The Cross Maker Series

2019 Harvey / Mackey Journalism Award Winner

2020 Word Guild Historical Fiction Winner

2021 Best of the Best Faithwriters Short Stories 1st and 2nd Place Winner

2021 Castle Quay Best Manuscript Winner

The Cross Maker

First-century Palestine is a hotbed of political, cultural, and religious intrigue. Caleb ben Samson, a carpenter from Nazarath, and Sestus Aurelius, a Roman centurion, both want peace. Can this unlikely partnership accomplish what nothing else has accomplished before? Can they bring about peace through the power of the cross? And what role will Caleb’s childhood friend Yeshi play in a land that longs for hope?

In The Cross Maker, Jack Taylor weaves a tapestry of creative history, powerful characters, and dynamic dialogue to bring to life a shadowy world. In a land where tragedy is as common as dust, triumph is about to make itself known.

The Cross Maker’s Guardian

Roman legions thunder across first-century Palestine, seeking to use the power of the cross to crush the lightning strikes of the zealots led by Barabbas. Behind the scenes, a secret squad of thespian assassins are being trained—and Titius Marcus Julianus is caught up in this silent whirlwind, conscripted to be the new guardian of the cross maker, Caleb ben Samson.

Titius is fuelled by vengeance and love as he seeks to regain his stolen Roman estate and the young Jewish slave who once captured his heart. Meanwhile, voices from his past and present wrestle for control of his heart and mind.

In The Cross Maker’s Guardian, Jack A. Taylor unveils the clash between the Roman and Jewish civilizations as they battle for life in a world suffused with international intrigue. Descriptive narrative, biblical history, and powerful characters all come alive in this thrilling read where death and love are only a blink away.

The Cross Maker’s Champion

Persian slaves who fight for their lives in gladiator arenas rarely rise to be anyone’s champion. But the wounded Nabonidus is soon wooed by two women—a priestess at the Temple of Artemis and a humble follower of Yeshua, Daphne. Soon he must learn the truth about himself—is he a missing Persian prince or simply an unwanted orphan?

The arena claims whatever soul may venture there, and Demetrius, a silversmith, joins forces with a giant German giant gladiator, Selsus, to confront the followers of the Way.

Meanwhile, Caleb, Suzanna, Titius, and Abigail fight through their own life-threatening challenges to join the apostle John and Nabonidus in time. Soon the arena will be packed with chanting patrons. Who will still remain standing when the final blood is spilt?

Jack A. Taylor weaves his readers through a maze of Ephesian mysticism and terror as Roman and pagan powers combine to destroy the infant movement of the Way before it takes its first steps out of its birthplace.

Prince Of Persia

Winner of the “Word Guild Best New Manuscript Award 2021.”

Join the exciting and perilous adventures of Nabonidus, the emperor’s champion gladiator, who finds Messiah Yeshua then returns to his homeland hoping to find his place in a world of great warriors.

Set in first-century Persia in a chaotic flux of Orient and Occident, Nabonidus and his wife, Daphne, flee Ephesus to seek out Nabonidus’ roots but their lives are ripped apart. Caught between the Elamite rebels and Parthian Magi, will they survive? Will Daphne ever be reunited with Nabonidus? Discover the quests of Nabonidus and Daphne and determine for yourself if Nabonidus is the true Prince of Persia.

The author has always had a great way with story-telling and this was no disappointment. The characters are well-developed and I felt as if I knew each of them as I read along. He describes the people and places with just the right amount of attention to detail. The pictures he draws with words are amazing and take me back to a different time in life...

~ Chandra

"Great Read. I loved this young woman's story of how she is searching for herself, romance, and her lost faith in God. As Katie reads her journals -- this happens throughout the book -- I could get a wonderful visual of life in Kenya. Throw in some mystery and intrigue and this book is a must read!"

~ Leola Ogle

" Thought provoking and memory inducing....
Even if you never lived in Africa, this is a great read. If you had the privilege of going to school at Rift Valley Academy it is a fantastic memory tickler. A whole lot of story is jammed into the pages of this novel."

~ Andrew Heuer