New book synopsis

What do you think of when you hear the word flee? Perhaps your mind conjures up images of an officially-mandated evacuation as a natural disaster looms on the horizon. Or you might think of something more ancient–something Biblical–in which a person (or, more often than not, a group of people) fled from one location to another by divine decree.

I imagine, since the announcement of my fourth novel two weeks ago, there's been some curiosity as to the nature of this new story, and I'm happy to finally provide the synopsis here:

As the Great Tribulation begins, a series of puzzling instructions from the branch tests the faith and resolve of Witnesses worldwide. Follow the experiences of Peter Burton, an elder in a congregation in Northern California, his wife Rachel, and their extended family and friends as difficult decisions and heart-wrenching sacrifices are made to be obedient and loyal.

The novel is progressing well, and if all goes according to plan, it should finish with a length of 90,000 words. (That's right between the length of All Things New and The Unrighteous). However, for FLEE, I'll be trying something new: a trilogy.

Now, I know trilogies (whether film or literary) can be a bit cringe-inducing for audiences, as they  sometimes take what could have been condensed into a single installment and stretch it into a more profitable franchise. Rest assured, that's not the motivation behind my decision. (I mean, I give my books away for free, after all.)

In outlining the story, I realized that I really wanted something that had scale to it. Whereas Critical Times sort of rushed through some of the elements of the Great Tribulation as the story charged along to its climax, I wanted this one to really let the readers savor all of the details. I wanted to show exactly how the populace (not just governments) turned against religion, and I wanted to depict more of the behind-the-scenes work of how the organization cared for Jehovah's people every step of the way. Additionally, I wanted to explore a larger cast of characters, and really give readers a chance to get to know them over a longer period of time. Simply put, if Critical Times was the movie adaption of the Great Tribulation, FLEE was to be the miniseries.

That said, I suspect this series won't be for everyone; I'm planning on releasing a book a year, so readers will need to be patient to get the full story. But hopefully, that means the payoff will be all that much more rewarding. Either way, it'll be an experience for both of us!

Stay tuned! 😁