Chuck enjoys doing yard work and before he began spending most of his free time reading and writing, he tried to complete one or two woodworking projects each year. He ran track and cross country in high school and is still interested in sports, watching college and professional basketball and football games occasionally.
True Status
Billy Yates, a forty-two year old Black college math professor, holds deep skepticism about God’s goodness and power, but after a series of strange occurrences, Billy realizes that he is the prize in a terrifying spiritual battle between good and evil.
While recovering from surgery Billy is confronted by an angel who challenges him to examine his past rather than accuse God of wrongdoing. After the surgery, Billy discovers a strange message on his body that he believes is from God. Confused and afraid, Billy accepts the angel’s challenge and in so doing he learns the depth of his own sinfulness which plunges Billy into despair. Ezriah Reynolds, a Christian and Billy’s best friend, encourages Billy to join him in taking a seminary class called Jesus in the Old Testament, and for the first time in his life, Billy seriously considers what the Bible teaches about covenant, sin, and salvation. Billy, smitten with Nurse Angeline Otl, begins pursuing her even as his surgery commences. Angeline struggles with her own past, but she and Billy draw together and become vital pieces in the other’s spiritual journey.
- ISBN: B0CCCQW4HM
- Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing
Interview with Chuck Richardson
What made you want to become an author?
I have always loved learning and helping people understand new concepts. I wanted to become an author so I could convey some of what I have learned in a form that has the potential to be available to bless people for years to come.
What did you learn while writing True Status?
After working on True Status for three years, I learned that I had no idea of how to write a novel. That revelation led me to eighteen months of research and re-writing during which I learned about novel structure, show don’t tell, scene structure, character arcs, conflict, and much more. I found out I enjoy the process of becoming a better writer and could happily spend the rest of my life learning more about writing.
If someone were to look at your Google search history (all for research of course!), what types of things would we find?
Links to writing craft blogs, websites of other authors, articles on Lamar Jackson (I’m a big fan), sites on the business of writing, searches on the Garden of Eden and animals, commentaries on various Bible passages. My searches would also reveal that lately I’ve been checking Amazon frequently hoping for more reviews of True Status.
What do you want readers to take away from True Status?
God is willing to forgive any and every sin and give us all eternal life with him, if we come to him in repentance, faith, and a desire to obey him.
If you could have coffee with an author, dead or alive, whose work you admire, who would that be? What would you ask him or her?
The apostle Paul. I would ask him about changes the modern church should make to become more like what he was working to achieve when he was working with congregations.
What’s your go-to drink while writing?
Black coffee or water.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
I retired from my working career this year, and I only started writing fiction five years ago, before that I wrote nonfiction. My advice to my younger self would be to start writing fiction. It is hard, but rewarding.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
Reading, there is so much to learn and think about. I enjoy doing yard work, but I can’t keep up with it. I also enjoy watching a little NFL football; usually it’s my favorite team, the Baltimore Ravens.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Love Stories by Trent Dalton, The Possibility of Life by Jaime Green, The Wise Man by Michele Chynoweth, and Writing Archetypal Character Arcs: The Hero's Journey and Beyond by K.M. Weiland
What can we look forward to next?
I’m at the early stages of writing Erimean Genesis. Erimea is Earth’s twin, but on Erimea the first parents obeyed God and did not fall from grace. The story imagines the world the first humans would build and the challenges they would face in fulfilling God’s commands stated in Genesis 1 to be fruitful, multiply, and fill, subdue, and rule over the planet.
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Jessica Baker loves sharing her passion for reading with others and connecting readers with authors. In addition to blogging at A Baker’s Perspective, Jessica is a virtual assistant, proofreader, and runs her own business. Though she wishes she had a library like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Jessica realizes the importance of sharing her books with the world to tell the story, and donates many books to her local library. Jessica Baker lives Central New York with her husband, teenage daughter, beagle, three cats, and four ducks.
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