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​ From the Desk of Darlene N. Böcek Faith-building Sci-fi Fantasy Stories

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Dear Reader

I’m still catching my breath from our whirlwind trip in England.

Our family had business in England and we have been away from home for 3 weeks. Besides the conference and meetings we were at, we were able to visit sites of the following books or authors:

• Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre (Moors, Bronte Parsonage Museum)<–very sad place
• Pride and Prejudice (2005 film location: Chatsworth House in Derbyshire-Pemberley!, Peak District, Lake District)
• Persuasion (Bath)
• Oliver Twist (Clerkenwell) and Christmas Carol (Business district London)
• Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit: Middle Earth inspiration (The Cotswolds, York, Wales)
• Chronicles of Narnia: Location of where C.S. Lewis came to faith (Magdalen College Addison’s Walk)
• The Eagle and Child: Location of Inklings Writer’s group which included Lewis and Tolkien
• Emma M. Lion series (London, British Museum)
• Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & Matilda (Roald Dahl’s school and nearby candy shop in Cardiff, Wales)
• Harry Potter series (location for filming of banquet scene-Oxford, library scene-Oxford, school supplies shopping scene-Shambles York, London Kings Cross Train Platform 9 3/4)
• Robin Hood (Sherwood Forest and Nottingham)
• Wycliffe and Tyndale Bibles, King James Bible (Oxford)
• Shakespeare’s homeland (Stratford-upon-Avon area)
• Peter Pan (Big Ben)
• Canterbury Tales (Road from Bath)
• etc etc oh my etc

Shambles, York–inspiration for Harry Potter’s school shopping locale: Diagon Alley. Truly a fairy tale location.

👉 While quite unexpected, this time in England has critically impacted the feel of Vera’s story, and it has dynamically influenced me as an author. 👈

Stay tuned for more details about this impact.

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​BOOK SUGGESTIONS

“I couldn’t stop turning the pages for fear that I would miss a vital piece of information. The unpredictable plot twists and turns with every decision each character makes. The Skorath Prophecy will appeal to science fiction fans who enjoy stories where creativity rules over logic.” – Stephanie Chapman for Readers’ Favorite (Five Stars)

🚌 beep beep 🚌

New Feature: Book Club

In our recent survey, you spoke and I listened.

One of your favorite things about our newsletter are the book recommendations. But I heard you want even more–you want specific reasons to read these books I recommend.

So this week I’m introducing a new regular feature called the Book Club. Simply, I’ll be sharing books I’ve been impacted by which I specifically think you should read.

Coming right up!

Blessings,

Darlene

THE FIRST BOOK I’d love to recommend is a faith-building classic.

I recently finished the most inspiring audiobook of: The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas. I’m going to listen to the 18 hour story again since it was so fun and spiritually encouraging! This time, I hope to pick up on even more of the beautiful details.

The novel follows the story of Marcellus Gallio, a tribune in Rome and the son of a well-respected senator. When in a drunken stupor he insults the prince regent, he is exiled to Palestine. From there he is drawn into the conspiracy to kill Jesus of Nazareth on the cross.

While Jesus is dying, Marcellus gambles for and wins the “robe” of Christ. This robe carries in it a spiritual power that impacts people according to the state of their heart. Marcellus goes insane.

On his road to recovery, he moves in and out of association with the first Christians. A secondary storyline follows his Greek slave, Demetrius, who lives a parallel life while faithfully devoting himself to Marcellus’s recovery.

I think biblical fiction that is heavy on the history and faith is one of my most favorite genres. This is why books like Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion trilogy, Ben Hur, and the Anno Domini miniseries have been some of my favorite books. And no doubt, this influence is why Trunk of Scrolls: Paths of Faith and Fire was my magnum opus.

My mother said that when she was young, Lloyd C. Douglas’s books were some of her favorites, too. He wrote The Big Fisherman as a prequel to The Robe.

I encourage you to purchase the book and read this encouraging and faith-building story.

Here are the direct links for these:

​THE ROBE (18h Audiobook –free with Audible signup)
​THE ROBE (paperback $11.00)
​THE ROBE (Kindle $1.99)
​THE ROBE (1953 movie with Richard Burton, rent for $3.99) though tbh-the audiobook is so much more delightful and in-depth than the movie can be. And Richard Burton here seems much older than Marcellus is in the story.

​The Big Fisherman (Kindle $0.99)

(affiliate links)