Fiction Meets Spirituality and Science Author Interview with
Kevin D. McMahon, Garments of Skin: A Genomic Apocalypse, Book 1
by Lisa M. Hendey
Kevin McMahon is first and foremost a teacher, family man, and a
deeply spiritual person. In his spare time, he has written and
published two books. Kevin's writing came to my attention when I
heard him speak recently at a writing conference. Although his
topic related to the process of print-on-demand publishing, it
was the fascinating subject matter of his novel Garments of
Skin: A Genomic Apocalypse, Book 1 that caught and held my
attention.
Garments of Skin tackles timely technological issues, weaving
ethics and science into a book that is at once instructional and
entertaining. Scientifically-challenged readers like me need not
shy away from the book due to the inclusion of the word
"genomic" in the title. McMahon's teaching skills and fantastic
creativity make this book highly readable. In our world,
advances in reproductive and medical technology continue at a
lightening pace. This makes McMahon's book relevant to today's
ethical dilemmas and pose pressing questions about what the
future may hold.
Kevin McMahon shared the following thoughts with me on his book
and the writing and publication process.
Q: Please tell our readers a bit about yourself and your family.
I met my wife, Janice, while we were both attending an
Evangelical church. We have two daughters, Megan and Breanna.
Megan is currently in college and plans on becoming a high
school English teacher. Breanna is at the school where I teach,
Reseda Science Magnet. About ten years ago my wife and I left
our Evangelical church and started attending a local Catholic
church. A few years after that we converted to Orthodoxy and now
attend Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge,
California.
Q: Please briefly describe the plot of Garments of Skin.
The book is a little bit like Frankenstein in that Shelly was
attempting to write about the potential consequences of the
hubris of human nature as it manifest itself in science. My
book, of course, is an updated version of this Promethian tale
in that it deals with what happens when man attempts to take the
divine fire of life from the heavens, or as I state it in
Biblical terms, when he breaks through the fiery sword guards
the Tree of Life.
So I approach the whole issue of the stem-cell debate a little
differently, that is, I move beyond the ethical debate into the
ontological side of things. Just as the sin of Adam and Eve had
an ontological consequence on human nature I am suggesting that
the application of embryonic stem-cells may alter the very
nature of humanity. To explain this I employ the Eastern
Christian (Orthodox) theology of the garments of skin. I should
add though, that unlike Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which ends
in fear and despair my book focuses on hope and redemption.
Q: What prompts a high school science teacher to take on the
task of writing a religious thriller? From where did the idea
for this book originate?
As a science teacher in public school I deal with a default
setting that tends to not consider the moral content of
scientific progress, or if consideration is given, more often
than not, students and colleagues tend to take a utilitarian
approach. What I have found, however, is a surprising degree of
openness when I have discussed with students and fellow teachers
issues such as stem-cell research from a thoughtful, Christian
perspective. But it takes time to develop persuasive arguments
and often people don't have the time, or want to think that hard
or long about a subject. As a result I thought that perhaps such
people could be persuaded if they were offered the information
in an entertaining manner. Consequently, this book was written
not for the "choir" but for a secular Audience and thus far I
have had more nonreligious people reading the book and giving me
favorable reviews of it than even religious folk. I am gratified
by this but I believe a religious Audience would also enjoy and
benefit my Genomic Apocalypse series.
Now as for where I get my ideas--that is almost a mystery to me.
I might have to refer you to the Muses or to the writings of the
Orthodox philosopher, Nicholi Berdyaev, who spoke of dipping
into the deep nothingness of our own hearts to create, like God,
ex nihilo, that is, from nothing. I guess this is just a fancy
way of saying, I really don't know where the ideas come from.
Q: What kind of research did you undertake in writing this book?
There were three areas of research that this book required.
Obviously there is the science part--the stem-cell business.
That part wasn't too difficult given that I have degrees in
biological sciences. Then there were the theological and
philosophical aspects of the story. I read numerous books on
these topics, again mostly Eastern Orthodox theology. Finally, I
researched geo-political topics as the type of biotechnological
breakthrough I wrote about would inevitably have enormous
consequences world-wide.
Q: How does your faith impact your writing? Did you ever
consider writing this book without the religious element?
My faith is so interwoven with who I am I cannot even imagine
how I could write a book without it slipping in
someway--although perhaps I could slip it in more subtly. Maybe
someday I will. For me, I try to express my Christian faith in
all I do--I see little difference between my life at Church, my
life at home with my family, my life as a public school teacher,
or as a writer.
Q: Do you resemble any of the characters in this book? Do any of
them have a basis in real people you know?
Goodness, I suspect that the people in my book are either better
or worse than I am--I'm probably somewhere between a Maria and
an Obermann! Do any of the characters resemble people I've
known? I think so. My first years as a teacher was in East Los
Angeles--I've known a few Maria's: very bright, attractive young
ladies who were drawn into gang life and who were sometimes
extracted by the help of others, like the math teacher who
helped get Maria out of the barrio. I've also known a few
McIntyre's--great men of God who always stood firm in the face
of adversity.
It seems to me that technological advances have greatly
complicated medical and technological ethics questions. What
forecast do you have for these types of advances and how can
Christians and ethicists keep pace and respond to our changing
world?
As far as the first part of your question, I started writing
this book around 1998 and I have since then witnessed about half
of what I have written about already come to pass. If I were to
play the prophet I would say that it is inevitable that almost
everything in the book, technologically, will happen. I am sure
some people will find that hard to believe but just wait--it
will happen within our life-time.
Now as far as what Christians need to do--first, they must know
their faith. They must be grounded in their relationship with
Jesus Christ and His Church. This becomes the touchstone upon
which they can deduce the answers to all ethical dilemmas. Of
course, I would suggest they buy my book--they'll get the
information they need and will enjoy learning it at the same
time!
Q: I know that you took a non-traditional path toward the
publication of this book. What advice do you have for authors
who have a desire to share their message in book format but may
not be finding success in publication?
Frankly, I never really sought a traditional path. I am a full
time teacher--that's my real job; writing is a hobby. I didn't
want to go through the expense, hassle, and the emotional
roller-coaster associated with trying to get my book published
in a "traditional" manner. Also, my topic is so "hot off the
press" so-to-speak that I wanted my ideas out there quickly. I
thought this would be a good way to do it. Finally, I think you
will find that more and more authors are going to turn to
print-on-demand and other "nontraditional" means of publication.
My advice for those who want to go the way I did is that you
should find someone to help you edit your book because most big
publishing houses will work with you on that whereas if you
publish yourself you are on your own. Second, be prepared for
the long haul when it comes to getting your book out there and
known. You have to be aggressive and push the book in people's
faces. I find that the most difficult part of the whole process.
Q: What is the key to successfully completing a work of fiction?
How did you overcome obstacles that came up along your writing
path?
First of all, I think you need to know where you want to go,
what's the end game of the story. Then let the end draw you.
Along the way your characters are drawn to this end, and as they
are drawn to whatever the end is for them they need to change
authentically-- they must be real, believable, and interesting
people. I think most readers want to read about interesting
people and how they respond and change to circumstances. And in
this sense, the story line is secondary to the characters.
Readers like to identify with characters and wonder what they
would do under similar circumstances.
The biggest obstacles I faced were either being tired (since I
had to write late in the evening) and feeling that my head was a
block of wood (ie, not feeling very creative). To this I would
recommend--write any way. You can edit it or throw it out
altogether, but you can't edit or throw out nothing so if you
fancy yourself a writer you have to write even when you don't
feel like it or feel particularly creative.
Q: Do you have any future writing projects?
Yes, I have already written and published Book II of the Genomic
Apocalypse series, The Daughter of Abraham. I need to start
working on Book III, but I started writing a book on theology
and epistemology. I hope to have that done in a year so that I
can get to Book III.
Q: Are there any additional thoughts or comments you'd like to
share?
Yes, I like to thank you for taking the time to read my book and
ask me these probing questions. Finally, if any of your readers
would like to reach me they can contact me at
kevindmcmahon@yahoo.comFor more information on Garments of Skin visit
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1413474241/catholicmomcom Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous
web sites, including
http://www.catholicmom.com and
http://www.christiancoloring.com, and an avid reader of Catholic
literature. Visit her at
http://www.lisahendey.com for more
information.
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