Volume One: ABINADI (coming Nov 2008)

In 2006, I wrote an epilogue for Abinadi. I imagined him in prison, the morning of his death. What went through his mind? Did he know he would die that day? Was he reconciled with that fact? Was he afraid? Was he an old man who’d lived life to the fullest? Was he a young man who left behind a wife and little children?

Then I stopped writing, knowing that I still had one more volume to write in the Out of Jerusalem and that Abinadi would have to wait. So, finally in August 2007, I started writing again the story that I had begun the year before.

As I reviewed the prologue, I decided to stick with my first impression of making Abinadi’s character young—in his mid-twenties. This was a contrast to popular LDS art that depicts Abinadi as an elderly man in King Noah’s court, although research shows there is no documentation of Abinadi’s age. Then I stumbled upon a painting done of King Noah’s court, by Walter Rane, called “Abinadi Had Testified.” I was pleased to see my decision supported with a young Abinadi portrayed in art. Later, a fellow author alerted me to another painting of a young Abinadi—done by Minerva Teichert, titled “Trial of Abinadi.” My confidence grew, and I was pleased when my publisher accepted the book, young Abinadi and all . . .

Out of Jerusalem series

In 2001, I found myself at a crossroads in my writing. I had two ideas, one for a historical suspense novel set in the mid-1800’s (which I later wrote), the second a fictional account of Nephi and his family. I have long been intrigued by the tidbits I’ve heard in religion classes about Sariah and the women in Lehi and Ishmael’s families. Often I thought about the pioneers and knew that they must have found strength and encouragement in the journey that Lehi’s family took through the wilderness—just as Lehi’s family remembered Moses in their times of travel.

I approached my father (S. Kent Brown), who had published non-fiction works on Lehi and his family, with the idea of fictionalizing Nephi’s story and asked if he was interested in co-writing it. After he hemmed and hawed, I realized I would have to undertake the project myself, knowing all the while that I would be hounding my father for information on a daily basis. And I do. If it weren’t for his expertise and guidance through the many avenues of research, this series would be flimsy at best.

I wrote the first five pages almost without stopping to take a breath. Then I brought them to my critique group, anxious about their reaction. They encouraged me to continue writing and assured me that there was room for it in the LDS market.

Research for this series is about equal to the time I spend writing the manuscripts, if not greater. The plot line is essentially outlined in the Book of Mormon, but in order to flesh out the story and fill in the historical and cultural details, a large amount of research is required. I encourage readers to read the Preface before starting each book (especially for Volume 2), read a few chapters at a time, then turn to the chapter notes located at the back of the book to gain additional insight.

The series will be a total of four volumes, ending sometime after Lehi’s death in the promised land-when Nephi and Laman separate from each other and establish their own colonies. Initially I slated the series to be only three volumes, but after completing Volume 2, I realized that I would cheat the reader if I fast-forwarded the family through the year or two spent in Bountiful, the nine months or so that it took to cross the seas, and the time spent in the promised land before Lehi’s death. Of course this will take additional commitment to researching and writing, but in the end I hope that the series will feel complete.