Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a book signing for The Forbidden Tour where I met Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee in person. Tosca and I have communicated for some time via email, and meeting her gracious soul face to face proved to be a sweet experience. Ted Dekker explained his writing quest involves exploration. He wants to go where there's darkness and find how the light can be let in - if it can. Some of his characters choose to shut it out.
Few things give me more pleasure than promoting good writers, and if you haven't read Tosca's two previous novels (Demon . . . a memoir; Havah, The Story of Eve), you need to do so. Don't put it off. Download them, buy the books, but don't deprive yourself of some of the finest writing Christian fiction has to offer. Tosca takes the hard parts of the spiritual realm and disects them within story.
Ted and Tosca described their collaboration on the The Books of Mortals, the first of which is Forbidden with two more in the works. What makes this collaboration unique for these two artists is that they're integrating their thoughts and writing as they create these stories. Both of them are writing these books. They described the process as hard work and time consuming to go over each other's words so that they mesh completely. Much harder than writing by oneself. In spite of their whirlwind tour to promote the release of Forbidden and the fatigue of racing through cities sharing talks, smiles, pictures, and signing umpteen books, their excitement over this series played strong.
When I finish Forbidden, I'll review it here. It's a speculative story that takes place in the future on planet earth where genetic manipulation has eliminated most emotions with the primary exception of fear. Not my favorite genre as you know, but I wouldn't miss the first effort from these two talented authors.
Father, please keep Tosca and Ted safe from all harm as they travel. Continue to bless their efforts to show evil honestly and reveal your good, your love, your truth in amazing and imaginative ways. Cover them with your love and kindness as they share pieces of their lives with others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.