Sunday, December 22, 2013

The Serpent's Disciple by Deborah Stevens



In The Serpent’s Disciple, an ancient evil threatens to take over the Catholic Church and use it to create a New World Order. Thirty years after Pope John Paul’s death, Peter Romanus, the Grand Master of Propaganda Due, sets in motion the plot to kill the pope and supersede him—and take control of major world governments through the Church.

While visiting their father’s birthplace of Pesaro, Italy, the lives of Anthony and Nelli Andruccioli become entwined with the Grand Master’s plot. A 600-year-old family secret and an ancient artifact could save humankind from this diabolical leader many fear is the Antichrist. Anthony and Nelli learn of their family’s deep and ancient connection to Saint Anthony, and they are called to protect the Church: Nelli as the Chosen One and Anthony as one of the Guardians sworn to protect her from the false prophet. Together they must navigate the labyrinth of ancient prophecy and Vatican politics to expose the truth before it is too late.

Deborah Stevens

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a book in my hand.  Over time my preference for a certain genre of literature we know as  “thriller fiction” was taking over my bookshelves.  Fortunately, my love for this kind of writing is shared by many and the publishing market has responded with the work of many fine writers offering a nearly endless array of quality choices.

I might have remained a reader rather than an author of thrillers, except that my mind began to dream up plots for novels as I listened to the news of events from around the world. At such times, I’d jot down ideas for stories and books, doing so hundreds of times before the fateful day when the idea for Serpent’s Disciple took up residency in my head and then took on a life of its own. 

Given my ancestry- Italian Catholic- the setting for Serpent’s Disciple was probably pre-determined. But as luck would have it, real life events handed me the outlines of a plot that begged to be written and turned into a page turning thriller.  While researching the facts and events that form the background of the book, the characters became living, breathing people taking on a life of their own. The more I researched, the further I found myself led on a journey revealing the next plot twist or the fate of the characters being revealed to me paragraph by paragraph.

The Serpent’s Disciple represents the culmination of yet another kind of journey. Born in Michigan, and a graduate of Michigan State University, I moved with my family to Minnesota.  It was during this period of my life I began to write, but found that as a single mother, I never had enough time to devote to it.  Both my daughters are adults pursuing their own dreams now. I am remarried and continue to live in the Twin Cities circumstances that, thankfully, afford me not only the time to write but also an environment alive with great writers whose work and success proved the incentive I needed to get back to my writing on a more intensive basis.

I hope you will enjoy the novel I’ve woven for your reading pleasure.  Meanwhile, I am already at work on my newest thriller, whose plot - as with The Serpent’s Disciple - is inspired by real life events. 
Deborah is giving away a paper copy of "The Serpent's Disciple" to one lucky person who leaves a comment. 
Congratulations to Leslie Diehl! Deborah will be contacting you for your mailing address. Happy Reading!