The Meaning of…

The Firmament.

More then anything I have been asked from the people visiting my website is what I exactly mean by it. So instead of just updating you on my progress in this blog post I thought I would take this opportunity dive into what it means to me, and the expectation I have for it.

As I have said in my side bar, the Firmament is the name of my extended narrative universe. Those familiar with the excellent works of Brandon Sanderson might be familiar with his ‘Cosmere’, the name which he has given a universe that many of his books take place in. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is another, perhaps more obvious, example of a universe that ties its individual stories together.

Originally I had not intended to create such a thing, I simply wished to explore the different worlds I had in my head through story telling. Certainly I could have done this, but as I began planning my third five-part series I realized something. As a Christian, the concept of any world without God is too bleak, too hopeless, for me to want to make. A world without definite truths, without a loving and intentional designer, where cruel coincidence or capricious pantheons dictate the fates of my characters. I wouldn’t want to live in one, and I don’t want my characters to. For me reading has always been a vacation to another world, and some worlds I go back to again and again as often as a regular at Cheers. But there is really only one I would ever want to live in, and that would be Narnia. Aslan is the thing that makes all the difference. So that is the origin of what I came to call the Firmament. I wanted to create a reality where I explore the idea that an infinite God is unlikely to be bound by a single race on a single planet. The reality that his designs are more likely to be far more populated and diverse then we could ever conceive on our own. I want to see what is out there, I want to write about it. I want every world I create to face justice, mercy, and truth, as it really exists. So more then just a narrative universe that connects my books, characters, and realities, The firmament is a promise that I make to every reader. A promise the truth, what C.S Lewis called the ‘Deep magic’, holds constant with my every world. Whether God will be have a big or small role to play will depend on the story and the world. Some stories may be theological allegory, some might not have anything at all to do with any kind of doctrine. But he will always be there, as he always is here.

I am looking forward to introducing you to these worlds as soon as possible, and that brings me to a brief status update. I reached the end of my fourth full revision of book one, and have started setting up a beta reading. The goal here is to get fresh and diverse eyes on my book, impute that can make it the strongest book I can write at my current strength. I am not certain how long this will take, but hopefully I will be able to stay on course for my goal of beginning submissions of it to publishers around the start of the new year. And as always, thank you for taking the time to join me on this journey.