For Mark David Palmer, life just sucks. What could be worse than having your team lose in the World Series, your girlfriend finally calling it quits after three years, and getting a ticket for something like stretching out inside a train? Plain badluck or whatever, wouldn’t it be nice to have a chance to go back to your past life and, equipped with new insight, do it all over again?

In Going to Church, by Michael Paladine, Mark, indeed had that chance–and so off he went twenty years back to his life, accompanied by his guide, Terra Teralus, one of higher beings tasked to oversee such unfortunate events in human and other beings’ affairs.

As Mark attempts to right the mistakes of his past, we are presented glimpses into human innocence, adolescence, poignancy, spirituality, and facing the task of reconciling with our own selves.

About the Author

Like Mark David Palmer, Michael Paladine is a native of Brooklyn, New York, USA; admittedly, the life of Mark is in some ways a reflection of Michael’s life. A financial services assistant, Michael has a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Saint Francis College. He enjoys softball, exercise and fitness activities, videogames, computer systems, and, of course, music.