1. When did it come out?
Unofficially, it was October 1, 2005. I had copies
by then for the parties.
2. Where can I get your book?
Of course it's available online (Go here
to see some sites where you can order it).
You can buy it in Jackson, MS at Lemuria,
Barnes and Noble, Borders (Flowood),
and Cokesbury (Ridgeland).
Regionally, I can't say which stores carry
it. I guess it depends on demand. If you don't see it in a store, demand
it! Or just ask
them if it's in their computer. If it is, they'll probably offer to
order it for you.
3. What's your book about?
It's about the raw-nerve, provocative Jesus
of scripture who is typically censored or avoided. He rattled the cage
of religious authority, and exposed religious hypocrisy with the
double-edged sword of his tongue. My book exposes Jesus the truth
warrior. He's no pale, milquetoast invertebrate. He's a rock.
4. Who is your publisher?
FaithWalk Publishing up in Michigan. Click
here
5. How did you find a publisher?
The short answer: I didn't give up.
The slightly longer answer: I wrote most of
this book six years ago, and every initial effort I made to get it
published failed. Such is the fate of an unpublished author with an
unsolicited manuscript.
A year later I tried again using every contact I
could think of for help or advice. Again, nibbles, but no bites.
After
five years of trying off and on, I decided to take the advice of someone
in publishing to apply for inclusion in The Writer's
Edge. They posted
the proposal and sent it to dozens of Christian publishers, and I got
two nibbles, but that's all. (A Roman Catholic publisher said my book wasn't
"Catholic" enough. Wonder why.)
However, while surfing I noticed there
were a lot of contests you could enter. Some of them had entry fees and
small prizes. (How dumb do I look?) But I found one with no entry fee,
and the prize was publication. It was the "Writers in the
Spirit" contest sponsored by FaithWalk
Publishing. I entered.
When the publisher called
me to tell me that I was a top six finalist, I didn't believe him. I'd
forgotten I entered, and I didn't remember the name of the contest. I'm
afraid I was openly suspicious until I realized he wasn't kidding. The
next day I mailed him a letter of apology! And I told him I was honored
to be a finalist.
The day came for the phone call. I was a little
nervous. When he told me that three of the six books would be published,
and that I was one of those three, I was numb. After six years of
believing in the work and yet getting nowhere, who would have thought
that an online contest, and not Writer's Edge or any personal contacts
on the inside, would lead to publication? Stranger than fiction.
6. What is the most common comment from
people who have already read Jesus Unplugged?
There are three responses I get all the
time:
1. Many readers have said something like:
"The book takes off in Chapter 7." "I've reread Chapter
7 (or 9) over and over." "Chapters 9 and 10 (or 7-11) are
the strongest."
2. The church-goers often ask, "How is
it possible that I've been in the church all my life and I had no idea
Jesus did and said these things?"
3. And the non-church-goers often ask,
"Aren't you worried you'll get fired for writing this stuff?"
7. When are you going to write another book,
and what will it be about?
I'm writing another book now for Faithwalk.
It's called Heaven for
Skeptics. I'm going to show that
biblical heaven is not defined as the place you go to when you
die. It's much more interesting than that. I'll show you all of Jesus'
statements about heaven. You'll get a deeper understanding of
resurrection. You'll see how heaven is viewed through history. And more.
One of the chapters in Heaven
for Skeptics will deal with biblical
eternity and time's relativity. In researching this subject, I
particularly enjoyed Brian Greene's book, The
Fabric of the Cosmos. Speaking of the fabric of the cosmos, you
might go here
and get your mind blown.
Heaven for Skeptics
is due out in 2008. I'll update progress right here.
This page was last
updated December 11, 2007
Click cover to go home.
