A Quick Overview of CROSS Gate Book One

'The Family in Turmoil' are the Severs, consisting of David the father; Cassie, his daughter; Jeff, his son; and Carolyn, his estranged wife. David and Cassie have some latent abilities they used to play with when she was a child. They toyed with getting 'inside' one another, skirting the fringes of a technique known as dream-walking, though they had no label, nor any depth of knowledge about it.


Now in the present day, they find themselves doing it again, coinciding with dreams David is having of a mysterious circular cross shape and a Templar Knight. David's eccentricities surrounding his dream world is wreaking havoc in the marriage and family unit. Carolyn seeks out new age church alternatives as her solution, while David is having no part of it, as the bent of his faith is that of a traditionalist. 


Cassie, a rebel teen, has little interest in either, but is fascinated with her father's dream world, and begins to share in it, while her brother seeks only what best serves preserving the family as a whole. This leads him to more of an alliance with his mother and her new-found 'mentor,' charlatan church leader, Murro Vogt. As Murro takes Carolyn and Jeff 'under his wing,' his true motives in targeting this family because of their ancestry to the line of Knights Templar, slowly begin to emerge. 


Cassie's allegiance to her father and his resistance towards Vogt brings the two sides headlong on collision course, eventually leading to Cassie's introduction to Sandra Nikells, a psychic consultant to the local police department. Nikells becomes involved when a stark tragedy of Vogt's making strikes the family, felling both Carolyn and Jeff. Eventually, she becomes their coach in the art of dream walking and the use of 'dream gates'. As these skills are honed, so too is the mystery of David's dream cross circles. They also are revealed to be 'gates' in their own right. Gates of cross-over passage to the other side!


It is ultimately to this end, a mission pre-destined to the family Severs by their connection to the Templar Grand Master deSevery, that their road of discovery leads. And once upon it, there is no turning back. The very author of the faith they so desperately struggle over is the ONE who sets them forth on a tumultuous journey into the spiritual realm. Fraught with dark dangers and entities, they march into the unknown not only to rescue mother and son, but many other souls lost in a black beyond! 




       

The Shepherd Lives!

I thought I'd had a completely original notion when coming up with 'the Shepherd' reference to the persona of Jesus in the CrossGate books, but this very day I discovered, not to my chagrin, but to my delight actually, that Christ, as 'the Shepherd' appeared in scripture! Not in the Cannon, and included in the New Testament, but in a 'Lost Gospel of the Bible,' a book called 'Hermas.' (I've been reading these 'Lost Books' for a while now)


In Hermas II, 1-3 it reads:
When I had prayed at home, and was sat down upon the bed, a certain man came in to me with a reverend look, in the habit of a shepherd, clothed with a white cloak, having his bag upon his back, and his staff in his hand, and saluted me.
I returned his salutation, and immediately he sat down by me, and said unto me, 'I am sent by that venerable messenger, that I should dwell with thee all the remaining days of thy life.'
But I thought that he was come to try me, and said unto him, 'Who are you? For I know to whom I am committed.' He said unto me, 'do you not know me?' I answered no. 'I am,' said he, 'that shepherd to whose care you are delivered.' 


Had I made this discovery in other than some form of scripture, I may not have been quite as giddy over it. But, being from 'inspired writings,' I find I am - more inspired myself! Justified, confirmed, whatever you like to call it. Thus, even if not in an 'accepted' New Testament book, The Shepherd indeed has a First Century reference as Christ himself! Whoo-hoo, how about that! Amen?!

Writer's Block?

As the weather cools, it seems progress in editing the mighty tale has also. For whatever reason, contact with my editor has grown cold of late. Not cause for a total stress-out by any means, but the not knowing is generally like whenever you don't what's up with your kid! And is not one's written work not like unto your child? Of course it is.


In more positive news, work on what shall be the third installment of the series continues humming along. But first, a little background; for one might ask, "Third?" "What about the second?"
In its initial writing, CrossGate was a singular, sweeping epic with a marked shift in story somewhere around the half-way point. It was at last decided during editing/marketing consultations to split the original chronicle into two parts for consistency and book-size considerations. The second book is tentatively entitled EarthGate, and deals with what is commonly known as 'The Rapture' in a decidedly Sci-Fi perspective. 


Thus, when a new story began to gel, it would naturally have to become Part Three, which is going by the working title of CrossOver. CrossOver introduces some interesting new concepts involving a particular warcraft of Russian design, as well as a zombie apocalypse flavor (except with demons rather than the walking-dead!). Additionally, it brings a nice twist to the lead character of Cassie which she has lacked through Parts 1-2: some romance!

It has struck me in these recent days since putting up this blog/site, just how truly blessed I've been in having been given this epic story to tell. We often talk of gifts or talents that God endows to people. For many years I  thought I was fairly fulfilled simply by the insights I've been granted over time. Spiritual awakenings, reflections of awareness, views of the world and things out-of-this-world! It has been all good and still is even today.
But the gifting of an entire novel series and realm therein! I could say the rest of it doesn't compare, or that its icing on the cake. Either would be true. Beyond that, the avenues that await, the opportunities I'm not even aware of yet to share with others through the vehicle of these books in waiting! It is a journey I had not expected to be making, but am sure glad I am! To quote one of my characters, "Praise Be!"   

It is my wish that other networks that may be created out of the fictional story of the CrossGate might be attention to the situation of single parents. I personally, have been involved in this realm for many years, a single parent myself.
They say you write what you know. Though I was aware that my family-split crisis in the CrossGate storyline came about thru my own familiarity with it personally, I failed to see the gravity to which it could reach. It has been my experience around many solo child-rearers, that the relational avenues created from the core family break-ups often lead in positive directions one could not have imagined.
This too is reflected in CrossGate. It would be my hope that, in the future, with completion and attention to the novels, the realm of CrossGate may draw equal positive attention to the plight of single parenting.

Welcome to the first day of  Crossing-the-gate - a new page tracking the progress of the upcoming book series of Cross Gate. It shall also be the personal, day-to-day entries of its writer, A.F. Roberts.


Today, just happy in the time to give to it. As with all of us, the daily grind can not only drag on us physically and mentally, but take us away from our lives outside the workplace, if we're not careful. That is, of course, if we allow it. Though, sometimes there's not much we can do.
Then cometh, the weekend!


Look for more insights, reflections, and updates on the books in the days and weeks to come.