Dallas Author Re-writes the Book of Jonah

By Ezra James Jr.

Dallas, TX. – God tells the Prophet Jonah to preach. Jonah refuses and flees. He boards a ship, sets off to sea, and gets swallowed by a whale. God forgives him and Jonah goes to teach repentance to an evil nation. It’s a story that many of us distinguish as a children’s Sunday school lesson. A Dallas native saw more than just a “whale-of-a-tale”, he saw himself in the Prophet Jonah.

Author and visionary, R.D. Knighten, saw an opportunity to tell a story that was waiting to be told. “My plan was to give life to a story that many people see as a lackluster, incomplete story. I searched to uncover a more profound life in those four chapters as well as a more exclusive story beyond our knowledge of the Prophet.” By researching historical documents, commentaries, and other texts of the Abrahamic faith, Mr. Knighten found a deeper meaning to the prophet’s brief biography. The book, Heaven’s Headache, discusses how the Prophet Jonah became the bottleneck in God’s plan. “I realized that many of his character flaws were those similar to what we feel and experience. Our diversity makes us unique but our humanity connects us all.” He says his book will empower readers to strive for greater heights and learn to experience life beyond their current condition. As for Mr. Knighten, recalling his many positive influences at UNT, self-improvement became an important factor for him.

To improve his technical writing ability, Mr. Knighten became a member of the UNT-NABJ (National Association of Black Journalist). Knighten graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in Advertising under the instruction of the late Jim Albright. “Dr. Albright taught me lessons in creative writing and mental focus that I frequently use.” Because of the diversity of the campus, he became interested in community service and social involvement. He pledged Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and became an active student around campus.

In 2008, Mr. Knighten partnered with another UNT graduate, Kevin Brigance, and created Odyssey Ink, Inc., a nonprofit organization that mentors Ft. Worth elementary students in low-income neighborhoods. From mentoring children, he realized why the younger generation isn’t as motivated about religion and self-realization. “We have to bring the Bible to life so they can apply those lessons to their daily situations.” Seeing an opportunity to reach out, his enthusiasm for writing was ignited. Knighten has written and illustrated two digital children’s books. He currently runs his own web-based indie-publishing company, Gembaybooks.com, to advance his literary portfolio.

To aid with the publishing, Randon Knighten will host a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the upcoming book. Kickstarter, Inc. is an internet company that provides tools for users to raise funds for their creative projects via crowd funding.

Most members of the black community start businesses on personal savings, credit, and the support of their friends and family because they have historically been discriminated against in terms of loans, funding, and resources. Unfortunately there aren’t many viable financial channels for entrepreneurs and artists to elevate their ventures to the next level. While these problems are slightly improving, members within the Black community still have limited resources and exchanges with angel investors and venture capitalists. Knighten’s goal is to reach his projected donation amount that will cover the costs of publishing.

The campaign will run from September 5th through October 5th. He anticipates his latest book, Heaven’s Headache, to hit local store shelves in December.

More information on the Heaven’s Headache campaign can be found at http://kck.st/17TYCFj.