Science & religion intersect. Manipulation & deceit thrive. Hypocrisy reigns.

‘Hi, I’m Peter Edward. In my previous advertising career I used to ask a question to both clients and colleagues: what do you want to be when you grow up? When I retired (the first time) I asked myself the same question. My answer was succinct: I wanted to be an author.
My love of writing and creativity started at an early age. As a child I loved to draw and write stories in my head. It eventually became my career, albeit in a commercial capacity. The inspiration for becoming a literary writer––and I use that term generally––came when I attended a writing course run by advertising contemporary Bryce Courtney. He was also a ‘late starter’ in literary writing. He was well into his fifties when he wrote his first novel The Power of One. I remember at that writing course he implored us to make a start, then and there. He also espoused that ‘character is plot’. It stuck and not long after I had the bones of a screenplay in my head. I called it The Second Coming. It went through various drafts and edits and then life and career got in the way. It sat untouched in a bottom drawer for twenty years. When I made my epiphany on my third age career, I vowed to revisit the screenplay and turn it into a novel. I’m glad I did, as it is a much better novel than it was a screenplay. Age has improved my writing. More worldly perspectives have improved the character development and story narrative.
The Second Coming was initially inspired by the fear and apprehension surrounding the Millenium Bug, or Y2K. I thought, what if there was a cyber bug or virus released not out of malice but simply just for fun. And what if that virus tapped into society’s yearning for a saviour. And what if natural phenomena (some long overdue) gave validation to the virus.
Recent world events have played into the storyline and remind us of how easily people can be manipulated. How reliant we have become on electronic communication. Whether beliefs can be believed.
The Second Coming is part thriller, part psychological drama, part suspense and part love story. The characters are laid bare, exposing all their human faults and frailties, along with their ambitions. They will make you angry, make you cry, make you laugh, and perhaps make you question your own beliefs. I do hope you get some reading pleasure from The Second Coming.’