Randy Willis is as much at home in the saddle as he is in front of the computer where he composes his western family sagas. Drawing on his family heritage of explorers, settlers, soldiers, cowboys, and pastors, Randy carries on the tradition of loving the outdoors and sharing it in the adventures he creates for readers of his novels.
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Randy Willis is an American novelist, biographer, rancher, and music publisher.
Randy Willis is the author of Destiny, Twice a Slave, Three Winds Blowing, Louisiana Wind, Beckoning Candle, The Apostle to the Opelousas, The Story of Joseph Willis, and many magazine and newspaper articles.
Randy Willis...novels about adventure, family, faith, and the character of men and women that touched generations.
Coming soon: A series of Children's Storybooks beginning with Ole Sally Swims the Mighty Mississippi.
Josh Willis, Adam Willis, Randy Willis & Aaron Willis
Randy and Josh Willis
Randy Willis
Twice a Slave | Randy Willis Author
Twice a Slave | Randy Willis Author
The son of a white man and a Cherokee, Joseph Willis must live as a slave on his own property. After his father gives him his freedom on his deathbed, an angry uncle prevents his emancipation and confiscates his property.
His struggle for freedom is complicated by a love forbidden by society and his new found spiritual faith. Declaring himself a slave to Jesus Christ, he experiences an eternal freedom no man or government can suppress - and challenges most men would flee.
With a faith molded by tragedy, Joseph finds the courage to forgive - and to change the course of a new nation.
The journey of Joseph Willis from North Carolina to Louisiana is filled with intrigue and inspiration. It describes the struggles of Native American slavery and the profound impact that Joseph Willis made on the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.
The story of Joseph Willis begins at the close of the First Great Awakening in America and ends at the height of the country's Second Great Awakening.
It illustrates the faith of a person of low social stature and how his simple faith changed the course of Louisiana history. The story captures the hardships of early Evangelical leaders and the inspiration of the manner in which they overcame great obstacles.
Joseph Willis lived as a slave two times - the first time because of injustice thrust upon him, and the second time because of the love of God that captured his heart and soul. It's an untold, yet unforgettable story.
Twice a Slave has been chosen as a part of the Jerry B. Jenkins Select Line along with four bestselling authors. Jerry Jenkins is author of more than 180 books with sales of more than 70 million copies, including the best-selling Left Behind series.
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About Joseph Willis
Joseph Willis' life is a story of triumph over tragedy and victory over adversity!
. He was born into slavery. His mother was Cherokee and his father a wealthy English plantation owner.
. His family took him to court to deprive him of his inheritance (which would have made him the wealthiest plantation owner in all of Bladen County, North Carolina in 1776).
. He fought as a Patriot in the Revolutionary War under the most colorful of all the American generals, Francis Marion, The Swamp Fox.
. His first wife died in childbirth, and his second wife died only six years later, leaving him with five small children.
. He crossed the mighty Mississippi River at Natchez at the peril of his own life, riding a mule!
. He entered hostile Spanish-controlled Louisiana Territory, when the dreaded Code Noir (Black Code) was in effect. It forbade any Protestant ministers who came into the territory from preaching.
. His life was threatened because of the message he brought to Spanish-controlled Louisiana!
. His own denomination refused to ordain him because of his race.
. Joseph Willis preached the first Gospel sermon by an Evangelical west of the Mississippi River.
. On November 13, 1812, Joseph Willis constituted Calvary Baptist Church at Bayou Chicot, Louisiana. He went on to plant over twenty churches in Louisiana.
. October 31, 1818, Joseph Willis (and others that had followed him from the Carolinas) founded the Louisiana Baptist Association, at Beulah Baptist in Cheneyville. Joseph had founded all five charter member churches.
. After overcoming insurmountable obstacles, he blazed a trail for others for another half-century that changed American history.
. His accomplishments are still felt today.
Randy Willis is a fourth great-grandson of Joseph Willis and his foremost historian.
