Hannah Schaefer | Echo
What would you do if you worked for the Son of God? That's what professional writing professor Dennis E. Hensley asked himself 20 years ago, and the question led to his newest book "Jesus in the 9 to 5." The Echo met with the author to hear his insights on what he discovered during the writing process.
Echo: What inspired you to write this book?
Echo: Did you find a way to do this?
Echo: How did you choose to present Jesus the way you did?
Echo: What problems did you have to deal with writing the book?
So I sent Chip MacGregor, my agent, my manuscript and he called three days later and said, "I'm laughing my head off, man. This is funny, it's great, and it's entertaining. Jesus is witty, he's clever, yet he's insightful. This is nothing like anything I have ever seen. Let me send it out to five publishers I know would really appreciate it." He got a bidding war going, they all loved it! So they were fighting against each other, and finally AMG Publishers offered the best overall contract. But they said, "We don't think you can do this twice. These stories are great, but you really got a lot of the New Testament. So you have to write two or three more vignettes for us to show us you can do a sequel." So I had to sit down and come up with three more stories!
When I submitted it, I met with the editor and he said, "Oh, these are good. This is good. OK, we like it." So they signed the first contract, and the second book is coming out around next year. Now, the third one will be the real challenge.
Echo: What response do you hope to receive from your audience?
"Jesus in the 9 to 5" will be released Oct. 18 on Amazon.com and select bookstores.
