind to secure a tent to advance the Kingdom of God struck me, and the entire plot for my novel (well, almost all of it) blossomed in my head. I asked Matt for permission to write the book and he gladly granted it.

What kind of reaction were you hoping to receive from readers of B4B?

I had hoped for readers to do two things: 1. love it and 2. buy lots of copies. Fortunately the readers have loved it. Now I’m just waiting for the hundreds of thousands of book sales to follow.

I noticed that Luco, the pastor, is Italian. That stood out for me and I wondered where that came from? Not that it makes any difference to the story, but for some reason it stood out to me. I also then realized if he is Italian, why you did not portray him as Catholic (seeing Catholicism is the main denomination in Italy and of those who migrate to other countries). To take this further, do you think B4B would have been just as successful if you had portrayed him as a Catholic priest and had the Biblical response from the Catholic perspective? 

Vampire stories typically involve some sort of Catholic influence because both vampirism and Catholicism are rife with symbolism. I chose not to make Luco and his family Catholic for several reasons: 1. the vampirism/Catholicism mashup has been done several times. 2. Catholics aren’t known for their tent revivals, and that was a central plot point for the book and for the vampire’s development, so I wanted to keep that in the story. There are mentions throughout the book as to why Luco and his family wouldn’t be Catholic in the story despite that being incredibly unlikely given his Italian heritage, but from what I can recall I never outrightly explain why. Some things in fiction are better left unexplained.

As to B4B’s success if I’d made them Catholic, I think it could have been successful, but it has been done and overdone before, like I said. I’m not from a Catholic background, so I chose instead to use my evangelical background to inform their characters instead, and I think it worked out well.

Why did you set this novel in the 1800s? Was it to add to the mystic of the whole idea of vampires? 

I set the novel in the late 1800s primarily because I had just finished writing a historical western novel set in 1850, so I knew the time period, the terrain, and the type of people of that era pretty well. The other contributing factor was that other more recent vampire stories have taken place in modern times, and I wanted to present B4B differently. I think the added mystique of the vampires was a benefit of the time period choice for sure.

I am not sure if vampires exist or if this is just part of centuries old mythology. From researching vampire lore for B4B, has your research convinced you of their existence or made you consider that they could exist? The Bible seems to be rather silent on their existence. 

In all of my research I didn’t see any evidence that suggested that actual bloodsucking undead vampires existed. There are some interesting coincidences, yes, but I believe they (vampires) reside squarely in the realm of fiction along with zombies, werewolves, and anything else that counts as undead. I don’t believe they exist, but I do believe in supernatural forces both good and evil. I also have a degree in pastoral studies and I’m pretty familiar with the Bible, but like you I haven’t found any indication that vampires exist in real life.

After reading B4B, it seems to me that Luco’s and Garrett's attitude toward the question of whether a vampire can be saved most likely would reflect what most Christians would feel. Some would believe like Luco that God can and does restore a human's soul and make them a new creation while others like Garrett believe they are unredeemable and cursed for eternity as a vampire/demon. From your point of view, do you think that this is a valid assessment?

I’m so glad you asked this question. Yes, I believe that Christians typically respond in one of the two ways you mentioned to people who aren’t Christians: either they accept them and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us, or they reject non-Christians on some level. This rejection can range anywhere from ignoring or distrusting non-Christians to outright telling them that they’re going to Hell and the like.

Jesus taught us to respond to and approach people with love, not with hate, disdain, or negativity. Lucy did an excellent job of trying to show Christ’s love to Raven (the vampire) and to everyone around him. Garrett takes a far different approach, but he has his own set of reasons for responding that way. These two characters take different stances and arrive at very different places regarding Raven’s salvation, but more importantly they show us the two basic paths that we can take when interacting with anyone: love or negativity.

Choose the former, not the latter.

I was expecting a novel of this topic to have created some controversy, especially among Christians, but from what I have discovered so far, this is not the case. Were you expecting this? If so, did this make you question whether to continue or were you prepared for this? 

Actually, yes. I secretly hoped the book would inspire some controversy and really make some people angry—angry enough to tell people how angry it made them. That said, I’m elated that the book has received such solid reviews, and it has really validated me in that I know I can and should keep doing this.

As I said, I had hoped for some controversy, but it hasn’t generated much. I think it just comes down to the belief that vampires don’t exist, so why should this be something we talk about? Had this book been about the transformation of a person of another religion, perhaps, or a type of person with a lifestyle radically different from that of a Christian, then yes, maybe that could have happened. I think people just understand that it’s fiction and thus there’s not much debate on it.

Your fans, I’m sure, want to know if there is more to come. Would you mind giving an exclusive glimpse of what is to come? Does this include any sequels to B4B? I can see how there could be 3, but will need to discuss that with you privately so as not to spoil the plot for those who have not read B4B. 

I have tentative plans for a sequel (and I intentionally left the door open for one) but if I do write one, it won’t happen for quite some time. I tend to work on projects that are close to my heart and gnawing at me first, and the sequel isn’t doing that yet. As far as what I’m working on next—I can tell you that it will have paranormal elements similar to those in Blood for Blood, but the approach will be very, very different. I’m going to attempt a crowdfunding campaign for the next book I’m writing which will include opportunities for readers/fans/anyone interested to appear as a character in the book—and if they want, to die a gruesome, bloody death at the hands or jaws of a monster. Beyond that, I can’t really go into more detail, unfortunately.

From what I have elucidated from authors, fight scenes can be one of the most difficult scenes to write and develop. You developed these very realistically. Did you have any difficulty achieving this? I must say that because you achieved this so well, it really did contribute to a wonderful ending to this novel. 

Thanks so much, Peter. Action runs in my blood. I’ve seen hundreds of action movies, studied a few different forms of fighting including sword fighting and stage combat techniques, and I’ve done a lot of research through the years on how fights work. I doubt that I’d last very long in a real fight (unless swords were involved) but I know enough to write fights well.

The trick (and the hard part) about writing a solid fight scene is threefold: 1. You have to know what you’re talking about on some level; 2. you have to write everything so that causes happen before effects (ex. a guy can’t fall down before he gets punched, etc.), and 3. you have to write it in such a way that it flows well. For me, it’s a challenge to blend these elements together, but it’s one I enjoy quite a bit.

What message do you want readers to obtain from reading B4B? 

It really depends on the reader. If you’re a non-Christian reader, know that God loves you and has provided a way for you to live a better life now and have relief in knowing your eternity is sealed via your relationship with Jesus Christ. If you’re already a Christian, it’s a reminder to all of us that we need to be careful how we treat people who are different than us because our actions, right or wrong, affect non-Christians’ perceptions of who Jesus is. So endeavor to treat everyone with love, be they vampire or not.

Did you need to conduct extensive research on vampire lore to create the type of vampires you have portrayed in B4B? I would not know where to start if I was doing this, what type of resources did you use? 

Believe it or not, I used Wikipedia as a starting point. It used to have a reputation as a hack site where everyone could just update pages, but the vampire page seems cohesive and may have even been written by one person who really knew his/her stuff. It had a good flow to it and seemed encyclopedic in its approach, so it was very informative. Beyond that, I consumed a lot of vampire media, ranging from Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Twilight. (Don’t judge—you have to know what people are getting wrong, too.) Couple that with the 20+ years I’ve had of watching/reading vampire media in multiple forms and I had a pretty good basis of knowledge to write this book. For what it’s worth, I also played Dracula in my senior year of high school in the fall production of, you guessed it, Dracula.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers?

Stick with me. I intend to thrill you more and more with each successive book. And by all means, tell your friends. I’ll thrill them too.

Do you have any words that you’d like to leave us with?

Vampires or otherwise, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Where can readers find you?

Website: http://www.benwolf.com (sign up for my newsletter in the lower right corner and get a bunch of free stories)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebenwolf/

Twitter: @1BenWolf

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23496871-blood-for-blood?ac=1

Amazon Author Page: 

http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Wolf/e/B00P7PG97G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Thank you, Ben for such a very informative and educational interview, you have certainly shown us the depth you went to in creating such an entertaining, well constructed novel, giving a biblical approach to such a controversial topic.  

I will certainly stick with you and I encourage readers to do the same. Your future books are eagerly anticipated, especially the sequel to Blood for Blood. You have piqued my interest regarding the crowdfunding project and being a character in the next book! 

Interview with Kevin M. Kraft, Author of MOMO

I was contacted by the author via Goodreads to review his book, MOMO. It was free on Lulu.com. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My review can be found here. My enjoyment encouraged me to consider interviewing Kevin as I wanted to see what makes this author tick to have written such an engrossing novel that educates, encourages your faith and trust in God and that relationships can be healed by Yahweh Ropheka (The Lord who heals), specifically in this case the father/son relationship. 

MOMO

A father and son, on a weekend jaunt to the family cabin in the Missouri woodland, find themselves in a fight for survival a single night against a savage creature straight from the annals of cryptozoology…with courage, faith and a single cabin door as their only defence. 

With dawn so far away, their generator running out of power and no means of calling for help, will these things be enough to allow even one of them to see another day? 

Soon to be a major motion picture!

This is Kevin's first interview and he certainly has a lot of encouraging things to say and he has encouraged me greatly. Looks like it is not just his novel, MOMO, that has impacted on my faith and myself! 

So grab a coffee, get comfortable and let Kevin M. Kraft entertain and encourage you in his passion for writing and giving Glory to God in the process.

Okay Kevin, how about we start with you telling us a little about yourself? 

Well, besides being a writer, I’m a singer-songwriter and guitarist, an award-winning screenwriter, a movie maker and social commentator. I’m the CEO of T E K Productions here in Kansas City, Missouri, where, most importantly, I’m a husband and father of a family of six. My “real” job is as a youth care worker at a psychiatric hospital. 

What inspired you to become an author and has it always been a desire of yours to write? 

Well, the first thing to inspire me to write was being told stories, either through my parents and teachers reading to me or through television and movies. I always loved to be told great stories and I loved great storytellers. As I began to learn to read, I would get the books I had been read and associated the words and letters and realised, “Hey, someone wrote these things!” And I wanted to do the same—write stories that enthralled both others and even myself. So from the moment I knew how to piece together a coherent sentence, I wanted to write. 

What tools have you found most successful in advertising/marketing yourself and your books?

You know, to tell you the truth, I am really not that good at marketing myself. I’m a Johnny-Come-Lately to those tools and practices. I’ve been writing for years and self-published my first novel a couple years ago, but I have a meager (albeit loyal) readership. I’m...trying to increase that. And to that end, my first strategy is to try and burn up the book review blogs with my latest book and thereby bring attention to my past novels. I’m taking a lesson from author Amanda Hocking, who gained much success this way. 

What has surprised you the most about becoming an author? 

The most surprising thing to me is the discovery, through the response of others, that I’m an effective writer. It may sound pompous to say, “I know I’m a good writer,” but I think I am—at least that’s what I’m told—and I know how to do it. It’s a talent or gift that I exhibited in the first grade, with students and teachers and family alike responding very emotionally and enthusiastically to my stories. But I’ll also admit that I’m my own worst critic who is very rarely ever satisfied with his own work. The real test for me is how my own work affects ME. If I can reread a novel or a screenplay I’ve penned, and not get tired of it and still be moved emotionally by it, I know I have something extraordinary. My biggest challenge is knowing when to stop revising and just leave it alone. Like George Lucas, I think said about his films, they are never finished, they’re just released. I feel the same about my writing. 

How has writing and being an author impacted further on your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

I express myself best through the written word. To craft a sentence or a sentiment or an idea in just the right way that it gets into a person’s thoughts or soul and stay there and grows and perhaps enlightens or enthrals is invaluable to me. And to be able to summon word pictures to convey truth can’t be over-appreciated. My walk with Christ has been influenced by such things. Great writers are big readers, and I’m inspired to write effectively when I read effective writing. God frequently uses stories to show me things I might otherwise miss—spiritual truths that define me and mature me. I listen to my favourite songs again and again to try and figure out why. Same with books. I’ve read James Byron Huggin’s novel, Leviathan repeatedly, because it moves me. It’s one of the most incredible novels I have ever read, so much so that I’ve read it to all of my children, as well as read it for myself. I want to write novels that do that for someone else. The idea of communicating truth so effectively—I keep using that word, I know!—is something I want to manifest. 

Obviously becoming an author has been a huge accomplishment for you, but can you tell us what a major goal of yours is outside of the world of writing?

Uh-oh! Now you’ve done it. I’m an aspiring filmmaker. I, in fact, have felt the Lord leading me into the industry, and film has, as much as reading and writing, shaped my perception and understanding. So...yes, movie making is my passion right next to writing. And the two have, of course, merged together. In fact, this interview comes in conjunction with the impending release of my inspirational thriller, MOMO, which is a novelization of my award-winning screenplay of the same name. My hope is that MOMO the book will become popular and lead to interest in MOMO the movie, and that people will support our efforts when we eventually crowdfund it on Indiegogo or Kickstarter or whatever funding platform we decide to use. Movie making comes as “naturally” or as easily as writing does. But…it takes money I don’t have. 

So we know you like to write, but can you divulge to your fans out there what’s something that you like to do in your downtime, when you're not writing? 

Well, my family is always most important to me. I have a wife and four kids. They’re a continual adventure and a true source of joy. But if you’re talking about hobbies and things like that, I am a cigar box guitar guru. In fact, I founded the annual Kansas City Cigar Box Guitar Festival—a legacy I’m proud of. I love to build and play them and due exhibitions about the history and application the instrument. There are few things more inspiring than creating music on something you built with your own hands. 

Do you think there is anything significantly different about Christian fiction, as opposed to secular fiction? 

That’s difficult to answer in that I find myself wanting to reply with something more than the obvious, which is “the Message.” At the same time, secular fiction can sometimes say things better than Christian fiction. Same with movies. Christian artists in particular tend to more concerned with thrusting the MESSAGE they are trying to convey and forget to tell an original or compelling or GOOD story. I know that may sound awful or judgemental. But...I think you might know what I mean. 

I notice that you are in a band. Tell us a bit about this.

Oh! Yeah! Thanks for asking about this. Going back to what I said about the cigar box guitar. I infrequently do concerts. But when I do, I now sing with my two eldest kids and a friend of mine. We are collectively known as Kevin M. Kraft & the Home school. We do both original songs and some covers, and eclectic mix. My kids have really emerged, much to my delight, as capable singers and I LOVE performing with them. Not only is this frustrated rock star getting to periodically play onstage, my kids—MY KIDS sing with me. How many people can boast about that? 

How did MOMO come about? You mentioned in a message to me that it is very special among your writings? What does MOMO stand for? 

A few years ago, after several frustrating years of trying to get my film making career off the ground, we—meaning my wife and my associates—decided we needed to break in with an easily-made, low-budget movie, to just get something good made that would open the door to other film projects. And as I considered what that first film might be, I knew that I’d always wanted to write, as I termed it as a boy, “a really good and scary Bigfoot movie.” A creature feature. A thriller. And effective thriller. I was really influenced by two movies as a kid: The Thing From Another World and Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot. I made a vow, when I was around 13, whenever Sasquatch came out, to make a movie when I could. Wasn’t sure how. I know, as I studied film even back then, that it was an expensive enterprise. Fortunately, digital technology makes it possible for the everyman to make movies now. Anyway, it had to be simple to stay low-budget, so I came up with two people, a father and son in a cabin-in-the-woods thriller. I live in Missouri and, having a love for cryptology, I discovered the legendary MOMO...which stands for “Missouri Monster”, which, in turn, refers to a cryptid, a sort of Sasquatch-like creature that was reported to terrorize the town of Louisiana, Missouri for two weeks in the 1970s, to secure itself in the annals of cryptozoology and unexplained phenomenon. Perfect, I thought, because MOMO is singular and distinctive from the generally-known Sasquatch/Bigfoot/Yeti cryptids. Why, just the name—“Momo—is a great hook! 

Well, to make a long story as short as I can, I wrote the script, it won an award, got some accolades, but we were unsuccessful in acquiring funding for it. So last year, my wife suggested wisely that I write the novel to the screenplay and get that out there. Actually, I had thought about it even a year before that but didn’t do it, concentrating on the script. But I finally wrote the MOMO novella, understanding that most movies begin as books. Since the script is an effective thriller, I thought I should have been able to write an effective novel from it. It’s the first time I ever wrote a novel from a script! The rest is history...or will be. Originally, being a guerrilla filmmaker at-heart, I wrote the screenplay with the intention of me and my oldest son playing the leads and doing it on a very limited budget—just to show I could. But since that didn’t lead to funding success, I’ve since cast professional actors in the lead roles...although some have suggested I go back to the original intent. Anyway, MOMO is special to me because of all that and because I identify with both the father and son in the story. I love a story that moves me emotionally, and when I read what these two characters experience...it’s really special. I’m moved. 

What kind of reaction are you hoping to receive from readers of MOMO? 

In researching the story, the screenplay in particular, I watch every Bigfoot/Yeti movie I could find. And I was surprised to find that most of them, except for maybe one or two, were horrible, abysmal either in content or quality. The two exceptions were arguably okay and weren’t outstanding; they were just better than the rest. And I watched all of these films asking myself why? What worked and what didn’t work in these films? And I took notes and I studied each film intently—sometimes making myself sick...sitting through some of these—anyway, I came up with a formula for success that I plugged into the script and therefore the book. And without giving too much of my secrets away, I will say that one thing was emotional payload. So, to answer your question, I hope that readers will be moved by the emotional payload of the characters, the father and son in the novella. And that readers will be moved in such a way that they will want to reread MOMO again and again to re-experience the thrills they found the first time they read it. And, of course, I hope they will check out my other novels, which are, undoubtedly, the best novels they’ve perhaps never read. Is that...is that pompous? LOL!

You have had some beta readers give you positive reviews and you have two published reviews so far that are also positive, have you been surprised it has been received so well? 

Yes and no. I’ll say that I’m very, very pleased, even overwhelmed by the response to MOMO. But I have to say, I knew, with the screenplay, that I’d written an effective thriller. I mean...I entered it into the ZedFest Lo/No-Budget Screenplay Contest and knew it would win, which it did. I just knew it would. It was a great script, an effective thriller scientifically engineered to succeed. What I’m pleased about is that the novel is, seemingly, just as effective and thrilling. I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to adequately adapt the script into a novel. But I’m pleased to know that I apparently succeeded. I collect comments and reviews from my test readers and include them in my promotional materials and in the book itself, so others can see what reader just like them have already said about MOMO. 

Why did you make this a novella instead of a full length novel? I would have liked it to be longer, you could then add more scary scenes with MOMO and have more scenes where Mark and Evan's faith is tested and also explore more about their fractured/estranged relationship and the healing power of God. 

After carefully considering the possibilities of the novel, I decided that it was simply long enough. I knew that if I tried to make it longer for the sake of making it longer, I would have simply diluted it and made an effective thriller less-effective. The story centres on two people with the majority of the action taking place in one location. There are just so many things that can happen under those circumstances, right? Also, I wanted the book and the script to be pretty close. It’s a movie tie-in, so one needed to compliment the other. Except the opening. The opening is different in the script. Besides, novellas are a sort of forgotten art that has its own virtues. And I typically don’t do things the easy way. But...yeah, MOMO was just as long as it needed to be. But I thank you for wishing for more! That’s flattering. 

You mentioned that MOMO needs to be made into a movie, what is the next stage in this development? I agree, it would make a great movie. 

Thank you! And I hope I get lots of readers who will agree and tell lots of other readers and moviegoers the same!!! The next step for me is to build my readership by burning up the blogosphere, letting the world know that this fantastic novella could become a motion picture within the year with their support. So I’m doing anything I can to make it happen. And I appreciate what you’ve done to assist me in that. The cast and crew of MOMO, at least as it exists now, are standing by. We lack only funding to make it. 

When will MOMO be released in print form and e-book form? 

January 31st is the target date! I’m so excited!!!! People can visit my website to keep tabs on that or look my up on Facebook or, of course, my Author’s Spotlight at Lulu. 

Can you tell us a little about how your previous novel, S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy came about? I can foresee that this could be quite a controversial topic seeing that Jesus died for the human race only and that Hell was created initially for the satan and fallen angels. 

Controversy? Downright vitriol in some cases! Not many, but...some. S came about one day when my youngest daughter said, “Daddy, you know how the Bible says we’re supposed to love our enemies?” I said yeah. “Does that mean were supposed to love Satan too?” Just like me, her imagination is rich with why’s and what-ifs. The conversation grew from there. We discussed whether it was possible for the Devil to repent and how the Devil is a person and a personality and imagine what kind of personality he might have to do what he did and would God forgive him if he repented and should we pray for Satan’s repentance. We discussed the fact that Satan was an angel, one of the sons of God, and didn’t that imply that God loved them all as their Father and what about the angels who fell with Satan. We also talked about role and nature of sin and why do Christians STILL sin? Jesus died not just to save us from the curse of sin but the YOKE of sin. Why would we be instructed against sin, if it wasn’t possibly for us to avoid it? And we discussed if is there ever a time when a believer has no choice but to sin...and couldn’t come up with any examples in the affirmative. We sin because we choose to go against our nature—our new nature—willingly and what does that make us? Also, what is the depth of God’s grace? How vast is it? 

Anyway, all these questions are addressed in S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy. And while many might take exception to making Satan a sympathetic character, I would remind them that this is a fantasy, hence the subtitle. I’ve actually been amazed that, with only a couple exceptions, most people responded very, very, very enthusiastically and positively to S and re-examined their own lives accordingly. Odd as it may sound, it is surprisingly light, was fun to write and is probably my most profound work to-date. 

What is the W-3 Crew series about? That sounds like a Young Adult orientated series? 

The W-3 Crew was born out of my frustration with the popularity of the Harry Potter novels among Christians in the mid-90s. In fact, I got tired of the whole witchcraft craze and wanted to write some stories that would offer something, oh…less-dark, less-Satanic! As with MOMO, I had this idea for an adventure series about three upstate New York kids who encounter strange phenomenon, which was probably inspired by my love of SCOOBY-DOO and THE NIGHT STALKER TV series I loved in the 70s. So I started writing these really short stories with these characters and decided, after several of them, that I needed to write a novel explaining how these three unlikely friend met. Hence The W-3 Crew. My eldest daughter absolutely loved the first book, which was really fun to write, and a second, even bigger novel, a sequel, followed. At nineteen, my daughter still wants me to complete the trilogy! And I am pleased to say I plan to begin work on the third novel very soon. Better late than never. I look forward to catching up with Michael, Tanya and Justin again. 

As far as classification goes…young adult, adult, middle reader…as with marketing and self-promotion, I am the worst at writing for anything other than a broad audience. In fact, one of my failures is that I DO NOT do that. The book industry works in demographics and I just do not. I write with families in mind most of the time. Even S is a book (and now a screenplay) that could be enjoyed by a large and wide audience, despite what the subject matter may suggest. I hate being put into a box. I will always describe my audience as “broad”. 

All your novels, (S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy and the W-3 Crew, MOMO) can be classified in the edgy, speculative Christian fiction category. You have started your writing career in a relatively new and evolving, but not very well accepted or understood genre of Christian fiction. How did this come about? Had you considered writing in a safer more mainstream genre of Christian fiction first? 

Oooh, “edgy”! I have never been called that…I don’t even know what it means, but it sounds exciting! How this came about is…I’ve always had a vivid imagination, stoked by an interest in the strange and wonderful, always asking why and what-if. I soaked up material on unexplained phenomenon. I was steeped in it. Couple that with my faith and my desire to weave wonderful stories and there you have it. Have I considered writing safer more mainstream genres of Christian fiction first? NEVER! What I write is a reflection or who and what God has made me to be. It has probably made my journey longer than it would have otherwise, but that’s fine. Maybe one of the things I’m to be, as an artist, is DIFFERENT. To open up the field of Christian fiction, if that is, indeed, what I write. Frankly, I sort of resist that label. I write what I write, plain and simple and my worldview and sensibilities come naturally to the surface. People seem to really enjoy what I write BECAUSE it is, by nature, defiant of conventions. To hear someone tell me that is the highest of compliments. In whatever I do, however, rest assured I seek to glorify the Lord, whether in a profound work like S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy or with a simple fun adventure like The W-3 Crew. It’s how I live. I don’t know the meaning of the word “safe.” I have always just written what I had to write. 

Your fans, I’m sure, want to know if there is more to come. Would you mind giving an exclusive glimpse of what is to come? 

The completion of the W-3 Crew trilogy (I guess…or so it turns out), a nonfiction book for the layman that examines why Darwinian Evolutionism isn’t just incompatible with Christianity (“theistic evolution” is an oxymoron) but simply the biggest lie ever told to Man based on nothing but a desire to eliminate God…and working on some novels and children’s stories with my wonderful wife. We have some excellent ideas we’re planning on finally penning. Also, some of my kids are writing, so I’ll be helping them with their work! 

What message do you want readers to obtain from reading MOMO? 

That faith-based fiction can be effective even if it isn’t message-oriented. That sometimes what’s great is to tell a great story and place Christian characters in an incredible situation and see how they react…and this can speak not just to the faithful but to those outside the church as well. I want both readers and writers to see that Christian entertainment, whether, books or films, need not be second-or third-rate nor only consumable by those of us in the Church. We should set the standard for the world when it comes to these things. I hope I’m doing my part to achieve that. It seems petty, but when one considers how popular books and movies are and their influence on our culture, the need for excellent faith-based material, material that dares to color outside the lines established by Christendom, becomes clear. 

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers? 

I hope you are entertained and blessed and inspired in some way by my work. Please contact me with your thoughts about it. I welcome that! Please be on the lookout for the MOMO movie campaign. We’ll crowdfund it in the spring and we’ll need your support if you think it’d make a great movie. And keep reading my work. That spurs me on to write more! I love storytelling. 

Do you have any words that you’d like to leave us with? 

Something I love and thrive on is that fact that the Creator of the universe has placed within His creation, the ability to create. I honestly think, as an expressive artist, that such outlets allow us to, at least a little bit, identify with the Father as the Creator. As a writer, I create people, place them in a world and sometimes in dangerous situations in which they grow to become better people and perhaps teach others about themselves. I encourage everyone to find, if they can, some creative outlet…to experience what it’s like to, well, create. It’s a wonderful feeling that makes you appreciate God the Creator even that much more and perhaps understand Him better. Does that make sense? I feel like I’m rambling a bit. And, of course, the advice that runs through MOMO:

“At the end of your strength is God's. Push yourself there.” 

Where can readers find you? 

Website: www.kevinmkraft.weebly.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.m.kraft?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevkraft

Goodreads: Kevin M. Kraft

Kevin, Thank you for a most entertaining and insightful look into your world and your novels. I look forward to reading the rest of them and I am sure that now readers of this interview will be eager to check these out too and start reading. You are man of many talents and it is very encouraging to see you use these for the Glory of God. I love your passion for your craft and it is going to be great to watch you make the movie version of MOMO and then be blessed watching it! 

MOMO by Kevin M. Kraft

MOMO by Kevin M. Kraft. 

Author of THE W-3 CREW and S: A CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS FANTASY, comes a thrilling novella, based on his award-winning screenplay, with as much suspense as it does soul and as much terror as it touches the heart.

A father and son, on a weekend jaunt to the family cabin in the Missouri woodland, find themselves in a fight for survival a single night against a savage creature straight from the annals of cryptozoology…with courage, faith and a single cabin door as their only defense. 

With dawn so far away, their generator running out of power and no means of calling for help, will these things be enough to allow even one of them to see another day? 

Soon to be a major motion picture!

The Guru's Review:

The author requested me to review this new novella after finding me on Goodreads. This novella will be released later this month, (January 2015).

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. A real page turner and the second half when all the horror starts is very fast paced and absorbing. The first half is successful in developing the characters, Mark Taylor and his 16 year old son, Evan, and the relationship that is in need of some work and repair. I found them to be very real and relational. In a novel with this theme of healing a fractured father/son relationship, the characters need to be real in order for the author to deliver his message and the reader to relate to it. Kraft is successful here and this is one strength of this novel. 

Kraft shows great insight into the father/son relationship and the dynamics that should exist, but in the majority of cases in reality, does not, resulting in fractured/estranged relationships between the two. In many respects, I wish my father had taken the initiative to do this with me, what Kraft has Mark do with his son. I really warmed to this relationship that he portrays with these two characters. He has made them honest with each other, real and admitting their shortcomings with themselves and each other. I also related well to the third male character that was very much a part of this novella although not there in a physical sense, that of Evan's grandfather. I loved the special bond that Kraft describes between the grandfather and grandson and how it is this that forms one aspect of the healing between Evan and his father. 

I felt Evan's pain in the fractured relationship with his father and could identify with his request for acceptance and approval which is part of every son's heart towards his father, 

"I know you love me dad. But...I don't think you like me much."

Mark sat there, totally cut to the quick. He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

Evan resumed, "Not all the time, Dad, but.... it's like you're trying make me into...well, you! You pressure me about the archery team, because your're a dead shot. You're teaching me because grandpa taught you.....I could not care less about bows and arrows.....and Dad.....I hate camping. I'm glad you wanna spend time with me, but you never take an interest in what I like, what I'm interested in. I'm not like you, dad. I have my own interests, things you would probably hate or find boring. But they mean a lot to me. And you've never even tried ... to find out about me. I want you to get to know me, Dad."

It is from this POV that motivates both characters to change the relationship between them. However, this was set in motion by the death of Evan's grandfather 3 weeks before this camping trip. It seems to me that Kraft has used the desperate, life threatening situation of survival against MOMO to illustrate that sometimes in life we have to hit rock bottom to realise what we need to do to rectify our human relationships and let God be God and learn to trust Him to show us the way to healing and understanding and acceptance of each other for who we are. Kraft successfully portrays this fight for survival as a means to show Evan that he can be confident, a deficit that concerns his father and that Evan wants to change.

The account of Evan taking charge when MOMO strikes and sets the odds against them, is great reading and I was cheering Evan on in proving to himself and his father what a strong and confident young man he is developing into, and quite the hero because of this. Kraft shines in this account. And Mark Taylor earns the respect of his son and finally accepts Evan for who he is. He has definitely found out more about his son by the end of their ordeal!

The horror aspects were not overdone and I liked this intensity as it did not detract from the real message of this novel, the healing of the father/son relationship. The horror setting of man against beast, is the platform to allow Mark and his son to allow themselves to understand each other, trust each other and heal each other. Kraft is successful here as well and this is another strength of this novel. That is not to say the horror and suspense is not there! It is and is described well and convincing and I must confess, my heart was racing and I was tense when reading MOMO's attack on Evan. I was also left hanging in anticipation, not knowing what happened when the chapter ended with the final confrontation between Mark and MOMO. This really did make you read on to find out.

Kraft has the spiritual aspects very subtle and not in great force but the effect is just as strong. I love some of his quotes that he has given to Mark and his father, such as, 

Beyond your own strength is God's. Push yourself there.

Simple, short, but there is such a spiritual depth and wisdom to this and great encouragement. I love this one, and will become part of my encouragement to myself and others when the going gets tough. To me, this shows more about the spiritual side of this author. The other spiritual insights included in the rest of the novel also support this about Kraft. I had some reservations about this novel honouring God when I discussed reviewing it with the author, but I have no qualms about this now!

Kraft states that, 

MOMO is very special among my writings indeed. 

This definitely shows in this novel. I plan to interview him in the coming weeks so will discuss this more with him then. I look forward to this immensely. 

For anyone who wants a short, entertaining, engrossing novel that educates along the way and encourages your faith and trust in God and that relationships can be healed by Him, specifically the father/son relationship, then this novel ticks all those boxes. 

Highly Recommended.