A series of five stories run the gamut of emotional themes: struggling with anger, the desire to belong, one seeking destiny, complicated love, and being blinded by pride. Each cleverly crafted story demonstrates unbelievable technology where the earthly and divine merge into an amazing and unforgettable future.
Kalem lives through the death of his brother by the hand of the King which occurred when he was very young. Now that he is older and can act, he is emotionally torn between his anger over his brother’s death and the love he is finding in someone who supports the King. Two prophecies stand before him. The one he wholeheartedly believes in places his life in danger just as it had for his brother. The other is safer but requires him to live a lie. How can he choose which direction to take? Yet he must choose before his fate is sealed.
Edvin experiences heartbreak during troubled times as his sister-in-law loses her unborn baby and his girlfriend dies from plane crash injuries. Yet he is not the only one. Thousands around the globe experience the same events happening in their lives and to their loved ones. How can he make sense of the apocalyptic world in which he now lives? Yet an unexpected destiny awaits him.
Ya’akov gets approved for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but he gets caught in a nightmare of manipulation and deceit, which ultimately leaves him abandoned at sea not remembering who he is or how he got there. Despite such a start, he finds a destiny greater than anything he had ever dreamed possible.
Princess Me’ira breaks protocol and falls in love with someone not vetted by prescribed law. Her decision will yield unpreventable heartache to either herself or to those closest to her. While unknown to her, the decision she makes sets a future in motion she could never have anticipated.
Janet discovers how to increase teleporter efficiency to an all-time high, but her work is rejected by the King. Her selfish pride sets in motion a plan of revenge that has devastating consequences far greater than she ever imagined.
Each story is stand-alone, yet they all intertwine into a unique whole that paints a picture of a future time in which we may all find ourselves one day.
The Stele Prophecy Pentalogy Series is available at Amazon.
Excerpt from Chapter 20 of Mercy of the Iron Scepter Book 1:
After dessert, Melana excused herself, and Peter offered to escort her home. Shortly after, Ilana and Robert left together. Kalem and Angela stayed a little longer, but after a short time, Angela said she had to return home; Kalem offered to walk her. They said their goodbyes.
Kalem and Angela walked in silence. Kalem could tell something was on her mind, but didn’t know what or how to ask.
“Kalem, can we go somewhere and talk?”
“We can talk as we walk, can’t we?”
“Yes, but I have a feeling this may take a while. Ilana and Robert may be at the apartment. Why don’t we go to the Overlook?”
Kalem looked at her with furrowed brow. “OK.” They turned at the next block, toward the temple complex, and then turned south toward the Overlook. “Is something wrong, Angela?”
“No. But I feel we dance around our feelings for each other, and I would like to clear the air.”Kalem swallowed—hard. He hoped this wouldn’t mean an end to their relationship. His palms became clammy.
“I’m sorry, Kalem. If I sound like I’m defensive or hurt, I’m not. We see each other so infrequently. When we do, it seems we start to make a connection and, once again, you’re off on another adventure. We don’t communicate beyond surface stuff until we see each other again, and then it all starts over. I would like to know how you feel and where we stand. I don’t have any expectations. Your friendship is important to me.”
They turned the corner and arrived at the Overlook. Kalem motioned for Angela to sit next to him. He gazed at her. My, she is so beautiful. Why can’t I commit? After a while, she said, in a soft tone, “What?”
“The night lights make your hair glisten—and you look almost angelic.”
Angela smiled. “Well, that’s a nice start.”
Kalem smiled back and cleared his throat. “Angela, to be honest, I’ve been attracted to you from day one. I felt guilty, you being younger. Also, you’re so tight with Peter, who’s my nephew. It all felt . . . a little uncomfortable.”
“Well, I can understand that. But I’m only four years younger. Yes, it made a difference when we first met, but I’m now twenty, which makes both of us in our twenties. Is that too far apart? I don’t think Mom and Mik’kel would complain over our age difference when their ages are so, so . . . so much wider.”
Kalem laughed. “In comparison to Raina and Mik’kel, our birthdays are identical.” Kalem paused and became more serious. “I get that, but you’re part of the family—”
“Kalem, I’m not part of the family. Yes, I love them . . . desperately. Raina is the only mom I remember. From an emotional standpoint, we are family, but not by blood. There’s nothing taboo about us having feelings for each other, if that’s where you’re going.”
“But the perception is there.”
“Don’t confuse perception with reality. I don’t think anyone, or anyone who matters, would care if we became serious. But there’s another issue we need to discuss.”
“Oh?” Kalem’s voice got softer. “There’s something else I need to overcome?”
“No.” Angela matched his softer tone. “It’s something I have to decide how to deal with. Kalem, I really, really like you. I know that makes you uncomfortable, but I want to put it all on the line here. There’s a bigger issue than feeling you’re falling for your nephew’s sister.”Kalem looked at Angela. She didn’t hold his gaze. He could now feel every thud of his heartbeat—knowing he was about to hear something he didn’t want to hear.
“Kalem, I’ve accepted our King as both my Lord and my future hope. You may have accepted him as your Lord, but not as the one to secure your future. That’s a big deal to me.”
She looked back into his eyes; he continued to stare into hers.
“Kalem, please say something.”
She reached out and put her hand on his. He didn’t move—couldn’t move. He finally took a deep breath, took Angela’s hand, and spoke while running his fingers over hers. “Angela, I don’t know what to say. I also really, really like you.”
He looked up and gave a weak smile. “I admit I did feel weird about that. So many things have proven strange for me. When I met the King, he turned out to be totally different from what I expected. Actually . . . ” Kalem gave a short laugh. “Very different from what I expected. I’ve been involved with the steles for so long, maybe it’s all scrambled my brain. I don’t know.”
He gave a short shrug. “I’ve thought many times about why I can’t accept the King as the hope for my future. But there’s something there. I can’t explain it or put my finger on it.”
Kalem forced another smile. “Robert told me once how I have to know the outcome before I’m willing to commit to something. Robert said I can never know what it’s like being connected to the King in the special way he’s connected to those who accept him, until I put my trust in him. I want to commit to him and to you, but I can’t—not yet, anyway.”
Angela’s eyes grew wet with tears.
Kalem felt so guilty, but at the same time, he needed to be honest. “Angela, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He let go of her hand, and didn’t know what to do next.
“Sorry, Kalem. I didn’t mean to cry. I don’t understand.” Angela choked up again.
“I don’t know how to explain it, Angela. I hope I can, one day. I have to know about the prophecy on these steles first. Once I know their message, I think I can understand . . . things.”
Angela became teary again. “And what if you never understand?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to lose you as a friend, though.”
Tears trickled down Angela’s cheeks. “You only want to be friends?”
“No. No, that’s not what I meant.”
Kalem looked at her, his heart almost breaking, knowing he was causing her pain. He took her hands in his again and rubbed his fingers over hers. His voice became low and hushed. “Angela, you said accepting the King as my future hope is important to you. I understand that, but I can’t make such a step—yet. I can’t disrespect you and pretend so we can be together. That wouldn’t be fair.”
Angela nodded, but the tears kept flowing. “Can I at least have a hug?”
“Oh, Angela, yes. Yes, of course.” Kalem held her in his arms; she sobbed and his eyes watered. “I’m sorry, Angela. I’m so sorry.”
He hoped she felt his love for her in his embrace. He knew she wouldn’t give in, and he wouldn’t want her to, but neither could he. Not yet. After several minutes, she stopped sobbing and pulled away from his shoulder.
“I think I’m better now.” She gave a weak smile and sniffled between words. “Can you walk me home?”
Kalem helped her up and held her close. This was odd. They had essentially broken up—or had they, if they were never officially together? At the same time, he felt closer to her than ever. He continued to hold her close to him as they walked to her apartment.
Along the way, he said, “Angela, I do care for you.”
“I know,” was all Angela whispered in return.
_______________________
After completing his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on to graduate school at Auburn and completed his first doctorate degree in Pharmaceutics. He began his scientific career as a pharmacokinetic reviewer for the Food and Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceutical company as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientist who analyzes how the human body affects drugs after they have been administered (i.e, absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted).
Through the years, he has worked on potential medicines within several disease areas, including cardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to seek and develop new and novel medicines in these therapy areas.
He has also had his attention on the academic study of the Bible. He earned a second doctorate in Biblical Prophecy from Louisiana Baptist University after receiving a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the Internet Bible Institute under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon.
Randy has recently retired from his pharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writing efforts. He has written several books that span dystopian (The Coded Message Trilogy), end-time prophecy (Stele Prophecy Pentalogy), science fiction (Erabon Prophecy Trilogy), and uniquely told Bible stories (The Adversary Chronicles). All his books, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science to give them an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, and allows one to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not have thought about before. This is all done in a fast-paced action format that is both entertaining and provides a fun read for his readers.
He has also written some nonfiction books as well. One is to show how all humans are connected from God’s viewpoint by looking at biblical prophecy (Why is a Gentile World Tied to a Jewish Timeline?: The Question Everyone Should Ask). This book shows how all scripture is connected and inclusive of everyone. In addition, he and his editor have written two books about writing. The first is on writing techniques themselves and is entitled Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Writing: Creating Vivid and Colorful Stories that Readers Want to Read. This book not only addresses the techniques of writing, but what makes writing unique to each author. It conveys not only how to better hone one’s craft of writing but also the brand an author wants to portray. This helps an author make their writing unique as well as captivating for his/her audience. The second is a companion book to this one entitled Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Self-Editing: Framing Your Colorful Masterpiece to Keep Readers Engaged in Your Story. This is best used in conjunction with the first one. Yet, self-editing, though intricately connected to writing, is a distinct event. The better the quality of a writer’s draft manuscript when it is delivered to one’s editor, the higher the final quality of the manuscript will be for readers, and that is extremely important.
Dr Dockens is still not done. He has other creative ideas he is bringing forward as he is currently working on two new futuristic series. So, stay turned!
Website ➜ https://www.randydockens.com/X ➜ https://x.com/RandyCDockens
Facebook ➜ www.facebook.com/Randy.C.Dockens
Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/randydockens
Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16453941
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