Author Interview: Mojave Rift by J.W. Gilbert

About the Book

Book: Mojave Rift

Author: J.W. Gilbert

Genre: Christian Fiction – Action/Adventure

Release Date: March, 2021

Mojave Rift follows a young man, Arcon, as he attempts to leave an isolated community called ArcPoint. He seeks an outsider, Elaina, a young woman with the skills to help him cross the treacherous CalNeva Rift. For eight years they’ve violated the law restricting all contact with those known as the Mojave People. Jesus himself made that restriction, after he returned to rule earth from Jerusalem over a hundred years ago. Ranger Dan is the man in charge of upholding that law, and has no idea what he’s getting roped into.

Click here to get your copy!

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About the Author

John Gilbert Wozniak (JW Gilbert) grew up in an Oregon farm town. He retired in 2016 as an international data center cooling expert. Around the turn of the century, he began writing as a hobby. After years of expert guidance and a lot of editing, his ArcPoint trilogy is complete. His intent is to write books that are enjoyed by all ages—biblically accurate—with a touch of adventure, romance, and humor. JW has been married to his best friend Darlene since 1980. They are both retired and enjoy the hobby of creating lapidary jewelry. He is a member of Oregon Christian Writers, Mensa, ALLi, and the Tualatin Valley Gem Club.

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More from JW

I became an avid fan of Christian fiction, especially after reading This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. I was working 12-hour night shifts as a data center technician and had ample time on my hands. At one point I was devouring a book per night but my favorite genre, action/adventure, was almost non-existent in Christian fiction. So, as is the case with many would-be authors, I decided to write the book I wanted to read. The setting? The future when Jesus is ruling the world, as told in Revelation chapter 20. My protagonist? Arcon, an adventurous young man from an isolated tribe of people. The premise? The people of ArcPoint don’t know that the outside world is safe and that Jesus has returned.

My first attempt at writing went well. I wrote my first draft in three weeks, edited it for six months, and landed a hybrid publisher with the final manuscript. The book garnered four- and five-star reviews, so I was pleased. (Not bad for someone who’d flunked English three times.) I was glad the reviews showed that the writing was good, but my readers were missing the message. I pulled it off the market.

For the past few years I’ve been honing my skills as a writer and reworking my ArcPoint story. There have been a few challenges. While researching, I found over a thousand verses in the Bible that sparked ideas for the time period I was writing about. Now the original book has become a trilogy, plus a prequel. However, traditional Christian publishers were not in the market for adventure stories, so I had to learn about self-publishing. And then, like a page right out of my prequel, the unexpected happened—a pandemic. I decided it would be best to put off publicizing until the entire trilogy was available. Now it is.

To see if the first book was ready to be self-published, I sent copies of Mojave Rift to Reader’s Favorite for professional reviews. It got five stars across the board. Then I entered Mojave Rift in their contest and won a silver medal. All the reviewers seemed to appreciate my inclusion of action, romance, and humor in a squeaky clean, fast-paced, futuristic novel.

I hope my ArcPoint series receives high scores from English teachers, but since I still don’t know a passive voice from a hole in the plot, we’ll see. Writing likable characters and adventure stories that run deep and inspire is something I enjoy. I’ve worked hard and it’s a thrill to get high audience scores.

BTW, did I mention the world-building for the isolated tribe in my story is set in America? Now that was a challenge.

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Author Interview with JW:

Q: What was the inspiration behind this novel? 

J.W.: A conversation I had with God. I asked Him how I could possibly process all the materials I had been blessed with for my lapidary hobby. He told me, “When the troubles of the world get severe, go hide in your shop and play with your rocks.” I imagined a group of people hiding from the tribulation terrors and waiting till Jesus returned. As a twist, these people were isolated for over a century and didn’t know He returned.

Q: How long did it take you to write this novel? 

J.W.: Initially, three weeks. Then six months to edit and publish. Then I took it off the market and rewrote it into a trilogy. That took another six years.

Q: What was the most surprising thing you discovered while researching and writing this novel? 

J.W.: That there is so much in the Bible regarding the time period. I’ve located nearly 1,400 Bible verses in 46 different books related to the thousand-year reign of Jesus from Jerusalem.

Q: Do any of the novel’s characters hold a special place in your heart? 

J.W.: Probably Jarden. He’s like the glue that holds the ArcPoint Community together.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from this novel? 

J.W.: There is hope for the future of mankind. After the tribulation period, earth will be ruled by Jesus and a number of resurrected saints who died during that time. These people can’t be bribed or tempted to seek personal gain, and will be able to detect fraudulent behavior.

Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know? 

J.W.: I designed and built my own custom home.

Q: How many bookshelves are in your home? 

J.W.: Over sixteen.

Q: Who is an author you would recommend to anyone and everyone? 

J.W.: Frank Peretti.

Q: What do you like to do when you aren't writing?

J.W.: I’m a lapidary artist. I cut and polish rocks to find the beauty God hid within.

Q: Where can readers find out more about you and your novel? 

J.W.: On my website, jwgilbertbooks.com. There are also numerous short stories related to the ArcPoint trilogy.

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Blog Stops

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Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 6 (Author Interview)

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Simple Harvest Reads, October 7 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 8

For the Love of Literature, October 9 (Author Interview)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, October 10

Splashes of Joy, October 11 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, October 12 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, October 13 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 14

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, October 15 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, October 16

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 17 (Author Interview)

Beauty in the Binding, October 18 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, October 18

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Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, JW is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a print copy of Mojave Man!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Link for giveaway: https://promosimple.com/ps/28432/mojave-rift-celebration-tour-giveaway