For many years, I've been interested in the Bible as history. I had the idea of writing stories using Biblical settings. However, many authors have already written historical fiction centered on characters in the Bible, such as Noah, Moses, and Jesus. I thought, What about the many unnamed people who lived through the same events as the Bible characters, who confronted the same challenges in those same periods in history? What about writing about those people's lives?

That's where the "Edhai" series comes from. Bible characters appear in the stories, but only occasionally and as minor characters. The focus is on normal people and how they responded to the issues that arose among humanity during the decisive events and situations portrayed in the Bible.

I've worked professionally for a number of years as a non-fiction writer. I've published books both independently and through traditional publishers, and, to be truthful, the indie experience was both more satisfying and more profitable. I miss the editorial support you get through a traditional publisher, but the indie process gives me more control and helps me get a publication to its readers much more quickly.

Three of my favorite authors are Patrick o'Brian (author of the Aubrey-Maturin naval series), John Moriarty (author of the Rumpole mystery series), and the Rhodesian writer Alexander McCall Smith, who has written diverse novels set in the African country of Botswana and in Edinburgh, Scotland. These works are distinct in their settings and subject matter, but they have in common a wonderful voice and facility with dialogue. All of these authors are a pure joy to read, and that's what draws me to them.

I enjoy a wide variety of fiction, including historical fiction, mysteries, and science fiction, as well as mainstream literary fiction. I love to surprise my wife every once in awhile by having something like Jane Austen sitting on my bedside table.

"The Child-Stealers," the first episode of "The Cursed Ground," is coming out this month (January 2015). I'm working on Episodes 2 and 3 and plan to release those in the next few months. Each episode is a self-contained novella-length book, but ultimately, "The Cursed Ground" will make up a full five-part novel with an overall story arc that resolves a number of conflicts raised in the individual episodes.

I work as a business writer and researcher under another pen name, so I spend substantial time on non-fiction projects, aside from my fiction series. I work from my home in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A., where I live with my wife, Virginia.

I'm a student of the Bible and also work as a volunteer Bible teacher, so I spend substantial time in those activities. A few years ago, I decided to learn to read the Bible in its original languages, starting with Hebrew. In part, I took up this study in connection with my fiction writing, hoping to gain a better feel for people's thinking and way of speaking in the eras I wanted to write about. It's difficult learning a new language, but I've gotten through most of the Pentateuch and am now reading about a chapter a week.

Although I read quite a bit of fiction, I also read and study ancient history. Other topics that interest me include linguistics and science.

However, I don't spend all of my time reading and writing! I love the outdoors, and I walk for exercise every day.