I
AM PLEASED TO WELCOME AUTHOR
David
L. Lantz
BIO –
David
Lantz was the State Director of the Indiana Christian Coalition from 1992 to
1995, and has served as a political consultant to several political campaigns
for statewide office. From 1989 to 1993, he wrote and published a statewide
public policy newsletter, Indiana Issues. Since that time, he has worked in the
telecommunications industry. In addition to The Brotherhood of the Scroll,
he has self-published three other books; "Indiana Issues: 1990 and
Beyond,", "Bill Clinton: You're No John F. Kennedy",
and "Buying Technology: Understanding What You Need and Why You Need
It. A telecommunications sales
executive, he sold various PBX, network services and web hosting services from
1994 to 2005. He has also appeared as a
speaker in a number of forums, both to promote his books and to speak on
various public policy issues. Mr. Lantz is an Adjunct Professor of Economics
and Statistics for the University of Phoenix, Indiana Wesleyan and Ivy Tech
Community College of Indiana. He is the
author of Think Like Jesus, Lead Like
Moses: Leadership Lessons from the Wilderness Crucible, and his second
novel, The Sword of the Scroll.
An
adult Sunday school teacher at his church for the last twenty years, he has had
several articles published in Christian magazines such as The Lookout
and Sunday Digest. While with the Christian Coalition, he gave numerous
speeches on the subject of Christian involvement in politics.
Mr.
Lantz holds a B.A. degree in History and Political Science from Butler
University (1979). He holds a Masters Degree in Public Affairs from Indiana
University (1981). He is married to his wife of 36 years, Sally, and has three
children.
BANTER – STUFF ABOUT YOU
Q: How would you
describe yourself as a color? Think personality here. Are you a light and airy
pastel person, or more of a deep, dark, sultry and mysterious color?
A: Hm, I’ve never thought about describing
myself as a color. I guess I’ll go with
“Sherwood forest green”. I enjoyed
watching Robin Hood (there was an old black and white TV show when I was
growing up) and earned an archery merit badge in boy scouts. People who know me say I’m a “deep thinker”
and can be intense when focused on a topic I’m interested in. I have a corny/dry sense of humor. I enjoy using “movie metaphors” to explain a
thought or concept.
Q: Are you a morning
person, or a midnight candle burner?
A: Definitely a
morning person. I try to work on things
that require focus and thoughtfulness in the morning. I leave more routine things that don’t
require as much focus for later in the day.
Q: Tell me one thing
about each of the four seasons you like. It can be anything.
A: Winter = Shoveling snow.
Spring = Open the windows in the house after a cold winter
Summer = Play outside with my
grandsons
Fall = Go for walks in the woods
Q: Tell me something
you would like your readers (fans) to know about you.
A: When I was in
college, I took an old testament literature class. The professor had us read James Michener’s
book The Source. It’s a novel set at an
archeological dig in Israel, in which the reader is exposed to flashbacks of
what life was like from Abraham to Paul at the different levels of the
dig. It opened my eyes to how one can
use the medium of fiction to convey the truths of the bible. My two novels are historical Christian
fiction, and it is my prayer that my readers come away from them and ask “Did
that really happen?” and then go search the bible themselves for the answer.
Q: If you could morph
into any creature what would it be?
A: Ghost, the dire wolf in Game of Thrones
If you don’t mind me asking,
why?
A: Ghost is the protector that appears when the
moment is darkest. He is like the Gray
Champion of the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story from Twice Told Tales.
Q: When you think of
a garden, do you picture vegetables or flowers?
A: I picture
vegetables. We had a vegetable garden
when I was growing up, and also when my wife and I were first married, which we
shared with our next door neighbors in the trailer court where we lived.
Q: If you didn’t have
to clean them, how many bathrooms would you have in your home?
A: One
for each person in the family. When the
kids were little, that would have meant 5.
How many if you have to
clean them?
A: Two.
I’ve always cleaned our bathrooms, and we have two. Now that the kids are gone, I use the one thy
used to use and my wife uses the one in the master bedroom.
BOOKS – ABOUT THE CRAFT
Q: When did you start
writing and why?
A: I tried to write a
science fiction novel in 7th grade.
I didn’t get very far. I enjoyed
science fiction and was an avid reader of the genre growing up. Professionally, I have worked in the world of
government affairs and have been a lobbyist, among other things in my
life. And so, I wrote a number of op/ed
pieces, and published a subscription based newsletter, Indiana Issues, for 5
years.
Q: Where do you get
your ideas?
A: When it comes to
writing fiction, I get the ideas from a study of characters in the bible.
Q: How did you come
to write your genera of choice?
A: In my late 30s, I
became a fan of international political spy novels. I read a lot of Tom Clancy books. In reading the bible, it dawned on me that
the time frame of Judah’s exile to Babylon (during the life of Jeremiah) was
like the clash of two world super powers, the United States and the Soviet
Union – except it was Egypt vs. Babylon.
That spawned the idea of a Tom Clancy like international spy novel set
in bible times.
Q: What do you think
is the hardest part of writing a book?
A: When I wrote The
Brotherhood of the Scroll, I had never
before attempted to write a serious book of fiction. The thing I struggled most with was how to
weave 3 – 4 different “stories” from the viewpoint of the main characters into
one cohesive novel. I wrote a 36 page
outline and color coded the different “scenes” depending on the point of view
of the character who was speaking. Years
later I read a book by Orson Scott Card called “Characters and Viewpoint”. Happily, I discovered that the process I
“invented” was one he recommended in learning to write from the viewpoint of
different characters “as if” I were them.
Q: Which element of
book writing is most difficult for you?
A: Writing descriptions of people/places/things
so the reader can “see” them.
Q: What is your
favorite part of writing?
A: I really enjoy
finding out what will happen to the character once I start writing. I always have an outline, so I know where the
story is going. However, it is EXCITING
to come up with the actual events/thoughts/words of the characters sort of “as
they happen.”
Q; Now your least
favorite part?
A: Working through
the little details of page layout, spelling checks, etc.
Q: Describe your
favorite heroine? (This doesn’t have to be one of yours.)
A: Meg Murray in the
novel, A Wrinkle in Time. She must
confront an evil presence in the galaxy to save her father.
Q: Describe your
favorite hero? (This doesn’t have to be one of yours.)
A: Jeremiah from my
novels, The Brotherhood of the Scroll and The Sword of the Scroll. He is sometimes called the “weeping
prophet.” It took me 3 years to write my
first novel, and two years to write the second.
During that time period, I feel I got to know the prophet well. He was accustomed to no one listening to him!
Q: Who's your
favorite author?
A:I really like Steve
Berry. He writes great historical
fiction, and his novels are always well researched.
BOOKS - NOW LETS PROMOTE – STRUT YOUR STUFF
Q: What are you
working on now? Would you like to share anything about it?
A: In the last few
years, I’ve taken to creating online, on demand courses. Several years ago, I created a middle
school/high school age targeted curriculum titled “Clash of the Superpowers”. It uses my novel, The Brotherhood of the
Scroll, and creates a comparative history course to contrast the 6th
century BC superpower clash between Egypt and Babylon with the 20th
century superpower clash between the USA and the USSR. I am now creating a video based lecture
series for the course that I hope to launch in the 4th quarter,
2016.
Q: Do you have a new
book coming out soon? Tell us about it.
A: Not at this
time. However, I have two future novels
I hope to write to complete the series.
The third book will be The Judgement of the Scroll, which will start with
the apocryphal writings of Jeremiah hiding the Ark of the Covenant, and end
with the release of the Jews to return to Jerusalem. The fourth and final novel will be set in the
present period, when a lost record authored by Daniel is found with clues as to
the current whereabouts of the Ark.
Q: How can we find
you? Do you have a web page, FaceBook page or any buy links?
A: Yes, I do.
Here are the links. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUFd-G_3jzc&list=PLF4725CD3CE2AABE2
EXERPT FROM THE
BROTHERHOOD OF THE SCROLL
“So, you are the great Jeremiah!” Naaman said. “Come, prophet, King Nebuchadnezzar would see you.”
Jeremiah lowered his eyes and followed Naaman into the inner recesses of the tent. He did not know what to expect, but was relieved to learn that he would not be made to wait and guess. Within the inner chamber of the tent, Nebuchadnezzar and several of his generals waited for them. Even the king’s parrots, housed in a bird cage in a corner of the tent, fell silent as the man of God entered the room.
“Greetings, prophet of the God of Daniel,” Nebuchadnezzar said. “We have heard much about you, and have found your words to be most useful.” Nebuchadnezzar handed Jeremiah the scroll which he and Baruch had worked so hard to reconstruct. Jeremiah gazed into the young king’s eyes who, unlike his generals here in the tent, was not dressed in the garb of a warrior. Instead, Nebuchadnezzar wore a sandlewood-colored robe, with a plain circlet of gold around his neck. “I am told you had no love for your now dead king, that you want his half-brother Zedekiah placed on the throne of Jerusalem in his place. But I have half a mind to destroy this city instead. Why should I not?”
Jeremiah, who had been bent over, looking down at the ground in obeisance to the Babylonian king, now stood to his full height - a good three inches taller than the Babylonian monarch. In a hoarse but steady voice, Jeremiah responded: “Ten years ago, as Pharaoh Necho led his army to meet that of your father’s, King Josiah of Judah rode out to challenge the Egyptians at Megiddo. There, Pharaoh slew Josiah, and placed Jehoiakim on the throne. From the beginning, Jehoiakim was a pawn of Egypt, sinning against God and man.”
“But the King of Judah does not represent the Lord or His Temple,” Jeremiah continued. “You are right, I do wish to see Zedekiah placed on the throne. You took him into captivity in Babylon, and there God has safely kept him for such a time as this. The Lord our God has given you His holy city, Jerusalem. You have not conquered it of your own might. Its gates have been opened to you. You may violate her and her sacred Temple, but know this: A time will come that must inevitably follow - Babylon will be scattered and cast aside in favor of another who will do the Holy One of Israel’s will. Violate her not, and you will prosper.” Jeremiah stood still, staring at the young king before him, oblivious to the tension in the room. From behind the prophet, one of the guards placed his hand on his sword hilt, waiting for Nebuchadnezzar’s order to chop down this insolent, dirty Bedouin.
Suddenly, from the bird cage in the corner of the tent, the two parrots began to chatter. “King of Babylon ... King of Babylon ... King of Babylon,” the two screeched in chorus. They wailed and squawked, and then in unison said, “Listen!” and were quiet.
Jeremiah, who in the confusion had never taken his eyes off of Nebuchadnezzar, said, “Place Zedekiah on the throne to rule as your vassal, and the Lord will bless you.”
Nebuchadnezzar struggled visibly to control himself. In the years since his ascendancy to his father’s throne, he had grown increasingly intolerant of those who would stand in his way. When this prophet’s scroll had come into his possession, he had used it as the propaganda tool he had seen it to be. Nebuchadnezzar had not expected Jeremiah to defy him in this way.
Yet Nebuchadnezzar was a religious man. He saw Marduk as providing him with divine guidance. While Daniel and this Jeremiah might claim that it was their God which directed his footsteps, he was convinced it was Marduk. The parrots had spoken at the behest of Marduk - and Nebuchadnezzar would listen.
But only up to a point.
“Very well,” Nebuchadnezzar said. “I will place Zedekiah on the throne of Judah. But know this: I will not allow her to go unpunished. I will take as tribute the gold from your temple. I will also take with me several thousand Hebrews into exile back to Babylon. Neither you nor anyone else shall deny me of my destiny. I will grant you three days to convince Coniah, son of Jehoiakim, to surrender totally. Then, I will take the vessels of your temple, and leave Naaman behind as regent until Zedekiah arrives and is installed as your new king. This audience is at an end.”
I’m happy you could
join me on Books and Banter. I hope you
had fun with the Q & A’s.
A
reminder to the reader ~ before you leave be sure to take a look at the
Come
back and visit again.
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