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We keep writing books, and often run eBook or audio serials. Here is a summary of Bible Tales – work in progress.
Last updated .
This page includes a progress bar for each of our current projects with some expected milestone dates. These dates are given in the knowledge that God is in control of our lives and everything else – things do not always work out as we expect. As far as it is up to us, these dates are important targets.
News of progress and further releases is included in the Bible Tales weekly newsletter. Sign up now and you will hear the news first.
If you have any more questions about the books and can’t wait to hear answers through the newsletter, please ask through our Contact form.
You may also be interested in our publication history.
To learn about Bible Tales’ work in progress, click on one of the tabs below to see what we are working on in that area.
COVID pandemics have ravaged Australia, leaving the country fractured and society in retreat. In Melbourne, economic troubles and an ongoing fear of even more dangerous strains of the virus lead to an increasing desire for isolation and tighter control.
When new movement restrictions are announced by the government, Dan and his family seize their last chance to escape the city and the shrinking territory of Victoria that surrounds it.
Many warned about the “dangerous” country beyond the Western Margin, but for the family, the attractions overcame their doubts.
They made for the Grampians – a former National Park – where the family had spent many happy holidays in pre-pandemic times. But times have changed, and some people are doing their best to exploit a lack of governmental control.
After managing a campsite and tracking down some mysterious robbers, now they have some time for holidaying Beyond the Western Margin.
A third successful camp is coming to an end and the Turners are busy with some equipment problems when Ben, one of the departing campers, is hurt. As a nurse, Tanya can help, but it seems that the incident wasn’t an accident, although Ben won’t admit it.
Steve and Sylvia, the owners of the Roses Gap camp site have returned with Sylvia in better health, and now the Turners can have some time off with cousin Dave. On Sunday, they visit a church in Stawell, then meet Ben whose injured knee has put him on crutches for a month and requires an operation. Dan and Alex attend a Bible Class in Stawell and are surprised to meet Fergus who helped overcome Brad Jessop and his men in Beyond the Western Margin.
What with some extra work around the camp, the need to get their camper van ready, and Dan and Belinda’s wish to go camping with cousin Dave in a cave in the cliffs under Briggs Bluff, the family finds itself in Stawell again on the following Sunday. Ben’s operation is over, but unexpected excitement around the hospital shows that not all dangerous troublemakers have been removed by putting Brad and his men in jail!
Ben needs rest to recover, so the family invites him to join them as they travel west to Moora Moora Reservoir, camping in the shadows of the dam wall. At first, they all revel in its quiet peace, but soon it becomes clear that a large concentration of people is not far away, and that not everyone loves peace.
Unexpected visitors make it clear that the Turners aren’t welcome there. Recognising some of the troublemakers, Dan investigates and soon finds that there is more danger than he could have imagined. In a secret paramilitary training camp nearby, sinister plans are being made to terrorise first the Grampians and then Victoria. And there’s no time to waste, either: their training is almost complete and they’ve already placed explosives at their first target. Can Dan and his family prevent a catastrophe, or is the problem too big for them?
It’s still a Bible Tales – work in progress.
A youth with royal blood in his veins, growing up in Jerusalem during the religious revivals of King Josiah.
The hopes of a nation crumble as Josiah dies in battle and his revival dies with him.
Daniel continues to follow Josiah’s ways until his ability is recognised by the attacking king, Nebuchadnezzar, and he is taken away to Babylon.
As exiles in a land of strange customs, Daniel and his friends are to be educated in all the wisdom of Babylon. But first, they must decide whose rules come first: God’s or Nebuchadnezzar’s.
Which will Daniel choose? And what will the king do if Daniel rejects his laws?
It doesn’t take long before Daniel establishes himself as a man the king can’t do without, but jealous rivals ensure that danger is never far away.
NaNoWriMo began on 1 November 2018 at 00:00:01 and finished on 30 November at midnight.
When the clock reached midnight on 30 November 2018, I had already validated my novel earlier in the evening, so it was not quite as close to the deadline as last year. This time, large amounts of time spent travelling at the end of November fueled a frenzied rush of story-writing, with 35,000 words being written in the last week!
The story had not progressed far through the life of Daniel, with him only having spent 8 years in Babylon. Not only so, but some parts of that time period were still unfinished. An estimated 35,000 extra words were required to tie up those loose ends.
With a view to compelling progress, (since everything was taking too long!), the book was released as an eBook serial on 17 May 2022. It worked. The extra content was written and the serial finished on 20 December 2022.
A second volume began during NaNoWriMo 2022. However, once again, it didn’t get as far as I wanted…
NaNoWriMo began on 1 November 2022 at 00:00:01 and finished on 30 November at midnight.
An estimated 35,000 extra words were required to tie up more loose ends.
Once more the pressure of deadlines proved productive and the second book was also released as an eBook serial.
This serial began on 14 February 2023 and finished on 31 October 2023.
As far as I was concerned at the time, the manuscript of the combined book was then complete (about 170,000 words). I tried to publish the story through a traditional publisher. However, during the presentation of the manuscript to publishers, I decided that expanding the involvement of one important character would improve the story significantly. Editing is still in progress, and the overall improvement to the story makes the small increase (about 1%) to the overall manuscript length well worthwhile!
These micro-tales are included in the Bible Tales weekly newsletter. Sign up now to read new ones one by one as they are written and published. In most cases the stories in the newsletter and the book are just the same.
For the time being at least, this collection is no longer a Bible Tales – work in progress. Work on it has paused in favour of further developing my story of Paul which is being released in episodes in the newsletter instead.
Notes:
1. The cover displayed may not be the cover used in any future publication.
2. These micro-tales are included in the Bible Tales weekly newsletter and the progress bar above shows how many have currently been published in this way.
Sign up now to read them one by one as they are written/published.
In most cases the stories in the newsletter and the book are just the same, except that corrections are sometimes made.
Old Testament
New Testament
Old Testament
New Testament
Subscribers will then receive the entire audiobook of “Fiction Favours the Facts – Book 4”.
Paul in Snippets (about 9,800 words; written in 24 hours)
Initially, my November speed writing projects (writing 50,000 words in November) were undertaken with the former National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), but over the years, NaNoWriMo took to openly promoting political, moral and religious directions with which I could not associate. In 2022, I had learned enough of this to wish to avoid any connection with their annual challenge. NaNoWriMo is now (as of April, 2025) defunct. However, I have continued repeating the concept each year since I find it helpful.
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