Readers Ask Questions About 'Lion of Babylon'

JuJohns asks:

I learned so much about Iraq and the confusing political climate there. Is there really an underground church like the one you described?

Dear JuJohns,

The structure of the church is indeed very real. The home churches, the secrecy, the need for security at their larger gatherings, how every newcomer must be vetted, all this is real.

As is the larger gathering, and how these are now bridging centuries of divides, not merely between Muslims and Christians, but between Muslims themselves – Shia worshipping with Sunni, so rare it is unheard of and rarely even dreamed upon. Miracles abound.

Laura asks:

Did you spend time in Iraq, and how did you find out so much information about the people, culture and language?

Dear Laura,

Lion has been a long time in coming; I started researching it almost four years ago. That's the way with some projects, they germinate at such a slow pace, it's a wonder they ever actually take form. The turning point for this one was a divine gift, in the form of the son of a senior cleric of Iraq, who became my friend, revealed his world to me, and became the character of Jaffar in the story.

Judith asks:

Is Lion the first in a series about Marc Royce? There is so much still unresolved.

Dear Judith,

Yes indeed, Marc will be returning. I am currently hard at work on the initial draft of the sequel to Lion of Babylon. Bethany House has it scheduled for release next spring. The title is Rare Earth.

Susan comments:

I definitely had some late night reading 'cause I could not put down Lion of Babylon! I wasn't thinking happy thoughts as I pulled myself out of bed after keeping the lights on for reading well past when they should have been out but I certainly enjoyed the story.

I have to admit it is the first pleasure reading I have done in a long, long time–something about being consumed with running my business and all the reading (definitely not pleasure) that goes into that.

Davis, you had to do A LOT of research for this—you sound like a military and special ops expert.

My father was a special ops/intelligence guy working under the cover of the US Embassy in several different countries  where he was assigned. Would you believe he was in plain clothes at all the speeches Mussolini did from his balcony in the Piazza Venezia in Rome to the people??That includes the one where he declared war against the US. He was a diplomatic prisoner of war from that day until about 9 months later when he was traded in an exchange at sea back to the US. Anyway, thank you so much for a terrific read!

Dear Susan,

Your words about your father sound like a superb start to a future story. I'd love to hear more at some point. One of my most successful series, about the Acadia crisis that I co-wrote with Janette Oke, started in a very similar fashion, when a fan described how her own French forebears had been evicted from Canada by the British. The resulting research led to a five-book series that sold over two million copies.