Today we are interviewing Randy C. Dockens, author of the Christian science fiction series, Parallel Universe Saga (Quill & Quotation Press).
Dr. Randy C. Dockens has a fascination with science and with the Bible, holds Ph.D. degrees in both areas, and is a man not only of faith and science, but also of creativity. He believes that faith and science go hand in hand without being enemies of each other.
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), uniquely told Bible stories (The Adversary Chronicles), speculative fiction (Cities of Light Series), and a combination of science fiction / speculative fiction (Parallel Universe Saga). 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 still has creative ideas to share so stay tuned!
Dr. Dockens’ latest books are Retrieving the Future & Resolving the Future (Books 1 & 2 in the Parallel Universe Saga Series)
Visit his website at https://www.randydockens.com.
Connect with him on social media at:
╰┈➤ X: www.x.com/RandyCDockens
╰┈➤ Facebook: www.facebook.com/Randy.C.Dockens
╰┈➤ Instagram: Randy C Dockens (@randydockens) | Instagram
╰┈➤ Goodreads: Randy C. Dockens (Author of T-H-B) | Goodreads
In high school, I would write stories and poems for school projects for English assignments. One of my poems about the beauty of a sunrise won me a national award through our church’s organization. Yet, I also loved science as well and won our school’s science award at graduation. When I started college, I chose science—pharmacy to be exact. This led me further and further down the scientific career ladder. After graduating with a pharmacy degree, I worked for a year and then went back to graduate school earning a Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutics with a specialization in pharmacokinetics (i.e., the study of how the body affects drugs: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, and describing those with mathematical algorithms). Needless to say, this took me farther and farther away from my creative side.
My other interest has always been the Bible. After a number of years, I discovered I could take courses online and entered a master’s program in Jewish Studies through what was then The Internet Bible Institute. This got me interested in biblical prophecy, so I continued my online studies and obtained a Ph.D. in biblical prophecy from the Louisiana Baptist University.
I then contemplated how to integrate my two areas of study together. I at first considered writing nonfiction and did write a manuscript about how the Bible is a continuous story tying all of mankind together which eventually became my book, Why is a Gentile World Tied to a Jewish Timeline?: The Question Everyone Should Ask. Before this one was published, I decided that it might be better to write fiction and incorporate biblical truths into the stories so that readers could be entertained with an intriguing story but at the same time learn something about God or about the Bible they may not have heard before. This got my creative juices to flow again. I have always been a science fiction fan, so most of my stories are either science fiction or speculative fiction with a science fiction feel to them.
Your latest books, Resolving the Future, is a Christian science fiction and is Book 2 in the Parallel Universe Saga. The series explores thems of advanced technology, end-time inspiration, and the idea that human technological advancements cannot overcome God's plan. How did you come up with this very unique idea which turned into a series?
The Parallel Universe Saga is somewhat of an extension to my series, The Adversary Chronicles. In that series, I talk about different dimensions and how those relate to the Bible. In this current series, I take that concept and look at it slightly differently. The common denominator between the two is that higher dimensions allow limitless universes and it is possible they represent the limitless number of decisions we humans make. Travel into the past is prohibited because decisions have already been made which cannot be changed. Yet, future decisions have not yet been made, so we can choose to set our Earth on a different, but planned, path. And, if we can choose one of those alternate Earth’s and utilize their future technology that may or may not be part of the path of our Earth, we can change our destination to either bring those technologies to our Earth faster or bring technology to our Earth that we would not otherwise experience.
With that concept as the primary basis for the novel, I considered what would be such technology that could be brought back to our Earth. I chose Artificial Intelligence (AI). I know we already have AI, but it is in its infancy stage, so I had Declan, the interdimensional interloper and main character of the book and series, bring back plans for a very sophisticated AI. Just as today, there are those who embrace AI stating all the positive things it can do for us and there are those who fear AI and want to limit what it can do, the same is true in this book and series.
Can you tell us about the main character in the book?
Declan Anderson has an outgoing personality and an adventurous spirit. He is employed by Icharus Technologies, a firm which has him go on parallel Earth missions to retrieve advanced technologies that the company can reverse engineer and sell to the public for profit. His personality is the type which tries to be friends with all. He even befriends an AI robot, Lyle, on one of his trips. Unknowingly, this leads to a close friendship between the two and sets both of them on a course that intertwines their lives forever.
Can you tell us about the other characters in the book?
Lyle is an artificial intelligence robot on a parallel Earth that Declan meets in a clothing store. Over time, their relationship becomes close and Declan treats him as his best friend. Their frequent interactions and discussions cause Lyle's programming to advance more than it otherwise would have. Because of their friendship, Lyle returns to Declan's Earth with him and helps him build one of the most advanced AI androids Decan's Earth has ever achieved.
Rose Mathews becomes Declan's girlfriend. She is originally employed by a rival company but comes to work at Icharus Technologies where she and Declan fall in love with each other. She is the one who runs the machine that sends Declan on his missions. She originally meets Declan on a parallel Earth when she worked at this rival company visiting the same parallel Earth Declan visits but from a different timeline. Declan doesn't realize she is from his Earth until he gets back from his mission.
George Hanes is one who is antagonistic to Declan’s plans for a sophisticated AI. He wants to limit what the AI can do but obtains just the opposite of what he desires from the AI they are developing. He and Declan can’t seem to get on the same page. Yet, on an alternate Earth, George and Declan are best friends and are almost inseparable.
What is the main reason people should read your series?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a very hot topic in our newsfeeds today. There are some who are happy with how quickly this technology is advancing while others are very skeptical, and fearful, of such technology and feel it is advancing too quickly without enough safeguards in place. Our society needs to grapple with this concern of such new technology arising quickly in our world. One of the main concerns is how to avoid human bias in a technology that needs all types of information in so many different areas to derive answers and provide information that is required of it. It is my opinion that if we are going to rely on something giving us information that we are going to assume is valid, it should have access to all information and not just information some human decided to supply to it. Only then can it come to valid and unbiased conclusions using all information at its disposal.
This current story can entertain as well as make the reader think and consider which character they would most identify with and how they would expect AI to work in their world. It's a story that can expand one's imagination as well as make one think.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I feel our world is taught to be copycats rather than unique. While inspiration can be learned from someone else and their accomplishments, one should not try to be the same as the other person. Each person’s uniqueness should be developed and praised so that everyone can feel appreciated for what they bring to the world. No one should be made to feel they have nothing to offer.
Yet, we see this far too often in media where actors, podcast influences, or political figures are turned into idols for others to adore and emulate rather than being inspired by them and bring their own uniqueness into play. If one doesn’t do what these influences do, then they feel inadequate by either themselves or by others who compare and critique without positive feedback—only negative.
I see this also in the writing community. There are influencers in this community as well (editors, agents, publishers) who have their own pet peeves and prioritize those over the other aspects various writers bring to the table. Again, the feedback is almost always negative with little positivity. This is one reason I and my editor wrote two books about writing and editing to help budding authors understand the norms but not abandon their uniqueness in how they write. The first is Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Writing: Creating Vivid and Colorful Stories that Readers Want to Read, and its companion book is Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Self-Editing: Framing Your Colorful Masterpiece to Keep Readers Engaged in Your Story. So, hopefully, this is one step in the right direction to help other budding authors see and find their full potential as a writer.
So, I think we all should try and help each other shine and feel better about ourselves. This doesn’t have to detract from our own shining or influence. Yet, portraying positivity without negativity can only lead to happier lives by everyone. Critiquing is always needed but can be done in ways that are not cynical or hurtful. And as they say, a rising tide raises all ships. So, let’s be the tide for our fellow ships.
In Book 1, Retrieving the Future, Declan befriends an amazing humanoid robot, Lyle, on one of his parallel Earth trips and brings him home to create his idea of an ultimate AI. That’s when everything unravels!
Suddenly Declan’s coworkers and company leaders want him dead, his girlfriend Rose is in danger, and the only way to survive is to discover what his missions were really about—a secret conspiracy linking corporate greed to some of Scripture’s endtime prophecies. To discover that connection, the AI he created sends him and Rose on a parallel Earth mission together, a mission unsanctioned by the company’s Board.
In Book 2, Resolving the Future, Declan discovers the secret to his parallel Earth visits …. and it’s not good.
This other parallel Earth lies within a time dilation field which severs his and Rose’s connection to their world. Another way to get back must be found. He discovers why his company’s Board sanctions his trips to parallel Earths and this discovery not only puts his life and that of Rose in danger, but basically everyone he has worked with at his company.
Once he and Rose return to their Earth, all has changed. Only his robot friend, Lyle, has remained unchanged. The AI he created and who sent him on his off-world mission is now in control of the company, has his boss and the Board under its sway, has no knowledge of his unsanctioned mission, and now considers Declan enemy number one. Declan now has to convince a company blinded by greed that they’ve created humanity’s executioner— and do that before there’s no future left to fight for.
The Parallel Universe Saga (including Retrieving the Future Book 1 & Resolving the Future Book 2) is available at Amazon and the author’s website.
