My next book on Pagan Spirituality, To Walk a Pagan Path, is scheduled to be released this coming November, but there is some question as to which will be available first – that book or my first science fiction novel.

Those of you who have enjoyed my work are likely wondering why I would do something so completely different.  I just received an email today from a man who says he doesn’t understand why I’m writing science fiction “since (my) nonfiction has been Saxon Pagan”.  Let me make it clear that there is no crossover here; my novel Perception has nothing to do with the Anglo-Saxons or their gods, or anything to do with religion at all, really.  In the novel, aliens destroy Earth’s communication systems, military forces and power infrastructure almost overnight.  The story focuses on a small group of people and their struggle to cope with this devastating development.

I have actually been writing speculative fiction for years.  The only thing new or different about Perception is that it is being published.  And this is a good thing.  I hope to gain more of an outlet for my creativity as a fiction author.  If Perception sells well, I already have another speculative fiction novel prepared to send off to publishers.

Why is writing fiction important to me?  Well, because I love writing, but at the same time, when it comes to my Pagan writing, I want to be like the 1960′s sitcom horse Mr. Ed who “never speaks unless he has something to say”.  I do not want any temptation to write a Pagan book just for the sake of expressing myself.  That sort of behavior has produced some of the worst books on Pagan spirituality written in the 20th and 21st centuries.  I am not going to name any titles.  If you’ve been around very long, you know the books I’m talking about.

My fiction will not bring an end to my Pagan writing.  When I am inspired to share something and have sufficient material for a book on Pagan spirituality, I will put together a proposal and see if there is any interest.  I am, in fact, currently working with an idea that could very well be in bookstores within the next 18-24 months.  But what I will not do is compromise myself as a Pagan author.

I hope all of you – or at least those of you who enjoy good stories - will support my efforts as a fiction author.  To those who will be purchasing a copy of Perception and giving my writing a chance, let me thank you now.  I know you will not be disappointed.