RJ White is an author, musician, teacher, and a lifelong student of human behavior – particularly his own. While growing up in Los Angeles during the height of the Human Potential Movement of the 1960s and 70s, he was profoundly influenced by the works of Edgar Cayce, Ayn Rand, Arthur Janov, and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, among many others. Personal experiences in the realms of human psychology and spirituality soon followed. By the time he was thirty, he’d been through countless self-help seminars, workshops, encounter groups, and even channeling classes (see Chapter 34 of Perfect Souls, dear readers – you do indeed write what you know!) He eventually came to realize, however, that “finding yourself” is a fruitless quest if you do not also find your God.
Encouraged by Edgar Cayce’s definition of enlightenment… “to find yourself to BE yourself, and one with God…” he began attending church, and soon started the practice of reading through the Bible from start to finish each year. The book of Revelation—particularly the interpretations given by Cayce—helped to inspire the writing of Perfect Souls, End of Days.
Following the death of his beloved wife and companion of 32 years in 2011, he continued teaching in the public schools in Billings, Montana until his retirement in 2018. Sensing it was time for a change, he moved to Northern Arizona’s Verde Valley near the red rocks of Sedona. It was there, in the waning days of the Covid virus, and after ten years of writing and editing, that he finally completed his epic novel..
Many people have asked me where the ideas for the characters and plot in Perfect Souls came from? And who, or what, are these “perfect souls” anyway?
The answers are not that easy to explain.
For one, I can’t reveal the full meaning of the “perfect souls,” because it would spoil the story for the reader. But one simple explanation is that ALL of us are perfect souls in our original natures. It is due to the machinations of the mind and the ego that the innate perfection of our souls as God created them becomes twisted and distorted.
The characters in the story – even the supernatural ones – are based in part on people I know or have known in my lifetime. The mental health epidemic I described is also quite real. You can research the statistics for yourself. As for the societal breakdown and the intrusion of governments into our personal lives, this is hardly fiction.
It is long past time for us to reclaim our bodies, our minds, and our faith in God. You can consider Perfect Souls, End of Days a not-so-gentle nudge in that direction.
RJ White
