The Children of the Children follows a young man searching for answers and belonging, who found hope in an apocalyptic religious cult, one that his children would later try to escape. What was the initial idea behind this story, and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?

I got the idea for this story not long after the Cold War ended. Freedom seemed to be breaking out everywhere. What a difference a few decades have made. Authoritarianism is on the advance all over the world. So the novel became darker. Early in the story, Father Joseph says, “You give people a choice – freedom for themselves but also for their enemies, or subjugation for their enemies but also for themselves – and they’ll choose subjugation.” But it doesn’t have to be this way. I believe we choose our own destinies, both as an individual and as a society.

What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?

My main research was as an observer of human behavior. I’ve watched as family and friends have joined religions and left religions, trying to understand the evolution of their views and my own. I also re-read parts of the Bible, familiar to me for years, with a more open mind, asking myself not how the words could be used to comfort or inspire, but to control. Telling people that the Bible is infallible is like putting a gun in their hands. Who knows what they’ll do with it. In fact, Father Joseph’s Letters to his followers were the easiest part of this novel to write, because there were so many verses that, read the right way (or perhaps I should say the wrong way), could be used to back up what he was saying.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The main theme I tried to explore was the religious theme. Religion gets to the core of who we are as human beings, offering answers to where we come from, how to live our lives, and where we go after we die. But religion can be used against us. Abuse in extremist religion isn’t just possible, it’s practically inevitable. If a religious leader’s followers believe the Bible is infallible, then that leader can use nearly anything from the Bible to justify his actions.

A second theme in the novel is how national and even international events can shape decisions that people make about their personal lives, in ways they may not realize. Danny drops out of U.S. society at the height of the Vietnam War; years later, his son tries to escape a cult as East Europeans are escaping communism. The Children of the Children is set against a backdrop of world events. This was deliberate.

Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?

I think there’s a mistaken idea that people join cults because they’re “messed up,” or had a bad childhood, or are on drugs. By telling ourselves that, we insulate ourselves from the disturbing truth: Anyone can become susceptible to cults or to cult-like thinking. I showed where Danny, Deborah, and other characters were in their lives before they joined the Fishermen, and where they ended up at the end of the novel. Yes, I achieved what I wanted to.  

Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website