Sin and Faith
How one deals with the issue of sin in his or her life depends often times on one’s individual faith teachings. The characters in my novel Redwood are Catholic, therefore I tackle the issue of sin from the perspective of my Catholic faith. James, my protagonist, commits the most heinous of all mortal sins–murder. The other characters deal with various venial sins, all of which could be tagged with levels of corruption, judgment, and forgiveness. James lashes out through anger and his lust for control. Is he psychotic? I’m not quite sure, but his actions lead him into a life of torment–real and imagined. Is there a lesson to be learned from his actions? From his greed? I carry you through the destruction of his obsession–Redwood Manor Vineyard and his attempts to redeem himself. James truly believes he is capable of rebuilding his life. He truly believes, after marrying his second wife that he has been born again. He truly believes he is a good man and deserving of a good life. Is this greed? Is this a psychopath explaining away his actions? Does he deserve forgiveness? Can a murderer truly love another person? All of these are questions you will explore in my upcoming novel. My next blog post will discuss my character Louise. I am sure her actions will lead many to harshly judge her, but she is for me the character most deserving of forgiveness and empathy.
