What is the work of a novel? To bring reconciliation. A novel is a recorded story that notices the broken pieces of its world and tries to knit them together. My task as a writer is to find agency in relationships with the characters first and foremost. Other factors may play a role in effecting outcomes, but it is how the characters react to situations that makes it all believable and entertaining.
In my new novel, Lion of Judah, I have had the pleasure of living with the characters in my series for well over a decade. At my invitation, they all moved in and refused to exit until I told their stories. Fortunately, Kay and I did not have to feed them, wash their laundry, or share the bathroom. There would have been a revolt. But they dominated my imagination, which is the way I work.
The invitation included a whole host of characters with multiple generations of families all with their unique external trials and internal conflicts. It was a challenge to keep everyone and every plotline straight; reconciled, if you will. I don’t mean reconciled with happy endings. I mean reconciled with believable endings, believable because what each character revealed about themselves and the actions they took had to be true and result in logical conclusions.
I pay very close attention to my characters, watching and listening. While I do not attempt to impose my will, I will not allow them to make false choices or speak inauthentic words. The task is mostly a pleasure. When fatigue strikes I have to walk away even when a character is demanding attention.
Because The Song of Prophets and Kings series is taken from the biblical records of 1st and 2nd Samuel, I had particular facts that had to be honored and a certain narrative structure that had to be followed if everything was to align. I honored the “facts” in Scripture, while allowing my imagination to encompass situations and characters’ personal connections with one another to show a humanity.
Lion of Judah brings this series to a close. As I invited the biblical characters into my life, I now invite readers into the literary results of my imagination. I invite you to sit still for a while, get so lost in the story that you ignore the notifications on your electronic devices. This has been a multi-level creative process that has afforded me great pleasure. I wish the same experience for each and every reader.
