INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR, GUY STANTION III

Guy Stanton III is the author of many novels, The Warrior Kind series (comprising 5 books) and The Agents For Good series (comprising 4 books). All can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in both printed and e-book formats or from your local Christian book store. 

I recently read his first book, A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind, Book 1) and was so impressed I decided to interview him. 

Please read on to get a glimpse of what makes this author tick! 

Okay Guy, how about we start this interview with you telling us a little about yourself?

- Well I’m the third guy in my family to be called Guy. People have been known to address both my father and I in public as “Hey you guys” and not even knowing that they’ve named us. I was born on a beautiful family farm and taught the meaning and the rewards of hard work at an early age. I grew up somewhat sheltered from the world outside of the farm, until I started branching out when I attended college. I really branched out when I got it in my head to join the online dating site eHarmony, where I met my beautiful wife Beth. We now have three children, who are our greatest blessings other than the gift of Beth and I being matched together to share the rest of our lives with each other. I belong to the Creator and His hand on my life shapes everything that I do and am. 

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

- I was an avid reader growing up, but I lacked the confidence to think that I could ever be capable of enthralling people with my words. It wasn’t until I started dating my wife that I started dabbling with writing. I wrote her a short romantic story themed of all things in the World War I era, which I gave to her the first Christmas we celebrated together. She loved it. So I started another story, A Warrior’s Redemption. Three years later I finished it, and I haven’t stopped writing ever since. I love writing! I’ve always been able to express myself better in written form than by verbal communication alone and for me the action of becoming an author has been life affirming in so many ways.

Do you think there is anything significantly different about Christian Fiction, as opposed to non-Christian Fiction?

- Well to answer the question let me first talk about music. I used to be a big secular music fan before I met my wife. In the car she kept changing the radio station to Christian music, namely the radio network called Klove. It rubbed off on me. I didn’t even care to listen to secular music anymore. Whether you're listening or reading something that has the life fulfilling gospel of Jesus in it or a song of praise and worship to the Creator of us all, it has the power to change you and build you up in those moments when a worldly bandaid just isn’t enough to get through the hurdle of the moment. They say you become what you eat, but I think what you read and listen to has a bigger impact in terms of the actions that determine your eternal destination.

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

- In a word I hope it is a “positive” experience for them. My goal as a Christian author isn’t to be either preachy or beyond the reality that we all live and struggle in. Beyond being a positive experience I also hope that it will be an enthralling experience for them that helps to provide the entertainment that we crave as humans. I want to provide with my writing a safe place for others to enjoy letting go from the reality that we all face each day in our lives. Hopefully my writing will also inspire them to live life with a renewed perspective and not just be a distraction from it.

What has surprised you the most about becoming a self-published author?

- How hard it is. As a self-published author with a thin wallet starting out you pretty much have to do everything. In addition to writing my books I’ve had to learn how to properly format and edit them. I’m my own publicist scouring the internet and whatever other means that are available in search of a way to better promote myself and my literary work. I had to learn how to social network, commission artists, and build a website, all things I had absolutely no experience at before. While it is hard to be self-published, it is also extremely rewarding, as in a way I remain the captain of the ship and not just a spectator to my own literary success.

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

- My success as an author has come as a direct result of obedience to God. There have been things I’ve wanted to write that I heard a “no” to. There have been topics and situations that I didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole that I heard “write it”. I’ve been obedient and as a result I know that my ability and God given gift to write has been taken deeper, as I have been led to write about deeply personal topics in ways that illustrate my own spiritual progression as much as it may chronicle a potential reader’s experiences. When you read my stories you are very much reading the story of me steadily finding my way into a deeper and more personal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has given me the gift of being a great writer and now I seek to bless Him with the gifts He’s given me, as I want to be faithful with what I have been so generously given. Not only a faithful servant, but also one that bears fruit and helps to sow the seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of others.

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 want my last day alive to have been, but the end result of a steady progression of being faithful in all the things that my Savior has set down for me to accomplish in this life. Above all I do not want to model the early fire of Solomon’s reign only to drift into pitiful spiritual obscurity in my latter years. My goal is to be as King David, always in awareness of my Lord and seeking to do His will, even as I rely on His mercy to recover from the mistakes that I’ve made along the way.

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?

- It may sound strange, but I love to build stone walls. Call it a heavyweight alternate form of jigsaw puzzle mania, but I love looking at a pile of mismatched and oddly shaped rocks and somehow forming them together into a cohesive pattern that has both strength and visual appeal of form. Flower garden arrangement holds many of the same challenges and rewards as well. The two often go well together and fulfill the need within me to be creative. 

Can you give us a personal perspective of your own novels?

- There meant to be picked up and devoured by people with minds, who have not yet lost a youthful quality of imagination. My books are meant to transport the reader to the scene of action and catch them up in suspense for what comes next. Their addictive in a good and wholesome way that often ensnares me the author into re-exploring the realms of past imagination. My books will always contain a Christian influence of thought, which I pray never leads any astray from the straight and narrow path set before all Christians to walk down in life’s journey to eternity. 

For a Christian author you address some rather adult situations such as sexual temptation, demon possession, and violence. Do you think you’ve gone too far for Christian fiction?

- No I don’t. I think to much of what’s available in the realm of Christian Fiction is bound up in a false utopia of thought. The reality that we all face each day deserves to be addressed, especially from a Christian perspective. Being tempted into committing sexual sin, confronting demons and even the power of satan in our lives, as well as the violent aspects of life often needed to preserve liberty and the right as Christians to worship our God are all concepts that need to be discussed within the confines of the Christian world. I’ve termed my fiction as “Reality Fiction” and to that end I’m going to use my writing to minister to not only Christians, but to those who are lost and have suffered damage at the hands of worldly forces and the lies of demons. God meets each of us in the ruin of our own life calamities, in turn I want my writing to be pertinent to the people, who are going through those calamities, as yet one more tool at God’s disposal to reach another life with the saving knowledge of Jesus. 

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

- I have lots of ideas, with more coming every day. I’ve got my Water Wars series set for release Summer 2014. I think I’ll open a lot of eyes in terms of a Biblical point of view in terms of the lost city of Atlantis and other ancient mysteries. Further out I’ve got a Science Fiction space trilogy that I’ve loosely named Guardians of the Truth. It’s early, but that series may perhaps have a tie in with my series, The Warrior Kind. I have several standalone books planned. One will take place in a Biblical setting around the time of The Tower of Babel another will be more of a Contemporary Thriller with lots of suspenseful action and conspiracies. I have two epic novels that’ll have plenty of sword and battle action. One will center on a fictitious rendering of the Apostle Phillip’s later ministry in India, and the other will illustrate in allegorical detail the seven New Testament churches transposed over into a Lord of the Rings type setting. At some point I intend to write some westerns, as I grew up and was inspired by that genre. I find inspiration from many sources, but by all means if fans of my work would like to suggest book themes for the future be my guest.

Wow! You’ve got a lot planned for the future. Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans? 

- God-willingly the journey that you have begun with my words has yet many exciting twists and turns for you to experience. I have no intentions of becoming a less prolific author. The time to work to affect positive change in the world for Christ is now, and it is my hope that my words will help promote that change within the hearts and minds of many, while still being an entertaining and encouraging pastime pursuit for those already saved.

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

- I’ve had two repeating words that God has used to educate me for quite some time. They are, “patience and trust”. These are hard concepts for me to seemingly come to grips with, but I continue to endeavor to learn and master them. Patience for the things needed and the desires that I’ve asked for. Trust that in God’s good timing all will be accomplished as it should be, as patience is born out into experience, which leads to a deeper faith in God able to move mountains.

You can keep in touch with Guy Stanton III at http://www.words-of-action.com/

A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind, Book 1) by Guy Stanton III

When Roric was born little did he know that his family would die violently as he watched and that his world would crumble only to later find himself chained into the life of a slave forced to survive in the world of the arena where every match meant death for someone, but he survived and one day he escaped.

A Warrior’s Redemption is the beginning of a family saga that starts with a boy named Roric. He lives on a distant world that is full of unrest, where disputes are settled by the sword. Little is known of how they came to this world, only that they came from a place known as Earth, in the distant past. How they came is a mystery that some want to discover again while others would gladly die to keep those secrets from ever seeing the light of day. Roric’s father tired of keeping the secrets of his ancestors, from the people of his nation, forsakes his family’s oath, and leaves to find peace in another land. Little did he know that the wickedness of the land that he settles in would kill him and all his family, except for his oldest son, Roric. Roric, embittered by seeing the death of his family, finds himself sold into slavery. He becomes a survivor in the arena, where man is matched to the death against man and beast alike. He escapes only to pursue a life of vengeance against those who afflicted him and killed his family. 

Tormented by a life without peace, he remembers the guiding words of his mother, which open up a path of redemption that becomes the guiding influence of his life. Through acts of intrigue and deception he is lead to the awareness of the darker menace within a spiritual world that is unseen, but that he is no less involved in. He travels to the land of his ancestors, a place of majestic mountains and the valleys that lie between them that are settled by a people that exist in peace only because of the warriors that have fought and died to keep them so. It is in protecting these people that Roric finds a reason worth fighting for. He grapples with the long held secrets of his family and unlike his father before him, decides to fight so that his people can remain free. He rises above his humble past to become a leader that inspires a nation in its fight for survival and becomes a legend.

Review: 

An author friend of mine contacted me informing me that Guy Stanton had asked him if he knew of anyone who would be willing to review his books. My friend mentioned my name, and my friend contact me and gave me Guy's details. I checked out his books. As soon as I read the blurb for A Warrior's Redemption, I knew this was a series I had to read. I have not been disappointed. 

When I started reading, I was instantly impressed with Stanton's writing style. It is not overly descriptive (as some author's are), but it is well constructed yet simple in its execution. His descriptive style lends well to this book, and I presume this series. I remember stopping reading, being stunned as how beautiful his writing style is. 

It is addictive and forms a great backbone to the plot and character development. This novel would lose the richness Stanton's description of the environment, numerous scenes, plot twists and especially to the well developed characters. Without this, it would one very weak and mediocre novel. 

Stanton is a master at adding depth to his characters. It is a hallmark of a talented writer who provokes emotions in you where you relate to those in distress and want to protect them such as Krista, respect, admire the strength of character and humility of Roric and want to aspire to be like him, admire the loyalty of Roric fellow slaves, Rolf being one of many, who he set free and who became brothers in arms and fellow warriors. You hate and despise the demon possessed Marfoul, Esmeralda, the sex slave mistress who exploits Krista, the many men who treat the slaves including Krista and Roric so badly, and in humanely. These are just a few of the many and varied characters where the reader finds themselves experiencing a wide variety of emotions. 

Stanton is also a master of describing the richness and complexity of the different environments of this novel, such as The Valley Lands, the Plains of Zoar and The Attorgron Forests. But on the whole, Stanton succeeds in transporting the reader to this world, and it is this as well as what I have outlined above that is all absorbing and enthralling. So many times, I was not aware of my surroundings and nearly missed my train station! You can definitely become part of this world and not want to return to reality.

If there is one thing that Stanton really shines in is the spiritual elements. This book and I presume the entire series is very God and bible focused, and that is one of the strengths of this series. Stanton has depicted God as not only as he has experienced Him in his life but also as the God of the Bible. There does not appear to be any difference between the two. I have said before in other reviews that one thing that impresses me about a Christian author's writing is that it reflects the depth of their relationship with God. Many of my favourite authors have this characteristic in their novels and for me that is an assurance that their writing will have depth, be biblically sound, honour God, strengthen a Christian's faith and not lead a reader who does not have a relationship with God astray. Stanton ticks all those boxes in this novel. 

Joseph (Sketches of Glory) by Clifton Voshen

This is a short story about Joseph - husband, father, carpenter.

Review: This intrigued me reading of Joseph's perspective being the father of Jesus while on earth. This was so beautiful and it really touched my heart. It was good to have my new found friend, Thor, the warrior angel back in this novella too.

This is a really beautiful story and I can imagine Joseph being like this! We don't have much to go on in the Bible about what Joseph was like; he is quite the background character.

I read this in 30 minutes; I would have loved this to have gone on for much more than this.

I gave this four stars for this reason. I respect Clifton's reason for having it as a novella, but for me this would have been great in a longer story.

Highly Recommended.

My Rating:  

Egypt (Sketches of Glory) by Clifton Voshen

Laden with gifts from the mysterious men from the East, Joseph and Mary travel to Egypt with orders from on High.

Review:

This one was very tender. Mary's perspective looking back on her encounter with Gabriel, being told she would bear the Son of God, falling pregnant supernaturally, bearing Jesus and being His mother. I can just imagine these thoughts, feelings she would have had, more than fond, more than love, more than tender.

It is good to have an author to write from this perspective. I wrote in my review of Joseph, that we don't have much to go on in the Bible concerning Joseph, well the same can be said for Mary. I have often wondered what they would have experienced and thought about being Jesus' parents. I have not read or know of any other author who has written from this perspective. Not saying they have not or that another novel does not exist.

I loved the way Voshen has portrayed the interaction of the lionness and bull with baby Jesus. That was beautiful and I do believe that animals would recognise their creator and know nothing else but love and submission to Him. Similar to the relationship our dogs and cats and other pets have with us, but on a grander scale.

I gave this novella 4 stars, from a very subjective POV, just because it was a novella!! I wanted this story to go on for longer! Voshen writes well and weaves a rich and powerful story in all its simplicity and you want it to not end so soon!

Highly Recommend
My Rating:

Milo (Sketches of Glory) by Clifton Voshen

I had a thought years ago, 'if I could have anything that Jesus used or had during His walk here, what would it be?' This is a story about a Roman centurion on just such a quest.

Review: 

This is a Supposal as termed by C.S. Lewis. Suppose a centurion wanted to search out what he had heard and experienced about a certain carpenter and see if there was anything of his he could find.

Voshen does this well. He has created a character with a sincere desire to investigate the claims of who Jesus is and any physical/material proof of his existence. I loved the twist at the end. That was very unique and creative.

My only complaint is the shortness of the narrative. But it is a novella!

Highly Recommended.

My Rating: 

Julius (Sketches of Glory) by Clifton Voshen

Julius was the centurion charged with escorting Paul to Rome. This is a fictional account of his later life

Review: I absolutely loved this one! Voshen's imagination creates a wonderful account of God's grace, mercy and love, not to mention His Sovereignity and power.

This is a favourite now. Voshen really does bring to life these Bible character's. You forget they are fiction; it is very convincing as if it is their actual account of the biblical event.

Highly Recommended.

My Rating: 

Gideon (Sketches of Glory) by Clifton Voshen

A short story about Gideon, Judge of Israel.


Review: 

This was a good novella portraying the life of Gideon and his reluctant call to follow God. I have not read the biblical account of Gideon; all I have known is the part about using the fleece to confirm God's assurance of his doubts about what God wanted him to do.

I found it interesting that Gideon considered himself the "least of the least" yet after his victory in battle he became proud and rather selfish, enjoying the attention he drew to himself from the accolades of winning God's battle against the enemy. He went from one extreme to the other.

This is the only story by Voshen that I did not get frustrated with the length of the narrative. To me this length was just right.

My Rating: 

 

Enoch (Sketches of Glory) by Clifton Voshen

This is a story of the Pre-Flood days when giants walked the earth, alien invaders posed as gods, and the prophet of God stood against them.

Review: 

This was the first novella of Clifton Voshen I read. It had me hooked. Voshen creates a very believable world where the masses were totally deceived into believing that their gods were really gods, until Noah confronts them face to face in totally defiance to their claim of being gods.

This is very powerful and well written. I really wanted this go on for longer than it did, but it is a novella. Apparently there is more of Enoch in Voshen's new full length novel, the End of All Flesh.

I am really looking forward to that!!

Highly Recommended

My Rating: 

The Secrets of Heaven: The Book of Gabriel (Deceit Series, Book 2) by Michael Barber

Not even the angelic hosts of Heaven, could have imagined, the chaos that now consumed, the planet earth. The angels argued their case against mankind and now have become their gods. Arkadia, the son of a slave, is faced with the biggest decision, of his life. Shall he Choose to stand by Sotiria and confront death, face to face? Or shall he choose the way of the gods and face his fears in terror? Listen to the archangel Gabriel, give his witness to the Living God as he describes who the tree of Christmas represents. Listen to him as he describes why people show triangles with the all seeing eye. Listen to his witness, why our Presidents face the Washington Monument, during the inauguration. Read the second instalment of the Deceit Series, and you will look at the world, in a whole new way.






Review: 

In movies, usually the second instalment is not as good as the first, but occasionally the latter outshines the former. I am glad to say that this is the case with this novel. It is very noticeable that Barber has upped everything here. I did notice that he has employed the services of an editor. An author friend of mine believes that every author should employ the services of an editor. Barber seems to have reaped the benefits of this in this instalment. 

The plot is tighter, the characters developed further and more relational. There is noticeably less grammar mistakes.This novel runs at a faster pace than the previous and generally the overall effect is that the reader is engaged more than in the first. 

Barber successfully advances the plot showing a further spiral into sin and depravity as the fallen angels gain more power over the human population suppressing them into blind obedience as servants of them as "gods". 

As just as this happens to this degree, the same happens to Arkadia and Sotiria. They both develop a closer relationship with God, but before this happens Arkadia is seduced into becoming a warrior but for the wrong reasons despite this role being foretold to him by Enoch via God's direction. Kasdaja, the fallen angel posing as a god, learns of this prophecy and encourages Arkadia to be a warrior for his purposes in order to derail Arkadia's relationship with God. He succeeds and Arkadia's bitterness and anger at the treatment of his marriage by Sotiria's parents fuel his motive for being a warrior and despite him becoming well respected and successful in this role, these negative emotions nearly overtake and destroy him. Meanwhile, Sotiria is forced to marry another in a prearranged agreement between her father and the future husband. They move to Enoch and start a family while Arkadia is away for many years fighting the Barbarians who are freed servants. 

Barber does a good job of showing how some of the 'deities' that are recorded history and mythology have come to be. An example of this is Istahar who becomes Isis and the Queen of Heaven. It is her that destroys the relationship between Sotiria and Arkadia by granting an answer to Sotiria's prayer to her, but not the way she expects. Barber portrays this well, and this is an example showing the degree of hatred and deceit that even a human will allow to spiral into such a low level of depravity.

By the end of this novel, the power and deceit of the gods is firmly established, and both they and their human subjects have spiralled to a level of sin and depravity that will lead the way to God being saddened with the human race and decides to wipe the human race off the face of the earth which will be in a future novel in this Deceit Series. 

It is good to see the novel being an improvement from the previous one. I look forward to the third novel, a snippet which is given at the end of this one.

Again, an enjoyable novel showcasing the improvements that Barber has identified and worked on from his debut novel.
Recommend. 
My Rating:   

The Rise of Bacchus (Silent Screamers Book 1) by Dante Fortson

Silent Screamers (Book 1: The Rise of Bacchus

Sixteen year old David has just had a fight with his father about attending the first open contact between earth and an extraterrestrial race. After storming out of the house, one mishap after another leaves him stuck in a bar with a strange man, watching the event on TV. Little does David know that these aliens have something sinister up their sleeves. David becomes an unlikely hero as he is forced to choose between hiding or saving his dad and his best friend Cassy. On his journey, he must survive vicious animal hybrids, satyrs, witches, and even a giant in order to save his loved ones.




Review: 

Once I started this novella, I could not put this down! It grabs you from the start and you are drawn in, needing to know what is going to happen next. Written in the first person narrative, this works well as the main character David Johnson. Doing this way, places the reader right next to David as he accounts this story. 

Fortson writes well. No fluff, just straight to the point, simple English. Sometimes that is necessary to describe fast paced plot lines and to move the plot along. The apocalyptic world that Fortson creates is very reminiscent of other novels or TV/movies especially those that involve special ops teams and secret hideouts with modern technology thrown in, in an attempt for the survivors to keep one step ahead of their oppressors.

Fortson does a good job of setting the scene of this invasion and the deception of who is behind this. I liked his inclusion of the invaders being disguished as aliens and then David and his team discovering that this is just not so. Fortson then successfully introduces the reader to who these invaders really are by introducing the truth from different sources, including the Bible and ancient mythology from recorded history of ancient civilisations. I guess the reader gets a main clue from the Prologue and joins some dots when the "character" introduced here makes a profound appearance towards the end of this novella.

I chuckled when Fortson introduced a book with an all familiar title (one of his own books!) to David, the main character, and I pray that readers will take this clue and go to Amazon to buy this. It will provide a lot of background to this novel and give the reader a grass roots introduction to the end times deception we are living in now. 

Fortson leaves some open clues to what will be in further Books in this series (these Books seem to be novellas that are part of one larger book he wrote years ago and now decided to release). Why is Robert, David's father, not his real father? Why did Zeik hide this from him until they meet when the invasion starts? Will we find out more of the lineage of David to the biblical time of David? What is the bad blood between the General, Zeik and David's father? Who is Sarah and what is her real story? What is the past history of working special black ops between David's father and Zeik? 

Some of the secrecy surrounding the coverup between the government and the Roswell incident is revealed and this gives some background to the past history between Zeik and Robert. It also provides some clues as to the background of these invaders and their motive for being here as well as hinting of what is more to come in future Books/novellas.

The pace of this novella is fast and reads like an action packed movie. Fortson successfully translates into fiction what his website is about, "Spiritual Warfare, Apologetics, and Other Cool Bible Stuff" (http://ministerfortson.com). 

Sometimes fiction can be a very effective way to reach those who would not read a factual book to be enlightened about a topic. This novella succeeds in doing this and I am sure that when all these Books/novellas are read as one this will be seen as being very successful to informing in an entertaining way all of what Fortson needs to reveal. 

All in all, a very entertaining, revealing and thought provoking novel on issues that need to be exposed and revealed to all those who need to listen.

I encourage all readers of this first novella to post positive comments on Dante Fortson's website mentioned above to encourage Fortson to release more of this entertaining Silent Screamers novel and get the truth of the end times out there.

Don't miss this! 

Strongly Recommended.