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"Spero is an imaginative fantasy that subtly instructs, entertains, and intellectually provokes the reader. It is fascinating reading. I'm definitely hooked on this series." Jean Heimann at Catholic Fire.
"...intelligent as well as inspiring..." Terry Barga at whattodoabout.com.
Please visit www.birthpangs.com/cart to buy Spero
(and Fidelis) from the author or to buy from Amazon.com
Fidelis, my first book, is Latin for faithfulness. The second book, Spero, is Latin for hope. Spero is an exploration of what hope is and why we need it. It is an exploration of what things are good to put our hope in and what things are bad to put our hope in. In the fictionalized America of the future portrayed in the Birth Pangs series, all of the things that people have traditionally put their hope in have been brought low. There are no government agencies, no schools, and not even churches. In the face of daily perils, people have to figure out how where they are going to place their hope. It is interesting to me that the political candidate running on 'hope' is also running on 'change.' I think this illustrates the root of the problem. The best place to put your 'hope' is where it won't shift beneath your feet. Also, we need to be clear about what things we hope to overcome. Nearly all of our systems and institutions are geared to address certain day to day realities that are important but not, I'm afraid, ultimate. There is one problem that surpasses them all: death. Spero is about people- even good people- putting their hope in lesser means to tackle lesser problems and being confronted with the consequences of that approach. Spero is about being confronted with our chief problem and challenged to consider what possible solutions there might be to that problem... and whether any of these are within our control, or obtainable by our own effort.http://www.faithnews.cc/articles.cfm?sid=8110
http://www.earnedmedia.org/bp0719.htm
http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=3804&wf=rsscol
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/320108/fidelisthe_next_harry_potter.html
http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/aggregator.php?entry=432678
As an author that is a Christian, I have followed the discussion about Harry Potter’s relationship to Christianity with interest but have stayed out of it, at least in public. I have long believed that there were Christian themes percolating in the books, a belief that led me to accurately predict the fates of Snape and Malfoy. How intentional and deliberate Rowling was when exploring these themes I won’t speculate upon because that is something that she herself is in the best position to answer. However, her explicit exclusion of two Scriptures “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” and “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (#7, pgs 326 and 328, Matt. 6:21 and 1 Cor 15:26) suggests to me that anti-Harry Potter Christians would do well to re-consider their opposition and re-think their position.
The numerous nods to Christian themes in Rowling’s books are explored by many others so I won’t dig into them here beyond what I’ve already said, but I will take just one moment to respond to the charge that anything ‘magical’ is forbidden and of the devil. Certainly the Scriptures are not to be ignored on the point. In retort, it is often pointed out that there is ‘magical’ content to Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and in retort to that retort, it is given “But yes, those are Christian authors,” apparently ignorant that Rowling is herself a Christian. Intuitively, most of us recognize a difference between the ‘magic’ in these worlds and the sorcery rejected by the Scriptures.
LA CROSSE, Wisc., – A.R. Horvath’s new novel, “Fidelis,” is the first of a seven-book story arc that grapples with humanity’s courage and hope in the face of a history of pain and suffering.
“Fidelis” takes place in a not-too-distant or unlikely future, and tells the story of a man crossing the new landscape of an America that has been crippled by disease and ravaged by nuclear strikes, struggling to find his way home. As his journey reveals the horrors and wonders of the altered world, he awakens to realizations about his own soul.
The book wrestles with issues such as truth and propaganda, manhood and bravery, fact, and faith in an adventure story packed with action and suspense.
Horvath, a church worker who became a trucker for a short time, said the series sprang into his mind during his last month on the road when he, like the main character, was separated from his family for long periods of time.
Christians might identify some parallels in Horvath’s novel with the themes in the Bible but Horvath points out that his writing is not geared exclusively, or even targeted, for Christian readers.
“It is an exploration of what it means to be human, and an inquiry into what worldview best explains both man’s goodness, as well as man’s badness,” says Horvath. “You would think after this last century, we would not need to be reminded of man’s badness, but it seems we do. In the Birth Pangs series, no reminder is necessary, just as after the Holocaust no reminder was necessary.”
He continues, “This is one example of where the influence of Rowling, Lewis, and Tolkien come into play. Evil is real in their worlds and there are serious consequences when dealing with it, or ignoring it. Their worlds are not ‘they lived happily after’ worlds. Good people die and stay dead. But there are things worse than death. And there are things stronger than death, too. The undying hope of the human race requires an explanation and not every worldview succeeds in giving one. The clash of worldviews in the face of societal collapse forms the backdrop to “Fidelis.”"
To purchase, learn more, or read a sample, visit Horvath’s website www.birthpangs.com. Horvath is also available for interviews and speaking engagements.
Copies of “Fidelis” (ISBN 0979127610) can be obtained through his site, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble.
Updated: Amazon.com no longer gives a significant discount.
I have been asked this question by a number of people. The question is- what puts the most money into my hands, or what in general helps the cause of Birth Pangs the most. It is an interesting question. There is something to be said about having my book’s rank on Amazon.com be higher, but when they’re selling it for only $10 you can guess that my cut is not so much. And just because BN charges more for the book, don’t think my cut is any higher- it isn’t. It’s exactly the same. Naturally, if you buy it from me for full price, from a purely financial point of view, I get a larger cut.
Let’s keep in mind that if you buy from me direct, your copy is signed, whereas obviously the major distributors can’t do that.
Having heard this so often now and having spent a little time thinking about it, if you want to try to help out in both ways- Amazon’s ’status’ measure and my bottom line, you can buy from Amazon and send me a paypal payment to make up the difference. So, if you buy the book from Amazon for $10.50, simply subtract $10.50 from $15.95 and send me a paypal payment for $5.45. Now my rank goes up on Amazon, but I’m not shorted on the profit.
Now, I completely understand you may just want to grab the book cheap and check it out. That’s just fine by me. I’m not trying to guilt anyone here. I’m just responding to a question that keeps coming up. And of course, if you want to send more then the difference, I won’t stop you. 
I have plenty other expenses, like marketing and advertising and web hosting expenses.
Just a note- if you buy more than one copy via Amazon, it won’t increase the ranking. It increases on a ‘per order’ basis. So, just keep in mind that buying 10 copies on Amazon won’t help in that regards more than buying 1.
Without further ado, here is the Paypal donation form:
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