Pastor Stephen Grant?

Stephen Grant is the pastor at St. Mary’s Lutheran Church on eastern Long Island. Grant is one of the more unique second-career clergy around, as he once worked for the CIA. Besides theology, his interests include archery, golf, writing, classic films, the beach, poker, baseball, and history. Grant also knows his wines, champagnes and brews. Oh yes, he generally dislikes politicians, and happens to be an expert marksman with a handgun and a rifle, while being pretty handy with a combat knife as well.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Spy Stuff: Bond 25 Starts Filming

If you missed it, the announcement that the 25thJames Bond movie was beginning principal photography came recently. 



I not only immensely enjoy the James Bond films, but Ian Fleming and Bond played a role in terms of getting me started writing the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. As I noted in the new Introduction to the second edition of Warrior Monk:

     As for deciding to write Warrior Monk, my work as an economist did come into play. Many years ago now, a colleague mentioned that a new priest at her parish formerly worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. That caught my attention, and I filed it away just in case I ever did delve into the fiction realm. 
     A few years later, in 2007, I received word that Hofstra University on Long Island would be hosting a conference titled “Bond, James Bond: The World of 007.” My editor at Newsday agreed that I should cover the event for my column. At that gathering of Bond experts and fans from around the world, I learned that Ian Fleming was 44 years old when his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published. That happened to be how old I was at the time of the conference. So, I took that as some kind of sign. I filed my Newsday column on the conference, and then started working on my first novel, featuring a Lutheran pastor who had been a Navy SEAL and a CIA operative. Stephen Grant was born. 

I truly have gotten excited and humbled when a reviewer here and there has compared the Grant novels to Fleming’s Bond. How freaking cool is that?

Bond 25 – the movie has no title as yet – will be released on April 8, 2020. What do we know about it? Here’s the summary from the Bond people:

Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica.  His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. 

The return of Felix Leiter is most welcome.

I’m definitely ready for Bond 25. How about you?

- Ray Keating



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