Author: Joel Bouriaque
Located in: Wetumpka, AL
Submitted: November 21, 2012
Tell us a little about yourself. I have been married for fifteen years with two children, one of them handicapped. My family and I run a small hobby farm in central Alabama. Playing guitar and writing are my hobbies. Youth and handicapped children are a life passion for me and my wife.
What was your motivation behind this project? Deception of Magic started seven years ago as a project for church kids. What did they want in a Christian book? What problems would you want solved? Overwhelmingly, the youth wanted heavy Bible, a fantasy, real characters, along with real problems teen face today, with Biblical answers. The surprise to me, was that they insisted it not be watered down. I was told to, Write like you teach.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I hope all the readers come away with a better understanding of God, and how they fit into His plans. Life is hard for Christians, and sometimes we don't understand why God allows things to happen. Hopefully, they learn something about the Bible as well.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? The biggest impact to me was the craving youth have for a deeper understanding of God and the world we live in. I was surprised to hear from pastors, youth leaders, and parents about the conversations Deception of Magic started
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Believe it or not, my biggest influence comes from the older Christian writers, such as the Puritans. CS Lewis is another, you got to love him! The fantasy genre comes from my love for the younger generations. Issues faced then, we face today. The difference is purely the use of God's word in dealing with issues.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: We are all sinners! Through Adam, we all face a sentence of death. Jesus came, and on the cross paid for our sins. Death is not the end, but separation. We will all one day be separated from our body, which the Bible calls the first death. There is a second death, which is eternal separation from God. The good news is that all who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved from the second death. There is a heaven, there is a hell. All men decide their fate. I pray for my readers, to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, choosing heaven, instead of hell.
