Q&A with Randy C. Dockens Author of The Adversary Chronicles #Q&A

Today's guest is Randy C. Dockens, author of the Christian scifi series, THE ADVERSARY CHRONICLES. Randy is here with us today to tell us more about the author behind the book.

1. Are you a morning writer or a night writer?

I would say I am more of a morning writer. I feel more rejuvenated in the morning which allows my mind to work more freely and keeps the creative juices flowing. If I have to divide my time between writing and editing, I will save the morning for writing and the evening for editing.

2. Do you outline or are you a pantster?

I am very much a pantster. To me, this is one of the joys of writing. I have a vague outline in my mind of where I want the story to go but have no idea how the characters will get there. It feels almost like the characters are writing the story themselves and I’m just along for the ride to write it all down.

3. Which comes first – plot or character?

I think the plot almost always comes first. I will have an idea of a type of story and develop a rough outline in my head—mostly the beginning and ending. There may be a few key things I want to include, but I will then allow the story to develop almost like it has a mind of its own. The characters come from this process. I’ll have an idea for the main character, but other characters sort of just show up when the need arises. Sometimes, I almost have to stop and say, “Oh, hello there!”

4. Noise or quiet when working on your manuscript?

I can write either way. I don’t mind noise—as long as it is not too loud. I’ve always been one who can tune things out and focus on what I’m doing. I sometimes like to go to different venues to write as that seems to help stimulate new thoughts and ideas. Yet, once I’m “in the zone,” my surroundings seem to almost vanish and I’m in the story seeing where the journey will take me.

5. Favorite TV show?

Well, my favorite TV show is, unfortunately, no longer on the air. It was Stargate SG1. I love most things sci-fi, but I felt this storyline went above and beyond in so many ways. One got to go off world every week through a stargate and see other types of humanoids (some good, some evil) that kept the storyline intriguing. And, because it was on the air for so long (something like twelve seasons or so), you got to really know the characters making you feel like they were real people. There was a blend of military individuals, scientists, and aliens all on the same team which led to conflict but over time developed a healthy respect for each other—almost like a family. Then there was the banter between the main characters that helped one feel like they became part of their team. The tension between the scientists and the military was usually alleviated by the military/scientist member who became the glue to the team, being able to converse on both sides of the aisle and was one of the smartest and brightest on both sides of the aisle as well. I just thought it was a great show and was sad when it ended. Yet, I guess nothing lasts forever. Sigh.

6. Favorite type of music?

My favorite genre of music is contemporary Christian. Most of the songs I find very uplighting and provide hope in these troublesome times. While there are a few songs of other genres that are appealing, most seem somewhat shallow and not something one can ground themselves upon. I find faith-based music, when it is done well, quite energizing.

7. Favorite craft besides writing?

While not really a craft, I enjoy crossword puzzles and other word games, including Scrabble. I find doing those helps me keep my mind “in the game” so to speak. I think I would like woodworking, but there are so many tools needed, and I do it so rarely, that I just can’t get into it. So, I stick to the simpler things, but which supply just as much joy.

8. Do you play a musical instrument?

Unfortunately, I do not. I always wanted to play the piano. Yet, when I was little, I lived in a very rural area with only one family car so there was not really an opportunity to take lessons. As I grew older, I felt like I didn’t have the time. Yet, I did take one chord piano course when in college, but afterward felt I didn’t have time to continue. Now that I’m much older, I regret I didn’t force myself to learn. However, I did teach myself to play the saxophone when I was in high school. I wasn’t very good as I didn’t have a teacher/mentor to help me improve. I played a little when I was in junior college but got busy once I was in pharmacy school and so it fell by the wayside. Yet, I think that points toward my creative side, even though my scientific side overwhelmed it for a number of years. I think getting back to writing has helped to bring back much of my creative side that had gone dormant.

9. Single or married?

I am married and our 36^th anniversary is just around the corner in August.

10. Children or no?

I had three children. My son, the oldest, died of cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile ducts), in 2019 at the age of 27. I still have two wonderful girls, both in their twenties now. The youngest will graduate from college at the end of this year with a degree in elementary education with an emphasis in special education.

11. Pets?

We have no pets at the current time. We had two cats, but they passed away a few years ago. We got them when the kids were very little, so we had them for about sixteen years. Getting cats again is still on the table.

12. Favorite place to write?

I don’t really have a favorite place. I have several places where I write. At home, there are three main places: dining table, big comfy chair, and in our sunroom. I will often go to a restaurant and work for several hours. I think having different venues helps to keep the creative energy flowing.

13. Favorite restaurant?

I am one step down from being addicted to cheesecake. So, of course, I never turn down an opportunity to go to Cheesecake Factory. One can go so many times and never eat the same cheesecake twice! How awesome is that!

14. Do you work outside the home?

I have recently retired. For over thirty years I worked as a pharmacokineticist for a large pharmaceutical company and worked in outsourcing. Pharmacokinetics is the mathematical study of how drugs work in the body (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion). Being retired, I spend more time writing and leading various study groups at our church.

15. What was the name of the last movie you saw?

The last new movie I saw was Sound of Freedom, a very sobering movie about child trafficking. Not really a fun movie, but an important one to watch making one realize our world can sometimes be a dark place. Now the very latest movie I saw was Sum of All Fears. I had seen it before, but it had been some time ago. It still felt relevant for today even though it came out many years ago.

16. Favorite outdoor activity?

When my wife and I visit a place, we like to walk around and take in the history and the sites of the place. Just being outside walking about is quite relaxing and enjoyable. Then stopping by various shops for an ice cream or pastry seems to enhance the moment.

17. Pet peeve?

As I have gotten older, I think my pet peeves have mellowed. I don’t have as many as I used to have, and now, to be honest, I can’t even remember what those were even though they seemed quite intense at the time. Is that a sign of wisdom? LOL.

18. Your goal in life?

I want my life to be a blessing for others and I truly hope the stories I write bring others joy and helps them think about things they maybe have not thought about before or learn something they did not know. I think story writing is not just a good story, but a good story that makes a person a better person for having read the story.

19. Your most exciting moment?

I have to say that getting my very first book published was a very exciting moment. I had always thought about writing a book that would get published but that had been on the backburner of my mind for so long I had almost forgotten about it. Yet, about five years ago, my creative side burst through my scientific side and led to my first book entitled T-H-B, the first book of The Coded Message Trilogy. I still remember when the box arrived, and I opened it to see several covers of the book staring back at me. I still smile when I think about it.

20. The love of your life?

The love of my life is my wife. This August will be our 36^th wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been that many years. While marriage comes with many challenges, I truly would not exchange those years for anything. I have grown to not only admire her, but to respect her as well. I didn’t realize how much more emotional she was than I. In the beginning, I didn’t understand this aspect of her as I was more a matter-of-fact type person. Yet, I find she has such wisdom that I have come to admire. Part of that, I think, is tied to her deep emotional attachment to her surroundings and she sees more deeply into things that I do. I didn’t appreciate that in the beginning, but now, I find myself wanting to be more like her.

Dr. Randy C. Dockens has a fascination with science and with the Bible, holds Ph.D. degrees in both areas, and is a man not only of faith and science, but also of creativity. He believes that faith and science go hand in hand without being enemies of each other.

After completing his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on to graduate school at Auburn and completed his first doctorate degree in Pharmaceutics. He began his scientific career as a pharmacokinetic reviewer for the Food and Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceutical company as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientist who analyzes how the human body affects drugs after they have been administered (i.e., absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted).

Through the years, he has worked on potential medicines within several disease areas, including cardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to see and develop new and novel medicines in these therapy areas.

He has also had his attention on the academic study of the Bible. He earned a second doctorate in Biblical Prophecy from Louisiana Baptist University after receiving a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the Internet Bible Institute under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon.

Randy has recently retired from his pharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writing efforts. He has written several books that span dystopian, end-time prophecy, science fiction, and uniquely told Bible stories. All his books, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science to give them an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, and allows one to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not have thought about before. This is all done in a fast-paced action format that is both entertaining and provides a fun read for his readers.

Website: https://www.randydockens.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/RandyCDockens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Randy.C.Dockens

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16453941

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randydockens/

He has many names: Lucifer, Satan, Devil, Adversary. Through the eyes of Mikael, the Captain of the Lord’s hosts, understand the conflict that starts in Heaven and how it extends to Earth. Get a different perspective on earthly events that will help you rediscover the awe of age-old Bible stories and give you a new perspective for you to ponder.

Read how Lucifer prepares for his rise to power on Earth through his deceit causing the fall of Adam and Eve, his engineering the Nephilim which God ended with the worldwide flood, how he attempted to use the Tower of Babel to prepare a superhuman off world using a time dilation field to speed up his work for world dominance, how he utilizes a curse the prophet Jeremiah gives to king Jehoiachin to try and change mankind’s history by preventing the prophecy of the coming Messiah, to how he attempts to hijack new technology today to create a plague that will target those of Jewish descent and thereby change biblical prophecy and attempt to turn it into a mere fairytale.

Title of Series: The Adversary Chronicles

Book 1: Rebellion in the Stones of Fire

Book 2: The Holy Grail of Babylon

Book 3: The Defining Curse

Book 4: The Luciferian Plague

Publication Date:

Rebellion in the Stones of Fire: 01-Feb-2022

The Holy Grail of Babylon: 06-Jul-2022

The Defining Curse: 04-Oct-2022

The Luciferian Plague: 01-Feb-2003

# of Pages:

Rebellion in the Stones of Fire: 320