G. P. Taylor: 'Hotter Than Potter'

G.P. (Graham) Taylor is not your normal, successful fantasy-adventure writer. "Hotter than Potter" is how the British press describes his best-selling fantasy novel touted to rival the Harry Potter series. Graham was born in the north of England in Scarborough, the youngest of three children to a working class family. His father was deaf, so sign language was almost like a second language to Graham. For that reason, Graham says his writing style is very visual.

At age 13, in what he now realizes was a desperate quest to learn who God was, he began reading all about the occult. He was 16 years old when he first heard the voice of God calling him to ministry, but it was a voice he ignored for many years. Instead, as a high school dropout, Graham fled to London where he became a promoter for CBS Records and spent his evenings involved with well-known punkers like Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten, and the Sex Pistols. This lifestyle took its toll on Taylor, so he decided to leave London. At 21 God spoke to him again, but once more he ignored the calling.

At 22 he moved to north England and found a job doing social work with the elderly and hearing-impaired. Many of his friends were members of the police force, and they loved their jobs. Graham decided he would join them. He married and joined the police force where for eight years he saw the worst human behavior imaginable. He was assigned to large market towns in the north with a lot of street violence. He later moved on to drug enforcement and the riot squad and was sent to the Newcastle Riots.

In the meantime, Graham ignored the repeated callings from the Voice. One day he hoped to quiet it a little by enrolling in theological college while still working full-time as a police officer. He had many close calls during those years, but it was in 1995 that Graham was almost beaten to death. A gang of 30 spaced-out teenagers attacked him. A 6-foot bearded Scotsman saved him when he drove his car into the assailants. As one boy got in a last kick before the cavalry got there, he sneered, 'Where is your God now?' The physical trauma resulted in serious permanent injuries which made Graham unfit for duty. He was forced to retire.

Ghosts and Ghouls

During the same year of this attack, Graham finished seminary and was ordained by the Church of England. Graham's first church, St. Mary's of Whitby, is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom and is famous for its connection with Bram Stoker's Dracula. Each year, hundreds, if not thousands, of believers in the occult come to St. Mary's in November to commemorate Dracula's escape from the shipwrecked Dementor. Stoker's story has him changing into a black dog and running up the steps and into the church. In addition to vampires, Whitby's parishioners have had their fair share of ghosts. Graham's knowledge of the occult served him well and prepared him to minister in a unique way, sharing the gospel with misguided people on the fringe of society who practiced paganism of all sorts. Surprising to some, he has no fear of confronting the important issues facing young people.

Shadowmancer

Shadowmancer bravely dives headfirst into the controversial arenas of sorcery, racism, prejudice, and evil in an engaging story. Readers of all ages say they can't put it down. Graham says it is important for writers of Christian fiction to address the issues that young people are facing today. Bookstores are filled with books on witchcraft and magic for kids and grownups that glorifies the occult. "I was moved by God to write a book in response to a British writer who said God was senile, or dead," he says. "The God I know as my Savior is alive and real and can change lives and transform people, and that is the God I wanted to portray in this book."

The word "Shadowmancer" comes from two words: "shadow" - from darkness cast by objects, and "mancer" - which means one who conjures. It is a word to reflect the deep darkness of the occult and the spirit, which is at work through the world today as more and more people are drawn to dark spirituality. Set in the 1750s on the Yorkshire coast, Shadowmancer tells the story of Vicar Obadiah Demurral, a despicable, evil man who isn't satisfied with controlling his parish - he wants to control the world. His followers have no idea he is a Shadowmancer - a sorcerer who speaks to the dead - and that he commands demons to do as he wishes. Using an important relic he has stolen, Demurral is assembling a weapon that would force even God to answer him, if possible. The only thing standing in his way is the odd alliance formed by a 13-year-old Thomas Barrick; tomboy Kate Coglan; a mysterious African boy, Raphah, who has traveled halfway around the world to reclaim the stolen artifact Demurral has stolen; and the mysterious smuggler Jacob Crane, who has a vendetta to settle with the evil Vicar. A fascinating, Gothic-era adventure that looks at folklore, superstition, and children with undeniable faith through a classic tale of good versus evil, Shadowmancer takes readers on an unforgettable journey they won't soon forget.

Graham says he was inspired to craft such a vivid story of good vs. evil based by an item on The 700 Club about Harry Potter. "It is so important that writers who are Bible believing Christians write narratives that reflect what is happening in our society," Graham says. He says backslidden Christians have written to him saying they have started again with Jesus after reading Shadowmancer. He also says his parishioners have responded positively and loved his writing. "My first editions have sold for up to $8,000 each, so they are in the money," he says.

Graham financed his book by selling his beloved motorcycle to self-publish. Good reviews spread by word-of-mouth, eventually reaching one of Britain's biggest publishers, Faber and Faber. After selling out at bookstores across the U.K., a U.S. publisher (Penguin) bought the rights for ?300,000 (approx. $500,000).