During the ICRS, I sat down with Jeff Dixon to talk to him about his novel The Key To The Kingdom and life in general. Here are highlights of our interview.
BTB: Why did you write The Key To The Kingdom?
Jeff: I have always loved everything Disney and have admired the ability that Disney has to tell a story. I wanted to know how they did it, so I sat down with one of their Imagineers to find out. In the story of The Key To The Kingdom, Grayson Hawk is faced with the disappearance of his friend and also a huge mystery surrounding Disney World. I wanted to explore how far he (or anyone) would go to save someone they love.
BTB: Have you had any complaints about the story?
Jeff: So far Disney has not said anything about the use of Disney World as the setting of the story. The one complaint I hear most often is from readers who don’t like that the main character, Grayson Hawkes (Hawk), lies in the book. Because he is a pastor, readers feel he should act better. But pastors are just as flawed as “regular” people and should be portrayed that way. I don’t mind the criticism in my writing or my ministry because it makes me better.
BTB: Are there any more novels out there featuring Hawk?
Jeff: We are in the talking stage for another book. There is lots of story untold about Hawk’s background and his future endeavors.
BTB: Tell me about your ministry.
Jeff: I am the “Transformational Architect” for Covenant Community Church in Lake Mary, Florida. Our church works hard to partner with communities in our area to be an influencer; to be on the inside of decisions made, not on the outside. We have also embraced technology, so we are a large free streaming resource for people all over the world. We have a small local congregation, the church itself seats around 250, but we have a large global audience.
BTB: What project are you working on now?
Jeff: We are in the development stage of Christmas Dreams which will be a fully inclosed, immersive amusement park for terminally ill children and their families. We have the property in Christmas, Florida and have some funding. When it is finished, “Christmas Dreams” will give children and their families a “last” Christmas to spend together — anytime of the year. One feature will be Santa’s house. Each child will have the opportunity to spend time with Santa. He will read the child’s favorite book and then with the parents’ permission will tell the child the about the first Christmas. (For more information, visit the website at christmasdreams.org.)
Jeff has a lot of passion for what he does, whether it is writing, pastoring his church, or working on Christmas Dreams. A Big Thank You to Jeff for talking with me.
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