NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
For years people have accused Christian novelists of using their characters as mere mouthpieces for doctrine, using them to tell the world what Christianity is. Last year a friend and I decided that it was high time someone write a novel about what Christianity is not. Larry and I did our best, and we welcome your comments via my Web site, www.rayblackston.com.
Blessings to all who can laugh at themselves,
P.S. Larry and I confess that our idea for a Broadway musical of A pagan’s Nightmare is still in the “Hmmm, should we do this?” phase. But I do know that Larry has already left phone messages for Sister Sledge, ABBA, and Paul McCartney.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ray Blackston is a native South Carolinian and full-time author. He left the corporate world in 2000 to focus on creative writing. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, with a degree in Finance and Economics, although this did little to prepare him for life as a novelist. He also serves on the drama team at his church, participates in a weekly men’s accountability group, and enjoys playing golf and visiting South Carolina beaches with friends and family. As a sidebar to his time spent writing, Ray has a passion for teaching budding writers, both at conferences and in a local writers group. His first novel, Flabbergasted, was one of three finalists for the Christy Award for best first novel and was chosen as Inspirational Novel of the Year by the Dallas Morning News. More of Ray’s background is available at his Web site, www.rayblackston.com.
“RIVETING! Grippifia!! FABULOUS!!!
Exclamation Points!!!!!!!”
—Today’s Religious Fanatic
“Thou hast made much mockery; therefore, ye shall receive not our vehement condemnation, but our esteem. For thou hast brought great mirth unto us.”
—King James Fiction Review
“We can all pray that we’ll one day live in the world Ray has imagined.”
—Legalism Today
“Tune in every night this week for a chance to buy your ‘Rock on with the holy movement or burn in heck—your choice!’ T-shirt. Blackston’s novel—and this exclusive T-shirt—are must-haves in this pagan-filled world!”
—Holy Shopping Network
“A world ruled by religious fanatics? God forbid!”
—Today’s Pagan Woman
“Man, the Bible Belt was bad enough when guys just went to church to meet girls. And now this!”
—The Jay Jarvis Flabbergasting Fiction Review
WHO’S EVER HEARD OF A REVERSE RAPTURE?
Larry Hutch may have a few loose screws in his head, but he’s determined to create a hit with his latest manuscript. While dealing with personal crises, he conceives of a strange new world: on a routine Monday morning in Atlanta, an unwary “pagan” finds himself one of the last remaining unbelievers in a world populated by Christians.
Christians can buy gas for twelve cents a gallon, while everyone else (the pagans, that is) has to pay $6.66. The radio stations alter all song lyrics to conform to “Christian” standards–the Beatles belt out “I Wanna Hold Your Tithe”; ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” becomes “Dancing’s Wrong.” Even French fries, newly labeled “McScriptures,” are tools for evangelism.
Larry’s novel is a big hit with his agent, Ned. But Ned’s wife–a committed Southern Baptist–is less than amused. And Larry has yet to show the manuscript to his new girlfriend, even though he’s made her the unsuspecting heroine. It will take deft handling from both men to keep their lives and their relationships intact when the world witnesses A PAGAN’S NIGHTMARE.
“Ray Blackston’s A PAGAN’S NIGHTMARE is a delightful tongue-in-cheek look at some of our sacred cows… and he’s not afraid to tip them over! Ray does a great job of reminding us what’s really important–not the trappings we’ve created for ourselves, but our relationship with a living, powerful God.”
–Angela Hunt, author of Magdalene and The Novelist
David Lawrence Photography
RAY BLACKSTON is the author of the Flabbergasted trilogy. When he’s not crafting a new novel, he explores South Carolina beaches with friends and family, competes in golf tournaments, leads a writers’ critique group, and relives his youth through a large collection of eighties music.
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