He’s Got Me Rereading My Own Books

Pastor Bill Grandi has three posts last week on his rereading of my Dancing Priest series. On Tuesday, Bill discussed the difficulty of reading the fourth book in the series, Dancing Prophet, because of what it was about. It was a difficult book to write, and it became somewhat prophetic, including when the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned for helping to cover up a scandal in the Church of England. 

On Wednesday, Bill discussed a conversation between Michael and Sarah Kent-Hughes in Dancing Prophet, in which Sarah observes how hard it is to be one of the workers sent in “to clean out the pipes.” And on Thursday, Bill writes about a scene in the fifth and last in the series, Dancing Prince, in which Michael’s two sons, Henry and Thomas (or Hank and Tommy, as they’re known by the other characters), are discussing “calling,” or being called by God as described in I Samuel 16:1-13, the rejection of Saul and the anointing of David.  Coincidentally, the pastor at my church used that passage as the text for his sermon this morning. 

 

Bill’s post led me to start rereading my own books. I’ve already finished the first two, Dancing Priest and A Light Shining. (Amazon has the Dancing Priest pages messed up; the Kindle version is here; the cheaper paperback price is here, but it’s still more than it’s supposed to be.)

 

Originally, I had planned on doing only those two books. They were written as one (huge) manuscript of about 150,000 words. But the publisher and I had a conversation about what might happened after Michael and Sarah returned to Britain, and it was in that conversation that I described what could be the plot lines for several more books, including what would become Dancing Prophet and its difficult subject. Two weeks later, the publisher sent me a short news clip; the difficult subject had become a horrific reality. That reality continues 13 years later, with the resignation last year of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

 

After rereading A Light Shining, it is my prayer that its subject – religious violence that nearly tears Britain apart – never becomes reality. 

When Fiction Seems to Predict Fact

The Dancing Priest novels seem to be back in the fiction-becomes-fact business. 

Last week, after saying he would not resign, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby did, in fact, resign. This followed the release of the Makin Report, which documented the failings of the Church of England (COE) in a cover-up of an abuse scandal. The scandal went back to the 1980s when a barrister named John Smyth abused young teens at COE church camps, slipped out of England when it appeared the law was onto him, and went on to victimize more boys in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

 

Welby’s sin: he learned about the abuse in 2013 but failed to report it to authorities. Smyth could have been brought to justice at that time; he died in 2018.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest.

Photograph by Ruth Gledhill via Unsplash. Used with permission.

 

Some Monday Readings

 

The Ed Tech Revolution Has Failed – Jared Cooney Horvath at After Babel.

 

The Books You Come Back To – Joel Miller at Miller’s Book Review.

 

The Last Words of Alexei Navalny – Douglas Murray at The Free Press.

 

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” short story by Ambrose Bierce – The Imaginative Conservative.

Did "Dancing Prophet" Become Prophetic?

In 2012, I had a conversation with my publisher about the future novels planned in the Dancing Priest series. Dancing Priest had been published in late 2011, and the publication of A Light Shining was imminent. I walked him through what I saw as the main subjects and themes of several additional books (another six, if I remember correctly, which eventually became another three). 

The fourth book was to focus on the conflict between Michael Kent-Hughes and the Church of England hierarchy, which would eventually lead to a reformation. The catalyst would be a child sexual abuse scandal, happening over decades and facilitated (as in, covered up) by the church. The inspiration for this was the scandal in the Roman Catholic Church; what I did was to transfer the Catholic scandal to the Church of England. Or so I thought.

 

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest. 

 

Photograph by Cajeo Zhang via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Dancing Prince Available for Pre-Order

A mother's last words, a father's final message, and a strange painting: Michael Kent-Hughes faces personal tragedy, one that leads to long-lasting damage to the relationship with his youngest child, Prince Thomas. As the young boy grows to adulthood and the estrangement from his father continues, he finds his own way in life. But in the boy's hands and heart will lie the future of the kingdom. Dancing Prince is the moving conclusion of the Dancing Priest series.

Dancing Prince, to be published about July 1, is now available for pre-order.

Amazon Kindle

Amazon (paperback)

What readers say about the Dancing Priest series

"At least a dozen times, I had to stop reading Dancing Priest for a moment to control the tears. The story is that gripping, that real."

"I found myself not wanting Dancing Priest to end. There was so much imagery and amazing detail in the story. As an artist, I was amazed at how accurately he understood us."

"In turns suspenseful and heartwarming, A Light Shining has all the qualities of those classic tales that stay with you for the long journey. These characters become friends and fellow sojourners, making their way into a reader's heart and encouraging a deeper faith - one that has hands and feet. We all need such role models as Michael and Sarah Kent-Hughes."

"Read A Light Shining any way you can: Kindle, Nook, paper. Be prepared to leave long blocks of time to read. Guaranteed. Be prepared to be captured with this story."

"With Dancing King, it is such a joy to be back in this world, which is so well-rendered it could qualify as alternate history. And no one writes a crowd scene like Glynn Young."

"Themes of redemption, restoration, courage, and community run deep through the lines of Dancing King. Once again, Glynn Young exceeds readers' hopes, showing a main character in Michael Kent-Hughes who continues to mature in his faith and leadership."

"In Dancing Prophet, Glynn Young continues to weave a great story with stirring characters and plot lines that anticipate the headlines. This book gives him a chance to give more backstory to some familiar characters while moving our principals, Michael and Sarah, forward into their new roles. I only wish book 5 was already out!"

"It's 3 am but I just finished reading a wonderful book that I couldn't put down, the fourth book in the Dancing Priest series by Glynn Young, entitled, Dancing Prophet. Wow, it lived up to the greatness of the prior three books."

An Incredible Review of "Dancing Prophet"

Writing a novel is a hard, lonely work. You often struggle through a story, writing and rewriting and editing and deleting whole sections because, well, they're just bad and aren't going the way they need to go. And when you finish writing a novel, if there ever be such a thing, you have all the worry and anxiety and disappointment of how people will respond. 

And then you read a review, like “A Prophet Raised Up for Such a Time as This” by Luke Herron Davis.  And you tell yourself this is why you write. 

My Interview with Megan Willome on “Dancing Prophet”

Where does a story come from?

The idea for my novel Dancing Prophet came from the my regular route for riding my bike, and the nondescript apartment complex I passed. I recently talked with writer and author Megan Willome about where the story came from, the major issue that affected it, and how it began to seem that my fictional story was writing the news. She captured exactly what I was trying to do in telling the story.

You can read the interview here. 

"I was afraid, Dad"

“I was afraid, Dad,” Jason said, “if I said what had happened, then you or no one else would have wanted to adopt me.”

“My son,” Michael said, “while it may have shocked us to know, I don’t think it would have changed our minds.”

“I think I know that now, Dad,” Jason said, “but I was afraid you’d make me leave.” He paused. “Sometimes I feel I don’t deserve you and Mom.”

-      From Dancing Prophet. 

Photograph by Justin Chrn via Unsplash. Used with permission.

At the British Museum

An older American couple stood in line ahead of them. “You have a beautiful child,” the lady said, turning toward them.”

Sarah smiled. “Thank you. Right now, I’m thankful he’s chosen to cooperate and just stare at all the pictures.”

The lady smiled and then looked at Michael. “I suppose people have told you how much you look like King Michael.”

Michael laughed. “I think I’ve heard that a few times.”

-      From Dancing Prophet. 

Photograph by Grant Ritchie via Unsplash. Used with permission.

A Street Conversation

“No one’s home,” said an elderly woman standing on the porch next door. “She left early this morning with a suitcase, so she must have been going out of town. Robert and his chum left a little while ago. They should be in school at this time of day.”

Michael said a short prayer of thanks for busybodies. “Did you see which way they went?”

The woman nodded. “To your right, likely for the square at the end of the block. Do I know you? You sound familiar but my eyesight isn’t the best.”

-       From Dancing Prophet  

Photograph by Cristian Newman via Unsplash. Used with permission.

"He will not let go."

Canon Martin Land powered on his mobile, punching in a number he knew by heart.

“It’s Land,” he said. “I was watching the press conference.”

“I saw it as well.”

“The king’s involved,” Land said. “He could use this to further his reform cause.”

“You don’t know Michael. He will not use something like this. But if he thinks there is something bigger here, something worse than one boy at a London church, he will not let go.”

- From Dancing Prophet 

Photograph by Nikola Knezevic via Unsplash. Used with permission.

View from the Underground

He looked out of the window into the darkness of the underground. Almost ten months earlier, Trevor’s life had changed with a single phone from Josh Gittings, once the prime minister’s political assistant but better known as the PM’s hatchet man. Now chief of staff to King Michael, he’d contacted Trevor, asking him to meet with the king. Somehow Gittings had ferreted out Trevor’s hobby and avocation – monarchial law and history. The king, Gittings, said, needed help understanding the history, role, and legal considerations for being the monarch. Trevor had been as stunned as his wife and his colleagues on chambers. Never before had he been called upon to advise a king, and on a subject his colleagues often snickered at. They called him “The Monarchist.” That was then. Now they called him “The Rain Man.” 

-       From Dancing Prophet

Photograph by Christopher Rusev via Unsplash. Used with permission.

"I Will Raise Them Up a Prophet"

Martha Orlando at Meditations of My Heart posted a wonderful review of my novel Dancing Prophet today:

Deuteronomy 18:18
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth.  He will tell them everything I command him.

It is always a deliciously refreshing experience to bury myself in a compelling, engaging story, where characters jump off the page to sit next to you like a best friend, and the plot thickens with unexpected twists and turns.  And that is precisely what happens when I have the privilege of reading Book Four in Glynn Young's Dancing Priest Series, Dancing Prophet.  Although Young masterfully crafts this novel as a stand-alone read, I can't urge you enough to order the first three that you can find at Young's blogger page, Faith, Fiction, Friends.

To continue reading, please see Martha's Review at Meditations of My Heart.

From "Dancing Prophet"

“I’ve been going ‘round to churches,” Michael said, “talking about reformation. It was something I felt called to do, even before we left San Francisco. It was as if God was telling me that the reformation of the church was imperative. Now I wonder if I misheard what I thought God was saying. What if He was telling me to help people prepare, not for a reformation, but for the destruction and re-creation? He knew what was happening. He knew the evil that had to be stopped.”

- from Dancing Prophet https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Prophet-Book-Priest/dp/194971800X/ref=sr_1_1 

Photograph by Linnea Sandbakk via Unsplash. Used with permission.