CSFF The Begotten by Lisa T. Bergren, Day 2

Day 2 on the April Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour of Monday - Wednesday, April 21-23rd is Lisa Tawn Bergren's book, The Begotten, book #1 in The Gifted Series. (see yesterday for day 1) So, about that email I mentioned yesterday... here for your conversation perusal purposes... my email to Lisa and her response!

Dear Lisa,

Last summer I worked in an embroidery shop in a historic downtown and there were many more "free" hours than there were customers and it was during that time that I discovered Christian fiction. I have to admit that your book was available from the library as a new book and I started reading it. I did not get very far, I stopped because it was so different and frightened me that it would be so like The Di Vinci Code with the heresy and blasphemy so I put it back. Now, I have read such reviews, and received it as I'm a part of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour group. The reviews that I have read have been incredible and have shown me that I've stopped too early! The topper, is to receive the book and have my all-time-favorite author as an endorser on the front cover!! (Liz Curtis Higgs, of course!) So, I'm reading the book again, when more trust. :) [...] I'd really love to be able to share your book with others and get them to see it for what it really is and not walk away early frightened by what they do not understand and assume. (Like I did.)

What are some good websites you recommend? Good books and articles that
explain what lost or gnostic books are for your readers? Anything you
want to share with readers.

Margaret
cherryblossommj@gmail.com
http://cherryblossommj.blogspot.com

Margaret, Thanks for giving it another whirl! I understand not wanting to expose yourself to the dark--there's too much light to let in! But what I found interesting in researching The Gifted, was that their battles--realistic for medieval times--are still some of the battles we face today. We NEED some knowledge, NEED to do some thinking on our place in the battle, if we are to be affective warriors for Christ. That said, I had a bunch of people praying for me as I began to research and continued to research. Thank God for the Holy Spirit! In regard to gnosticism--when I was researching (five years ago now!), I mostly went to the web to read up on it. While it is a part of the texture and gave me some context in my books, it is not a central focus, as in Da Vinci Code. My characters are more drawn by the sins we face today--greed, power, lust, etc. And my evil characters are drawn from my research about black magic practiced in the day...and the subtle ways Satan uses everyone and everything he can to draw us. They do not address Christ's divinity nor prescribe to the "spirit over body" concepts--which would be in keeping with gnosticism--they simply try to draw his followers away, break them down, use them for their own dark purposes. They revel in the human body and off-camera, they're obviously involved in dark practices in regard to the body. This is historically accurate and reflects modern day society too. How much time do we spend thinking about our bodies? How many ways do we defile God's temple? Over and over again, I found parallels. Everything old is new again. One thing I would tell your readers is that this series exponentially expanded my understanding of how we are all in a spiritual battle, whether we take the time to think about it or not. I adore the writings of John Eldredge for this reason alone--he's constantly calling us to wake up, pay attention--much like the Bible does as well. [...]
Blessings on your head, LTB


And then... (nothing new for the other members of the tour, but new to some!!!) there is this...


Q: Is The Begotten the first book?
A: Yes, the trilogy is written in this order: The Begotten, The Betrayed, and The Blessed (Fall 2008 release).

Q: What’s this trilogy, The Gifted, about?
A: It’s about a group of spiritually gifted people brought together to introduce religious and spiritual change, and are therefore battling forces of evil—and even the Church.

Q: Why did you write The Gifted?
A: I read The Da Vinci Code in 24 hours—the first novel I’d read that fast in a long time. The pace, the intrigue caught me. But I was horrified by the heresy in the end. Many people read it as “story,” “just one idea,” but many others believe it to be a viable alternative. That’s why story is so valuable to us…it lives in our minds and hearts and helps us see different angles, different perspectives. But when that is used to tear down truth, we’re in trouble.
At the same time, I was totally captivated by The Lord of the Rings trilogy on film. I’d always been a Lewis and Tolkien fan, but to see those works of fiction come to life on screen was something that deeply moved me. It awakened in me a desire to write an epic trilogy on the scale of LOTR (I know, as if…but it was the inspiration), and with the mystery of Da Vinci Code.
So I set out to find a biblical mystery and asked some theologian friends. They both came back with the “missing letters of St. Paul,” letters Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians in the biblical text. I thought, “What else might he have sent to the Corinthians? Written about?” Wanting to stick to the biblical text we do have, I centered on the spiritual gifts he writes about, and set my books in the most difficult period I could imagine for such gifts to emerge—pre-Reformation, pre-Renaissance—in the era of the Inquisition. Conflict. Drama. Intrigue. Power. Potential for some very cool fictional things to transpire!

Q: So you’re done with The Blessed. Is the series complete with that book?
A: When I finished my last trilogy, I was most definitely done with the characters. When fans wrote to ask for more, I’d say, “They’re fine! Let them live happily ever after!” This group so intrigues me, I think it could go on. Yes, there’s a nice ending to book #3 and there’s no current plans for additional books. But hey, if we find the readership and sales take off, there are definitely more stories in these people—because Satan, our perennial enemy, is always present. That’s what I love…The Gifted are really us, God’s people, out in the world, uniquely gifted to do his good work. If we’re willing. The story goes on in real life, if not in my books.

Q: What’s the bio you want out there?
A: Here ‘tis: Lisa T. Bergren is the best-selling author of 28 books, 14 of them novels. She is a full-time writer and freelance editor living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with her husband Tim, an artist, and their three young children. Lisa is currently concepting three different novels—a trilogy set in historical Colorado, a medieval novel about a pirate queen, and a Renaissance novel about a woman who loved the great sculptor, Bernini. She loves to explore, travel and experience life—on foot or in her novels. Her web sites are www.LisaTawnBergren.com and www.SatisfiedHeart.com and soon, www.FamilyTripster.com.

Thanks again for giving me the web space on your page! I appreciate it.

Every good thing,
Lisa T. Bergren