Meet and Greet Monday: Bruce Judisch

How would you describe your book? 

As a labor of love. The Journey Begun is part one of A Prophet’s Tale, a two-part series set in 8^th-century BC that focuses on the minor prophet Jonah Ben Amittai. Its prequel, Ben Amittai: First Call, opens the story and centers on the restoration of the land to Israel under King Jeroboam II, as prophesied by Jonah (2 Kings 14:23-25). 

The Journey Begun takes Jonah through his refusal to obey God and preach to Nineveh, his flight to Joppa and ensuing disastrous sea voyage, and the beginning of his journey to Nineveh. Part one ends with his arrival back in his hometown of Gath-hepher.  

The Word Fulfilled, part two (scheduled for release in early 2010), picks up in Gath-hepher and follows Jonah to Nineveh. It carries parallel plots unfolding in Nineveh and Assur, the capital of Assyria, as God prepares the city to receive His Word.

What message do you hope to convey in your series? 

The Journey Begun sets forth the theme that, as God’s people, what we do - both good and bad - affects others around us, never just ourselves. Jonah’s rebellion sparks a series of misadventures in his ‘escape’ to Joppa in which people get hurt and things are broken — much like what happens when we rebel against God today. Added to his journey back to Gath-hepher after his harrowing escape from the storm are Jonah's efforts to right the wrongs he has effected during his flight from God. Such efforts are not made to win the favor of God, or to work our way back into His good graces, but because attending to the consequences of our sin is right and proper.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I loved researching the life and times of Jonah, ancient Israel and Assyria. Jonah is such a fascinating character—arguably one of the most unique in the entire Old Testament—but Scripture tells us so little about him. Creating the characters and events that enabled the storyline without violating the Scriptural account was a challenge and a joy.

What did you dislike most about writing this book?

Typos. I hate typos. Editing and re-editing a manuscript is tedious work, and one or two of the silly things still manage to squeak through into the final product. Seriously, there were no downsides to the project, from a writing standpoint. I loved every tedious minute.

Tell us about your writing process.

Seat of the pants. Some writers meticulously outline and stick to a structure. I start pounding keys and see where the story goes. Eventually you have to get organized, but that’s down the road for me, not at the beginning. You may have heard the phrase, “The book wrote itself.” Sounds trite, but, in my experience, there’s actually a lot of truth to that. For example, in The Journey Begun, I introduced a very minor character who was supposed to be little more than a prop. Suddenly, he jumped up and did something totally unexpected. I sat back from the keyboard and thought, “Hmm. How about that? I wonder where this is going to go.” So, I started typing again and the most poignant and action-filled scene was born. The whole ending of the book changed. How cool is that?  J

What inspired you to become a writer?

I teach an in-depth course through the minor Prophets for Sunday School.  In researching the character and book of Jonah, I was struck by the uniqueness of the Biblical account. In class, during the introductory session, I made the statement, “If I were to write a novel, I’d write it about Jonah.” My wife, Jeannie, was in the class and, bless her heart, she held me to my word. I typed the first line of Ben Amittai: First Call in July 2002 and typed the last line of The Word Fulfilled in spring of 2009. The intervening years of discovery about writing were inspirational in themselves.

What books do you enjoy reading?

I enjoy a balance of fiction and non-fiction. I review Christian fiction on my Web site, so I'm spending a lot of time with fiction at the moment.

In the fiction realm, I love historical fiction. Francine Rivers’ The Mark of the Lion series started me on the genre. I also enjoy Bodie and Brock Thoenes’ work, as well as Tommy Tenney's. The book I’m just finishing is L.D. Alford’s Centurion, which is excellent.

In non-fiction, the Bible tops the list. I also read theological studies, most recently those by N.T. Wright, C.S. Lewis (why do all these guys use initials?) and Scott Hahn.

Where can readers buy your book?

My publisher deals primarily with online outlets such as Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and the like.

What are you working on now?

I am finalizing the most enjoyable thing I’ve written so far. I absolutely love it! I was privileged to be stationed in Berlin, Germany, in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell. Perhaps you saw photos of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the Wall celebrating. I was among them. I witnessed a scene (of which I snapped a picture) near the Wall of a man holding up a piece of paper with the name “Katia” scrawled on it. That image became the seed for my newest novel of the same name. If I may, I've provided a quick synopsis, below. I hope it sounds as intriguing to you as it was for me to write.

Katia Synopsis

“Seek the truth, embrace the pain, cherish the freedom.”

Spunky Madeline “Maddy” McCann is a twenty-one year-old Irish-American journalism major completing her year as an exchange student at the Freie Universtität, in Berlin, Germany. She has a career to launch.

Stalwart Katia Mahler is a sixty-six year-old German invalid who grew up in post-World War II East Berlin. She has a story to tell.

Enigmatic Oskar Schultmann brings together the journalist and the storyteller. Maddy’s task: to chronicle Katia Mahler’s life.

All three of them discover more to Katia’s story than they bargained for.

Cultures and generations clash, as the young American and the German matron strive to understand each other’s present and past. Maddy learns more than a personal history; Katia receives more than a memoir. And always in the background is Oskar, who is drawn into the story in ways he never intended.

Peek over the Berlin Wall and behind the Iron Curtain as Katia’s story—the story of a lost generation from a failed state—comes to life through the scribbled notes of a girl struggling to grasp the significance of what she has written for her own life, as well as for future generations.


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