Whether they admit to it or not, all authors were inspired by someone else’s work. And, in most cases, authors are unaware that one Author’s great work consistently inspires them.

I love to read. Our house is full of books of all kinds (approximately 1,000 copies). Over the years, there have been several books that inspired my own. Let me share a couple (and I promise, no spoilers).

Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow
(Codebearers Series) by The Miller Brothers

My family and I met The Miller Brothers at a homeschool convention in Florida. My older sister got a copy of the book and, after she read it, she naturally shared it with me. We loved this book! This epic adventure had us on the edge of our beds day and night until the end. One of the unique things about this book was The Miller Brothers’ ability to make the spiritual realm into something we could envision. Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow was the first book that made me think about the spiritual battle which rages around me in a very realistic, physical way.

I also loved the way they created relationships. The connections between various characters were diverse, intriguing, and fun. The written example in The Miller Brothers’ book encouraged my style a lot. To be honest, it’s sad that our world doesn’t have Hunter Brown and the Codebearers.

The Horse and His Boy
(The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis

Who doesn’t love The Chronicles of Narnia? That’s a rhetorical question, don’t answer it! My favorite book in the series has always been The Horse and His Boy. For me, it had the most adventuresome setting and the very best set of characters down to our beloved Lucy, Edmund, and Mr. Tumnus! What really inspired me, though, was Shasta’s longing for something better. He didn’t know much about Narnia, but it drew his soul despite himself. I could see this element in life and, wanting to pull it into my own story, was thankful for C.S. Lewis’s ability to describe it.

Psalms
(The Holy Bible) authored by God

Did you know God wrote a book? Well, sixty-six books, to be exact, and they’re all part of the same “series.” His books progressively follow characters from the same people groups throughout thousands of years of history and shifting cultures. Oh, yeah, and He “ghostwrote” them through over thirty different authors! What’s more, there’s not a single contradiction between all the accounts!

In particular, Psalms gave me inspiration for my book. Through many of the psalms, there is a consistent theme: men fear death until God comes close. Every man is afraid to die, yet they all know they must die. It was only when God empowered them that they again stood ready to face their enemies.

In the New Testament, this fear of death is ultimately consumed when Jesus Christ dies on the cross to take the penalty for all of man’s sin, is buried, and then rises again on the third day, a conqueror over death! Jesus Christ offers eternal life through belief in Him and the work He did on the cross.

The main inspiration for Chained came from this theme found in God’s Book: man feared death until Jesus came to earth. Now “the one who believes in me (Jesus) will live, even though they die” (John 11:25b).

Authors inspire writers. Sometimes, we can see who inspired our work. Ironically, if you can’t think of a book that you have drawn something from, then you’ve been inspired by the Bible. God was the first to inspire man to write, and His stories, themes, characters, and settings will all be recreated time and again through all of life. After all, “what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time” (Ecclesiastes 1:9&10).

If Chained should encourage any readers and writers, please, Lord, let it only inspire them to let Your Gospel ring loud and clear through all the pages of their stories – living or written.