Please welcome
Amy Deardon
Her debut novel
Tell us a little about your book?
What author’s books do you enjoy reading?
What one bit of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
What inspired you to write this particular book?
Tell us what we have to look forward to in the future. What new projects are you working on?
What message do you hope readers gain from your novel?
I’m married and fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with our two children, now 15 and 12. In my life B.C. (before children) I did bench science research and taught anatomy and physiology at an undergraduate level.
I undertook a personal quest to investigate the claims of Jesus’ resurrection with the goal of destroying them. To do this I studied biblical and extra-biblical accounts of Jesus and numerous commentaries by believers and skeptics alike, listed the facts agreed upon, and began to explore scenarios that could explain what was known. To my surprise and considerable dismay, the evidence kept pointing away from naturalistic explanations and eventually formed a virtually certain case for the resurrection of Jesus. Finally I admitted defeat and became a Christian
I was blown away by the evidence for the resurrection, and wanted to communicate this to others. Since stories can reach us where facts and figures don’t, I decided to write a novel. I wanted to make Lever exciting, not a list of fictional interviews, and had great fun learning to write and inventing a story world while taking care of children at home ?
I loved being able to explore my characters. A close second was coming up with extraordinary story problems and surprising solutions!
Least favorite were the times when the words or story direction weren’t coming, or weren’t *right.* The trick for this, if there is one, is to keep persisting and eventually it will break free.
Don’t expect to produce perfect prose off the bat – just as you wouldn’t expect to play a Beethoven Sonata for your first piano lesson. Just believe in yourself, and persist.
My favorite fiction writer is Michael Crichton – I love his mind-bending premises, and the story support he uses to make the premise believable. But really, I read all the time, and enjoy many authors.
While the emphasis is on the story, Lever fairly presents the arguments for and against the resurrection, and demonstrates (without the use of any fictional miracles) that the case for the resurrection is remarkable. I’d like the reader to race through this book to finish, close it, and then say, *wait a minute…* I’m hoping that believers may put this book into the hands of a non-Christian friend as a tool to open discussion of Who is Jesus? ’
I currently have two book projects. The first is my prequel, Nest Among the Stars, about the space station disaster that occurs to one of my main characters (Sara) before she emigrates to Israel, and involves the time machine in an unusual way (shock and awe!). The other project is nonfiction. The Story Template describes the story algorithm I’ve developed to allow a writer to develop a resonant, compelling inner/outer story (novel or screenplay) from the germ of an idea. This is information I’ve put together through my own studies, then refined through story-coaching multiple students, and I’m excited about it because this method of story development truly seems to work! I have a preliminary tutorial on my website under “resources,” if anybody is interested in taking a look.
Thanks for sharing with us!
What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Least?
Tell us a little about yourself?
In the near future, the Israeli military has developed a prototypic time machine. When believers in Yeshua (Jesus) create a politically explosive situation that threatens the balance of peace between Israel and nearby countries, the Israelis must send a team of four elite soldiers back to film the theft of Jesus’ body from the tomb and thus disprove Christianity. The team, consisting of a Special Forces soldier as leader (Benjamin), an ex-American astronaut as engineering specialist (Sara), an archaeologist, and a linguist, has exactly seventy-two hours to collect the video evidence. Drawn into a web of first century deception and death, the only way to escape is for the team to change the past. In the present, a traitor, Gideon, attempts to sabotage the mission and seize control of the military complex. Benjamin is the only one who can reveal him, but he is trapped two thousand years away. Even with a time machine, time is running out…
To keep going despite many obstacles. Things started moving when I gave this book to God.
What has been the most unexpected challenge you've had with becoming a published author?
Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her?
Sara was the first character I breathed life into, because she is me – focused, quiet, but beneath her calm exterior a seething mass of turmoil. Her faith journey parallels my own, in that she didn’t want to become a believer, but was pulled in by the strength of the evidence. She plays against Benjamin, a resourceful and brilliant leader who is torn between his attraction to Sara, her doubts, and carrying out the mission.
Visit her at:
