"Sometimes we must suffer if we are to save souls."
Jesus' words echo in a recurring dream to Lali Russo, a seventeen-year-old Catholic school girl.
Lali wakes and asks, "Why that dream again?"
Two thousand years ago, the scourged and bloody form of a man who claimed to be God carried the wood on which he would be crucified.
Coming upon some distraught women, He says, "Women of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves and your children. For if these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" The novel, When the Wood Is Dry by Joseph Cillo, Jr. attempts to answer this question.
When the Wood Is Dry will be published in three parts: I. Call of the Innocent, II. Crucifixion, and III. Resurrection. But now, you can get all three parts together in a single volume!
Lali Russo is called to walk a path of suffering that she struggles to understand. Praying at an abortion clinic, she encounters the pregnant girlfriend of a notorious gang leader. She confronts the girl's boyfriend, the ruthless Ralo as he sharpens his machete.
"Go away, little girl, this is no' ju beesness."
Walk the full path with Lali, in this edition, which includes all three parts of the novel, and learn the surprising fates of those impacted by her journey. But beware, Part II: Crucifixion. Included in this edition is an appendix with a synopsis of Part II so that readers who are troubled by the suffering of an innocent can enjoy the story without intimately experiencing the disturbing events of the second part of the novel. As the subtitle, An Edgy Catholic Thriller suggests, When the Wood Is Dry is Edgy - Intended only for mature audiences, Catholic - includes overtly Catholic religious imagery and perspectives, and Thrilling - "full of twists and turns, action and heart-wrenching moments," as one reader commented.
"The storyline is like nothing I've ever read before."
"...a chilling, unpredictable, fascinating story which I couldn't put down."
"...a well thought out, complex story with strong, diverse characters and a unique concept. The story was easy to read and follow. Full of twists and turns, action and heart-wrenching moments."
Please note: When the Wood Is Dry: An Edgy Catholic Thriller includes mature subject matter, profanity, and violence. Reader discretion is advised.
Welcome to the edgy worlds of Joseph Cillo, Jr. Joseph Cillo, Jr. writes edgy fiction in a variety of genres. Whether it's a supernatural thriller like his graphic novel, 'Blind Prophet' or a comedy like the 2019 Illumination Book Award Bronze Medal winner, 'Merry Friggin' Christmas: An Edgy Christmas Comedy', his work features unexpected plot twists, unique characters, and the highest of stakes. The added dimension of the supernatural infuses his work with stakes that go beyond life and death, and into the eternal. There is a basic, Catholic moral viewpoint behind his work that gives a solid foundation to what might otherwise be seen as purely fantastical. The reading experience can at times be unnerving, as the reader is drawn to consider whether the mystical nature of his tales is nearer to reality than the plainly material experiences of life. The eternal consequences of choices made by characters and spiritual dimensions of actions made clearly visible are mindbending and thought-provoking. Joseph Cillo, Jr. classifies his writing as "Edgy Catholic Fiction." Edgy Catholic Fiction is generally written for adult audiences, at minimum teens and up. The grouping crosses genres and includes a perspective that is generally consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church, which may include rather dramatic supernatural elements, as in "The Exorcist," or other less dramatic religious elements, which could be as simple as characters relying on prayer. The religious elements may not be overt and could well lie only in the author's general perspective or a character's perspective that there is a God, and a moral, immutable foundation to the universe. For more information, please check out www.edgycatholic.com Examples of Edgy Catholic literature lie strewn throughout genres which no one has grouped together. Literary masters such as Graham Greene, Flannery O'Connor, J.R.R. Tolkien, and even, C.S. Lewis, who though not Catholic, was consistent with the Catholic perspective in his fiction, wrote works that fall into the Edgy Catholic domain. Dean Koontz, whose supernatural and suspense thrillers are written from a Catholic perspective and are quite edgy, is a more contemporary example of an Edgy Catholic author. Joseph Cillo, Jr. is the fourth of seven children, born within a year of his older sister in a most unplanned and yet welcome way. Having the great blessings of a loving family, however, did not prevent his drift into a sort of foolhardy extended adolescence for many years, broken only by suffering and illness, in a rather miraculous fashion. He now lives a life of quiet prayer and diligent work. For more on Blind Prophet, check out www.blindprophetcomic.com
