Author Spotlight: James Logan
By James Logan

We are pleased to introduce James Logan, the author of The Hour of the Hawk, a Christian novel about the unseen realm. The book is now available for order through your local Christian bookstore. We asked James to share a little bit about himself, his book, and his writing process.

I was born in Dawson City, Yukon, the middle child between two sisters. I grew up in a home where Christian faith wasn’t practiced, although my parents were loving and family-orientated. My elementary school years were spent in Watson Lake, where we lived until I was in Grade Eight. That year, my parents decided to move us to Fort St. John, British Columbia.

I attended North Peace High School, graduating in 1979. The summer after graduation, I took a summer holiday with my parents to check out universities that would train me to work with wounded animals. During this trip, we met a pastor who suggested that I instead go to Bible school.

In September 1979, I registered at Western Pentecostal Bible School. The night before my departure, I celebrated with my friends at a bar; we obviously didn’t know what a Bible school was. In fact, I failed every exam I took there, as I had only read a picture Bible. I spent my first year trying to obtain the peace that comes with being saved. I ended up quitting during my second year.

After reading J.I. Packer’s book Knowing God, I later reapplied and graduated in 1983. I decided not to pursue a pastor position. At my young age, I wondered what counsel I could offer. God led me instead to work in Christian camps. This gave me the freedom to write creatively for Bible studies and skits.

The next years of my life were divided between seasons of employment and ministry. I worked at different occupations, such as landscaping. It was during my landscaping days that God opened a door for me to be a youth pastor at a Mennonite church in Duchess, Alberta.

Following this youth ministry experience, I worked at a door factory in Mission, British Columbia. During a slowdown in production one day, I told my coworkers that I was going to go north and get married.

In 1990, while in a church in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, I told God that time was running out for me to meet a wife, and I would soon head south again. A moment later, my future wife walked into the church. We were married in 1991 and we lived together in Inuvik for a number of years, raising our four children, ministering to youth, and working.

In 2012, I realized that one of our daughters was having trouble differentiating between fantasy and reality. I was also fasting at the time and had a visionary experience that lasted three weeks. I believe that God used this experience to augment the book I was currently writing, The Hour of the Hawk.

Q&A

Q: What compelled you to begin writing your book?
A: My wife and I had ordered some books and tapes from an apostle named John Eckhardt, who taught about apostles and deliverance, concepts we had never heard of. One of the books he recommended was called The Last Apostles on Earth, by Roger Sapp. I remember stepping off a street corner in downtown Whitehorse, thinking about the title of that book. As I took that step, I told the Lord that I wasn’t afraid to go beyond the theological teachings I’d learned in Bible school. The next thing I knew, I was telling the Lord that I wanted to write a story to help bring awareness to the ministry office of the apostle. Out of this conversation with the Lord, my novel was birthed.

Q: Who is your intended audience?
A: Believers who enjoy reading Christian novels about the unseen realm.

Q: What would you like to accomplish through your book?
A: More than calling attention to the apostolic ministry, I hope to promote an awareness among believers about how much the spiritual world affects our physical existence. The unseen realm is very real. I have seen it, felt it, smelled it, and been touched by it.

Q: Why did you name your book The Hour of the Hawk?
A. The idea came to me from a John Eckhardt book called Moving in the Apostolic. In that book, he depicts the hawk as a symbol of the apostle and puts forth the idea that God is presently restoring the apostolic ministry to the church. I tried to incorporate those two thoughts in the tittle of my novel.

Q: What was the greatest challenge in writing your book?
A: First, I had to stop listening to the negative voices of others, like family, coworkers, and friends. I also had to learn to ignore the looks people gave me that made me feel invisible. I even got these looks in church. I think they’re similar to the looks that dads receive who stay at home to raise their kids.

Q: What are your plans regarding this book?
A: I would like to continue the story, to carry on the tales of the surviving characters and use relevant content from world events. I also will use the revelation God gives me in the process of writing that seems to fit the new storyline.

Q: What other interests do you enjoy?
A: I’m a simple man at heart. My family is my gold and I enjoy experiencing life with them. I love to listen to anointed worship music, to just get down on the floor and wait on the Lord. I also love to play my out-of-tune guitar and drink a good cup of coffee.

Q: What words of advice would you give new writers?
A: If you have promised God that you’ll do something, like writing a novel, you need to fulfill that promise to God. It took me nineteen years, and there was a learning curve. After frustrations, I quit for a few years and walked away from writing. God is so patient, though. He can show you how to pick things up again and finish.
Start writing with what you think your strength is. If it’s your imagination, begin with that. Things will evolve for you, especially if you’re working with editors, and you might even find your voice. Finally, whatever you do, do it unto the Lord.

About this Contributor:

James Logan loves to read and write primarily stories about the unseen realm. He is a graduate of Western Pentecostal Bible School, and has personally experienced several amazing visions. James resides in Whitehorse, Yukon, with his wife Mabelean and their special needs daughter Faith, whose care occupies a large percentage of his daily activity. You can contact James at seeker862@gmail.com.