Blog Archives
The Eternal Bridge
The Eternal Bridge is a fantasy parable about a world healed on the surface yet still aching inside. The story begins three years after Geshriel becomes a living bridge that joins two once-hostile shores. People trade, marry, feast, and rebuild, and life looks whole again. Then small tremors shake the land, crops wither, and feasts feel thinner, and the community senses a deeper break between earth and heaven that no wooden span can fix. The book follows families like Fidel and Verita, Liberta and Dathan, and many others as they wrestle with grief, restlessness, and hope while they wait for Geshriel to return and complete the work he began. In the final movement, the bridge turns into a vertical path of light, the dead are raised, a radiant city descends, and the people find their true home in the presence of the Lamb and the Maker, in a union that feels final and yet ever deepening.
I felt pulled in first by the tenderness of the relationships. The marriages and families feel warm and lived in, and I cared about them very quickly. The scenes of simple daily life on the bridge, the artisan work, the trade, the shared meals, all carry a quiet glow. When the cracks appear in that paradise, the emotional punch hits hard, because the book has already convinced me that this community matters. The later reunions with lost children, spouses, and elders hit an even deeper nerve. The big theological ideas turn very personal there, because the hope of resurrection shows up not as an abstract promise but as a mother getting her baby back, or a couple finally freed from decades of guilt.
The prose leans lyrical and earnest, and sometimes it worked for me. The symbols are very clear, and the story rarely hides what it wants to say. The bridge, the orchard, the feast, the tremors, every image points to a spiritual theme. That clarity will comfort some readers. The early chapters linger on peaceful life on the bridge, and a few of those sections felt long, while the cosmic finale races by in a rush of visions, reunions, and worship. I enjoyed that ending.
I would recommend The Eternal Bridge to readers who love clear, heartfelt Christian allegory and who enjoy stories in the vein of C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce or classic devotional fiction. If you are hungry for a story that talks openly about loss, longing, reunion, and eternal hope, and if you like the idea of seeing big doctrinal themes lived out in ordinary families, this novel will likely move you.
Pages: 223 | ASIN : B0G4NYKT9J
Major Transformations
The Cycle of Completion follows a young man with physical challenges in a sealed-off section of utopia who is thrust into leadership by the city residents who believe he can lead them out of these dark times. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Great question- The actual story was a dream that I had, but it was just the ending. When they are giving the scepter to David, thinking he is going to be the next king, but it really ends up being Elijah. Everything else ends up being good ideas that I blended into the story.
David’s transformation from a hesitant leader to a symbol of hope in your story was inspiring as he leaned on his faith to guide him. Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
Yes, but it just wasn’t David’s alteration; Elijah, Abdul, and Abaddon all had major transformations as well. Is that not reality, one event can change so many people. Think about 9/11.
Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to deliver an effective novel?
My gift is to entertain, crafting a story that can not only keep your interest, but also make these compelling characters, is my destiny. However, to bring the message of God to the masses, to scream out Jesus saves to the readers. That, my friend, is priceless!
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I am currently working on a book called Marcus Douglas Presents the Bruising of the Victor. It is a Spiritual Action Mystery, both highly entertaining and dually emotional.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
With the city foundering, critical systems grinding to a halt, and food stores dwindling, they find hope in young David Shakir, whose grandfather founded this great haven. But will that burden crush the young boy whose spent his life thought sickly and weak, confined to his wheelchair?
The city looks to David and his closeness to God for leadership and his armor bearer, Elijah Ruiz. Can they be able to lead them out of these dark times, or will the looming threat within the sealed off Locality Seven consume them all?
Marcus Douglas Presents The Cycle of Completion
The Cycle of Completion by Marcus Douglas introduces readers to New Jerusalem, a haven in a post-apocalyptic landscape plagued by internal discord and looming external dangers. The narrative centers on David Shakir, a young protagonist burdened by prophecy and physical challenges, who is thrust into a leadership role amidst escalating turmoil. This novel intricately weaves themes of faith, resilience, and divine providence, climaxing in a compelling finale that prompts a reevaluation of the concept of salvation.
Douglas adeptly handles these motifs, creating a compelling story that resonates well beyond the book’s conclusion. While the plot occasionally ventures into familiar territory and exhibits some uneven pacing, the detailed character development and rich thematic exploration significantly enrich the narrative. David’s evolution from a hesitant leader to a symbol of hope is particularly engaging, highlighting the transformative impact of faith when confronted with adversity. The author’s examination of human vulnerability and divine intervention invites readers to reflect deeply on their own views of fate and destiny, enhancing the connection with the protagonist. This book delivers a thought-provoking story that encourages introspection. Marcus Douglas’s narrative offers a timely meditation on the critical roles of trust and persistence through life’s challenges. This book comes highly recommended for its insightful portrayal and enduring themes.
The Cycle of Completion not only offers an immersive escape into a meticulously crafted world but also leaves a lasting impression with its profound exploration of spiritual and existential themes. Marcus Douglas’s narrative skillfully encourages the reader to ponder deeper questions of faith and purpose amidst adversity. As such, this novel stands out as a poignant reflection on human strength and the power of belief, making it a notable addition to the genre and a compelling read for those who appreciate stories that challenge and inspire.
Pages: 163 | ASIN : B0CQFZNYXF
The Living Bridge
Mike Cleveland’s The Living Bridge continues the sweeping saga begun in The Broken Bridge, drawing us back to the world split apart by the shattering of the ancient stone span across the Vitae River. This second volume narrows its focus to five broken lives in the months before Geshriel, the carpenter, gave himself as the keystone of a new living bridge. We meet Mary, tormented by demons of grief and despair; Lydia, stranded far from her family and branded an outsider; Matthias, the cursed builder crushed by guilt over his son’s death; Cleopus, a revolutionary consumed by anger; and Tamar, condemned by her own betrayal. Their stories unfold in three movements that build toward the moment when Geshriel’s love begins to transform both individuals and communities. The book blends allegory, spiritual reflection, and raw storytelling in a way that feels both ancient and startlingly present.
I found myself drawn in by the way Cleveland writes pain. He doesn’t dress it up or keep it at a safe distance. Instead, he lays it bare. Mary’s torment felt claustrophobic and heavy, yet it rang with truth about how grief can twist into lies we start to believe. Lydia’s yearning for her family carried me straight into her loneliness, and I felt her ache as if it were my own. The sorrow runs thick, and I caught myself needing to set the book down just to breathe. But that intensity is also its strength. It’s not a story of quick fixes or shallow hope. The book forces you to sit with loss before it shows you healing, and that honesty made the moments of light feel earned rather than cheap.
I appreciated the style of the writing. At times, it leans into bold, sermon-like declarations that give the story a sense of weight and authority. The message often comes through with such clarity that I found myself stopping to take it in, underlining sentences I didn’t expect to linger on. Phrases about love that refuses to let go or hope that survives silence stayed with me. The blend of allegory and character-driven narrative gives the book a unique rhythm, and when the two meet, the effect is powerful, striking straight at the heart.
The Living Bridge presses on wounds most of us carry in some form. But for readers who are willing to wrestle with grief, forgiveness, and the idea that love is stronger than death, it offers something rare. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian fantasy with a strong allegorical bent, and to anyone who needs a story that admits the depth of human pain yet still dares to point toward healing.
Pages: 227 | ASIN: B0FX5WS62Y
Longing, Loss, and Waiting
The Broken Bridge tells the story of two communities united by their faith in the Great Bridge and the intense fear and dread that follows its catastrophic collapse. What was the inspiration that drove the development of the world the characters live in?
The story began with a single image in my mind: a great, living bridge holding two communities together—until it falls. I’ve spent years walking with people through conflict, loss, and reconciliation, and I wanted an allegory that shows both the terror of separation and the costly beauty of restoration. The world of The Broken Bridge is built around that question: when what we’ve trusted collapses, which “bridges” do we run to—and which one can actually bear the weight of our hopes?
I felt this story was very well-written. What’s your experience as a writer?
Thank you. I’ve been writing for over two decades—first Bible studies, devotionals, and discipleship courses through our ministry, and then a number of nonfiction books. Fiction became a natural next step for me because a story reaches the heart in ways instruction alone can’t. The Broken Bridge drew on those years of pastoral ministry and teaching, but it let me weave truth into a narrative that invites readers to feel as well as think.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Unity and division: how easily communities fracture—and what it truly takes to reunite them.
Counterfeit vs. true solutions: many “fixers” promise quick repair; only one path restores the heart.
Sacrificial love: the kind of love that stands in the gap and pays a cost for others.
Pride and humility: the danger of self-reliance and the freedom that comes from surrender.
Hope through suffering: how longing, loss, and waiting can become the doorway to deeper healing.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
Two follow-ups are on the way. The Living Bridge is due out in October 2025—it continues the allegory by exploring how trust is rebuilt and what kind of bridge can truly hold. The trilogy concludes with The Eternal Bridge, scheduled for January 2026, which lifts our eyes to the ultimate reunion and the promise of forever.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Seven years ago, an earthquake separated Fidel from Verita the day before they were to be married. Now, as they exchange nightly lantern signals—an old watchman’s code Verita learned from her uncle—the churning waters of the Vitae River still separate them, but their light signals speak across the dark divide.
Six builders arrive, each promising to rebuild the bridge. They each represent some aspect of humanity’s attempt to heal what’s broken—through law obedience, knowledge, religion, servitude, charisma, and self-transformation.
When the seventh builder arrives—an ordinary carpenter with extraordinary compassion—everything begins to change. Geshriel speaks of a different kind of restoration, one marked by humility, love, and a mysterious costly sacrifice.
As darkness closes in, will Fidel dare to trust a path that seems weaker than all the others—but somehow feels truer? After seven long years of lantern signals across the raging river, will Fidel and Verita finally be reunited?
This is a story of ache and heartbreak, of longing, of desperate attempts to be reconnected. It speaks of love and loss, of yearning to be reunited.
A story of separation and reunion, sacrifice and redemption—and the bridge that love builds when all else fails.
The Broken Bridge
Mike Cleveland’s The Broken Bridge is a sweeping allegorical tale about unity lost and the sacrificial love that alone can restore it. The story begins in a vibrant and harmonious world where two communities are joined by the Great Bridge. More than just stone and mortar, it’s a living heart that binds people together. Fidel and Verita’s love is set to be sealed at the bridge’s center, but a sudden and catastrophic collapse shatters both the structure and the people’s trust. As the physical chasm grows, so does the spiritual and moral divide, giving way to fear, selfishness, and grief. Various figures, each embodying different philosophies and approaches, arrive to offer their versions of repair, but only one path leads toward true restoration. Through vivid scenes and a layered cast of characters, Cleveland builds an allegory of the human condition, the Fall, and the atonement.
The imagery is lush but never indulgent; the bridge itself is practically a character, breathing with history and meaning. Cleveland’s gift lies in his ability to make a symbolic world feel tangible. I could smell the bread from the communal kitchens, hear the lapping of the Vitae River, and feel the stone vibrate under the feet of a united people. When disaster struck, the grief was palpable. He writes loss in a way that made my chest ache. And yet, there’s a steady thread of hope woven in, even through the darker passages, that kept me turning pages long after midnight.
The book isn’t just a pleasant walk through metaphor. It has sharp edges. The portrayal of human frailty, how quickly love can curdle into self-preservation, hits uncomfortably close to home. I found myself frustrated with characters who gave up too soon, and pained by those who clung to impossible ideals, hurting others in the process. There were moments I wanted to shout advice into the pages. But that’s a credit to Cleveland’s storytelling; his people aren’t cardboard saints or villains. They’re complex, flawed, and deeply human. At times, the moral symbolism is overt, but it never feels like a sermon being read to you. It feels like a mirror being held up.
The Broken Bridge left me with that rare mix of satisfaction and longing. The sense that the story had resolved, but that its truths would keep echoing long afterward. It’s a tale for readers who enjoy their fiction with meaning baked into every scene, who don’t mind being made uncomfortable on the way to being inspired. I’d recommend it to fans of allegorical works like The Pilgrim’s Progress or Hinds’ Feet on High Places, as well as to anyone wrestling with themes of reconciliation, grace, and the cost of true unity.
Pages: 183 | ASIN : B0FH365HJT
The Desire to Be Forgiven
Memoirs of a Household Demon follows a mid-tier demon tasked with corrupting a modern-day slacker who discovers an emptiness in his soul, causing him to do the unthinkable in an effort to earn his way back into Heaven. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of ghosts and the afterlife. In many cultures, it’s believed that the spirits of the dead (including our ancestors) hold some amount of influence over the living. Sort of like the scenario with the tiny angel and devil on your shoulder, tempting you to do good or evil. With this in mind, I decided to expand on the idea and use the spirits as a personification of human thought and behavior. Imagine finding out that your intrusive thoughts are actually a quirky demon and a snooty angel arguing right beside you? It gives a vivid (and often comedic) illustration of the moral conflict that exists within us all. Couple that with some Christian theology and my love for cinematic action scenes, and the rest is history.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
The most interesting thing to me is the concept of free will. How much of it is decided by external factors? Are we truly and fully responsible for our own actions? If we are born with a propensity to act a certain way, can we or should we change? I feel that all of the best fiction explores these questions in one way or another. It allows the reader to look harder at themselves and find a definitive answer.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
First and foremost, we have redemption. All of us are flawed. All of us make mistakes. Some are more costly than others, but the desire to be forgiven, valued, and even loved in spite of them is universal. For this reason, I wanted the main character, Yuriel, to act as the ultimate failure, so to speak. A person so incredibly mired by his mistakes that he doesn’t believe redemption is possible. Through his journey, I try to illustrate how all of us are capable of overcoming our weaknesses through genuine effort and perseverance.
The second theme is hope. All of us will die. No one can escape this tragic fact. However, the concept of the human spirit is a powerful thing. It gives our mortal lives deeper meaning, regardless of how much or how little we accomplished. It offers a second chance to see our deceased loved ones and adds weight to the moral decisions we make. Whether my readers are spiritual or not, my goal was to inspire greater hope regardless of life’s hardships and give them a more optimistic outlook towards what comes after.
Can you tell us what the second book will be about, and when it will be available for fans to purchase?
The second book will be titled Vengeance of a Fallen Angel, and the story will take place between the end of Memoirs of a Household Demon and its epilogue. The protagonist, Yuriel, is now on the run from the forces of Inferno and takes shelter inside a Los Angeles hospital. Its resident angels are able to shield the building and offer protection from any attacking demons, but things take an interesting turn when a young mortal girl is brought to the emergency room with her soul missing. Trapped between life and death, Yuriel must venture into the big city, find the girl’s soul, and reunite it with her body before time runs out.
This book will feature much more action than the first, along with a deeper look into the angelic and demonic societies lurking behind our own. Also, if you’re a fan of the Deadpool x Wolverine/Grumpy x Sunshine buddy dynamic, you’re going to love what this story has up its sleeve. The manuscript is about 70% drafted, and I hope to get it released by the end of this year or sometime early in 2026.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
But when Yuriel’s obsessions bring tragedy to the family, he begins to discover an emptiness in his soul he never knew was there, yearning for a shot to make amends. Enlisting the help of Sarai and his angelic counterpart, Goldie, he embarks on a mission to heal the grieving and earn his way back into Heaven by doing the unthinkable—tempting Paul to do good. As old comrades and a hellish past come back to haunt him, Yuriel must fight to unravel the question:
If angels can fall, why can’t demons rise?
Set in modern-day Southern California, Memoirs of a Household Demon is a tale about redemption, overcoming weakness and loss, and finding the courage to do what’s right. Its blend of action, humor and heart offers an insightful look into human behavior and spirituality through the lens of an immortal being.
Memoirs of a Household Demon is both a standalone story and the first full-length novel in the Gray Spirits series. You do not need to have read other works to enjoy this story, though the prequel novella, Prelude of a Guardian Angel, is available now on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
Memoirs of a Household Demon
Memoirs of a Household Demon is the story of Yuriel, a mid-tier demon tasked with corrupting a modern-day slacker named Paul Meechum. What begins as a humorous tale of vices, laziness, and divine rivalry soon turns into something deeper. Through poker games in attic hideouts and spiritual face-offs with a pompous guardian angel named “Goldie,” Yuriel gradually becomes entangled in a neighborhood full of more meaning than he bargained for, especially when he starts spying on a neighboring family whose love and strength challenge everything he thought he knew about his place in the world.
The writing in this book is a blast. It’s quick, snappy, and sharp as a whip. The banter between Yuriel and Goldie had me laughing more than once, and the absurdity of demons playing poker with eternal punishment on the line was pure genius. But what surprised me most was how fast the tone could shift from jokes about weed brownies to scenes so tender and raw they made my chest ache. The author manages this emotional rollercoaster with a light touch, never getting preachy, never losing the humor, but letting the heart sneak up on you. It’s rare to see a story so funny yet so genuinely moving.
The real power here lies in the ideas. The book plays with spiritual themes like heaven, hell, purpose, and redemption, but it doesn’t hand you easy answers. Yuriel, who starts as a sarcastic, jaded trickster, slowly changes just by watching a family love each other well. He doesn’t suddenly become a saint, but he’s clearly haunted by the good he sees. I felt that. I’ve been there. Sometimes, witnessing real love or real faith shakes you more than any lecture ever could. And the contrast between his rowdy chaos and the quiet strength of the Torres family hit me hard.
Memoirs of a Household Demon is perfect for anyone who likes their humor laced with soul. It’s a great fit for fans of Neil Gaiman or Good Omens, or for readers who want a story that blends the ridiculous with the divine. If you’ve ever wondered whether a demon could find redemption or if you just need a good laugh with a punch of meaning, you should read this book.
Pages: 337 | ASIN : B0DNR6CN42
LITERARY TITAN 