GaryIvey.Com Posts

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In my previous post, I began with generalities about my research for writing the Age of the Kingdom series. Now I’ll share a little of the source material I leaned on in my research.

Of course, my starting point is the Bible, and because I believe the Bible is a book of truths for life, I’m not going to stray too far from the events that are described there. I reread not just First and Second Samuel, but also the books that went before, Judges, Joshua and the Pentateuch. These books and their stories are inseparable from the events in Samuel and Kings, because it’s all one continuous narrative.

Continue reading How To Research 3,000-year-old Historical Fiction (part 2) 1 Comment

I was not prepared for what I got when I gave Quest for a King to a company which offers feedback to authors (for a fee). I never talked to the reviewer; we only corresponded through email, but from the tone and content of the review and counsel I received, I’m pretty sure the reviewer was a female recently graduated from a decidedly secular university.

One thing that gave it away was that she said she wasn’t sure who to root for: Israel or the Philistines. In fact, she had to look up Philistines on Wikipedia! She didn’t know ANYTHING about them.

Continue reading How To Research 3,000-year-old Historical Fiction (part 1) 1 Comment

There has been a lot of hand-wringing and hyperventilating about “threats to democracy” coming from the left side of the aisle in our country, ever since Trump supporters got upset on January 6, 2021. I still think they were egged on by Fed plants in the crowd and it might never have happened without them.

But as I’ve often said, Democrats are not self-aware and don’t know the meaning of the word “irony,” because ever since January 6, they have been doing everything in their power to threaten democracy. It was the most inept insurrection in history; no one even brought guns.

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Exile of the King, the second novel of the Age of the Kingdom series, is now available to order as of December 1, 2023. This book picks up where Quest for a King left off – right after David kills Goliath. Will Azel desert his post to follow David into exile? Will Jeriah remain loyal to King Saul and can he avoid being caught up in the king’s obsessions?

Here’s what some have said about it:

“After reading Quest for a King, I couldn’t wait to continue the riveting sequel in Exile of the King. If you love to read well-researched historical books that bring scripture alive, this book does not disappoint! I didn’t want to put Exile of the King down ‘til I’d read the whole book!”

Ruth Arthurs, MSW

“I loved this second installment in the Age of the Kingdom series. Gary Ivey takes the Biblical narrative of the emerging Kingdom of Israel and makes it come to life with a book that’s hard to put down. Can’t wait for the next volume of this saga!”

Bill Barley, BS, JD, Pastor, Living Stone Church

“In Exile of the King, Gary Ivey once more shows us the difference between reading the Bible and living the Bible. The author has an uncanny ability to bring the Bible’s outsize characters to life by surrounding them with credible characters and interactions that we can recognize from our own lives.

“The Bible’s tales have always been timeless, but now they are made both timeless and immediate through the unswerving use of vivid detail. David’s years in the wilderness, while spanning a few chapters in the Bible, are here given their due as the backbone of an entire novel.

“The brotherhood of Jonathan and David, Saul’s erratic temper, the sacking of Ziklag by the Amalekites, and the final battle with the Philistines in the Jezreel Valley, are all well-known biblical events that we can now remember as if we had lived through them. The details in Exile even extend to the day-to-day details of the characters’ lives:  the food they prepare, how they dress, and the chores they perform as part of their day. All of this draws the reader in and makes this book extremely hard…if not impossible…to put down.”

Brett Goldberg, BA, author of A Psalm in Jenin

Check Amazon.com or my “Shop” page to order a signed copy.

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The American automakers, General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler (now owned by Stellantis) are all being struck at once (at selected plants) in a first-ever industry-wide strike.

President Joe Biden likes to be called the Union President. He claims to identify with lunchpail, blue-collar workers, who have traditionally been union members, at least in the Northeast.

So it shouldn’t be a stretch to say he is sympathetic to the plight of union members in the current United Auto Workers strike. But does that mean he’s to blame?

Continue reading Is President Biden to Blame for the UAW Strike? Comments closed