J. Rutledge

Alt="j. rutledge"Featured Author J, Rutledge

Writing stories has always been a passion of mine that I rarely shared with others. As a child, I was often frustrated with the stories and characters I was presented with. I then began creating my own stories, and rewriting others with new endings or plot twists that I felt were lacking. In so many things, I have always found myself asking more in depth questions, and seeking out different meanings than my peers. Over the years, I have come to embrace that obtuseness about myself, and now I let it drive me. It was that same sense of curiosity and need for a deeper meaning that led me to creating ‘Truth and The Serpent,’ my first full length novel.

To be honest, I did not want to write a story that dealt with religion. Religion is not one of my favorite topics, however it was the only story at the time that had the potential to move forward.

Truth and the Serpent is meant as a discussion piece. It’s an absurdity about a talking animal set in the ‘WHAT IF UNIVERSE.’ It’s not an attack on religion, it’s a conversation free from judgment, or fear of reprisal. The Serpent character can ask these questions and pose alternative theories without the reader feeling threatened. Because the reader has no connection to the Serpent character. The same could not have been done with say Noah or Joseph, because our minds just won’t allow it. You don’t take on a subject like religion or politics and expect everyone to agree with you. And as such, I think the best you can hope for is to add something new to the conversation.

My goal as a writer is to generate intriguing, positive, and challenging ideas, while leaving the reader with plenty to chew on in anticipation of the next story. It is my sincere hope that, after reading this book it spurs people to think something different, ask a new question, or go back and ‘READ IT FOR YOURSELF.’ If that happens, then as a writer, I did my job!

J. Rutledge