Fear by all means is not a pleasant emotion. Having to experience terror, being threatened, feeling doomed, is quite naturally a negative feeling. It isn’t something that one wishes to feel. Fear in the circles of Christian belief is one that is often suppressed. As a Christian believer myself, I have found myself afraid many times. But I have also found that at times my fear is unnecessary because I always place my hope in Christ. But fear, regardless of where our faith lies, is a natural reaction that often is unavoidable.

I like to write fiction that crosses the line. Gently coloring outside of them is not enough for me. I don’t want to write within the bounds of a “You Can’t Say this or do that criteria…” Please understand I am neither mocking nor complaining about any publisher in the Christian industry. What I am saying however, is for me, I want to explore the questions that some may or may not be daring to explore.

In my Short Story “Compulsion” I asked the questions- Can God forgive a monster? Could he forgive someone that murdered for enjoyment…? Could he forgive a Hitler, Stalin, or Jim Jones…? But more importantly, could I accept the fact that he would forgive them…?

With my upcoming Novella “My Friend Louie” I ask the question- For those of us that struggle in life, for those of us who face deep psychological issues, does God care that we suffer…?  I will admit, that none of those questions were fun to explore. They were quite frightening indeed. It’s by all means never fun to make assumptions. However, when exploring philosophical concepts sometimes the answers aren’t clear and assumptions are all we have. The Bible I believe provides us with many answers, and likewise provides us with the character of God. But often times the Bible is silent in places where we would like it to be bold.

There are many in the Christian industry that would look at my writing and say “It’s too dark…” That’s okay, because those readers aren’t my market. There are many in the non-Christian industry that would say I’m too preachy. That also is ok. As I just mentioned, they aren’t my market. My market is those who are willing to look beyond the surface, and aren’t afraid to dive deep and explore the depths that most folks never take the time to search themselves.

For me, stories are only the form to achieve that. But stories are more than simply a tale that may leave us up turning the pages well into the early morning hours. I want to tell stories that leave you with a thought. Leave you with a desire to explore the question further. I hope I manage to achieve that. Because for me, that is where the real measure of success lies. Fear is not pleasant, but often fear is the force that drives us to dive deep.