The Unveiling of a Title

I have been keeping the title for my first novel under wraps since the very beginning. However, I let the cat out of the bag on another forum and thought it would now be appropriate to "unveil" my title and a short synopsis.

"Uncommon Brethren"

Johnathan McClain has big ideas for the future of his son. While his father expects him to take up the family business and evangelize the countryside with the religion of the dollar, young Robert McClain has his heart set on a different path. His heart for the gospel drives him to a desire to spread the word of God, but three things stand in his way: a lack of faith, a general disdain for people, and a war on the horizon.

Almost as soon as the graduation bells toll around the campus of Shurtleff College, another ringing of the bells signals a call to arms. With an intensely ideological view of peace, Robert is thrust into the chaos and pandemonium that ensues. His greatest desire is to build a loyal congregation in a time when loyalty itself is called into question. His mission to establish a true and lasting legacy takes him into the heart of danger and to places he dares not go.

With the future uncertain, Robert McClain clashes with the ideology of bigotry, racism and hatred, but perhaps from the least likely places. The deafening boom of cannon rattle his every thought. The grotesque mass of dead and dying surrounding him challenge his heart. As the smoke lifts from the battlefields of the American Civil War, a path is laid before him and his own loyalties are tested.

This novel has been a labor of love (and consternation) for several years. I have wrestled to no end various plots, character and scenarios, but through it all, God has had a plan for this story. It has been an adventure, to say the least, to watch the story unfold first-hand.

From time to time I have toyed with the notion of expanding this work into a trilogy, yet as I compile the narrative, it is becoming clearer to me that there is but one story here. I am not closing the door on the idea that others may follow, but one thing is clear. There is a valuable message in Uncommon Brethren and for now, the reality of a trilogy is unclear.

In fact, in preparing for NaNoWriMo, a sequel has become very apparent yet there is much room between the two stories to be able to go back and fill in. I hope that once Uncommon Brethren is complete, you will agree that the message comes not soley from my own pen.