I learn so much when embarking on another journey to write period fiction. To quote John Whitehead, "Start with a good set of facts." Since SEASON 7 was set during the recent global pandemic, there was no shortage of information to verify or nullify parochial wisdom. So naturally, I gravitated to the right of the center to conserve, where the vast majority of 'conspiracy theories' are now confirmed as truth. To that end, CARRINGTON's endearing characters had an insufferable case of the post-Covid snarky blues after a lockdown and while viewing life through the world's lens.
Sure, the tragic events that converge to form the plot for Volume 7 parallel current events, and the nasty business of present-day politics gets greedier every year. But we are all the same beneath the inevitable wokeness, fake news, and denial of truth. Broken. Disappointed. Undisciplined. Rejected. Forsaken. Lost survivors. The lasting solutions found in a religion can serve us now, but more importantly, for eternity. And they far outweigh the culture's remedies for fixing mankind.
In the Bible, certain numbers convey God's perfection. Seven is one of them, a reference to completion, as in the number of days of Creation: Twelve is another, in Jacob's sons who became the favored tribes of Israel. And it was not a coincidence that I chose seven for the title in all seven books, which took me seven years to complete. In Volume 2, the entire narrative unfolds over seven days.
Perfection has not landed in my writing style. Yet, had I given up before completing #7, I wouldn't have had the resolve to write about my faith - and yours- which grows each year we walk the talk. Again, imperfect as I am, so are all humans. But oh, what a Helper God sent who perched on my shoulder as I worked through the dilemma of 'what about the Jews?' and 'how do we maintain our religious liberties?' I even took a detour in prison reform and how to truly rehabilitate criminals. The "But If Not" solution from Daniel 3 and The Dunkirk rescue mission found its way to a handful of characters who vowed never to bow down to earthly rulers. This is a touchy subject among Christians and Jews today, and it was deserving of a few paragraphs in period fiction.
Our world may get worse. Maybe the good times are really over for good. But one method for surviving the cultural demise is to finish each day stronger than yesterday. And surround ourselves with like-minded friends who share our faith. And then we are told to give it away!
In CARRINGTON, hanging onto hope is a central theme as life throws cruel reversals to unsuspecting good and bad people. Of course, there is much more to living a Christian life than a happy ending, but I don't want to sound preachy, nor am I a theologian. All I know is that hope rests in the divine plan for all people to receive and believe in the gift of Christmas. That's why we're still waiting, Sevens. We won't be complete until God says we're done.
With hope, from The Remnant.
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