Where is Justine Bishop? And why did she abandon her children?
Thomas Kent is determined to find out. Asked to pick up a "package" at the airport by an old friend he barely remembers, Thomas is shocked when he finds two desperate children looking to him for help. As he’s reluctantly drawn into the murderous plot of a ruthless cult, Thomas is forced to come face-to-face with his own torturous guilt over the tragic loss of his family and faith. Why does the cult so desperately want the kids? Their mother, Justine Bishop, holds the key. He just has to find her . . . or die trying
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
James Pence is a multi-talented author, published in both fiction and nonfiction. James broke into book publishing in 2001 when Osborne/McGraw-Hill published How to Do Everything with HTML, a book about Web authoring. He is also the co-author of Terror by Night, the stunning true story of Terry Caffey, a modern-day Job who lost his wife and children to murder and then forgave the killers. When he's not writing, James is a performance chalk artist, singer and speaker. In his spare time he teaches karate, writing, and art to home schooled children. James has been called a “Renaissance man,” but he prefers to be known simply as a follower of Jesus Christ and a storyteller. James and his wife, Laurel, live near Dallas, Texas. They have been married for 33 years, and have two grown children and one granddaughter.
Website: http://www.jamespence.com
AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
God was calling you to ministry
at 14 years of age. How did you know it was Him?
I always get double-takes when I tell this story, but God
called me into ministry before I was saved. It’s a long story, but here’s the
condensed version: I grew up in church and always believed in God, but I’d
never cracked open a Bible. In fact, at 13 I was much more interested in the
occult than I was church. One of my favorite books was The Black Arts by
Richard Cavendish. Believe it or not, I also served as an altar boy at the
time.
One day just before the service started, my pastor dropped a bomb on me by asking if I’d ever considered going into ministry. I told him that I wasn’t really interested in being a minister. I thought it would end there, but it didn’t.
One day just before the service started, my pastor dropped a bomb on me by asking if I’d ever considered going into ministry. I told him that I wasn’t really interested in being a minister. I thought it would end there, but it didn’t.
God had planted a seed in me, and over the next six months
or so, I couldn’t get the idea of ministry out of my head. It seemed like
everything that happened to me was something else that pointed toward the fact
that I should go into ministry. And so one night I clearly remember laying on
my bed and praying and saying, "God, I don't know why you want me, but if
you want me to be a minister that's what I'll do."
After that time I took an interest in reading the Bible and
learning about the things of the Lord. I even turned on the television one day
and decided to listen to a preacher named Billy Graham. And you can imagine
what happened after that. It wasn't long before I placed my faith in Jesus
Christ. So God actually used that call to ministry to bring me to Himself. And
that's why I can look back now and have no doubts about God's call on my life,
because I knew before I was even saved that he wanted me to serve him.
Knowing at a
young age is one thing, but following through as you grow into adulthood is
another. Did you purposefully take any steps to help you fulfill the call on
your life?
I got involved in quite a few home Bible studies and found a
Bible-believing church. However, I also had plans for the future. I knew of only
one Christian college--Letourneau college in Longview Texas. One of my cousins
went there a number of years before that. And so I planned to go to Letourneau
and major in Bible. From there I went on to Dallas Bible College and later from
there to Dallas seminary.
It’s
inspiring to see how many ways God’s using your talents! One of those talents
is chalk talk. Could you share with us how you got involved and developed your
skill in this type of art?
I've always been interested in art, painting, and drawing.
Even when I was growing up I loved to paint and sketch. When I was in Bible
College I saw some chalk artists and, like many people, was fascinated by what
they did. But I didn't become interested in being a chalk artist until I was in
ministry down in south Louisiana. I was a youth pastor at Lake Charles Bible
Church and was working at a summer camp. That summer, the speaker was a chalk
artist. When I watched him draw, something just clicked right there. I asked
him to give me a few pointers one afternoon, and after that I went back to Lake
Charles, built a monstrosity of an easel, and began to draw.
My development as a chalk artist took off when I went to
classes taught by one of the greatest chalk artists who has ever lived, Rev.
Ding Teuling. I studied under Ding for eight years running, and that's where I
learned how to develop my skill and improve the quality of my artwork.
You’ve said
in an interview: “One of the great things about chalk art is that even if the
people who see the drawing don’t remember everything I say, they will remember
the picture and the Scripture that the picture represented.” Do you feel the
same way about your fiction writing? Why or why not?
I never really thought about that, but I'd have to say that
I do feel the same way about my fiction. There are many details woven into a
story that most readers are not going to remember. But if they can remember the
main idea, the main theme, and perhaps the Scripture associated with it then I
think it can have a lasting impact on their lives. If the story is powerful
enough, people will remember.
Speaking of
fiction, share with us how you developed the story of Unseen. How much
did you know ahead of time about the plot and characters?
Actually I knew very little about the plot and not much more
about the characters. Before I started writing I spent a lot of time thinking
about what I wanted my cult to look like and who my main character was going to
be, but I didn't spend a lot of time writing detailed character profiles. As
for plot, I remember writing a one-page, single-spaced synopsis of where I
wanted the story to go. It was very sketchy and just covered the main points of
the plot.
Many of the plot twists in Unseen came as complete surprises to me, and that's when
writing is fun. Stephen King, I believe, has said that he often feels like the
first reader of his novels rather than the writer. I can understand that. When
I wrote Unseen, it was
almost as if I was just watching the characters go through the story rather
than write the story. It was a blast!
The novel
deals with many serious topics, including cults. Does this come from personal
experience or research?
A little of both. As I mentioned earlier, before I trusted
Christ as my savior I had a very deep interest in the things of the occult. I
read many books on ghost hunting, ESP, demonology, and just about anything else
I could get my hands on. I had a very deep desire to become involved in these
things, but God in his grace and providence prevented that from happening. However,
there was that background of interest in dark things.
After I became a believer, I struggled for a while because I
really didn't have a source of good teaching. But one day I came across a
Christian bookstore and discovered cassette teaching tapes. One of my favorites
back then was Dr. Walter Martin and his Kingdom of the Cults series. So, early
in my Christian life I knew more about cults and their false teachings then
just about anything else.
Finally, in my life I’ve seen three major cult events--Jonestown,
David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and the Heaven's Gate cult in San Diego.
When I wrote Unseen I
wanted to portray cults like this and how they manipulate the minds of their
victims.
You also
teach karate to a group of homeschoolers. How did you come to learn karate
yourself?
I started learning karate back in 1997 with my
eight-year-old son. We took karate together as a father-son activity, and at 42
years old I was in serious need of some exercise. However, I had no idea that I
would eventually end up as an instructor. Better than that, I own the school
now.
Is there
anything about karate you’ve learned, perhaps a principle that you’ve been able
to implement in your writing?
Well for starters, karate has had a practical impact on my
life. Writing is a very sedentary way to earn a living and it's easy to get out
of shape. Teaching karate at least forces me to work out and not become a couch
potato. Actually, I do a lot of my writing in a recliner, so maybe it would be
recliner potato.
I think one principle from karate that does come through is
that of persistence. It takes a long time and a lot of hard work to earn a
black belt. You have to be committed over a long period of time if you want to
reach your goal. Likewise, writing a novel or a nonfiction book takes that same
kind of persistence and commitment over time. You've got to be in it for the
long haul if you want to reach your goal.
Several of
your books have in some way tackled the question where is God in tragedy?
That’s a theme that’s hit close to you and your family too. Can you share about
the tragedy that struck your family many years ago and what would you say to
someone who’s facing a similar tragedy and is tempted to leave their faith
behind?
I suppose if there is an overriding theme to my writing, it
is that we can trust God in all circumstances—even tragedy. That theme is
present in Unseen, as well as my other books.
And it all grows out of my wife's and my own personal experience with our
daughter.
We lost our first child when she was a week old. It wasn’t a
surprise; we learned twenty weeks into the pregnancy that she had severe birth
defects and wouldn't survive long. I struggled with that for quite a while,
wondering how or why God would allow something like that to happen. It's a very
long story, but over the years I have seen how God worked in our lives through
the loss of our little daughter and how he has used that event to impact
others. God does not explain himself to us; he asks us to trust him. I think
one of the goals of the Christian life is to learn to trust God in that way.
There are a lot of little "insider" elements in Unseen that you wouldn't pick up
unless you knew me and knew me well. One of those is that one of the characters
in Unseen, Michelle, is
named after our daughter.
What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?
What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?
I love astronomy. I’m on the board of commissioners for the
Greenville (TX) Housing Authority.
When you’re
not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
Reading novels, chilling with my wife, and going to movies
with my daughter and her boyfriend. Also playing piano and doing watercolor
paintings.
What did you
eat for breakfast this morning?
Cereal and milk, with uncooked oatmeal sprinkled in. Yum.
Three things
always found in your refrigerator:
Diet Soda, tortillas, and cheese.
You’re next
in line at Starbucks. What are you ordering?
Whatever the coffee of the day is – strong, black, and
undoctored.
What’s left
unchecked in your “goals for life” list?
Taking a cruise to Alaska and seeing the Northern Lights.
Three words
that best describe you:
Blessed beyond measure.
MY REVIEW:
This book is incredibly suspenseful! So much so that I had to set it down several times because my heart couldn't take it. lol It is a very well written book full of twists and turns and you just aren't sure what's going to happen next.
Thomas is a man with things that haunt him. He's living a life in one room with his German Shepherd, Gumbo (don't you love that name?). He get's a cryptic message saying, "Save...My...Children". He has no idea what this means until he gets the secret code that he and his fellow believers set up in college. It was a code to let the others know that they need help and they all promise to be there for one another.
Thomas really doesn't want to get involved, but when he sees the danger that these two children are in, he does the right thing. I really enjoyed the children - twins, one a boy who is blind and his sister. The boy especially was really a great character as he truly "saw" more than his sister, who is sighted.
The evilness of this cult is so horrible that it just took my breath away. The things people were willing to do for Father Antoine was just stunning. Murder was nothing if it was done in his name. It just chilled me to the bone - it was horrible.
This action packed book will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time as Thomas and the children try to dodge these evil people. They are threatened because what they have can blow the lid off the whole sorted, horrible cult. You'll be cheering Thomas and his friends as they try to bring light on this very dark cult.
If you love an action packed thriller, this is the book for you! The story line is amazing and the characters are ones you won't soon forget! I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Mountain View Books, LLC
Where
is Justine Bishop? And why did she abandon her children?
Thomas Kent is determined to find out. Asked to pick up a "package" at the airport by an old friend he barely remembers, Thomas is shocked when he finds two desperate children looking to him for help. As he’s reluctantly drawn into the murderous plot of a ruthless cult, Thomas is forced to come face-to-face with his own torturous guilt over the tragic loss of his family and faith. Why does the cult so desperately want the kids? Their mother, Justine Bishop, holds the key. He just has to find her . . . or die trying.
- See more at: http://mountainviewbooks.com/books/unseen-pence.htm#sthash.1HRytAUd.dpuf
Thomas Kent is determined to find out. Asked to pick up a "package" at the airport by an old friend he barely remembers, Thomas is shocked when he finds two desperate children looking to him for help. As he’s reluctantly drawn into the murderous plot of a ruthless cult, Thomas is forced to come face-to-face with his own torturous guilt over the tragic loss of his family and faith. Why does the cult so desperately want the kids? Their mother, Justine Bishop, holds the key. He just has to find her . . . or die trying.
- See more at: http://mountainviewbooks.com/books/unseen-pence.htm#sthash.1HRytAUd.dpuf
Where
is Justine Bishop? And why did she abandon her children?
Thomas Kent is determined to find out. Asked to pick up a "package" at the airport by an old friend he barely remembers, Thomas is shocked when he finds two desperate children looking to him for help. As he’s reluctantly drawn into the murderous plot of a ruthless cult, Thomas is forced to come face-to-face with his own torturous guilt over the tragic loss of his family and faith. Why does the cult so desperately want the kids? Their mother, Justine Bishop, holds the key. He just has to find her . . . or die trying.
- See more at: http://mountainviewbooks.com/books/unseen-pence.htm#sthash.1HRytAUd.dpuf
Thomas Kent is determined to find out. Asked to pick up a "package" at the airport by an old friend he barely remembers, Thomas is shocked when he finds two desperate children looking to him for help. As he’s reluctantly drawn into the murderous plot of a ruthless cult, Thomas is forced to come face-to-face with his own torturous guilt over the tragic loss of his family and faith. Why does the cult so desperately want the kids? Their mother, Justine Bishop, holds the key. He just has to find her . . . or die trying.
- See more at: http://mountainviewbooks.com/books/unseen-pence.htm#sthash.1HRytAUd.dpuf
Blessings - Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave me a message! I love hearing what you have to say and look forward to your comments.