Meet and Greet Monday: E. G. Lewis

Book Giveaway Drawing! (Details below)

E. G. (Edward) Lewis was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He writes both Commercial and Christian fiction and has three published novels. A second mainstream novel set on the Oregon Coast, LOST, is currently undergoing final revision and he continues work on additional volumes in The Seeds of Christianity™ Series. A former newspaper editor and publisher, his articles have appeared in national and regional magazines. He has also written and directed corporate training films. Mr. Lewis earned a graduate degree in Economics from Ohio State University and worked in Planning and Corporate Management for many years before becoming a fulltime novelist. He and his wife, Gail, also a writer, live on the Southern Oregon Coast.

His blog, Sowing the Seeds, The Life and Times of the Early Church, can be found at http://www.seedsofchristianity.com/wordpress/

Interview with E. G. Lewis

  BRC: How would you describe your book?
Disciple is Biblical Fiction…the second book in my Seeds of Christianity Series. I typically begin by explaining that Book One, Witness, told the story of Rivkah, a young shepherd girl, who was in the fields on that first Christmas and, years later, witnessed the crucifixion. Disciple picks up with Acts, telling the story of her family’s conversion, their persecution by Saul, and eventual move to Antioch where they help establish the church there.
BRC: What message do you hope it conveys?
The series depicts day-to-day life as it was lived by 1st Century believers. I hope to convey their deep spirituality, steadfast commitment to life and devotion to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

BRC: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The research. The more I learn about the life and times of the early Church the more I stand in awe of those early Christians and all they accomplished. It’s been a faith journey for me.

BRC: What did you dislike most about writing this book?
I sometimes have a lot of balls in the air. As much as I love learning and sharing new ideas and insights, I never anticipated the demands on my time would be as great as they’ve become.

BRC: What inspired you to become a writer?
In one way or another, writing has always been part of my life. I’ve written for newspapers and magazines…even wrote and directed corporate training films. But the idea of writing a novel intimidated me. I imagined novelists as Ivy League types in tweed jackets. Eight years ago I succumbed to my wife’s persistent encouraging and haven’t looked back.

BRC: Tell us about your writing process.
I’m an organic writer, meaning I let the story flow rather than work from a detailed outline. I start each book with as much research as possible. Then I open a spreadsheet and block out the story in general terms. From there I follow my character’s lead inserting, re-arranging and modifying as the story progresses. It can be chaotic, but it’s the only way that works for me.

BRC: What are you working on now?
I’m deep into the third book, Apostle. The series was originally planned as a trilogy. When I completed Disciple I realized there was too much material left for just one more book, so we planned a fourth one. Apostle will focus entirely on events in the life of the Antioch Church.

BRC: What books do you enjoy reading?
Ironically, I have so much nonfiction reading to do for my research that I don’t get to read as much fiction as I’d like. My favorites have plots that revolve around historical settings.

BRC: Where can readers buy your book?
They can be ordered at any bookstore or through your favorite online booksellers: Amazon, B&N, Powell’s, Books-a-Million, etc., or through the publisher at http://www.capearagopress.com/.

BRC: Where can readers find you online?
I maintain a blog called Sowing the Seeds (www.seedsofchristianity.com/wordpress/). Its primary focus is the life and times of the Early Church. I also do occasional book reviews, along with Series updates and insights into the writing life.

~ Synopsis ~

When Rivkah and her family convert to The Way, prejudice forces them out their settlement near Bethlehem. They move to Jerusalem and quickly become ensnared in Saul’s persecution of the early Church. Forced to flee for their lives, they leave Jerusalem with Simon Peter to sow the seeds of Christianity in Antioch.

Experience life in the early Church through this well-researched and historically accurate novel: Watch the first Christians struggle to live out the teachings of Yeshua in an often hostile environment. Sit beside the twelve apostles as they partition the world and begin their mission of preaching and teaching. Encounter Saul of Tarsus, the scourge of the early Church…and Stephen, the first to die for his faith.

Stand beside Channah as she watches a mob stone the man she loves. Meet Pavlos of Antioch, the mute giant whose actions speak louder than words, and whose innate goodness created a ministry to the weak and helpless. Weep for Eleana, the young Parthian woman who was savagely attacked by a Roman soldier and must now decide whether to bear the child that must be his.

Walk with the early Disciples as they sow the Seeds of Christianity.

 

~ Chapter 1 ~

Rivkah’s skin prickled at the sound of their coarse laughter.

Tossing a damp towel over the dough she’d been kneading, she whipped off her apron and raced to the window. Ear cocked, she huddled beside the window’s hide covering listening.

The jumble of voices, though indistinct, grew steadily louder. Somewhere beyond the hill a rooster crowed and chickens squawked in fright.

The tromp of hobnailed sandals on the road winding through the cluster of small homes in their settlement made her heart pound. Rivkah strained to decipher their conversation. She caught a smattering of words and phrases. Among them meretrix, the Roman word for prostitute.

Expletives, grunts of acknowledgement and additional coarse laughter followed.

Soldiers. Roman soldiers on the march.

Why here? Why now?

Rivkah lifted the worn corner of the window covering. Peering through a green curtain of fig leaves, she watched six Legionnaires descend the hill toward her home. Six professional soldiers could decimate her small community much as they had when Herod the King sent them in search of infant boys. The memory made her shudder.

She eased back the hide cover and glanced into the sleeping area.

Though it was already mid-morning, her husband, Shemu’el, dozed on the bed. The night before he’d sprinkled medicine from the vase shaped like a poppy pod into his wine to help him sleep. His right leg, broken weeks earlier, remained encased in a heavy plaster cast. He sighed in his sleep, coughed, and brushed away a fly crawling on his forehead.

Rivkah waited until he resumed snoring then crossed to the front of the house. She pressed her back against the wall between the door and the front window and eased the bolt across the doorframe.

Shafts of sunlight cut through the clouds of yellow dust billowing around the soldier’s feet. Their insignias indicated they were part of the Jerusalem detachment stationed at Antonia Fortress, the military garrison adjacent to Herod’s Temple. But Bethlehem was miles from Jerusalem and this little shepherd’s settlement farther still.

Why were they so far from home?

The soldiers were 50 cubits from the path leading to their door and closing fast. She knew she had to do something…but what?

Carrying their arms loosely, they laughed and chatted as they walked. Their pace had the cadence of a drum roll. From long habit they maintained the Imperial standard of 3.6 Roman miles per hour regardless of the terrain.

So long as their swords remained holstered she allowed herself to hope they were merely passing through. Undefended women were at risk anytime soldiers moved through the countryside. Bad things happened to a woman left alone.

Despite his handicap, she knew Shemu’el would rise to defend her. Better he sleep undisturbed. On his best days, he could barely hobble on his walking sticks.

Rivkah ran her eyes around their modest home searching for a weapon, any weapon. She spotted a sickle hanging above the door. The week before her middle son, Yaakov, had sharpened its crescent-shaped blade in anticipation of harvest. Twisting to her left, she reached up and snatched it off the hook.

Her stomach lurched.

They were outside now. The men drew even with the path leading to her home and continued on without missing a beat.

Rivkah released her breath and, for the first time, relaxed a little. Sickle in hand, she ran to the window beside the bed. Her foot brushed the night pot as she passed and its white pottery lid clanked against the bowl.

Shemu’el woke with a start and glanced around. “Heh? Wha…”

The after effects of the narcotic he’d taken dulled his mind and slowed his reactions. Digging an elbow into the bed, he used it to leverage himself onto his side. His right leg, encased in a cast, thumped onto the bed.

Finger to her lips, Rivkah spun to face him. “Shhh!”

Shemu’el shook his head, clearing the fog in his brain. His brow knitted as he watched his wife crouch beneath the window clutching the sickle like a battle axe.

“What is going on?” he whispered.

She fluttered her hand at him and stared at the soldier’s backs until they marched out of the settlement.

Shemu’el, now fully alert, heard their footfalls fading in the distance. “How many?”

“Six.” She continued watching from the window. “Just passing through. They’re on their way out now.”

He grabbed her arm and jerked her around. “Why didn’t you wake me? What if they came to the door…broke into the house?”

Rivkah shrugged, trying to appear calmer than she was. “You and I both know there is little you could have done.”

He released his breath in a huff. “I am still the man of this house. You should have woken me.”

“Why? So you could challenge six men and be killed?”

Rivkah carried the sickle into the kitchen with her. Setting it aside, she tied on her apron.

“All I have are loaves left from last evening.” She pointed to the mound of dough hidden under the cloth. “The soldiers interrupted my baking.”

Rivkah filled a cup with warm apple peel tea, swirled in honey, and carried it to him.

Shemu’el took a sip and nodded appreciatively. “What is done is done. I know you’ve had to shoulder additional responsibility while my leg heals, but in another week or so all that will end.” He took another sip. “Fortunately, no harm came of it.”

In the kitchen Rivkah filled a plate with bread and soft cheese. She was stretching for a plum when a terrifying thought stopped her. Their youngest daughter had taken the sheep to pasture that morning. Channah was alone in the meadow and six soldiers were headed in her direction.

“Channah!” The plate slipped from Rivkah’s fingers and crashed to the floor.

“What about her?”

Ignoring the shards on the floor, she grabbed her veil and swept it over her head. “She is out with the sheep. I must find her.”

“You cannot go alone. Help me up.” Shemu’el waved his arm and rocked in the bed, trying to rise.

Rivkah snatched up the sickle and raced out the door leaving him to fend for himself.

Book Giveaway Drawing: Leave a comment to this post to be entered in the drawing for a free copy of Disciple. Please include a way to reach you online or your entry will be ineligible. Entries will be accepted until this Wednesday at midnight (Pacific Coast time/United States). The winner will be posted on this blog this Friday. 

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