Sikeston native returns to Southeast Missouri to promote new book

Robert Vaughan usually isn't Robert Vaughan when he writes his books. At least not to his readers.

The 69-year-old Sikeston, Mo., native has used 35 pen names in his 49-year career, some of them women's names on the front of romance novels. But he's also written a little of everything else -- Westerns, thrillers, historical fiction, the list goes on.

Vaughan authored the book "Andersonville," which became a TNT miniseries, he was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America in 1998 and had a special on the History Channel in December. He's authored nearly 250 titles and sold 20 million books.

Vaughan lived in Sikeston until 1999, but now splits his time between Gulf Shores, Ala., and Chicago. On Saturday he'll return to Southeast Missouri for a visit to Hastings, where he will promote his new book, the religious conspiracy thriller "The Masada Scroll," co-authored with Paul Block.

The 352-page "The Masada Scroll" is about a fictional gospel that encourages the world's three major monotheistic religions -- Christianity, Islam and Judaism -- to tolerate each other.

Vaughan said the book isn't mean to discredit Christianity or to meld the three religions together.

"What we're looking for is to have some tolerance," Vaughan said, "some mutual respect and tolerance between the major three religions. There's much in our past that's similar.

"Let's celebrate what we have in common. Let's respect each others' religions but remain true to our own."

Vaughan said the state of religious conflict in the world today was part of the inspiration for "The Masada Scroll," but the book isn't all about preaching a message of tolerance.

"In addition, we just wanted to tell a good story," he said.

msanders@semissourian.com

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