Announcement by Quin:

On Friday afternoon, Amazon.com listed Mad Jones, Hereticthe first novel of the “Accidental Prophet” trilogy I wrote years ago, now published (!!!) by Liberty Island Media.

Please go to Amazon, order a copy or two (or 100!), give it a good review at Amazon, and spread the word about it via social media or whatever networks of friends or family that you have.

Liberty Island Media is a publishing imprint run by the long-successful publishing team of Adam Bellow and David Bernstein. To them, and to my editor David Swindle, I give thanks for believing in this novel.

Oddly enough, I wrote the novel(s) 15 years ago, but it’s timing is amazingly appropriate right now. The book is about a modern-day (actually, 1998) would-be Martin Luther who, like the original, posts religious theses on church doors and quickly develops a following. In just eight days, on Oct. 31, the world will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the original Luther’s posting of his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

But… well, why re-invent the wheel. Here’s the official description of Mad Jones:

 

A grief-stricken modern-day Martin Luther posts religious theses on Gulf Coast church walls and attracts instant controversy, setting up a satirical tale of modern religion, media and politics.

Meet Mad Jones, a high school history teacher who, in the midst of unspeakable tragedy, literally nails religious theses to church doors. He does so with no expectation that they will be taken seriously, or even widely read—but, in this age of modern electronic communications and instant celebrity, young Madison Jones very quickly develops a large following and engenders significant levels of controversy. The media, quite typically, misunderstand and misrepresent his ultimate message; religious leaders debate his theses, at times with ulterior motives; and soon politicians are jumping in to comment from whichever standpoint best fits their partisan purposes.

Mad Jones, Heretic delivers sharp satire on modern religion, politics, and media, all at the same time, along with insightful representations of the vagaries of today’s celebrity culture and the lunacy of Internet comment threads. Controversies surrounding race and sexual morality enter in as well. Additionally, its setting at the end of the 20th Century, in the midst of the Y2K computer scare, provides the perfect vehicle to dissect millennialist themes as well.

Underlying all of this are some very serious theological reflections, woven naturally through a plot filled with sympathetic and memorable characters. Ultimately, true character—both good and bad—reveals itself, and both faith and human decency are tested once again. Grace and redemption, though, are always possible.

The two articles below this here at QuinHillyer.com, one my weekly faith reflection at PJ Media and the other my weekly politics/culture column at the Washington Examiner, both elucidate aspects of the Mad Jones books while making broader points about today’s culture. Please read them, too, especially the PJ piece explaining the background of how a novel can use as its starting point a grieving young man who (temporarily) thinks and says that “God is a jerk.” (Of course, that’s not at all where my novels end up, but that is how they start.)

I plan to do readings and book signings in a number of cities. The first will be Thursday night, Nov. 9 at Page and Palette bookstore in Fairhope, AL. I urge anybody in vicinity of coastal Alabama to come!

Again, please order my novel, and please spread the word. Thank you!

— Quin

 

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