They are not religious novels, but my characters live
in the deeply religious culture of the “Bible Belt.”
Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind
It’s 1975.
Peter Broussard drove from California to Birmingham, Alabama for a new job. He wants to make a difference in the lives of others, but also hopes the cross-country move gives him a renewed sense of purpose and peace from his troubled past.
What he finds is social indifference, bigotry, internal power struggles, the privilege of wealth, outdated traditions, suspicion of outsiders, illegal drug use, child abuse, and plenty of sexual secrets.
And that’s just in the Southern Baptist Church where he’s now the youth minister.
Like any new job, his first weeks are spent acclimating to the new surroundings and getting to know the people in the church: his boss, the no-nonsense, change-resistant Senior Pastor, a beautiful neighbor who envisions more than ministry with him, forcing him to confront painful memories of his past, the array of teenagers who comprise the youth group, with more problems than he expected, but with more potential than he could imagine, an ever-efficient secretary who helps him navigate the church’s entrenched, exhausting bureaucracy, and work with those determined to see him fail.
But he's also impacted by folks he encounters outside the church’s stained-glass windows: the director of an inner city mission actively involved in helping the predominately poor section of the city, a black, ex-junkie who befriends him—a friendship not popular in the church, and those wounded by the church’s inflexible dogma.
All these people trigger challenging doubts Peter has about his life, his beliefs, even his career-choice. The nagging questions lead him on a personal journey to discover that Guiding Force he comes to identify as “The Wind.”
In the process, he must face the grief of devastating tragedies in his past in order to make the necessary decisions required to shape a meaningful future.
Click HERE to read the first three chapters.
The Mind Set on the Flesh
Barnabas “Thumper” Rivers is a gregarious party boy trying to break free of his strict religious upbringing. His father is a nationally-known hellfire-and-brimstone preacher with a relentless crusade against those living a “sinful lifestyle” (like his son).
Thumper probably knows more Scripture than most Bible teachers and likes to quote verses at the most unusual times and in the most unlikely places. He also has a unique ability to discern those who are hiding secret desires behind a “stained-glass” facade.
He doesn’t believe in love, but is a devoted disciple of lust—an ambassador to the pleasures of the flesh and a walking testimony to the flesh out of control. His quick wit, outgoing personality and good looks score him ample attention and plenty of one-night stands.
After being brutally beaten by a mentally unstable man, Thumper is left with little memory of his past and a desperate desire to remember his forgotten life and his friends. He’s unaware that his parents and his doctor are determined to prevent that from happening.
The aftermath and repercussions of Thumper’s tragic incident also ripple through a circle of people around him, forcing them to face their own reality.
The Mind Set on the Flesh is a story of deception and manipulation in the name of religion.
But what happens when the truth comes to light?
A Time to Every Purpose
Bailey Stewart recently lost the love of his life.
He has attended too many funerals of friend who died of AIDS. His own future is uncertain.
In the depths of grief and despair, he decides to end his life.
But on the night he intends to carry out this fatal plan, an unconventional, flamboyant angel appears in his bedroom, with an offer to help. He angrily rejects her proposal, and proclaims that everything would be fine if AIDS had never existed.
Unknown to him, he will get that wish. However, first he must travel with three Guides who show him various eras in gay and lesbian history in order to provide perspective on his own life and times, and hopefully prevent his deadly decision.
In the end, Bailey finds a world that was never impacted by AIDS. Unfortunately, it’s not the “dream come true” existence he imagined. And he’s faced with the another grave decision: live where he’s not infected, or return to his own life…where he might die.
The choice is not as clear-cut as it might seem.
A Double-Minded Man
Still grieving the recent loss of his wife, Nate Truett returns to work, ready to resume the familiar routine on staff at a conservative church in Birmingham, Alabama.
A chance encounter with openly gay Trey Stravos forces to the surface desires Nate has always successfully suppressed. As their friendship grows, Trey disrupts Nate’s self-imposed constraints, and introduces him to once-forbidden pleasures.
There’s a connection with Trey that Nate has never known, and an intimacy he didn’t expect. But what they’re doing goes against everything Nate’s been taught to believe.
Not to mention, if anyone found out, it would ruin his career.
Nate panics!
He begins attending a support group that promises it’s possible for him to change his sexual orientation.
The decision to get involved with this ministry does bring change, but not what Nate anticipated.
It also sets in motion events that thrust him into the media spotlight as a reluctant national spokesperson for successful transformation.
All while he struggles with unanswered questions and unresolved doubts.
To reconcile his internal conflict, Nate will have to question the faith he's always embraced and confront the feelings he's always hidden.
Click HERE to read the first two chapters.
Wandering Stars
Rory Kirk’s life in the small lake community is quiet. He’s well-liked and popular, busy with school, church, and the family grocery store.
Sometimes he wishes for more, but feels bound by obligation.
Or is it fear?
Hank Herschel’s life has not been quiet. Public scrutiny and bad decisions have taken a significant toll. He had it all, now his career is over.
To escape…to hide…he’s at his family’s long-abandoned cabin in a remote mountain area.
He’s looking for peace. For healing.
More than anything, he wants to be alone.
Hank’s encounter with Rory was unexpected.
Their connection is undeniable.
The timing is more than a little problematic.
Hank is only there for the summer.
There’s an obvious age difference.
Not to mention they are very different people, on very different paths.
Each admits there’s a growing attraction, just not to the other.
And both men are keeping secrets.
Can love and transparency unite the divergent trajectories of these Wandering Stars?
Click HERE to read the first two chapters.
Carter Caldwell and Benjamin Douglas were brought together by a crisis.
Their first meeting didn’t go well.
Now this unlikely pair must step out of their individual comfort zones, put aside their personal conflicts, and work together.
The life of a homeless teen, found unconscious in a parking lot, depends on them.
To keep him safe, they'll have to navigate the red tape of an over-crowded foster system, stand up to the objections of abusive parents, and confront multiple layers of bigotry.
Along the way, they'll develop a unique friendship that neither of them expected.
But one that might just change their lives.