Special Giveaway and Interview: A Son Comes Home

Welcome to Writing for Christ, Joseph Bentz! Thank you for being with us today. 

How long did you write before you were published?

                I was in my mid-thirties before my first book, a fantasy novel called Song of Fire, was published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. I worked on the book off and on for about ten years while I was in graduate school and starting my teaching career. I was a student and fan and teacher of literature, so I tried to write the kind of novel that I would want to read. I worked by trial and error, and the first draft of the novel was long and unpublishable at about 1,200 pages. Once I finished, I used that pile of manuscript as raw material and rewrote the book from scratch. Once I got it to about half its original size and did lots of revisions, I started sending it to publishers. When Thomas Nelson finally offered a contract, my editors had me cut about 150 more pages. All those changes made it a better book. I’m the kind of writer who has to write expansively in order to find the story, and then I cut it way back for the reader’s sake.  

When you held that first book in your hands, what was your first thought?

                I still remember when the first box of books was delivered to my doorstep. My wife and I pulled them out and just stared at them for awhile. Part of me wanted to start passing them around to everyone I saw, but I was surprised that I also felt a little shy about the whole thing. I had lived with these characters alone in my head for so long that I was a little anxious about other people reading about them. I remember how strange it felt when a reader first talked to me about some of the characters and scenes in the book. My immediate thought was, how do you know about that? But then I remembered that I had published all this for the whole world to see! It’s still a thrill to me to think that the little movie scenes that play in my head as I’m writing a novel now also can take place in the heads of my readers as they read the books. 

What are you working on now?

                I’m working on two books. I’m secretly working on another novel, and I am also under contract for a non-fiction Christian living book for Beacon Hill Press. It is about those times when the veil between us and eternity, between us and the Holy Spirit, between us and the world beyond us, seems thin, and we sense the Holy Spirit in a remarkable way. The extraordinary movements of the Holy Spirit highlight the ways he can also be fully present with us in ordinary moments.   

Where can readers find out more about your books?

                I have a website, www.josephbentz.com.

What message(s) do you want to be clear to your readers?

                It depends on the book. I have written four novels and three non-fiction books. With the novels, I really want readers to get captivated by the story itself rather than any “message.” My first novel is a fantasy novel and the other three are contemporary fiction, so the stories are very different from each other. But the spiritual messages and themes are certainly there. My second novel, A Son Comes Home, is often taught in Introduction to Literature courses at my university, and when I visit those classes, it’s fascinating to see the messages students take from the novel, some of which I wasn’t fully aware of when I wrote the book. 

                My three non-fiction books on Christian living are really my way of grappling with my own spiritual questions and hoping what I discover will be meaningful to readers. All the books are designed for use in small groups and come with study guides so readers can explore these issues further. The messages in those books are pretty clear from the titles. The first is When God Takes Too Long: Learning to Thrive During Life’s Delays (Beacon Hill Press, 2005). The second book is Silent God: Finding Him When You Can’t Hear His Voice (Beacon Hill Press, 2007). The most recent is God in Pursuit: The Tipping Points from Doubt to Faith (Beacon Hill Press, 2010).  

What are two things that people wouldn't normally know about you as a writer and or person?

1.       If there is one character in all of literature that I wish I had created, it is Sherlock Holmes.

2.       People often mistakenly think that if you’ve written one book, it must not be that hard to write the next one and the one after that. But to me, every book is a miracle. Each one also takes something out of me. I reach a point in writing each one when I think, I can’t do this! I’m in over my head! I’ll never get it finished! But then I stop whining and move on.

Thank you for being with us today.  Any final words for readers?

                I feel grateful every day that I have the opportunity to write.

A Son Comes Home

By Joseph Bentz

Randall House, 2007

One-sentence description:

                A Son Comes Home is a contemporary novel that tells the story of a life-changing summer in an American family when a grown son returns home to face his father's illness and to confront the unresolved pain and secrets of years past.

Overview of A Son Comes Home:

                It took the news of his father's illness to bring him home for the summer. After fleeing Indiana following the tragic death of his idolized older brother, Chris LaRue struggles to set aside his bitterness and to renew the fragmented relationships abandoned two years earlier. But he discovers that his brother's presence still echoes through the house and time has not healed the wounded.

                Battling a deep sense of loyalty to his brother, Chris tries desperately to patch together his family. But new challenges rock its foundation and threaten to undo their fragile progress. Chris yearns for a future free from the past—will it require revealing the betrayal his brother took to the grave?

Alright readers, here is your chance to enter to win Joseph's book, A Son Comes Home.

Please leave an email adddress! If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win.


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Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.


Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on November 19th.