February 2022 – OmegaBooks

How I Designed the Book Covers for All Novels Within The Prodigal Band Trilogy

You know that expression—You can’t judge a book by its cover. Well, I agree with that. I’ve never bought a book based upon what the cover looks like. To me, the title of the book is more important; further, I tend to read non-fiction. As much as e-books, regardless of platform, are a great idea what with all the devices and e-Readers these days, I’d still prefer a paperback or hardcover book. And I am not the only one who thinks this way, as I recently sold a paperback of my trilogy to a neighbor who preferred actual books over e-books. And another thing: an e-book I purchased from Amazon a couple of years ago on the history and doctrines of Scientology (for research purposes) suddenly disappeared one day from my Kindle App! But hard copies can last forever, soooo…

Anyway, onto how I designed all of my novel covers.

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Christian or Not, Author or Not, Expose and Fight Evil with Truth!

In a previous snippet series exposing the truth about the music industry, including a post using facts about so-called ‘suicides’ of dead rock stars that are more likely actual murders, featuring Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell, and Swedish DJ Avicii among others, I researched the history and facts about the music industry regarding handlers and managers, producers, concerts and venues and who owns them including organized crime syndicates, and others backing various recording artists, to discover the sinister agendas and ways of the industry. In other snippet posts I exposed other evil doings regarding the occult practices including ‘master rituals’ that former head of Zodiac Productions, John Todd (now a Christian) that supposedly even channeled demonic spirits in the ritual, and other rituals calling forth demonic spirits exposed within trilogy snippets. And New Age cult religions as well that influenced rock music from the 60s onward. And, of course, the evil ‘secret members’ of these satanic groups that ultimately control the industry and most media in general.

One of the most evil characters is a banker dynasty controller named Baron Torquay-Lambourgeau who is descended from the Normans who took over Britain around 1066 (Battle of Hastings). Other financial leaders are involved, but Torquay (as I tend to call him for short) is the one who also leads the satanic Corion-worshiping Hellyon Society. Why a banker and not some other occultic leader?

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How I Wrote The Prodigal Band Trilogy, Parts One Through Three (Repost)

Part One

This post is not about how, in the 60s and 70s and 80s, I came up with the characters as a gang, and then as a band. This post is about how I developed the final plot involving good vs. evil spirits and entities using the prodigal band for good or evil purposes, how I was inspired this way and how I managed to write the three novels, the final one (The Prodigal Band) twenty years after the second one (The Prophesied Band). How I turned just an entertaining piece about the foibles of rock stardom into a spiritual plot using the Parable of the Prodigal Son of the Gospel of Luke Chapter 15 as a guide. Finally, it is about actually creating the novels using various software including ClarisWorks (for Mac) and Corel WordPerfect, Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat conversions for PDFs on both Mac and PC desktops and laptops. I reviewed the “why” in the previous post; now is the “how.”

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Feeling Censored? Use Fiction to Tell the Truth (Revised)

Before I go on to the main topic regarding present-day censorship especially with narratives, political and otherwise, I must say that I have a problem with Christians, including authors, that get on my case because my characters cuss or play rock music. Sorry, folks, but if you really think no Christian ever cusses (and I don’t know a Christian who doesn’t cuss every now and then!) or if you think rock musicians are all “devil worshipers” then you haven’t done your homework or you have bought into nonsense. Plus, you have Christians who think all “Christian rockers” are really devil worshipers! Stryper then, Hillsong now, right? Did Stryper sing and play about Christ? Yes. Does Hillsong today sing and play about Christ? Yes, despite the appearance of Justin Bieber (I’m being facetious, okay?), and despite some “symbology” issues some have with Hillsong. Now, why would a non-Christian sing and play about Christ? A joke, right? Harking back to the late 60s and Norman Greenbaum’s hit song, “Spirit in the Sky” about Christ–and assuming Greenbaum is Jewish–why would he do a song about Christ? A reminder–the late 60s saw a surge in a movement called “Jews for Jesus.” Maybe Greenbaum was part of that.

There are people who are Christian authors who believe all “Christian authors” should write a certain way and not have cussing characters or characters who sin before they accept Christ as Lord and Savior. All “Christian author” novels should be squeaky clean. Sorry, but I can’t write that way when, first of all, I accepted Christ as Savior after repenting of the following behaviors: dabbling in the occult (as one of my band characters does); having pre-marital sex (as several of my characters did); being rebellious against some authority; cussing (I have dropped the “f” word but occasionally use the “s” word–and it was hard for me to type that “f” word into my novels, but my characters are my characters!); and questioning what has been certain interpretations of the Bible, among other sins. Because of this, my novels are not “Christian adult fiction” but “adult fiction.” My novels are meant to try to get non-believers to consider believing on Christ of their own free will. Isn’t that what Christ said? “Make disciples of all nations”? I’ll let others “preach to the choir.”

Now, the main point: my novels also include a certain amount of satire and parody of how the music industry works, and it’s not just the “sell your soul for fame and fortune” narrative. It is actually more sinister, what with signing recording contracts whereby the label virtually owns you unless they dump you, and both the label and the distribution outfit (the corporation that owns the label, or “parent company”) take well over half of the take on sales (today it is supposedly most of the take) and where the recording artist must pay for recording studio and production and album cover art and even tours, assuming the recording label pays out some “advance” which also must be paid back. (And I thought authors had it bad!). But the really big time acts (as chosen by the moguls, that is) do get more leeway and more of the take–for a price, which is not a “sold soul to the devil” price literally, but agenda-wise. Once you are made huge, you are forced to stick to an agenda that you might eventually discover is laden with evil. And then the crash begins…And, if you start to oppose the agenda…watch out! My The Prodigal Band Trilogy makes this truth clear and to the point.

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