Demons and a battle between good and evil has become very tangible for Dr. Bruce Hennigan.

It's about 300 pages.

The Shreveport doctor turned novelist is pushing the envelope of Christian fiction with his first book, "The 13th Demon." It is the first in a series that centers around themes of spiritual warfare and the idea of a real, physical ongoing presence of evil.

"There is a good and an evil force that is competing for the attention of our souls and hearts," Hennigan said. "We should be aware to thwart that evil presence."

Selling that idea to publishers was another story. He wrote the book with some 4 a.m. inspiration about five years ago.

Repeatedly, Hennigan was told that was too edgy for Christian publishers and too religious for secular publishers.

"I was caught in the middle," he said.

So he went the self-publishing route to start the series of books that revolve around the character Jonathan Steel. Now it's available through online booksellers.

For the most part, the books are set in Louisiana. Steel has amnesia, and the only thing he remembers is that he's a Christian and the books take him through the process of figuring out who he is.

"His character mirrors man's journey as we seek why we exist, what is our purpose?" Hennigan said.

Part of that purpose is fighting demons.

As a physician, Hennigan also used his scientific background in researching the religious side of the book. He tries to confront the theory, even common among Christians, that demons don't exist and evil is a psychological condition.

"Science is fairly well established that there are other dimensions of space and time," he said. "The book makes it a little more plausible and rational to believe."

So far, Hennigan said he's gotten a lot of good response from readers. He's taking to a small publisher about the second book and hopes a major publisher will eventually pick up the series.

Later books will deal with vampires, UFOs and paganism.

"I think there's a future for more edgy, intense," Christian fiction, he said.

Copyright © 2007 The Shreveport Times.

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