TRANSGRESSION, Book 1, CITY OF GOD Series by R.S. Ingermanson

What a unique and fascinating time-travel story, and the first of this genre I’ve read. But I’ve watched several time-travel movies in which to compare this novel too. Randy delivers excellent character depth and plot twists that are sprinkled with science in layman terms so that anyone can follow and enjoy.

The main characters, Rivka Meyers and Ari Kazan, are buffeted with challenges and dangers because of Damien West’s choices. This story is set in contemporary Jerusalem until a wormhole lands these brave souls in the middle of Ancient Jerusalem.

It was interesting to see Apostle Paul’s Jerusalem though Rivka and Ari’s eyes. Their struggles with belief, keeping history intact, as well as personal overcoming, make this a favorite read for me. I’d ordered this novel on my Kindle and once it was finished—I had to go and purchase the entire paperback set. LaDeda Books & Beans owner commented on the fine quality of these books!

By the way, Transgression sounds great on Kindle!

I was thoroughly entertained by Transgression this first of the City of God series and equally challenged to think about what could have been, as compared to contemporary life.

I’ve sat under Randy’s teachings and had a couple of conversations with him at writer’s conferences a few years ago, and found this man to be intelligent, yet down to earth. He is generous with information and shares his wonderful imagination between the pages of story. When you wrap those qualities up with his education, life experience, and faith, you come away with a memorable tale that stirs curiosity and hope and courage to move forward into the unknown!     

This is a novel that I would expect from a multi-award-winning author with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics and an amazingly active imagination! Well done, Randy Ingermanson! I highly recommend Transgression, Book 1 of the City of God series, which was the 2001 Christy award winner.

Questions for Randy:
I’ve enjoyed reading about your archaeology dig site experience. Was this series birthed out of your first-hand knowledge?
It came out of my first-hand knowledge of the world of physics and the way physicists think. And I certainly read a lot about archaeology and the first-century world of Jerusalem before I wrote the books. But I only had a chance to actually work on an archaeological dig after I wrote the series.

I have now spent a number of weeks working and living exactly where my characters did in the first-century. Based on that experience, I would change very little in the books. There are a couple of minor tweaks I would make, but nothing major.

I must ask this obvious question—how long have you been interested in time-travel?
Since the early 1990s, when I read Diana Gabaldon’s classic Outlander series.

Do you have a favorite time-travel author or movie that you can recommend?
Outlander and its sequels, by Diana Gabaldon. This is a romance series, which is somewhat out of my wheelhouse—I normally read suspense—but these are great novels that I really enjoyed.

Struggling over belief in God and Jesus—well, we all have been there or have someone or many we know with that important decision. Was this struggle modeled after someone you know or just a general observation?
You can safely assume that I’ve wrestled a lot with questions of faith, science, the meaning of life, and lots of other things. My characters aren’t necessarily clones of me, but they get some of their DNA from me.

I have and used your “how to write” books: "Writing Fiction for Dummies" & "How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method," which were excellent. Do you have any more how to write fiction books in the making?
The next book on my list of how-to-write-fiction books has the working title How to Write Dynamite Action and Dialogue. Of course, that title might change, but it’s what I have planned.
And I should mention that my latest book, How to Write Dynamite Scenes Using the Snowflake Method, actually has the best reader ratings of any of my how-to books.

Do you have any new series planned that you would like to reveal to your readers and potential readers?
I’ve been working now for more than five years on a series of novels about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This will be a four-book series, titled Crown of Thorns, and Book 1 is due to come out as soon as my cover designer finishes the cover.

Why have I spent five years on this project? Because I’ve been taking annual research trips to work on archaeological digs in Israel, and I’ve also been reading a lot. And thinking a lot. Book 2 is nearly complete in first draft form, and Books 3 and 4 are pretty clear in my mind.

So it won’t take another five years for each of the other books. I expect they’ll each take about a year. Mainly, it took a lot of work to develop the storyworld and figure out the cast of characters. That work is now done, and I have a clear vision of what the series will be like.
 
I’m glad that I signed up for your newsletter. How do you wish for your readers to contact you? 
For fans of my fiction (anyone who wants to go on an adventure to first-century Jerusalem), visit my personal website at www.Ingermanson.com.
For those who want to learn how to write fiction, check out my business website at www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.
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