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ExploreA Pflugerville author is self-publishing his second book in a fantasy series inspired by his plight with Catholic leadership.
Nat Russo studied philosophy at Northern Arizona University with plans to enter the Catholic priesthood. He spent three years in a seminary but after falling in love with his wife, he made the decision to get married and start a family, which is prohibited for priests.
Born in New York and raised in Arizona, Russo has worn many hats, including as pizza maker, radio DJ, Catholic seminarian, police officer and software engineer. His career took him from Central Texas to Germany, where he worked as a defense contractor. Russo said he also holds a black belt in the martial art form Tang Soo Do.
He tried his hand at writing novels while still in school but could never see a project through. He eventually moved to Pflugerville after landing a job as a software engineer at Applied Research Laboratories in Austin.
Writing remained a thought in the back of his mind.
Over the past decade, he discovered that writing served as a way for him to come to terms with disappointment he feels toward part of the Catholic culture.
“What really sparked it most recently was the impact that a lot of the scandals at my church had on the public,” Russo said.
Though he did not want to write directly on issues about abusive authority, he decided to create a fictional character who experienced similar turmoil.
“What are the types of things that can happen when the wrong person is placed in a position of moral authority,” he said.
His first novel, “Necromancer Awakening,” is a portal fantasy book where the main character, Nicolas Murray, is transported from Austin to a magical and epic world. Necromancer is a religious order of priests.
In this alternate world, Nicolas is able to raise and purify the dead, a power he realizes can bring him back home. The problem is the practice is illegal and he risks torture and even death. He then is forced to make some important decisions about his future as well as the new world he finds himself in.
Nicolas’ conflicts parallel some of the turmoil Russo experienced, when, as he put it, he felt the rug pulled from under him.
“I was studying for the diocese of Phoenix, which I believe was second only to Boston as the largest area hit by the scandal,” he said. “So many of my friends were removed from the ministry.”
There is a religious figure in Russo’s book that parallels the pope.
The fictional leader commits evil in the name of good and Nicolas, as well as other characters, have to learn how to confront the situation.
“Even when people are devout in their religion, as I still consider myself to be, I believe it’s important that we never hand over our critical thinking to another person in the name of religion,” Russo said.
He said he has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from readers who are anticipating hard copies of the second book in the series. Others are uncomfortable with the book’s deeper message.
“Necromancer Awakening” is a No. 1 international bestselling fantasy book on Amazon. It is the first in “The Mukhtaar Chronicles.”
The second book delves in greater depth into why the religious leader did what he did, including believing there were threats to his world.
“So now the struggle is increased because we’re discovering that what we thought was the evil of the world, this last religious leader, was really the tip of the iceberg,” Russo said.
Nicolas must tackle this new set of problems with help from characters from the first book as well as those introduced in “Necromancer Falling.”
Russo said he is trying to show, through his novels, that the world is not black and white, but varying shades of gray.
“Necromancer Falling” is available on kindle format and will be available in paperback via Amazon by end of June.
He expects the third and final novel to be completed within a couple of years.
