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I was interviewed on The Parker J. Cole Show Afterthought - a Facebook Live event - about my debut novel, Mindfire, on April 17, 2021. Reproduced with permission from Parker J. Cole.
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I was interviewed on The Parker J. Cole Show about my debut novel, Mindfire, on April 17, 2021. Reproduced with permission from Parker J. Cole.  On Friday, I received and signed a contract with my publisher for my short story "The Fate of Transport 80-14" to be included in Into The Unknown: An Ambassador International Science Fiction Anthology. I've read most of the other stories in the anthology and they're excellent! Into The Unknown will be published later this year! Below is the trailer I made for my short story.  I can only imagine what it must have been like to have lived in Israel during the days that Jesus Christ walked the Earth.
On one hand, I think it would have been fascinating to hear Him preach in parables and see Him perform miracles. That said, it must have been terrible to witness His public arrest, persecution, torture — and finally His crucifixion. Can you imagine being there during what followed? Matthew 26: 45-54 (King James Version = KJV) reads: Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. The three days that followed would have been a strange time as well. Some people would have been glad Jesus was dead. Some would be in deep mourning and confused, even Jesus' disciples. Others might not have known what to think. And then, on the third day, He arose. Matthew 28: 1-10 (KJV) reads: In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All Hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. It would have been incredible to see Jesus, the risen Savior. Can you imagine listening to Him speak and viewing His ascension to Heaven? Luke 24: 49-53 (KJV) reads: And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. But here's something to consider: When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit into this world. Through believing on the name of Jesus Christ, we can be saved. That Spirit can enter us, dwell with us, comfort us, and give us the power to resist sin and temptation. John 14: 9-21 (KJV) reads: Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. We can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what Easter is all about. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice to pay for the sins of everyone who has ever lived or will live in the future. He wants to offer us an eternal future with Him, first on Earth and then in Heaven with God, the angels, and all those who have believed on His name and persevered. All he wants is for us to believe and trust Him. John 3: 16-17 (KJV) reads: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Happy Easter. I made this promotional video with Doodly. It's for my Mindfire novel, a Christian superhero thriller. It's a test, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Let me know what you think! I've started experimenting with Speechelo Pro in relation to marketing my books. Speechelo is a software that lets you customize realistic-sounding Artificial Intelligence voices to read whatever text you give them. This test is for Jordan's Deliverance, Book 3 in the Jordan of Algoran Series. Please give me your feedback. Thanks! I've started experimenting with Speechelo Pro in relation to marketing my books. Speechelo is a software that lets you customize realistic-sounding Artificial Intelligence voices to read whatever text you give them. The second test is for Jordan's Arrow, Book 2 in the Jordan of Algoran Series. Please give me your feedback. Thanks! I've started experimenting with Speechelo Pro in relation to marketing my books. Speechelo is a software that lets you customize realistic-sounding Artificial Intelligence voices to read whatever text you give them. This first test is for Jordan's World, Book 1 in my Jordan of Algoran Series. The ebook is currently selling for $0.99 on Amazon. Please give me your feedback. Thanks!  I consider myself blessed to be a Christian fiction author. It may not be my "day job" yet, but it has led to the publishing of four of my books, with more in the works. Just as important, I find it extremely rewarding. Writing stories to entertain, encourage and point people towards Christ is more wonderful than I could ever have imagined.
Recently, I was asked if I was willing to write something for friend and fellow Ambassador International author Joanna White. She is putting together an anthology of short stories that take place in the same universe as her books Hunter, Shifter, and Dark Magi. I volunteered to be part of the project. Joanna basically gave me free reign (within reason) to write my own kind of story in the genre of my choice. My only limitations were that it take place within the star systems and races she has already established. Even so, Joanna had already mapped out most of a galaxy and established around forty races. That gave me a lot to work with. After a bit of prayer and brainstorming, I knew the genre and type of story I wanted to write. I conferred with Joanna to learn more about the races I wanted to use and establish some specific locations. Before long, I had decided to write a Space Western. That's a genre I had never written before. Think Firefly and Serenity with no big government as the antagonist. My short story will definitely be Christian, with a redemption element. It's kind of taken on a life of its own. I wrote a large chunk of it within about ten days, but I'm not quite finished. It's been filled with humor, love, and adventure. It features a number of races, including humans, and has male and female protagonists. Some are young adults, some are more mature. And it's all fun, already at over 11000 words. As always, my friends: Expect twists! This will be a part of Joanna White's Republic Chronicles Anthology, which will be permafree (permanently free) to the public. It should be released some time next year. I'll keep you apprised, of course. There are some incredible authors participating in this. You should check it out. You won't be disappointed! A month ago, I wrote a blog entry about Christian themes that are present in all my books. As things continue to change from day to day in this world, I feel compelled to take a stand for those same themes in real life: things that matter and can offer hope to others.
By "take a stand," I do not mean literally, as in hold up signs and protesting, getting in people's faces and shouting "my truths." That is not who I am and it is not how I want to behave. I also don't think it accomplishes anything positive. People don't want to be treated that way — and they shouldn't be. I found the below quote and found it to be so true: "Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers." - Excerpt from "The Quest for Peace and Justice" - Martin Luther King Jr. Nobel Lecture -- December 11, 1964 I am an author. The best way I can convey my thoughts, beliefs, and compel others is through my writing and my spoken words. I am still relatively new. I have no illusions about my place in society. I am not famous, and I don't need to be. I am one man among billions of people. Even so, I have been blessed to be used by the Lord in times past. Through Him, I know I have made a difference in this world. So, if it is God's will, then my words will reach people. I will continue to write and I will do what I can. And while I do not fear censorship or so-called Cancel Culture, I have no desire to deliberately provoke anyone, either. I do not hate. I do not carry grudges or wish ill-will on anyone. That said, I know that my Christian beliefs will eventually provoke people, simply by my believing and living those principles. Even so, the Lord compels Christians to be at peace with everyone if at all possible. Romans 12: 17-21 (King James Version) reads: Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. A few years ago, I made the decision to be openly Christian on Facebook, then on all social media. It was somewhat difficult to make that choice. I had concerns I might alienate longtime friends, acquaintances and perhaps even family. But I went forward with it, because I am not ashamed of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, nor of His Father, God. I could not be happier with the changes He has made in me since I accepted Him into my heart. In return, He blessed me. Only one friend was hostile to me, to the point that I had to block them. Virtually everyone else accepted and even encouraged me, either as a Christian or as an author. I've always been grateful for that. I have written boldly since then, and I will continue to. If the Lord wills it, I will be even more bold. I will say the things He inspires me to say, though they will be tempered in His love. People will either receive it or reject it. We all have free will. In uncertain times, it is important to lean on what is reliable. Many believe that the only one you can rely on is yourself. I understand the reasoning behind that, but I do not agree. We are human and therefore fallible. We can mean well and still make mistakes. That is why I believe that God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are the only ones to rely on. They are eternal, Holy, and true. They have never failed. And they never will. Psalms 27: 13-14 (King James Version) reads: I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. |
About the authorAllen Steadham is a nondenominational Christian. Happily interracially married since 1995 and the proud father of two sons and a daughter. He and his wife have been in the same Christian band since 1997. He plays electric bass, she plays strings, they both sing. It's all good. 
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