Real fun...

People who don’t see the “real fun” of Christianity are sometimes the victims of mixed signals from Church-goers. The doing of “churchy things” on the one hand and the seeking of ungodly thrills on the other can inadvertently send the message that Jesus isn’t all He’s cracked up to be and that a greater level of excitement can be found outside of His word and will.

Until people can see that what motivates a Christian isn’t merely a ritual or tradition, they will not see the real value – the “real fun” – of a Christian lifestyle. The “real fun” of Christianity is found in the joy of personally experiencing a loving God Who delights in His child and the adventure we undertake in growing in our relationship with Him.

A reflection based on Crimson Harvest, chapter 3.

Crimson Harvest on Goodreads!

New!  Reviews on Goodreads!  If you've read Crimson Harvest, please consider writing a review.  If you haven't, take a look at what others are saying about it!

 

A Finalist in the 2013 Readers' Favorite Writers' Contest Currently Underway! - Christian Fiction category

Crimson Harvest is a Finalist in the 2013 Readers' Favorite Contest currently underway!

Rated 5 Stars on Readers' Favorite

Reviewed by Bil Howard for Readers' Favorite
http://readersfavorite.com/book-review/11560

When teens Heather and Jillian sneak out to go dancing at a new club which promises them “more fun than they had ever had before,” they open up the door to an evil that neither of them realized existed in Argenteret. Kevin, Heather’s uncle, comes for a visit, because he is struggling with his own problems at home and is suddenly wrapped up in rescuing Heather from a powerful Vampire who has several teens, including Jillian and several police officers, under his command to help cover up murder, kidnapping and drug dealing. Heather discovers that her faith in Jesus Christ is much more powerful than evil and the testimony of her faith draws the attention of her uncle, who has always had nothing but contempt for God. The strong faith of Heather’s parents and the demonstration of love by Heather’s church community and the power of prayer all work together in combating the evil which threatens to take the lives of Heather, Kevin, Jillian and perhaps even Heather’s parents.

This is a very well-written book which does a great job of developing characters and plot into a highly intriguing and suspenseful account of how one family’s faith is able to overcome a very powerful evil. The conflicts that are attacking and testing the faith of Heather and her family, as well as the struggle that Kevin is having with his own disbelief in God, are well-crafted into the overall struggle of the kidnappings, murder and extortion that are taking place in the main plot line. This is a page-turner with a very strong message about the power of the Christian faith in overcoming evil. The reader will feel the pain, the doubt, the strengthening and the transformation of each of the characters as they work their way through this extraordinary nightmare, which the author has made into a very well-crafted and believable story.

Crimson Harvest on Speculative Faith's site...

Speculative Faith is a forum for discussion on literary works written with a Christ-centered world view.  And Crimson Harvest is certainly that! 

Crimson Harvest on Speculative Faith's site...

Interview of author, Thom Mollohan, by Gallia Hometown Herald's Michelle Miller

Interview of author, Thom Mollohan, by Gallia Hometown Herald's Michelle Miller

Local author, Thom Mollohan, releases second book

Nov 29, 2012 by Michelle Miller 

 

GALLIPOLIS – Local author, pastor and Christian inspirational speaker Thom Mollohan recently released his second book, Crimson Harvest. Mollohan is also the author of The Fairy Tale Parables: Classic Fairy Tales Pointing to God’s Love and Truth.
Q&A with the Author

GHH – You recently released Crimson Harvest. Tell me a little about the story. What was the inspiration for the story?

Mollohan – Well, Crimson Harvest is a sort of Christian response to the “What if…” of vampires. Basically, a young woman named Heather is drawn into believing that “a little stepping-over-the-line can’t hurt anything.” Of course, her doing so is the “trigger” for a very scary turn of events for her and her family. But it also sets the stage, ultimately, for a reckoning between good and evil and shows how faith, or rather the One in Whom she places her faith, saves the day, so to speak.

I am, of course, just wanting to tell a tale that is exciting and suspenseful. In that sense, it’s simply a story. I tried to write it in in such a way that it would appeal to a young adult or teen, but I wrote it so that it would also have significance for someone looking for something “meaty”. In fact, if you like hidden meanings in names and so forth, I enjoyed playing little word games when I wrote Crimson Harvest (most of which are ridiculously obscure).
Anyway, what seemed to happen, interestingly enough, is that over time, as the “what if” grew in my mind, there ended up being an increasing significance to the idea of “vampire” in the context of Christian thinking.

Diane, my wife, and I have worked with young adults in one way or another for over twenty years now, and have had the privilege of walking with them through some very sticky situations. We’ve seen, for instance, the power that the longing to be loved or the urge to escape pain can have over young men and women and how they can become seduced by the false promises of people who will say whatever works in snaring them. We’ve seen how these things can draw people into some tragic situations.

As the popularity of vampire literature has grown over the years, it began to dawn on me that “vampire”, in the classic sense of a life-stealing personality, is a perfect term to apply to the social pressures at work in our world that exploit the young and unwary. I remember reading some time ago that more money is spent on marketing to teens and young adults than any other group. Whether people believe in a literal devil or not, there are some really bad guys out there who want our kids. Drugs, gangs, and human trafficking are all extreme example of the reality of it.

Of course, I do believe in a literal devil, and I really believe in evil. Crimson Harvest was hard for me to write because I had to decide early on not to “tone evil down”. I’ve seen real evil and I don’t like looking at it. But we can’t really grasp virtue or love or anything good unless we take a long, hard look at evil, too. In fact, I personally would go so far as to say that we can’t really grasp God’s love for us unless we are willing to take long, hard look at the condition of our own hearts and what it did in putting Christ on the cross.


GHH – What do you hope people walk away with after reading your book?

Mollohan – It’s a fast-paced book, so it might not allow for as much opportunity to reflect as I might like, but I still hope that it invokes some thinking about life, the false-promises swirling around us with which our kids must wrestle, and, most importantly, the grace of God that forgives and heals and makes us clean.


GHH – When did you first start writing?

Mollohan – I’ve been writing something most of my life. (laughs) I wrote half-a-novel over the course of a few years when I was a teenager, but couldn’t resolve to my satisfaction where it was going. I still have the notes for it somewhere, but I think that if I ever pick it up again, I will go a different route with it now.


GHH – What is your writing process? Do you have a certain number of pages a night you write?

Mollohan – The writing process for an article or a short story is pretty much starts for me with an idea that I need to get down on paper. I recognize the source of inspiration as God’s stirring something in my mind and heart and I reflect on how that idea lines up with the Bible. I then sit down with the idea and start writing around it until it finally congeals into a (more-or-less) permanent form, although I’ll pick it to death if I don’t finally submit it. There comes a point when I simply have to say, “I’m done with this now, even if it isn’t quite perfect, because I’ve got other things I have to do.”

As far as books go, I’ve got four more books in progress at the moment. Two are novels, one as a sequel to Crimson Harvest and the other as a major enlargement of a short story I once wrote. Another book is the development of an article I wrote a year or so ago on experiencing a deeper and more victorious spiritual life, and the last one is on what being a dad and husband has taught me about God and the Kingdom of Heaven. This last one is in the final revision stage so I’m hoping to be able to have it out by next year sometime.

Most of the time, notes for my books get scribbled on whatever scraps of paper that I have handy. Sometimes I have a hard time reading what I’ve written, but when I’m excited about an idea, I get a little hasty and sloppy. I then start to organize the notes into an outline, researching elements as necessary. I usually start drafting chapters at that point (when I have time, which seems like never). (laughs)


GHH – Anyone in particular who helps you through the writing process and after?

Mollohan – My wife, Diane, is the biggest help. It seems that God is always using her wisdom and faithfulness to grant me a bigger (and better) perspective on life. My children are great mechanisms of inspirations also. They all know (at least a little) The Fairy Tale Parables, but Ben, my oldest son, is the only one who’s read Crimson Harvest. Even though it is redemptive in the end, it comes across as a bit too dark for the others.

Overall, I’ve been richly blessed in that I’ve had friends and other family members who’ve prodded me at key moments. My sister, Vicky, for instance, encouraged me greatly. And then there is my friend, Kent Williams, who volunteered to go through my final draft of Crimson Harvest. I remember a few years ago when Kent and I were talking about the whole vampire as a “symbol of the times” thing and that he told me I should write a story about it. I decided to play a joke on him and actually do it.

Both Crimson Harvest and Mollohan’s first book, The Fairy Tale Parables: Classic Fairy Tales Point to God’s Love and Truth are available through booksellers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million. The electronic version of Crimson Harvest is available only through Amazon. Mollohan’s publisher, PublishAmerica, was suggested to him by another local author, Paula Blevins.

Review of Crimson Harvest on Single! Young Christian Woman Magazine of On My Own Now Ministires

Review of Crimson Harvest in Single! Young Christian Woman published by One My Own Now Ministries

Review by Sarah Minnet for On My Own Now Ministries

Crimson Harvest by Thom Mollohan is a suspenseful and fast-paced novel that reflects spiritual truths and the struggles of many Christian-raised teenagers. This quick but exciting read merges fantasy and reality in the story of an average teenager, her spiritual struggles and bloodthirsty monsters of an ancient evil.

The book follows the story of Heather, a sixteen-year-old girl from a Christian home, who is pressured by her friend Jillian to rebel against her parents and her morals. When Heather finally breaks and agrees to sneak out to a club with Jillian and her handsome and charming new friend Gage, she gets far more than she bargained for. After witnessing Gage brutally attack (and possibly murder) Jillian and her brother Rich, Heather flees home and seeks the help of her parents and Uncle Kevin.

Heather starts to see that there is a much deeper evil at work as she tries to flee from Gage, who is out to kill her, and save Jillian, who seems blinded by Gage's lies. In spite of a random attack on her parents, Heather gains a deeper understanding of God's love and protection. With her parents hospitalized, and still no idea of how to escape from Gage, it seems to Heather that Gage has an evil and inhuman hand in everything that goes on in her town. Wooed by a cry of help from Jillian, Heather is kidnapped by some of Gage's followers, and even the police are involved. It is now up to Uncle Kevin, himself not a Christian, and Officer Logan Sharptwig, seemingly the only man on the police force who can be trusted, to save Heather before it's too late.

Heather's character transforms from a spiritually insecure girl who just wants to have fun into a young woman after God's heart. Mollohan uses this action-packed story to demonstrate the importance of an honest relationship between Christian teens and their parents, having a strong church family, and learning to rely on God's love. Mollohan's approach to Heather was realistic, exposing the inner struggle for good decision-making, despite her relationship with Christ.

This story also reminds us that making mistakes doesn't mean an end to our relationship with God. The narration of Heather's feelings of shame for going to the club makes a realistic connection to the struggle of many teens in similar situations. Even if cheesy at times, the story was involving and the message moving. A great way to connect with a teen in the rebellious years, this encouraging story with page-turning suspense is ultimately a message of God's love.

From Chapter 19

“So . . . what do we do?” asked Heather. 

Uncle Kevin hesitated as if unsure of what to say or reluctant to say it. 

“Look, Heather,” he ventured finally; “I’m here to save you.  I don’t think that I can carry your friend any further, especially if it means not getting you out of here safely.” 

Heather was silent a moment but then placed her hand as gently as she could on her uncle’s. 

“I am so glad that you came to help me, Uncle Kevin.  I feel that you are an answer to prayers.  But I’m not the one who needs saved.  Jillian is.”  She paused and then said, “And I think that maybe you are, too.” 

“Heather, I don’t know what you’re getting at,” he said heatedly, “but I promised your mom that I would get you out of here and bring you home safely.” 

“And I am so glad you did,” she answered.  “But what I’m trying to tell you is that Gage can’t really hurt me . . . not what’s really me anyway.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“I belong to Jesus,” she explained.  “Gage can’t hurt the part of me that lasts forever . . . my soul.   He can’t even touch me himself because the Lord has made me His own.  He can maybe get one of his flunkies to hurt my body, but my soul belongs to God.  But Jillian isn’t safe.  She’s been lied to by Gage, and she did some bad things.  She’s let him do something to her to try to ruin her and make her like he is . . . but it isn’t working out the way that he hoped.  She’s not his yet.  I think that she can still be saved.” 

“I’m sorry for her, Heather,” he answered. “But my commitment is to you and your mom.  I’m getting you out of here.” 

“Uncle Kevin,” she persisted.  “I will give my life for her.  Please help me to help her.  Maybe we can both carry her.”  Her uncle was quiet, but then she heard him sigh heavily. 

“I’ll just carry her,” he said.  “It’s hard enough to move through the trees without the two of us trying to . . . .”

 

Crimson Harvest is available at Amazon, Barnes-and-Noble, and other book sellers!

http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Harvest-Thom-Mollohan/dp/1462689558/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349921019&sr=8-1&keywords=crimson+harvest 

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crimson-harvest-thom-mollohan/1112989843?ean=9781462689552 

 

Available also as an e-book!

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Harvest-ebook/dp/B006287250/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1349921019&sr=8-1 

Wavecloud:  https://www.wavecloud.com/book/crimson-harvest/wc20000111020/10439616