In Conversation with Terry Shepherd
In Conversation with Terry Shepherd, award-winning broadcaster and author of the Jessica Ramirez Thrillers. A deep dive into the people and support systems behind the stories we love.
In Conversation with Terry Shepherd
Gary Fields - The Book of Judges
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What if the secret to humanity's future was hidden inside a murdered judge's laptop?
In this episode of In Conversation with Terry Shepherd, Terry sits down with debut thriller author Gary Fields to explore his globe-spanning, time-bending novel, The Book of Judges — already drawing comparisons to The Da Vinci Code.
When a respected judge is killed, three unlikely heroes — a young lawyer, a theology doctoral candidate, and a quirky tech genius — have just 72 hours to decode the clues buried in his computer. What they uncover sends them on a desperate chase across Florida, hunted by a relentless killer, and ultimately face-to-face with a secret that could change the world.
Gary shares the remarkable journey behind the book: from poetry and songwriting as a kid, to careers in tech and law, to 15 drafts over 20 years before finally publishing his debut. He talks about the spiritual concept of "the Words" — his belief that creativity connects us all — and why themes of human destiny, interconnectedness, and justice run through every page.
You'll also hear his surprisingly chilling take on artificial intelligence, what Henry VIII has to do with the future of political freedom, and why Joshua Sutton — his protagonist — will be back for a sequel.
In this episode:
- The origin of The Book of Judges and why it took two decades to write
- How Gary blends authentic legal history with modern thriller pacing
- The three protagonists — and the real people who inspired them
- Dreams, destiny, and the idea that we're all more connected than we know
- Gary's AI warning you won't soon forget
📖 Learn more and read a free expanded chapter: garyfields.com
In Conversation with Terry Shepherd — a deep dive into the writer's craft with the artists and support systems who create the stories we love.
We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo