About the Book

Book: A Year in the Room (The Reluctant Pilgrim Book 2)

Author: Steven Rogers

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction

Release Date: October 23, 2024

Reluctant pilgrim Ben Cahill steps off a flight from Israel facing an unrelenting list of challenges—a fractured family, no job, no place to live, and a dubious grip on his newly-found sobriety. He has no plans for the next steps in his life.

Ben starts over, settling into a small, rented room and working three part-time jobs. As his first year of recovery unfolds, Ben fights an unrelenting spiritual war against his personal demons and the consequences of his past actions.

Can a chain-smoking, no-nonsense grandmother, a retired navy cook, a crusty old Scotsman, and an unexpected pilgrimage to the legendary Scottish Island of Iona, clear away the wreckage of Ben’s life and lead him to hope? Join Ben on his journey in this sequel to the award-winning novel Into the Room.

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About the Author

Steven Rogers is a Christian author of the “Reluctant Pilgrim” series. His most recent novel, A Year in the Room, was published in November 2024. The book is a sequel to his debut novel, Into the Room, which was published in 2021. In addition to other awards, both books were finalists for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Awards.

Steven loves the process of writing, especially exploring characters that are either broken or facing unfamiliar situations. They are usually ordinary people confronting their internal demons and the challenges of day-to-day living. He also enjoys bringing his stories to a happy, or at least hopeful, ending.

Steven serves as the Director of Royalty Management and Acquisitions Editor at Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. In addition to writing, Steven is a speaker and enjoys sharing his journey of faith and exploring how God’s word applies in the modern world.

Steven, a proud father of three adult children and one incredibly lucky son-in-law, is happily married to his wife of thirty-nine years, Kathy. They live in Richmond, Virginia.

More from Steven

When I first began writing, I was trying to become the next Stephen King. I was inventing serial killers, violently murdering people, and using time travel as a plot concept. At the time, I didn’t know there was a robust and far-reaching Christian Fiction market.

Things changed in 2017 while I was on a flight to Israel. Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, I had the thought, I wonder what would happen if I were an alcoholic who has just been released from rehab, and I HAD to take this trip? I quickly invented my character, Ben Cahill, and took him on the tour with me.

When we got back home, my wife asked what I’d been writing in my journal during our visit to The Holy Land. After I explained, the following exchange took place:

Her: “You may have a book there.”

Me: “That’s not my genre.”

Her (using much gentler language): “You’re not published yet; you don’t have a genre.”

To make a long story short, the result of this conversation was my first novel, Into the Room.

A Year in the Room is Book 2 in my “Reluctant Pilgrim” series. I wrote the book because I was compelled to continue telling Ben Cahill’s story and explore an alcoholic/addict during the first year of recovery.

Many writers fall in love with their characters. I am no different. Writing about Ben has been a blessing for me. His story has significantly impacted my personal spiritual journey, taught me to forgive, and brought me closer to God. I will be forever grateful for his impact on my life.

Author Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about what readers can expect from your books?

God and Jesus are the underlying forces in everything I write. Whatever characters I create and regardless of how deeply I lead them into despair, God’s provision, love, mercy, and grace will always be present in my stories. This doesn’t mean my characters won’t be flawed, weak, or subject to the world’s temptations. However, they will have a chance at redemption, and I strive for a happy, or at least hopeful, ending.

More specifically, readers of my books can expect realistic stories about characters struggling in their earthly walk. Ben Cahill, the protagonist in both Into the Room and A Year in the Room, is a man facing his own demons and fighting an unrelenting spiritual war. The story delves into the mind of a flawed man and how his heart changes as he walks his path to redemption.

What is the greatest advice you have ever been given about writing?

To be myself and not try to imitate other writers.

What book made you fall in love with reading?

When I was in second grade, my father grew tired of me watching TV and dragged me to the local library, enrolling me in their summer reading program. For each book I read, I received a paper feather to glue onto a picture of a Native American headdress. The first book I read (something about a swimmer in a neighborhood pool) did not impress me at all. However, the second, The Reluctant Pitcher by Matt Christopher, flipped a switch in my brain, and I became a lifelong lover of reading fiction. Since that eventful summer, I’ve always been reading a novel and exploring new authors. I often wonder if my passion would have developed without the experience of reading Mr. Christopher’s books as a seven-year-old boy.

Can you share 5 random facts about this book?

This is a great question!

About half of the story takes place on the Scottish Island of Iona. Iona is part of an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The island has a rich history with the church and is considered a “thin place”—a location where the boundary between heaven and earth is considered especially thin. For centuries, it has been a pilgrimage destination. My wife and I visited on our own pilgrimage, and I took my character, Ben Cahill, with me. The chapter on driving in Scotland is based on our actual ride from Inverness to the Isle of Mull.
The portion of the book set in Richmond, Virginia, was invented using actual buildings in downtown Richmond, which I arranged into my own little neighborhood.
The book includes my favorite character from all my writing, Pearl, a seventy-five-year-old, chain-smoking woman of faith who won’t take anything from anybody. I could not wait to write her scenes in the book. Someday, I’d like to publish a novel telling her story.
The romance subplot was included because I needed a break from chronicling my main character, Ben Cahill's, struggles. As much as I like the guy, walking him through his recovery was challenging, and I needed to get away from him occasionally.
The cat, Baxter, was based on and named after our neighbor’s cat, who was a social butterfly and wandered from house to house at will.

What was the inspiration behind it?

To answer this question, I first have to discuss my debut novel, Into the Room. In 2017, I was on a flight to visit Israel when, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, I had the thought, “I wonder what would happen if I were an alcoholic who had just been released from rehab, and I HAD to take this trip?” I quickly invented my character, Ben Cahill, and took him on the tour with me. To make a long story short, the result was Into the Room.

After finishing Into the Room, I was compelled to continue telling Ben Cahill’s story and explore an alcoholic/addict during the first year of recovery. Discovering God and reestablishing a life are complicated and gut-wrenching processes. A Year in the Room was the result.

As it turns out, writing the books had a significant impact on my personal spiritual journey, although I did not begin telling these stories with that as an objective. Writing them has cleared out my heart and taught me to forgive. If they had never been published, they still would have changed my life.

What was the most challenging part of bringing this book to life? 

The biggest challenge I faced was writing a sequel that wasn’t a carbon copy of my first book. I spent a lot of time working on that and discussing the plot with my beta readers. I believe, in the end, this is a unique story.

On a more specific level, the most brutal scenes for me to write about were the ones involving my main character Ben Cahill’s wife or his kids. Telling the story of Ben’s struggles to repair damaged relationships was complex and, at times, gut-wrenching.

What was the most rewarding?

This is the easiest question you’ve asked! The most rewarding part of writing any book is when you receive positive feedback from readers. One reader of A Year in the Room said, “I actually think I’m a better man for having read this story.” His comment was a compliment beyond anything I could dream of receiving.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

First, I want readers to enjoy and be entertained by the story. While the subject matter is difficult and the book’s events troubling, I’ve tried to make the book entertaining by injecting colorful supporting characters, humor, and a romance subplot to break the tension. Second, I’m hoping that readers see a glimpse of themselves in the story, something they’d like to work on with God. Third, and at a more specific level, I would love if the story assisted alcoholics/addicts or those affected by alcoholism/addiction to know there’s a way out and a path to redemption and healing.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers keep up with what’s next?

My current project is the third (and final) book in the “Reluctant Pilgrim” series. The working title is Beyond the Room, and I’m planning for the main character, Ben Cahill, to help someone else. Readers can follow me by subscribing to my website, steven-rogers.com.