Exploring Faith and Science in Storytelling
Reginald Andah discusses A New Dawn, his inspiration, and the impact of faith on his storytelling. He shares insights on world-building, overcoming challenges, and offering guidance to aspiring writers pursuing meaningful narratives.
Reginald Andah is not just an award-winning author; he is a storyteller with a purpose, weaving faith, science fiction, and raw human emotion into narratives that resonate deeply with readers. His journey from hardship to literary success is nothing short of inspiring, a testament to perseverance, faith, and an unyielding passion for storytelling. With a background in English and Creative Writing, he has honed his craft to create compelling, thought-provoking works that challenge conventional boundaries between science, theology, and the human experience.
His novel A New Dawn is a remarkable fusion of sci-fi, theology, and real-world struggles, crafting a story that is both thrilling and deeply meaningful. Through the lens of protagonist Xander Williams, Andah explores themes of resilience, survival, and faith in a rapidly changing world. The novel has garnered widespread recognition for its innovative approach, intricate world-building, and gripping moral dilemmas. Inspired by personal experiences and a diverse range of influences—including The Da Vinci Code, Naruto, and cutting-edge scientific theories—his storytelling is as unique as it is profound.
In this exclusive interview with Reader’s House Magazine, Andah takes us behind the scenes of A New Dawn, offering insight into his creative process, the challenges he has faced, and the unwavering faith that fuels his writing. He also shares invaluable advice for aspiring authors who seek to tell meaningful stories rooted in personal experience. A visionary writer with an unmistakable voice, Reginald Andah is an author whose work leaves a lasting impact—one that continues to inspire and challenge readers in equal measure.
Reginald Andah is a masterful storyteller whose thought-provoking narratives seamlessly merge faith, science fiction, and profound human experiences with authenticity.
What inspired you to write A New Dawn, and how did your personal experiences shape the story?
The inspiration of A New Dawn came from a writing contest I entered that was for a writing position in the previous year before my book was published. I was among the finalists and the publication said the idea had so much potential that they’d like to see the full draft once it was finished. However, after completing the manuscript, I decided to go with another publishing company that fit the genre more and represented the faith involved in the book.
Since it was based on current world issues and I was incorporating both sci-fi and theological elements within the story while grounding it into realistic settings, I wanted the main character to be relatable. I’ve had years of personal experience when it comes to the struggles of life we all go through as individuals as well as an empathetic insight on others’ struggles. Encompassing these experiences within my main character, Xander Williams, and other characters was a way to connect to the reader and communicate modern trials and tribulations we all go through. I wanted to show anyone who gave my story a chance to realize that none of us are alone to better understand one another.
How did your faith influence the themes and moral lessons in your book?
I have read multiple faith-based books and religious texts including The Bible, The Book of Enoch, The HalleluYah Scriptures, The Ethiopian Bible, and more. I also have a curious mind and like to study scientific theories that involve creation and how our world came to be. The more I studied, the more I came to the realization of how everything connects, even things most deem separate such as science and theology.
The moral lessons from my book stemmed from lessons I’ve learned throughout my personal life that God helped me to see. It isn’t an opinion or understatement for me to say that I wouldn’t be here without God. In my experience, it’s an undeniable fact.
Xander Williams wakes up to a drastically changed world—how did you approach building the setting and lore of your novel?
Most of the settings and lore from my novel stem from a lot of ideas that are already a reality or are becoming a reality. For instance, cryostasis has been spoken about within the scientific community and sci-fi genres in general since I was a kid. Not to mention, powerful and influential people have publicly spoken about wanting to live longer and partake in such an idea if the opportunity presented itself.
Other ideas such as the exo-suits stemmed from shows I used to watch or games I’ve played. I wanted to find a unique way for the characters to battle the malevolent forces that have taken over earth while keeping the fighting tactics both modern and slightly futuristic since the setting does take place in the near future.
What challenges did you face while writing and publishing A New Dawn, and how did you overcome them?
The challenges I’ve faced writing and publishing A New Dawn are still challenges I’m facing when writing. For example, currently, I’m trying to finish the sequel of this book series, which most likely will be titled, A New Dawn: The Awakening. Trying to establish the right publishing deals and/or agents while working a part-time job, taking certification courses to become an online creative writing teacher, doing other creative projects, tutoring, and balancing a personal life is quite the challenge to say the least. I’m hoping for more support in my endeavors to achieve my dream to become a full-time creative writer. However, that’s where my faith comes in as well. I continuously pray for God to get me through such trials and tribulations.
Which authors or books have had the greatest impact on your writing style and storytelling approach?
Naming them all would be quite impossible as I’m continuously drawing inspiration from different categories of storytelling such as novels, short stories, poems, TV shows, movies, animation, and any genre of creativity that tells a good story.
However, for particularly this book, my greatest impact would have to be from Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code novel, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto manga/anime, Capcom’s Onimusha series, and Electronic Arts’s Anthem video game.
The DaVinci Code’s original way of crafting theology into a pragmatic world inspired me to create a realistic world that reflected our own society with theology as well. Naruto gave me insight on how to develop relatable characters that really spoke to readers and the struggles people go through. Onimusha inspired me how to craft some of the imagery when it came to the malevolent forces and how to depict such confrontations when humans engage with them. Anthem inspired the exo-suits of this book as it was not only aesthetically pleasing but practical considering the current technology we’ve already developed. Mixing in those elements with alchemy and magic made an original framework for the armor that the characters could use to combat the enemy.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice about writing and perseverance, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self that no matter what life throws at you, don’t stop. Keep going. Pursue the goal God put in your heart and don’t question it just because society tells you it doesn’t follow the status quo.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to share meaningful stories rooted in personal experiences?
Write! That is the main issue a lot of authors have – finding time to write. Since the economy is rooted in capitalism where every second is spent on making money to live, a lot of authors feel like they don’t have free time. However, whether it is a paragraph, a page, or a chapter, writing anything down is better than doing nothing.
Therefore, if there is even a sliver of time you can spare to get that idea out of your mind, write it down and don’t lose it. The more you write, the better your head will feel once those ideas are out and on paper. I know first-hand how incredibly difficult this can be, but don’t let your fire smolder. Continuously work at your craft.
