Jeremiah Webster's Blog, page 2
April 21, 2023
Follow the Devil / Publication News
Friends,
I am pleased to announce that my passion project, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is now available on Amazon. It tells the story of Joe Muggeridge, a down on his luck twenty-something who returns home to find a demon squatting on his IKEA kitchen table. Joe's naturalism doesn't believe in any of the old religions, but the demon makes him a supernatural offer that he can't refuse.
Follow the Devil draws inspiration from shows like Stranger Things, Squid Game, and The Sandman to provoke and enchant the spiritual imagination. Under such tutelage, the story quickly became a dark fantasy, a fantastique, a cross between The Divine Comedy and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The novel also draws inspiration from David Lynch, Jan Svankmajer, Clive Barker, and the post-war aesthetic of Zdzisław Beksiński. Follow the Devil is my attempt to "tell all the truth but tell it slant" and advance a Christian literary tradition that eschews the sentimental. I wrote it for my students at Northwest University. I wrote it to endure the challenges of Covid Land. I wrote it for the sheer delight I experienced every time I excused myself from the daily grind to find out what Joe Muggeridge would do next.
You can order a copy of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light here:
Follow the Devil / Paperback / $20
If you like the book, please leave a favorable review on Amazon + Goodreads. Anything you can do to help me stave off the online cynics and "trolls" is genuinely appreciated.
Thank you for your support and encouragement. It is a grace to share life with each one of you.
With gratitude,
Jeremiah
This vivid, inventive novel raises crucial questions about life, death, and beyond. It kept me on the edge of my seat! I've never read anything like it.
CJ Green / Editor-in-Chief, The Mockingbird magazine
Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is an enthralling story of one man’s descent into Hell – a modern day retelling of Dante’s Inferno with harrowing imagery and profound insights on grace and the human condition.
Todd Brewer / Co-Editor of The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels
The cynical protagonist, Joe Muggeridge, falls into a harrowing underworld filled with hungry demons, burning books, and creeping valleys. But despair is not the only thing uncovered amidst this hellish landscape. What Joe ultimately finds is something akin to grace. Jeremiah Webster's tale is at times chilling, and at others, whimsical. Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is perceptive, beautiful, and cathartic – it will leave you wanting more of it.
Cali Lee / Author and Host of the Terrible Parables podcast
I am pleased to announce that my passion project, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is now available on Amazon. It tells the story of Joe Muggeridge, a down on his luck twenty-something who returns home to find a demon squatting on his IKEA kitchen table. Joe's naturalism doesn't believe in any of the old religions, but the demon makes him a supernatural offer that he can't refuse.
Follow the Devil draws inspiration from shows like Stranger Things, Squid Game, and The Sandman to provoke and enchant the spiritual imagination. Under such tutelage, the story quickly became a dark fantasy, a fantastique, a cross between The Divine Comedy and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The novel also draws inspiration from David Lynch, Jan Svankmajer, Clive Barker, and the post-war aesthetic of Zdzisław Beksiński. Follow the Devil is my attempt to "tell all the truth but tell it slant" and advance a Christian literary tradition that eschews the sentimental. I wrote it for my students at Northwest University. I wrote it to endure the challenges of Covid Land. I wrote it for the sheer delight I experienced every time I excused myself from the daily grind to find out what Joe Muggeridge would do next.
You can order a copy of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light here:
Follow the Devil / Paperback / $20
If you like the book, please leave a favorable review on Amazon + Goodreads. Anything you can do to help me stave off the online cynics and "trolls" is genuinely appreciated.
Thank you for your support and encouragement. It is a grace to share life with each one of you.
With gratitude,
Jeremiah
This vivid, inventive novel raises crucial questions about life, death, and beyond. It kept me on the edge of my seat! I've never read anything like it.
CJ Green / Editor-in-Chief, The Mockingbird magazine
Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is an enthralling story of one man’s descent into Hell – a modern day retelling of Dante’s Inferno with harrowing imagery and profound insights on grace and the human condition.
Todd Brewer / Co-Editor of The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels
The cynical protagonist, Joe Muggeridge, falls into a harrowing underworld filled with hungry demons, burning books, and creeping valleys. But despair is not the only thing uncovered amidst this hellish landscape. What Joe ultimately finds is something akin to grace. Jeremiah Webster's tale is at times chilling, and at others, whimsical. Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is perceptive, beautiful, and cathartic – it will leave you wanting more of it.
Cali Lee / Author and Host of the Terrible Parables podcast
November 24, 2022
Witness Sequence
Mockingbird published my four poem meditation called "Witness Sequence" on their website. You can read it here:
https://mbird.com/poetry/witness-sequ...
https://mbird.com/poetry/witness-sequ...
October 4, 2022
Follow the Devil / Follow the Light
My dark fantasy novel, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light, is available here:
https://mbird.com/tag/follow-the-devi...
New installments arrive every Monday leading up to Halloween.
Thanks for reading.
Note to Readers:
Can the reality of Imago Dei eclipse the failings of an unlovable protagonist? Can the Christian imagination speak to a generation captivated by Stranger Things, Squid Game, and the Marvel universe? Can the means of pop culture advance theological ends? These were just some of the questions I wrestled with during the creation of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light.
What follows is a supposal, a work of fiction, a dark vision for dark times. There are fits of allegory throughout, but nothing to advance the tradition of Plato, Dante, Bunyan, Hawthorne, etc. I have no unique access into the provinces of the hereafter: infernal or beatific. Fortunately, neither do my readers. This side of the veil, we can only speculate “what dreams may come.”
https://mbird.com/tag/follow-the-devi...
New installments arrive every Monday leading up to Halloween.
Thanks for reading.
Note to Readers:
Can the reality of Imago Dei eclipse the failings of an unlovable protagonist? Can the Christian imagination speak to a generation captivated by Stranger Things, Squid Game, and the Marvel universe? Can the means of pop culture advance theological ends? These were just some of the questions I wrestled with during the creation of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light.
What follows is a supposal, a work of fiction, a dark vision for dark times. There are fits of allegory throughout, but nothing to advance the tradition of Plato, Dante, Bunyan, Hawthorne, etc. I have no unique access into the provinces of the hereafter: infernal or beatific. Fortunately, neither do my readers. This side of the veil, we can only speculate “what dreams may come.”
August 30, 2022
Follow the Devil / Publication Info
Friends,
I'm pleased to announce that my first novel, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light, will be published as a nine installment serial by Mockingbird with illustrations by Mikey Karpiel. The novel is a dark fantasy that draws inspiration from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Divine Comedy. You can read Stave One on September 5th here: https://mbird.com/. New installments will appear each week leading up to Halloween. After the initial run, Mockingbird will release a Kindle version available on Amazon.
I wrote the novel as an invitation to renew our spiritual imaginations, to "play" with the eternal verities we affirm in our creeds, and to contemplate the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins: "Christ plays in ten thousand places." Writing about realities like heaven and hell also felt sublimely punk rock in our post-truth era.
I've attached my "Note to Readers" below. There are some pretty dark moments along the way, but I promise everything works out for Joe Muggeridge (our protagonist) in the end.
Jeremiah
Note to Readers
Can the reality of Imago Dei eclipse the failings of an unlovable protagonist? Can the Christian imagination speak to a generation captivated by Stranger Things, Squid Game, and the Marvel universe? Can the means of pop culture advance theological ends? These were just some of the questions I wrestled with during the creation of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light.
What follows is a supposal, a work of fiction, a dark vision for dark times. There are fits of allegory throughout, but nothing to advance the tradition of Plato, Dante, Bunyan, Hawthorne, etc. I have no unique access into the provinces of the hereafter: infernal or beatific. Fortunately, neither do my readers. This side of the veil, we can only speculate “what dreams may come.”
I'm pleased to announce that my first novel, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light, will be published as a nine installment serial by Mockingbird with illustrations by Mikey Karpiel. The novel is a dark fantasy that draws inspiration from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Divine Comedy. You can read Stave One on September 5th here: https://mbird.com/. New installments will appear each week leading up to Halloween. After the initial run, Mockingbird will release a Kindle version available on Amazon.
I wrote the novel as an invitation to renew our spiritual imaginations, to "play" with the eternal verities we affirm in our creeds, and to contemplate the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins: "Christ plays in ten thousand places." Writing about realities like heaven and hell also felt sublimely punk rock in our post-truth era.
I've attached my "Note to Readers" below. There are some pretty dark moments along the way, but I promise everything works out for Joe Muggeridge (our protagonist) in the end.
Jeremiah
Note to Readers
Can the reality of Imago Dei eclipse the failings of an unlovable protagonist? Can the Christian imagination speak to a generation captivated by Stranger Things, Squid Game, and the Marvel universe? Can the means of pop culture advance theological ends? These were just some of the questions I wrestled with during the creation of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light.
What follows is a supposal, a work of fiction, a dark vision for dark times. There are fits of allegory throughout, but nothing to advance the tradition of Plato, Dante, Bunyan, Hawthorne, etc. I have no unique access into the provinces of the hereafter: infernal or beatific. Fortunately, neither do my readers. This side of the veil, we can only speculate “what dreams may come.”
August 3, 2022
Follow the Devil: Stave One
Friends don't make friends read their dark fantasy novels ... but Follow the Devil / Follow the Light: Stave One (the first of nine) is slated for publication with Mockingbird the first week of September. Here's the "Note to Readers" that opens the novel:
Can the reality of Imago Dei eclipse the failings of an unlovable protagonist? Can the Christian imagination speak to a generation captivated by Stranger Things, Squid Game, and the Marvel universe? Can the means of pop culture advance theological ends? These were just some of the questions I wrestled with during the creation of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light.
What follows is a supposal, a work of fiction, a dark vision for dark times. There are fits of allegory throughout, but nothing to advance the tradition of Plato, Dante, Bunyan, Hawthorne, etc. I have no unique access into the provinces of the hereafter: infernal or beatific. Fortunately, neither do my readers. This side of the veil, we can only speculate “what dreams may come.”
You can explore the Mockingbird website here:
https://mbird.com/
Can the reality of Imago Dei eclipse the failings of an unlovable protagonist? Can the Christian imagination speak to a generation captivated by Stranger Things, Squid Game, and the Marvel universe? Can the means of pop culture advance theological ends? These were just some of the questions I wrestled with during the creation of Follow the Devil / Follow the Light.
What follows is a supposal, a work of fiction, a dark vision for dark times. There are fits of allegory throughout, but nothing to advance the tradition of Plato, Dante, Bunyan, Hawthorne, etc. I have no unique access into the provinces of the hereafter: infernal or beatific. Fortunately, neither do my readers. This side of the veil, we can only speculate “what dreams may come.”
You can explore the Mockingbird website here:
https://mbird.com/
July 12, 2022
Follow the Devil + Mockingbird
Mockingbird Press is going to publish my first novel, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light with original artwork as a nine-part online serial leading up to Halloween. The novel is a dark fantasy that pays homage to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Screwtape Letters, and The Divine Comedy. I'll post more intel as things progress.
My sincere thanks to the entire editorial staff at Mockingbird.
My sincere thanks to the entire editorial staff at Mockingbird.
January 4, 2021
Follow the Devil - Finished!
I'm pleased to report that after five years of creative work my first novel, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light, is now complete. I am now actively looking for a literary agent. If any of my readers know someone who might be interested in this project, please let me know. A synopsis is provided in the previous blog post. I'd be lying if I said Covid-19 wasn't something of a "terrible muse" during this venture.
I'll post more information as things develop. In the meantime, thank you for your support and readership.
I'll post more information as things develop. In the meantime, thank you for your support and readership.
July 3, 2020
Follow the Devil / Follow the Light
I hope to finish my first novel, Follow the Devil / Follow the Light, by year's end. Northwest University has generously granted me a sabbatical to complete this project. Here is a brief synopsis:
Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is a supposal, a fantastique that takes cues from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Divine Comedy. Joe Muggeridge, “happily secular, unhappily single,” works for a hip tech firm in Seattle until he arrives home one day to find a demon squatting on his IKEA kitchen table. The demon takes Joe on a tour of a Bosch / Gorey inspired underworld, with the promise that Joe’s long dead sister waits for him at journey’s end. A reimagining of Dante’s journey with Virgil ensues, and Joe is forced to reevaluate the presuppositions that have guided his lifelong commitment to naturalism. The novel is an affirmation of enchantment in a disenchanted age, an attempt to inhabit Emily Dickinson’s mandate to, “tell all the truth but tell it slant.”
Stay tuned for future updates ...
Follow the Devil / Follow the Light is a supposal, a fantastique that takes cues from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Divine Comedy. Joe Muggeridge, “happily secular, unhappily single,” works for a hip tech firm in Seattle until he arrives home one day to find a demon squatting on his IKEA kitchen table. The demon takes Joe on a tour of a Bosch / Gorey inspired underworld, with the promise that Joe’s long dead sister waits for him at journey’s end. A reimagining of Dante’s journey with Virgil ensues, and Joe is forced to reevaluate the presuppositions that have guided his lifelong commitment to naturalism. The novel is an affirmation of enchantment in a disenchanted age, an attempt to inhabit Emily Dickinson’s mandate to, “tell all the truth but tell it slant.”
Stay tuned for future updates ...
April 7, 2020
Rise of the Scops: Wonder After the Pandemic
Mere Orthodoxy just published my article: "Rise of the Scops: Wonder After the Pandemic." I cite the liturgy of the Anglo-Saxon bard (the scop) as a meaningful path forward as we endure the "changes and chances of this life" via COVID-19. You can read the article here:
https://mereorthodoxy.com/
Stay safe everyone.
https://mereorthodoxy.com/
Stay safe everyone.
November 3, 2019
"The Solemn Sea" Review
The author and literary critic Ben Palpant wrote a sterling review of my latest publication: "The Solemn Sea." The poem is an "epic" seven-stanza meditation that takes cues from Homer, Charles Taylor, T.S. Eliot, Joseph Conrad, and The Lewis Chessmen. :) You can read the review here:
https://www.reliefjournal.com/reviews...
The poem appears in the latest issue of Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith:
https://www.reliefjournal.com/spring-...
I still hope to collaborate with Seattle artist Daniel Poon and create an art installation that showcases his work alongside the poem. Stay tuned.
https://www.reliefjournal.com/reviews...
The poem appears in the latest issue of Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith:
https://www.reliefjournal.com/spring-...
I still hope to collaborate with Seattle artist Daniel Poon and create an art installation that showcases his work alongside the poem. Stay tuned.
