THE CARPENTER OF GALILEE WINS TWO MAJOR  PUBLISHING AWARDS

Writers Digest redux; first time for the Ben Franklins.

"That many paintings, combined with a novella-length story, make this a truly unique book," says Kemp, flipping through the pages. "I had written the book originally to be illustrated, but HarperCollins preferred a traditional novel, and signed me to do three books encompassing a dozen or so of the most important of Jesus' parables." These books form the "Parables of the Carpenter" series, two of which (The Welcoming Door and City on a Hill) are in bookstores now.

Kemp continues: "But I couldn't get the visuals out of my head. I'd met Kirk Richards and been impressed by his work. He's a marvelous young painter who understood the radical notion of placing the young carpenter Jesus in the very stories he would one day teach the world."

Kemp gently places the book on the coffee table. "I always had a feeling about this project," he says, smoothing the cover. "And I wasn't alone. From the first mock-ups, everyone who saw it was enchanted by its mix of words and pictures, and what pictures—the illustrations are glorious and the book turned out beautifully. I know it will enrich the life of anyone who reads it."

April 2004

Second of three books will be published by HarperSanFrancisco this month.

Kenny Kemp's second installment in the "Parables of the Carpenter" series hits the shelves this month, but promises to not stay on them long.

"I'm bushed," says Kemp, sitting down to sip a hot chocolate, wearing a teal silk shirt and khaki slacks. "It's the hardest work I've ever done, and I'm tired." He notes that, in the past, his books have been either accepted with little changes for publication, or rejected outright.

What kind of real work? "The hard work kind of real work," says Kemp. "In The Welcoming Door I chose the three most famous parables (the Prodigal Son, the Talents, the Good Samaritan) to expand upon. They are told as three discrete stories, and reader has no problem remembering out who is who. But in this book I combine two lesser-known stories Jesus taught into one narrative, the parable of the Unjust Judge and the parable of the Wicked Servant."

This draws a blank. "See?" says Kemp. "We all know them once we hear them again, but they are not as famous as the previous three. Plus, I placed Jeshua (Jesus's Aramaic name) in Sephoris, the capital of Galilee, where he is working on a huge Roman basilica, or public building, laboring with hundreds of other Jewish artisans. He comes into conflict, not only with the Roman governor and his fellow workers (who are about to strike over unpaid wages), but his arch-nemesis himself, King Herod Antipas."

Is this the same Herod Antipas who beheaded John the Baptist and cleared the way for Pilate to crucify Jesus?

"The very same," says Kemp. "So you see this is a complex story with a lot of characters, and it's real work to keep the reader not only engrossed with the unfolding story, but clear on who is who and what their goals are. The third book in the series, Tower of Stone, takes on the most portentous and prescient parable of all, the one that mirrors Jesus' actual life the most: the parable of the Wicked Tenants, where the traveling landowner sends his own son to the tenants and for his efforts they kill the young man. the book ends with Jeshua narrowly escaping with his life."

"But we'll work up to this one," says Kemp. "The books are written to be read in order, beginning with The Welcoming Door, but it isn't absolutely necessary."

The Carpenter of Galilee & The Welcoming Door is truly unique.

When award-winning author Kenny Kemp wanted to publish a 64-page, full-color coffee table book containing 24 illustrations and over 12,000 words, the publishers scoffed. "They thought it would be impossible to market," says Kemp. "It has pictures, so it may be a children's book. But it has lots of words, too, so perhaps it's an adult novella. They were confused."

"I wasn't," says Kemp, thumbing proudly through the book. "I had a feeling from the start. When I wrote the story, a retelling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, I saw images in my mind's eye and I wanted people to see those images." Kemp contacted renowned religious artist Kirk Richards, who  created two dozen oil paintings in a style reminiscent of Karl Bloch, the Danish master. "At first Kirk was not interested in illustrating a book," says Kemp. "He said, 'Illustrations answer questions; paintings ask them.' I told him I wanted paintings and gave him free reign. The result is an astonishing collection of paintings that truly capture the Galilee of Jesus' time. They must be seen to be believed."

Kemp's take on the story is unique as well. He put Jesus himself in the parable. "I assumed he would have personally experienced many of the stories he later taught in his ministry," says Kemp. "And I liked the notion of him working in a simple job, with no disciples or notoriety—a life much like each of us lives today. And so his choices have much more resonance—he's the Everyman Jesus. And it's fun because the reader knows who Jesus really is, but the people in the story don't. But they slowly realize there's something special about this young carpenter . . . "

Printed in Korea to keep costs down, the book retails for only $15.95, almost ten dollars less than comparable books. "Books are far too expensive," says Kemp. "I wanted this to be a book that people couldn't resist. I was sure that once they saw the glorious paintings, they would be hooked. And I didn't want the price to be an impediment to buying it."

NEW BOOK FROM KENNY KEMP ARRIVES

Winner of the National Self-Published Book Award shifts from memoir to historical fiction.

Early reviews for The Welcoming Door are effusive:

"I’ve worked in the trades all my life," says Kemp, a building contractor as well as an attorney and filmmaker. "One day I was pondering why Jesus chose not only to come to earth 2000 years ago, instead of today when he would have the world’s communication systems at his disposal, but to be born a child of a poor carpenter in Galilee. And then he spends most of his life working in the trade, and only about three years teaching his Gospel. There must be something important to be learned from even a carpenter’s life."

"The moment I heard it, I thought it was a brilliant idea," says Kemp’s editor, Gideon Weil. "Though the last thing I wanted to read was another fictionalized life of Christ. But from the first page, I was enthralled, not only with Kenny’s amazing ability to capture time and place, but with Jeshua himself. He is one of the most compelling characters I’ve ever read―totally real and very complex. Kenny has really done a masterful job of bringing the parables to life in this book."

The book premiered at the Christian Bookseller’s Association convention in July in Anaheim, CA. Kemp spoke at the "Logos" bookstore chain annual dinner, reading passages from the book. It was well-received, according to HSF sales chief Jeff Hobbs.