Lawless was a trial and a blessing to work on—often I find that those words are synonyms. It demanded an arduous search: a search for inspiration, for information. A search even within myself. Samson’s life and death is a great well of Christ-shadows that, to plumb the depths of, took the many readings of commentaries and previous creative interpretations.
For a long while, I played with the idea of the story from Delilah’s perspective. It wasn’t until I came across John Milton’s dramatic poem ‘Samson Agonistes’ (the very same which I quote at the beginning of the story) that my course of action was decided. The great poet wrote his drama en media res, with a focus on the imprisonment of Samson. “Thou art become… the Dungeon of thy self…” rings true.
So, I set out to explore what kind of a man Samson might be so that self-reflection and isolation are the crux of his character arc. He must be led by instinct and impulse, a man who derides women and thinks them easily handled, only to be brought low by one. Would that I could shake Milton’s hand and thank him for the inspiration.
As often as a writer is told to keep themselves out of their work, I think that act is impossible. However, in a world like Covenant, it smarts my pride to compare myself to any of the flawed characters I wrote. If I want to save face, I’d answer that I find myself most in the faces of the refugee Journeymen, huddled outside Stronci’s gates.
In that vein, I suppose I find myself in Sun, too. I find myself in Sun’s weakness, in his blindness and captivity and sin. He and I are weak, no matter the strength of our bodies. Sun tries to find salvation in Andari when chained to the Kosmoan altar and is brought to his lowest by that futile search. Aren’t I ever the same? But God saves still.
Andari may hold the most of me—or rather, of who I fear that I am. In her own mind and mine, Andari is sympathetic. Sun sees Andari in a way that is so skewed to his own lusts and desires that it can be easy to find her simply as a traitorous succubus. But in the brief glimpse that I found myself compelled to write from Andari’s point of view, I think there’s a common thread between her and me: fear and ‘my life above all.’ That’s a hard thing to confront in yourself, a hard sin to kill.
Truthfully, though, I’m glad this project gave me the opportunity to do so—it’s not every day you’re paid to confront sin by writing a story. Lawless has been a blessing to me, and I pray it’s been a blessing to anyone who’s read the stories and can see themselves in any of the multi-faceted, complex characters my co-authors have brought to life. Whether they saw themselves affirmed or challenged, I pray that it helped them to grow in faith.
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Released January 18, 2024, Lawless quickly became a #1 bestselling book on Amazon. Join the community of readers ready for a new era of Christian fiction. Grab your copy today, read it, and leave an honest review.
Produced by The Company, Lawless features 14 short stories inspired by the biblical book of Judges, each written by an emerging Christian author.
Wonderfully said!