The Stone Cutter: A novel of Petra in Ancient Arabia follows a young sculptor who, after losing his family, sets off on a life-altering expedition. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Forty some years ago, I read two ancient historical narratives (from the first century) which had a deep and lasting impact on me. In the first, an unnamed man of the middle east (called “Nahor” in my novel) was horrifically tormented by demons and then was dramatically rescued on the shore of a lake. In the second, a man actually named Sha’ul, another middle-east man, was from a well-to-do family and a rising star among his peers. He traveled to a foreign city to advance his personal agenda but was dramatically stopped in his tracks by the same rescuer, causing him to profoundly reassess his life.

There are aspects of both these men’s stories with which I personally identify. While I have never been beset by demons in an overt way, I once found myself in an absolutely inescapable and hopeless situation, desperate for rescue. And I also once found myself pursuing nothing more than my own agenda, and was stopped dead in my tracks, causing me to re-evaluate my entire life. Because of the personal connection I felt I had with these two men’s lives, over the decades I read and re-read their stories, finally coming to the conclusion that it was possible their two stories may have overlapped somehow.

What was the inspiration for the culture of your characters? Is it modeled after any particular society?

The possible convergence of these two men’s lives seemed to have an epicenter in the Nabataean Kingdom of the first century. I didn’t really know anything about Nabataea (you may know its capital as the city of Petra), so I started reading everything I could find on it. I have a large shelf of about 300 archaeological studies and reports on Petra, and nearly every book written on the people and their culture.

But, compared to most cultures, it turns out that not a lot is known about these people. They left virtually no written records or archives, despite the fact that they were a very literate people. Most of the written texts we have from them are either inscriptions carved into temples, tombs, and monuments, or the tens of thousands of graffiti that are found all over the desert, scratched or chiseled into desert rocks by people merely passing through.

The Nabataeans seemingly came out of nowhere—possibly as nomads from the Arabian deserts—around 300BC. And within an extremely short period of time they became one of the top economic powers (some say THE economic power) of the world. Also in a very short time, they went from having nearly no resources, technology or art, to a high level of development in the areas of architecture, masonry, sculpting, fine pottery, and extensive understanding of hydrology.

The Nabataeans are an incredibly fascinating people, and the city they built as their capital was something of a Las Vegas at that time. Merchants, politicians, and other travelers journeyed through the parched desert for weeks on the backs of camels, and upon entering the city were greeted by sights unimaginable. Water was everywhere—swimming pools, fountains, even man-made waterfalls. Water seemed to be exhorbitantly wasted by the kingdom as visible demonstration of their prowess and wealth. And the city was filled with exquisite temples, meeting halls, and monuments, each amazingly carved in a single piece from solid rock.

What was one scene in the novel that you felt captured the morals and message you were trying to deliver to readers?

Through a selfless act, the protagonist Nahor loses his ability to advance in his profession as sculptor. Desperate to hold on to his ambition, he pursues a powerful, mysterious object called the Shamir. The quest ultimately takes him to the ends of the known world, and causes him to throw away things of true value along the way. What he hopes will liberate him, by resurrecting his profession, instead, plunges him into the misery of slavery to demonic entities.

Many of the things we pursue in this life, things we want to capture and make our own, can end up capturing us, enslaving us, and making us their own. So often, we cast aside things of true value—matters of the heart—seeking things that may be shiny and attractive for a moment, but require a lasting cost.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

The next in my seven book series, Waters In the Desert, examines the life of the little known queen, Shuqilat. Shuqilat was the second queen of King Haretat, the great builder of Petra. No one knows what happened to his first queen, Khuldu, though some speculate that she was either put away hurriedly by the king, or that her death was not a natural one.

In general, Nabataean women enjoyed a far greater freedom (economically, socially, and politically) than most of their sisters throughout the world. They apparently owned property and businesses by themselves. And they even shared the political limelight, as seen by the queens’ portraits alongside those of their royal husbands on coinage of the realm.

In the novel’s setting of the first century, Nabataea was at a great crossroads, in time and place. Nabataea was at the center of the only place on earth where three continents converge: Africa, Asia, and Europe. And because of expanding travel and trade throughout the world, cultures, religions, art, and technology were constantly cross-pollinating in Petra. The novel explores Shuqilat wrestling with the great cultural and religious ferment of her time.

The book’s planned release is spring of 2024.

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