"Call Me Mary Magdalene," a novel of Bible prophecy

Author and journalist Billie Rae Bates has released the print edition of her second novel, "Call Me Mary Magdalene," a fiction piece centered around Bible prophecy.

The author describes the book, which she began in 1996 while on a trip to the Middle East:

"Deep in the heart of the Middle East, at one of the most revered ancient sites in the world, something startling happens to a young American tourist. It's only months after returning to the United States and her life in Detroit that she comes to learn she will play an amazing role in Bible prophecy." The action takes place in 1996.

For the book, published by Lulu of Morrisville, N.C., Bates dug into several different theories on the Second Coming of Christ, talking with religious leaders representating various denominations, and digesting piles of literature on the subject. The book places the varying theories around the framework of a twentysomething single female living and working in Detroit and adjusting to a new, unexpected circumstance in her life.

"I've always been fascinated with Bible prophecy," Bates says. "More than that, though, this novel is about the issue of control, and man's futile attempts to gain it."

She mentions a Scripture verse that's key to the plot of "Call Me Mary Magdalene": Job 38:4, the point in the story of Job's sad circumstances when God asks him where he was when He "laid the foundation of the Earth." "That verse has always been meaningful for me," Bates says, "the point when, after all of Job's friends have been sitting around tossing theories about why Job has lost his life as he knows it, then God enters in and brings the whole theorization to a halt with one line. The character in this novel is very much a Job, wondering why things are happening this way in her life, and she realizes just how futile is that idea of control."

"Call Me Mary Magdalene" was previously published in electronic form by Bates, whose other novel is "Rubi," published by PublishAmerica of Frederick, Md., in February 2005. An electronic version of "Call Me Mary Magdalene" is also available at Lulu.com for only $2. Bates also has written a series of reference books on classic '80s TV shows such as primetime soaps "Dallas" and "Dynasty" and the action-adventure hit "The Dukes of Hazzard." All of her books are available as e-books, with "Dynasty High" and "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" also available in print from BookSurge of North Charleston, S.C.

Bates, 38, worked as an editor and writer for 10 years in the daily newspaper business, as well as working additional years as an editor, publishing manager and communications director in the corporate world. She just completed work on a third novel, set in the South, where she now lives.

"'Call Me Mary Magdalene' has been a decade in the making," Bates says, "and I'm thankful to have it done, so I can concentrate on the third novel."

For more information about the author, visit www.BillieRae.com, where you will also find the author's own photos from her 1996 Middle Eastern trip, depicting many of the sites featured in the novel. To learn more about her classic '80s TV reference book series, visit www.brbtv.com, and you can email the author at BillieRaeBates@yahoo.com.

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