Alystair WestAlystair West is the pen name of Chris Scruggs (George Christopher Scruggs), a retired pastor and lawyer who lives in Texas. The decision to use a pen name was to distinguish previously published Biblical and Theological works by Chris Scruggs, from iction works by Alystair West. The choice of pseudonym, "Alystair West", involved careful pondering of the original goal envisioned for the novels. "Alystair", is of Greek origin and means "defender of men, protector of men". The Scottish spelling was adopted because of family connections with Scotland. "West" was chosen because C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, two lifetime favorite authors, both spoke of "Men of the West", who delivered the values of the Christian Faith and Classical wisdom. Therefore, the fiction works of Alystair West have an underlying objective of giving inspiration and guidance ('defense') to western civilization today. The intention is to publish two sequels to Marshland (2023), and develop the characters of Arthur and Gwynn Stone, John Mirador, and E.J. Mueller as human beings who seek to find in their lives a kind of unity amidst the disintegrating forces of our society and what is sometimes called, "post-modernity." Read More Read Less