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first got the inspiration to write a book five years ago. My brother-in-law had written a book relating to his near death experiences subsequent to having a heart attack. My brother-in law is a very strange dude—intelligent, but strange.

For some time, I had ruminated about the cheesy nature of movies and television shows. The content seemed so trite, repetitive and unimaginative. Hearing him go on about writing, the thought occurred to me: Why not write something of my own?

At the time, I was employed as an executive recruiter and sat before a computer terminal all day long. For "kicks," I started looking up information about publishing a book on the Internet. In the process, I came across information about "vanity publishers" and e-books as well as the more traditional publishers.

One day, I just started writing. I'd heard that a new writer is best served to write about something they know. I'm a nascent gambler and love to shoot dice, which is called craps, in the casinos, so I decided to write a book about a gambler like me. I titled it Seven Out—the term used in craps when the dice come up 7, which normally means you lose.

I discovered that writing was a lot more difficult than I had imagined. I developed a whole new respect for those who do it. After about two years, I finished my first novel and launched into the process of presenting it to publishers and book agents. Of course, I got the normal polite rejections. But somewhere along the line, I presented my work to an e-publisher, E-dition.net. To my delight, they agreed to put it on their site. I could not have been more elated.

I stopped writing and sat back to see what would happen. Nothing did. I did not sell a single copy. I re-read my work and cringed with embarrassment. It was awful. Amongst other things, my book had not been edited. It read like gibberish.

Rather than being discouraged, I was challenged. I set off anew. This new effort also took two years. When I finished it, I thought I had something worthwhile, but I was not inclined to go through the "beg to get it published" routine again. I was so proud of what I had done, I decided that I would self-publish and just share it with my friends and family, and to hell with the world. This time I got it edited by integrative ink and paid to get it published by 1stbooks.com.

You know what? The response has been so positive, I think I may have something here, and now I'm going back to explore the old agent/publisher trail. I've also rewritten Seven Out and started two new works, The Hajj, a story about the religious pilgrimage of a 13th century West African king to the Muslim holy site of Mecca, and Arnie's Gentlemen's Club, A Carnal House, a story about a Lap Dance emporium and its denizens. I love writing. I write now simply for the love of writing. I'll let fate determine its disposition.

The author can be reached by email at mfitches@aol.com.

About the Book

It is 58 A.D., the fourth year of the reign of Nero as Emperor of the Roman Empire. The Mediterranean world is experiencing a period during which there are no challengers to the power of mighty Rome, a period to be known as the "Pax Romana." It has been barely twenty years since Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, and the form of religious practice that emanated from his significance is a tiny, word of mouth dogma spread by intenerate preachers who call themselves Apostles. Foremost amongst these is a man named Paul.

Paul, a man afflicted with a troublesome personal compulsion, returns to Judea after many years of absence. He finds a land in turmoil, its Jewish inhabitants beset by fractiousness and ruled over by an unpopular king, Agrippa II, who lives openly in an incestuous relationship with his own sister, Bernice. The province in which Judea exists is ruled by a greedy, ambitious Roman Governor, Antonius Felix. A small but determined group of nationalists, often bonding with local thugs and bandits, wage guerilla warfare against an occupying Roman Legion grown surly and cruel by the boredom and frustration of garrison duty, in addition to the tactics of the rebels.

The Apostle is arrested on false charges and crosses the path of a Roman Tribune, Antonius Lysias, a man beset with anxieties about his place in life, after his approaching mandatory retirement, and his relationship with his slave/concubine Atrusha, who sincerely loves her master. While in custody, Paul evangelizes the two sufficiently to interest both in Christianity. As Paul is sent to the provincial capital to have his fate decided by Governor Felix, Tribune Lysias is ordered to suppress rebellion in the Lake Galilee region and Atrusha, who cannot go with him, finds accommodations near the fort with a group of Christians.

In the Galilee region, Lysias conducts a brutal campaign of repression against rebels and their sympathizers while simultaneously carrying out a personal inquiry of fact regarding the nature of Jesus, who lived and preached in the region. He also comes to grips with his feelings for the woman he had thought of only as his slave.

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The Apostle and the Tribune is available to purchase in Paperback and E-book formats.

Publishing Details:
Paperback: 380 pages
Publisher: 1stBooks (2003)
ISBN: 141076799X (Paperback)

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Posted December 15, 2003
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