Sinner by Ted Dekker

“Half of what you think you know has been subjected to deception. You think you know so much about what matters: we all do. But we’re blind to the real issue facing us. We’ve been sold a magic trick.” (p. 125)

The Circle Trilogy, Showdown, Saint, The Lost Books series…and now Sinner. The story began several years ago when a present day man found himself transported to another place and time, fighting a war against evil in two worlds. Then readers were introduced to the town of Paradise, Colorado and evil took on an even deadlier form…birthed from the Lost Books found in a monastery. Another world reopened and went even further back into the histories when The Lost Book series was introduced. All along the way Ted Dekker has celebrated the wondrous gift of God’s son and His redeeming blood shed for us upon the Cross. Now the Great Love Affair has come full circle with Sinner.

Ted Dekker is trumpeting the TRUTH of God’s word as powerfully and effectively as his character Johnny Drake called believers to Paradise, Colorodo. As Christians, we are all called to be light in this very dark world. Dekker’s novel, Sinner, dramatically portrays the war that Christians will face until Christ’s return as the “religious” tolerant shout foul and spew their lies about true Christianity.

The day has come – we are living within it – when good is called evil and evil called good. Ted Dekker has used his skillful writing and poured all of the basic truths of the Gospel into a thriller that will stay with you long after the final page. What makes it so powerful?

In a real sense, it’s not really fiction. Brilliant, Ted Dekker. Simply Brilliant.

“Remember the darkness and remember that it is dispelled by the light,” he said to them. “Hold your children close. Love your wives. And pray, Paradise. Pray that the light will illuminate the world.” (p. 248)

A View from Erin Healy's Window!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to introduce Erin Healy to my readers!! This very talented lady just released a novel with Ted Dekker entitled Kiss, and it is a phenomenal story! The blend of the two talents is truly exciting, and Erin recognizes this opportunity as one God placed before her.

Erin will soon be releasing some of her own titles in addition to another duet performance with Dekker later this year! As editor, writer, wife and mother, Erin wears many hats, so please give her a warm welcome to my Window! I know you will enjoy getting to know her just as much as I did!

How did you and Ted first become acquainted?

Ted and I met years ago at a CBA convention when I was acquiring fiction for WaterBrook Press, but we didn’t start working together until after I became a freelancer and Thomas Nelson hired me to work on his novel Blink. We were connected by a colleague, Traci DePree, who edited Ted’s earlier works and, incidentally, was the fabulous freelancer who worked on Kiss and our next novel, Burn. (And I had the privilege of editing Traci’s Lake Emily series years ago, so I guess you could say we’ve got a little love triangle going on. But I digress.)

Ted Dekker’s name conjures up fantastic stories and amazing adventures! You have been part of his work as an editor for years…what was it like writing together?

The process was a blast. Hard work, but very satisfying. We’ve worked together long enough now to know each other’s likes, dislikes, and tendencies when it comes to storytelling. We’ve done a lot of give-and-take over the years and managed to establish trust in each other. Writing with Ted is like speeding down the freeway at a hundred twenty in a Porche Boxter with the top down. Just try to keep up with this man’s energy and ideas! Brainstorming with him leaves me with a wide-eyed, windblown look. I need him to bottle his gifts so I can drink them.

Who was inspired with the initial storyline and how did you come to write as a team?

I came up with a concept for a story about a woman who can relieve people of their most painful memories, a mercy “angel” whose good intentions go all wrong. It was rooted in questions I’d been asking myself about how far a compassionate person could—or should—go in trying to relieve someone’s suffering. Maybe this story will find its footing one day in a sequel about Shauna. Who knows? Ted loved the idea of memory stealing and transplanted that device into a story concept that had bigger political and relational stakes, and Kiss grew from there.

I understand there will be a second collaboration, can you tell us a little bit about that?

I’m really excited about Burn, which is already off our desks and in the capable hands of our editors. Burn ups the ante. It’s an intense, brain-bending story about a woman forced into making a critical, life-changing decision … and what might have happened if she’d made a different decision. It’s a novel about the dramatic stakes involved in dying to self, and what life on the other side of that action looks like, for better and worse.

Will you continue to edit Ted’s other work, or are you in the process of transitioning from editor to writer yourself?

Yes, Ted and I continue will to work as an author/editor team even while we wear co-author hats. I have reduced my editorial workload considerably since I began writing more, but I don’t see myself quitting that entirely. I love to edit. Ideally, writing more will make me a better editor, and vice-versa.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? Your writing goals and dreams for the coming year?

I’m blessed, and that sums it up. I’ve been editing for seventeen years and have enjoyed nearly every day of it. I’m busy at home with a full editorial workload as well as a ten-year-old and a five-month-old. My husband, Tim, is my hero and helper and most amazing supporter. Without him, I couldn’t do any of this. This will be a busy year of writing for me. My first two solo novels are both due this calendar year, and Ted and I hope to embark on novel number three as well.

Any closing words of encouragement you’d like to share. What exciting things is God doing in your life right now?

If this whole process of launching a career as a novelist isn’t exciting, I don’t know what is. I couldn’t have engineered the opportunities that God has placed in front of me; it’s all His doing. Somehow he directs me even when I’m stumbling around, blind and helpless! When you feel this way, I’d encourage you to commit yourself to excellence in whatever situation you find yourself in. Whatever you do, do it for the pleasure of God, even if it seems mundane or pointless. I believe God honors hearts that are content to please Him.

Teen FIRST presents Chosen by Ted Dekker

My thoughts: (and those of my teen sons)
This is a story of courage. It is a story of overcoming doubt and fear and pushing beyond your own limits in order to sacrifice for others. Yet, this is a story unlike any other because it is a story only Ted Dekker can tell.

Chosen is the first book in The Lost Book series. If you are already a Dekker fan, you are familiar with The Circle Trilogy. The Lost Book series picks up some 13 years after Thomas has become the leader of the Forest Guard. The evil of the Horde has grown to enormous strength, and the Forest Guard faces their greatest battle. However, Thomas has to appoint new leaders of the Forest Guard from among some of the youngest member of the Forest Dwellers. Will he choose correctly? Or will he send four innocent children to certain death?

Thomas can’t possibly know that his new leaders are called to a much larger purpose. Once the four chosen ones set out on their mission, they encounter creatures straight out of legend. Their mission turns into a life or death search for the lost Books of History. The very future of all Forest Dwellers depends on their success! Along the way, these four young warriors must discover their own strengths and weaknesses and learn to trust one another like they have never had to trust anyone before. Their choices must be made solely on faith sometimes, and the consequences are often very dire indeed.

Told in classic Ted Dekker style, this story will have you reading at a frantic pace! There is action galore and a strong battle between good and evil! If you are the type of person who enjoys “diving deeper” into the meaning of the story, you will find wonderful analogies hidden among the pages of this tale! Are your teens lovers of fantasy? Do they love action-packed epic tales? Then you must introduce them to Dekker’s latest series! Go ahead and read The Circle Trilogy to enjoy the full impact of the Lost Book series. This is a fabulous continuation of a marvelous story! Don’t miss it!

My two teen sons also reviewed this book. Here is what they had to say:
Is Ted Dekker afraid of bats? His fantasy needs a better and more believable base to work from. There was a lot of action, but the main character needs to learn to fight! The women shouldn’t be teaching the men about fighting! It was ok, but there should be more fighting and more severe consequences in their conflict with the Horde.

So, there you have it. Three different opinions. If you are a Dekker fan, I think you will like this series! Check it out here today!



It's April 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Ted Dekker

and his book:

Chosen (The Lost Books, Book 1) (The Books of History Chronicles)

Thomas Nelson (January 1, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.

After graduating from a multi-cultural high school, he took up permanent residence in the United States to study Religion and Philosophy. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder.

Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. He states that each time he writes, he finds his understanding of life and love just a little clearer and his expression of that understanding a little more vivid. To see a complete list of Dekker's work, visit The Works section of TedDekker.com.

Here are some of his latest titles:

Adam

Black: The Birth of Evil (The Circle Trilogy Graphic Novels, Book 1)

Saint

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:


beginnings

Our story begins in a world totally like our own, yet completely different. What once happened here in our own history seems to be repeating itself thousands of years from now,
some time beyond the year 4000 AD.

But this time the future belongs to those who see opportunity before it becomes obvious. To the young, to the warriors, to the lovers. To those who can follow hidden clues and find a great
treasure that will unlock the mysteries of life and wealth.

Thirteen years have passed since the lush, colored forests were turned to desert by Teeleh, the enemy of Elyon and the vilest of all creatures. Evil now rules the land and shows itself as a painful, scaly disease that covers the flesh of the Horde, a people who live in the desert.

The powerful green waters, once precious to Elyon, have vanished from the earth except in seven small forests surrounding seven small lakes. Those few who have chosen to follow the ways of Elyon now live in these forests, bathing once daily in the powerful waters to cleanse their skin of the disease.

The number of their sworn enemy, the Horde, has grown in thirteen years and, fearing the green waters above all else, these desert dwellers have sworn to wipe all traces of the forests from
the earth.

Only the Forest Guard stands in their way. Ten thousand elite fighters against an army of nearly four hundred thousand Horde. But the Forest Guard is starting to crumble.

one

Day One

Qurong, general of the Horde, stood on the tall dune five miles west of the green forest, ignoring the fly that buzzed around his left eye.

His flesh was nearly white, covered with a paste that kept his skin from itching too badly. His long hair was pulled back and woven into dreadlocks, then tucked beneath the leather body armor
cinched tightly around his massive chest.

“Do you think they know?” the young major beside him asked.

Qurong’s milky white horse, chosen for its ability to blend with the desert, stamped and snorted.

The general spit to one side. “They know what we want them to know,” he said. “That we are gathering for war. And that we will march from the east in four days.”

“It seems risky,” the major said. His right cheek twitched, sending three flies to flight.
“Their forces are half what they once were. As long as they think we are coming from the east, we will smother them from the west.”

“The traitor insists that they are building their forces,” the major said.

“With young pups!” Qurong scoffed.

“The young can be crafty.”

“And I’m not? They know nothing about the traitor. This time we will kill them all.”

Qurong turned back to the valley behind him. The tents of his third division, the largest of all Horde armies, which numbered well over three hundred thousand of the most experienced warriors, stretched out nearly as far as he could see.

“We march in four days,” Qurong said. “We will slaughter them from the west.”