The End: Omicron follows a young Christian on a mission who joins the Emperor’s youth organization with the intent of making his way into the inner circle so he can kill the Emperor and bring vengeance and justice to Christians. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Well, it’s continuing the story of Sage et al from The End: Alpha, trying to navigate a world with a tyrannical lunatic despot at its head – at least mostly in the United States – in 2113, and they’re all having to carefully thread their way through that. The message I was trying to convey in Omicron is exactly what’s on its front cover: Defiance can be deadly; almost as deadly as obedience.” We see what happens when Sage thinks he’s “doing God’s will” and yet he may have been wrong all along. We see what happens to you when you draw closer and closer to Emperor Nero and the chilling and dangerous effect that has on anyone who does so. On the flip side, however, we see clearly what happens when someone exits that circle and begins to experience the life-changing freedom, grace, and change that Jesus offers us. What happens in Omicron is absolutely chilling in both respects because it’s new and unfamiliar on both sides, and it isn’t just the turn of a dime; both main characters have to learn ’the new way of living’ and have to figure out their new lives. There’s also a bystander in Colonel Thomas Drexler who is somewhat helpless on the sidelines, trying to counter Nero’s every autocratically terrifying move with checks and balances, and he is on his own emotional journey as well through that, given their previous proximity to one another. If Alpha was a story of what happens when one exits Nero’s circle, Omicron is a story of what happens when one enters.

How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?

I love action scenes, and my only regret is that they’re over too quickly; otherwise, you can err on gratuitous or overlong sequences that tend to serve as a kind of self-aggrandizement. “Oh, look at what I know, look at all the research I’ve done to make this believable!” And so on and so forth. I try to keep the action scenes crisp, engaging, tense, and somewhat brief. The real story is the real story. The action is not the centerpiece; it’s meant to be a crescendo or peak of the tension mounting, and then….we now return you to your scheduled program already in progress.

What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

My faith in Christ. I memorized a lot of Scripture as a young adult. The Bible says that the Word of God does not return void, but it accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent out. Many of the verses that I’ve held dear over decades have found their way into Alpha, Omicron, and, as you’ll see, Omega. It’s been truly impacting to write something with such spiritual and Biblical freedom, imparting these words of comfort and sharing them with my readers through the eyes, words, and thoughts of my protagonists and tertiary characters.

Can you tell us where the book goes and where we’ll see the characters in the next book?

Eeeek! I’d have to be really careful about that of course. Suffice it to say that there is redemption, conflict, poetic justice and so much more coming in Omega. A powerful conflict is drawing near, and in fact more than one. Characters will return, twists will unfold, and a lot of incredible love will be on display as Sage, Drexler, and Darius continue to thread their way through the mayhem of 2113. I’m VERY proud of how Omega turned out and it’s going to be the fitting and powerful conclusion to this wonderful saga God has given me. I’m truly grateful to be the custodian of “The End.” Cheers!

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