Almost a
Millennium, by Jeanbill, is an eclectic
novel about the unlikely connection between an English monk and an American
physician that lived nearly 1,000 years apart, one of today and one in the
medieval period. It begins at their birth, traveling through time to their
adulthood.
Using cryptography, Paul, a monk at Llanthony Abbey in
Wales, writes a four-page document about his life
and a harsh critique of the crusades. He places his writings in safekeeping in the hope that it will survive
the crusades and eventually land in the hands of someone who can decipher his
secrets. When Fred unexpectedly comes across Paul’s book and ciphers Paul’s
cryptic message, he has no idea that four pages of millennial history will
challenge him to rethink Christianity.
Praise for
Almost a Millennium:
“Almost a Millennium
by Jeanbill is a deeply compelling historical fiction novel. Although a work of
fiction, the story is a depiction of England's history and the power dynamics
at the time. It is a richly detailed story and many times I found myself forgetting
that I was reading a work of fiction as the historical events described felt
very authentic. The setting of the story and the character development were
simply amazing as we dived into Paul and Fred's compelling background stories.
Paul and Fred were two people so different and yet so alike. The pace of the
story was set from the beginning and this held true to the very last page.
Jeanbill used a unique and very captivating style in developing this story.” - Reviewed by Faridah Nassozi for
Readers’
Favorite
"I enjoyed the stories of two educated men and the struggles each faced. Many times throughout the book I wondered how I would react to the crisis each character faced." -HollywoodJesus.com
"Jeanbill's debut novel is replete with a wealth of medieval history and cryptology." - Red City Review
About the
Author:
Jeanbill has been associated with medicine for more than 50 years, practicing as a
general practitioner. He studied many hours in the medieval library of
University of Notre Dame, researched and wrote over a period of 20 years in his
spare time.
His debut novel Almost a Millennium
was published in January 2015 and is available for sale on Amazon. Genres:
Historical / Fiction / Medieval / Religion / Theism
Jeanbill resides in Lynden, WA. Married to
his other half for 57 years until cancer separated them, he has four children
and 14 grandchildren.
Interview
Tell us about yourself
I have been retired from the practice of
medicine for twenty years now. My wife
died three years ago. I have four
children and fourteen grandchildren.
After death of my wife, I had to keep busy; therefore, I finished the
book that I started writing several years ago.
Tell us about your new book?
There are two protagonists, one believing in
God, the other believing in atheism. The
challenge was to have the atheist return to his belief in God; however, an
ocean divides them as well as a thousand years.
Some type of contact had to be made, which was via an illuminated
manuscript. One third of the book is
devoted to the historical times of England helping the reader to understand
what living was like in the years of 1000-01.
When you write, does your real life spill over into your book at
any time?
Definitely.
At times, I use by past experiences as part of the story.
Do you think about a book of yours, being made into a movie, or
not when writing?
No. After
I have written this book, I thought it could be.
When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual
meaning?
Not really. In this
book I had to make sure that the names of the characters in the medieval times
were authentic for that time period.
What made you want to write and also what made you want to write
the genre you are writing?
I had been thinking of writing since I was forced twenty
years ago to write a monthly article for over a year. That stimulated me to write a book.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I don’t think I looked at a writer as my mentor.
Do you have to travel much concerning your books?
My wife and I traveled to Wales where we visited Glatonbury
and Llanthony Priories.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
I had to have the monk be at certain locations
of the actual happenings at that time.
That was the most difficult.
When you start writing your book, do your H/H ever talk to you?
I think I talk for them.
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Not yet.
Do you have any tips for our readers that might dream of writing?
Be passionate about your subject. Learn more about the subject. Take time out to clear your mind and let it
wander, for that is where ideas come from.
Next, go to the computer and begin to type.
Excerpt from Book
CHAPTER ONE
This evening
the wind will be gusting to forty miles an hour. No rain in sight, but a
rapidly moving cloud cover will probably hide tonight’s full moon that will be
directly above us for a few short hours. If you are lucky and outdoors, you may
be able to catch a glimpse of the moon if there is a break in the cloud cover.”
Fred reached to shut off his favorite radio station, knowing he would not be
hearing this weatherman again.
It was a few minutes past eight o’clock; two
hours before, the sun had disappeared over the western horizon. The wind was
blowing the clouds swiftly, shutting out the full moonlight above.
Occasionally, a brief flash reflected from the landscape, lighting the grassy
areas, tall trees in the distance, and rows of bushes along the expressway. The
road was free of vehicles as far as Fred could see.
When the sun
had set the day before, he had finally decided that it was the time to make a
decision. He had all night to think about how to solve his problem of atheism
versus God, but was not being able to do so. At long last, he decided upon a
solution, knowing what to do and how to do it. He felt immediate relief. Later
that day, he went to the hospital and to the clinic to sign all the charts that
required his signature. He felt it was his obligation to be caught up with all
the paperwork that needed his attention. He had the time that day to vacuum
some of the floors and clean all the dishes that needed washing. He wanted to
wait until it was dark, for traffic would be minimal on the freeway.
Helen had
decided to leave Friday morning for her sister’s home. She, too, would have
time to gather her thoughts and to make some decision about the future of her
marriage to Fred. He had not told her what the problem was; they had had the
same argument again. This time Helen told Fred that he would have to explain
himself and verbally respond to her questions of “What’s wrong?” and “Why don’t
you talk to me?” She had always felt close to him since their marriage,
although an occasional brief period of pensiveness bothered her during that
time. For the last month, Fred appeared to be more preoccupied. At first it was
only once in a while, lasting only a few hours—then he was back to his usual
outgoing and cheerful self. But now he had been moody all day long for the past
several days.
Fred knew
what the problem was, but he could not explain it to Helen. She would not
understand. He had told her no problems existed at the medical clinic where he
treated patients. But, what he did tell her was that his problem was indirectly
related to his bi-monthly (bimestrial) meetings with a group of friends sharing
the same interests--timely topics, such as atheism, religion, politics, chaos
theory, and evolution. Fred had told her he’d been happily studying these subjects
for years. Not knowing the specifics of what they studied, she felt he looked
pleased about attending the meetings with his friends. He believed in atheism,
and topics regarding that subject or religion always seemed to make him
uncomfortable. Finally, Helen was able to force Fred to talk about his real
problem.
Happiness
pervaded Fred’s love for Helen ever since he’d met her six years earlier.
Within a year, they were married, and life had continued to be content until a
few months ago when he was exposed to that “book.” It appeared now that he was
not enjoying the everyday tasks, not listening carefully to his patients and
medical peers, and not attending Helen as he had done in the past. His world
had become topsy-turvy and what he thought he proved as true may have been
other- wise. This mental alteration began when he first deciphered the secret
writings in the last four pages of the “book.”
Up until the
last few months, he had plotted his whole life from the time he was in college
through medical school, his first marriage, his successful practice, and his
esteemed position in the community. He achieved these goals with a keen ability
to manipulate the people close to him, meaning he was in complete control. Just
two achievements were not manipulated: his second marriage when he fell
completely in love with Helen, having no desire to exploit her, and the “other
matter” that seemed to have taken control of him.
A little
over six feet, broad shoulders, brown hair with streaks of gray consistent with
his age in the early forties, a friendly smile most of the time, and that
sparkle in the eyes that would attract others—-these physical attributes
characterized Fred. His “other matter” reached its climax a month ago after
breaking the code in the “book.” At that time, his demeanor changed, fights
began with his wife, he lost interest in his surroundings, and rapidly
descended from despondency to deep depression.
Driving at
seventy miles an hour, Fred did not notice the botanical life that he passed
and the fast moving clouds with occasional lunar light streaking the darkness.
He was driving for only one fanatical reason. He was searching for the panacea
that would relieve his anger, his fear, his frustration, and the depression
that seemed to have consumed his life. The overpass was one mile ahead. At its
base, massive cylindrical cement supports were in place adjacent to the
highway. In the distance, they were barely visible but became larger and closer
as he began accelerating faster and faster. No cars were in view, which gave
him some relief. No one would see the crash, and there would be no harm to
drivers of other automobiles. Moving his right hand from the steering wheel,
reaching down to his seat belt and unlatching it, he began to veer his new red
sedan diagonally across the other two lanes, directing the car to the closest
brightly lit pillar by the car’s high beams. It was dark out; the clouds on
high appeared thick, hiding any traces of moonlight. In only a few seconds, he
would be relieved of the depression and heavy burden he’d carried for the past
month. He finally would be at rest--clear- headed at last. Closer and closer,
it was now time!
Where did it
come from? The sky was dark like a moonless night. The moon could not be seen,
but there was that flashing, sustained light that appeared brightly in the
windshield blinding him. Suddenly, he turned the steering wheel in a clockwise
motion, not knowing why! A strange, steady sensation electrified his whole body
from his hands to his feet. Driving to the right shoulder of the highway, he
braked the car to a stop and turned off the ignition.
Sweating
profusely, he wiped his hands on a towel lying on the floor mat. What was I
thinking, did I really want to take my life? I was so ready to end it and would
have, except for that damn flash of light coming from nowhere. It must have
been the moonlight shining through a break in the clouds. Why did I make the
decision to commit suicide instead of working things out? Everyone has his
breaking point or a point of no return, and I must have reached it, but this
time that flash of light prevented my reaching the goal of finality. Could
Chaos theory explain this experience, a small movement of a cloud results in
saving my life.
While
sitting in the car, his heart rate was decreasing to normalcy, the perspiration
had ceased, and a generalized calm pervaded his body--a feeling he had never
experienced in his life. Was this the type of sensation Paul had? It could have
been but certainly of lesser quality.
Why did he
want to end his life? He had a successful career. He had no financial worries,
well respected by his peers, happy with his practice, happy with his new wife,
and pleased that he accomplished so much since the death of his mother. He
enjoyed all these endeavors until the “book.” Then, it seemed everything began
to disintegrate, not all at once, but slowly, like an insidious disease. He
thought about past incidents in his life that could have started him toward the
point of no return: the death of his parents, the desire to become a physician,
his first wife, his second wife, his sometimes fanatical promotion of atheism,
or did it begin with Paul who lived a thousand years ago?
Fred started
his car, found the nearest turnoff, returned to the freeway, and headed back
home. As soon as he reached home, he went to the telephone to call Helen. Her
sister answered and gave the telephone to his wife. He said, “Helen, we have to
talk.”
Not so many times do you come across a book that can take you into it pages as you read. Like you are seeing through their eyes. But this is one of them. The description, and and emotions. a well done book and one you cannot put down.
