Growing up in Africa in the 1950s involved amazing freedoms that came with no TV, no radio, and few books. Our evening entertainment was learning poetry with Mum, a Poetess in her own right, or listening to Dad’s adventures of being one of the first white men who were not slave traders, but rather sought to teach the people of the love of Christ, translate the Bible into their languages, and teach them English. He also made up wonderful stories about children our age who got into all sorts of mischief.

One of our favorite stories, and one that became the favorite of children and adults alike in the churches he pastored in the U.S. was about a little boy and the gift of a heart.

Many, many years later, I was walking my dog one morning and thinking about the story of the ruby heart when quite suddenly I saw in a vision the story in musical form. It was lovely, so beautiful, so inspiring! I thanked the Lord for sharing it with me, and He replied, “Now go write it down!”

“But! But! The music too?”

“Yes.”

“But! But! I don’t know how to write the music let alone in a play format!”

“Learn!”

“Yes, Lord!” I replied, meekly. And I did. As I typed “THE END” and sat back with a sigh, I heard Him say, “Now, write the adult novel!” I knew better than to protest and began to work on what was to become the first of many stories.

Now, in Dad’s story the ruby heart was just a prop to emphasize the call to give one’s heart to Jesus. And as I began writing the adult stories, she remained just a prop.

But Ruby was having none of that! I soon discovered that this gemstone was inhabited by a sentient being with a mission to warn, guard, and protect her current custodian from imminent danger - and that she has a mind of her own!

Over the centuries, Ruby’s custodians come and go. As she learns the limitations of humans to communicate with inanimate objects, to think and reason, let alone remember what they’ve learned from their mistakes, Ruby begins to wonder if there’s much point to her efforts.

During the Second World War, her custodian hides her away under the false bottom of a trunk to keep her from falling into the Natzi's hands. Once more Ruby is entombed, waiting to be rediscovered when Time comes.

Some sixty years later, a young girl named Dillwyn Llewellyn has a vision, or perhaps a dream, which, she could never tell. In this adventure she was in the bowels of earth as it is forming. It’s filled with molten lava. Crystals float in the lava. She notices one so beautiful she can’t take her eyes off it. The gem appears to be swallowed by molten rock and Dillwyn loses track of it.

Dillwyn is determined to find that rock and searches everywhere for it. She expands her studies acumulating doctorates in Archaeology and Stratigraphy - the study of the relationships of bedded rock layers, hoping one day to find that geode in which the gemstone was embedded. She becomes renowned for her work on digs all over the world, and the articles she has written, but to no avail. Until one day when she least expects it, she discovers a human heart-shaped ruby under the false bottom of a trunk in her grandmother’s attic.

And to Ruby’s joy, Dillwyn not only hears her, but insists on recording Ruby’s adventures, first by Ruby projecting them on the wall of the living room, then by taking Dillwyn back to observe the events in person, although she cannot interact with the people of the time. Until one day, Dillwyn goes back in time, and "THE REIGN OF TERROR" begins!