“This is the perfect book to share with
others as a simple way to be remind them that Jesus is truly the ‘Son of God,’”
she says
By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
LAKE FOREST, CA (ANS) -- Veteran journalist Dan Wooding's
career spanning 46 years has been nothing but unique.
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Dan Wooding with some
of his many books (Photo: OC
Register)
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It spans from being a London
correspondent for the
National Enquirer;
senior reporter for two of Britain's raciest tabloids, the “Sunday People” and
the “Sunday Mirror,” and now an undercover reporter for persecuted Christians in
restricted countries. And now he currently serves as founder and president of
the ASSIST News Service (
www.assistnews.net).
Last year Wooding, 73, added another distinguishing role to his resume. He
released four books, three of which were originally written in the last century,
and have been brought out again in this one by a British publisher.
In his latest, he literally “became” Mary, the beloved mother of Jesus, to
write this extraordinary novel.
“Mary: My Story From Bethlehem to Calvary” (Tanswell Books) tells the story
of Jesus’ mother through her own eyes and from her point of view, giving insight
into her life with her beloved son from birth to death and resurrection.
Comprised of 365 verses from Scripture and more than 70,000 words, the book is a
faithful adaptation of the story of Jesus’ life told from the perspective of
Mary.
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Mark Burnett, Dan
Wooding, and Roma Downey, after Dan had interviewed them about their
'Son of God'
movie
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Roma Downey, the Northern-Ireland
born producer and actress in the “Son of God” movie - in which she played Mary -
recently endorsed “Mary.”
Downey, who starred for many years in the hit TV series, “Touched by an
Angel,” said, “This is the perfect book to share with others as a simple way to
be remind them that Jesus is truly the ‘Son of God,’ and why his extraordinary
mother was described by God as being ‘highly favored’ among women.”
Speaking about his inspiration for the novel Wooding said, “I had to imagine
her situation -- that you are a young and impoverished girl living in Nazareth,
looking forward to marriage, when suddenly you're told that you are to become
the mother of the greatest person in history, the Messiah, Jesus Christ – and
yet you are a virgin?
"What an extraordinary situation that Mary was placed in, but yet she said
'yes' to God, and changed history forever."
Wooding, author of 45 titles, said that this book has meant the most to him
of any he has ever written. He began work on the novel when a friend called
Larry Nelson suggested that he tell the greatest story ever told through the
eyes of Jesus’ mother.
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Mary book
cover
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“I wrote this book because I
couldn't find a one that has told the story the story of Jesus Christ through
the eyes of Mary,” Wooding said. “I believe this book will educate readers that
God can and will use anyone from any background.”
He added, “The story traces their time in Egypt, the death of Herod, and the
ministry of Jesus right up to her terrible death on the cross and then his
resurrection.”
Wooding, who now lives in Lake Forest, California, with Norma, his wife of
more than 50 years, is passionate about continuing to share the Gospel and
believes that the perspective of Jesus' death and resurrection from Mary's view
is a moving and compelling story that may inspire non-believers to learn more
about the principles of Jesus.
“Mary: My Story From Bethlehem to Calvary” is available for sale at
amzn.to/1ad3HH1. For more information, visit
marythebook.com.
But there’s more.
As if that wasn’t enough, Wooding has also re-released three more books that
he wrote while still living in the UK, two about British rock stars and another
tells the story of one of Britain’s most infamous gangsters. All have been
slightly updated.
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Sir Elton John, with
Dan Wooding and Rick Wakeman, as they posed for a picture for the original
book
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The first, now called “Caped
Crusader, Rick Wakeman in the 1970s,” – with a foreword by Sir Elton John -- is
the authorized biography that he originally penned about keyboard wizard Rick
Wakeman, and the second is about British fifties rock and roller, Terry Dene,
now called “Terry Dene, Britain’s First Rock & Roll Rebel,” with a foreword
by Marty Wilde.
“I first wrote them about 40 years ago, while still working in London, and I
never dreamed they would ever be re-released,” said Wooding. “They both came
about after I was approached by Rob Ayling, who runs Gonzo Media UK, which up
until then, had just featured music mainly from the 1970s, but had decided to
move into the publishing field.
“Rick Wakeman had told Rob about me who then contacted me and asked he could
launch the publishing side of his business with these three titles, and of
course, I was quite delighted.
He added, “I wrote the original Wakeman book after penning the very first
story about him in 1969 while a reporter with the
Middlesex
County Times in Ealing, West
London, which a weekly paper that I once worked for.”
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Terry Dene book
cover
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After the re-packaged Wakeman book
came out (with many unique pictures), Ayling then suggested the re-release of
the book about Terry Dene, who was first discovered in 1956 in the Two I’s
Coffee Bar in Soho, London. He quickly went to the top as the “British Elvis,
but then almost as quickly fell from grace after a short time in the British
Army which saw him have a breakdown and was told to leave. He then faced a
battle with alcohol.
“Terry was at an all-time low when he happened to be walking through
Trafalgar Square when he came across a group of Christians and, after a time of
chatting with them, he committed his life to Christ,” Wooding explained.
Marty Wilde, another of Dene’s contemporaries, wrote in his foreword for the
book: “Whatever happened to Terry becomes a great deal more comprehensible as
you read of the callous way in which he was treated by people who should have
known better - many of whom, frankly, will never know better - of the sad little
shadows of the past who eased themselves into Terry's life, took everything they
could get and, when it seemed that all was lost, quietly left him .... Dan
Wooding's book tells it all.”
Now in his seventies, Terry Dene is back singing again and his rich voice,
which has been likened to a cross between Elvis and Roy Orbison, and is
appearing at various nostalgia concerts mainly in the UK.
The Wakeman book may be obtained at
www.amazon.com/CAPED-CRUSADER-Rick-Wakeman-1970s/dp/1908728302 and the Terry Dene book at
www.amazon.com/TERRY-DENE-Britains-first-rebel/dp/1908728329 or
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/terry-dene-dan-wooding/1113803302
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King Squealer book
cover
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The third of Wooding’s books to
come out last year is called “King Squealer” which Dan wrote with Maurice
O’Mahoney (foreword by Rick Wakeman), which is more a secular nature.
A criminal by the age of eleven, O’Mahoney had been involved in nearly every
type of crime known to man, ranging from lorry (truck) hi-jacking and bank raids
to highly professional burglaries and wage snatches. Then the crunch came when
he was arrested and O’Mahoney turned Queen’s Evidence, and informed on more than
two hundred crooks involved in crimes totaling over two million UK pounds. He
was one of several "Supergrasses" that appeared during that period and Dan even
appeared in a BBC documentary about this phenomenon and shared about what it was
like working with O'Mahoney, who was constantly changing his disguises, so he
wouldn't be killed my his enemies.
“King Squealer” is a rare insight into the
mind of a dangerous criminal and an account of the momentous events which led
him to “squeal” to the police. O’Mahoney sums up the devastating effect on his
own life in the following words: “I hope that by my actions I have at least
saved some lives. Though whether I’ve saved my own in highly questionable …”
Since the first edition came out in the UK, O’Mahoney has since died. He
passed away on Sept. 27 2003 at the age of 54, from a massive heart attack in a
small village in Northumberland. However, Dan managed to track down his son,
Maurice O’Mahoney Jr., who provided a fascinating afterthought for the book.
To purchase the book, go to
www.gonzomultimedia.com/product_details/15629/Dan_Wooding-King_Squealer.html
So there you have it. Most people are amazed when they have one book
published, but for Dan Wooding, who has penned some 45 books, to have four come
out in one year is quite a record. And each one is so different!
What is his favorite?
“Without a doubt, the book 'by' Mary, was definitely, my favorite,” he told
me. “After all, who would turn down the privilege of becoming the mother of the
greatest person in history, Jesus Christ? I found writing it to be the most
inspiring book I have ever been involved in.”
If you would like to know more about the book, or purchase a copy for
yourself or a friend, just go to
marythebook.com for more information.
