It's a refreshing change this week that I interview a male author, Nick Daniels. Nick's first book 'The Gentlemen's Conspiracy' was just released. In the interview below, Nick tells us about himself and his calling to write Christian fiction. Having lived in various parts of the globe, Nick has a fresh grasp on cultures outside of North America. This comes through in Nick's characters. Each nuance in voice, accent, and mannerism is vividly drawn in his writing. So I hope you'll read my interview of Nick below, and also check out his website. But now let me tell you about 'The Gentlemen's Conspiracy'. When Nick first sent me a copy of his novel to review, I was afraid I'd find the male viewpoint not soft or romantic enough. How wrong I was. The story is set in London in the early eighteen hundreds and is evocative of that era. While the hero of the story, Daniel Young, pursues the murderer of his best friend, he fears losing the love of his life, Susan. There are plenty of tender scenes set in this mystery, but a mystery with a twist. The hero has discovered a secret society that is threatening his life and that of his beloved Susan. But is this secret society bent only on the overthrow of the British monarchy, or is there something even greater at stake? Is this secret society committed to destroying the Christian faith with subversive philosophies in the area of Geology? The hero must ask, "How old is the world really? And can we believe the Bible?"
As the author, Nick Daniel's has used all his skills as a scientific journalist to weave this fascinating tale, with danger, mystery and love at every twist and turn. At times I found the scientific terms a bit of a challenge, but they were so deftly woven in that they did not shake me out of the story. This book may not be for every women, but those who like something that will tease their mind with possibilities, and want something more than romance will enjoy this book. It may also be something they would give to the male members of their family. I highly recommend it.
And now for my chat with Nick Daniels:
Christine Lindsay: Tell us a little about yourself, Nick, where you live, your family.
Nick Daniels: I'm a Jesus freak, who adores his wife and children, and has all these crazy ideas but not enough time to put them on writing, especially since it's so nice outside in the island in the Pacific where I live, and yes, sometimes I find myself staring at the ocean instead of the computer screen, so most of my writing gets done really late at night when everybody is sleeping and it's too dark to play outside.
CL: Having been to Hawaii once, I’m green with jealousy. So, with such an environment to live in, what do you like to do for fun?
ND: Hiking is a favorite activity but watching thrillers and playing with my kids are what I enjoy the most. Lately, I've been playing lots of different board games, which is weird because I'm in my 30s and I didn't play a lot of board games when I was a kid.
CL: How did you come to write novels, especially this one that is steeped in science and mystery?
ND: I worked as a science journalist for several years and loved Christian apologetics since I was a teenager. One day I was reading a journal article about the history of geology and it occurred to me that there was a novel hidden in that paper. That's how I came up with the premise of The Gentlemen's Conspiracy.
CL: This next question is dear to my heart; Did you ever doubt your call to write; ever feel like giving up?
ND: More than doubts, I think I had to make a choice. I'm a guitar player and played with a band many years ago, but I came to a point where I had to decide between music and writing, and I chose writing. I've always earn my living as a writer, it’s what I do.
CL: Tell us about your awareness of the Lord in your normal writing day.
ND: I pray for creativity every day, and ask God to use me as a writer. He's great at encouraging me, the Holy Spirit's voice always saying: "Finish that book!"
CL: How did you first come to believe in Christ and His promises for your future?
ND: My mom led me to the Lord when I was nine, but it wasn't until I was thirteen that I committed myself to the Lord completely. I had bad company at my school, if you know what I mean, but then I started to hang out with the youth group at church and I said to myself, hum, this is what I want to be like, I want to live for God.
CL: Amazing how many godly mothers lead their children to the Lord. I led my own kids to believing in Christ’s promises. So tell us more about your life following Jesus—What was your darkest hour, and how did God bring you through it?
ND: I've had my shares of darkness, but I would say the darkest came in 1999 when our youth group was infiltrated and divided by a cult. That rocked my faith to the point that I felt angry with God and purposefully did not pray to Him for 3 months. During all that time, God let me know He was still there by my side, arms wide open. One day I just gave up and ran back to Him.
CL: And like the prodigal son, the Lord was waiting for you with open arms. It seems the Lord has blessed you with a ministry in writing, Nick. With the release of your first book, what message do you hope your readers will come away with after reading it?
ND: The main thing is that my readers would finish my novels and think, wow, that was a good read. My themes are rooted in Biblical truths I'm passionate about, so if they enjoy the novel, they will probably grasp those truths and their lives will be impacted.
CL: Now my favourite question, tell us what your most audacious prayer was.
ND: "Lord, use me." And He has!
Thank you, Nick, for telling us something about yourself and your new book. I pray the Lord will use you and this book to encourage people to follow Christ.
You can read more about Nick Daniels on his website Nick Daniels
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