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The Roman Catholic Church in Bridge of Souls



No epic tale of the supernatural would be complete without a Religion to help combat the forces of Evil that become directed towards Humanity.
In Bridge of Souls I decided that, since some of the book's action would be located in Rome, I would focus on the Catholic church as the main religion (although other religions are also featured). Given the serious and very realistic supernatural and esoteric components included in Bridge of Souls you might imagine that the Church would wish to distance itself from the story. Nothing could be further from the truth. I found that the representatives of the Church who I approached were enthusiastic about any story which might encourage readers to consider matters of morals and faith. They even showed a welcome sense of humour about the two main clerics who feature in Bridge of Souls, especially the character of Verchencho, who they felt represented many genuine clerks within the church.
I was very fortunate to have the expert advice from a senior Roman Catholic Priest when writing and editing the Bridge of Souls. His input allowed me to create two of the primary characters within my story, Father Thomas O’Neill (as in the doubting Thomas) and the wonderfully eccentric Fr Hugo Verchencho.
In addition to his clerical office, Dr O’Neill is also an academic with a specialisation in ancient religions. Using my own experience in numerous universities I was able to create a “typical academic” who spends his time in the adventure finding rational explanations for the increasingly bizarre events that occur to him. Thomas was a wonderful character to work with and I enjoyed every scene with him, although I admit I was a little cruel to him towards the end, but nothing he could not handle.
Fr Verchenco grew from an initial idea for a short term “filler character” into an amazing larger than life individual who really deserves his own story. Maybe one day I will have the time to give him his own novel.
#BridgeOfSouls #Catholic #Church #Supernatural #Action #Adventure #Exorcist #Exorcism #Academic

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