Why "Venerable?"

Readers of “Venerable: The Price of Paradise” have asked me about my inspiration for writing it. There have been many moments in my life, and thoughts that I have had, that contributed to it. These experiences coalesced into the spark of the original idea for the book, and then the entire series.

There is a long answer and a short answer. First, the long answer:

I am fascinated by humanity, or , if you prefer, homo sapiens. From our distant past and the dawn of mankind, to the current state of things (including both remarkable achievements and utter failures), to our uncertain and unlimited future. I filter everything I experience and observe through a lens of curiosity, and am always asking myself the question, “What does this say about humanity?”

Among the things I have witnessed in my lifetime include amazing technological achievements, diverse cultures that co-exist and collide, measurable progress in the area social justice, continuing bigotry and hatred, unselfish giving, incredible greed, spiritual awakenings, and indescribable wickedness. In the United States we have evolved a culture of division, distrust and tribalism that has created an era of cynicism, overly contentious politics, and isolation, which hinders our progress.

I have often thought, “What would a society that has solved its problems look like, and how would it have achieved such a utopian state?” Many scenarios have come into my mind, and there are probably as many ideas of what such a place looks like as there are human beings on our planet.

“Venerable: The Price of Paradise,” takes us to one possible utopia, and shows us how fragile its existence might be, still struggling with its imperfections.

Now, the short answer (if you haven’t already read “Venerable,” SPOILER ALERT!) :

About a year ago, I saw a woman wearing a T-Shirt that proclaimed in large block letters, “The Future is Female.” The first thought that popped into my curious brain was, “I wonder what that would look like?”

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