About the Book

Book: Titus and the Christian Coin: An Adventure of Faith and Freedom

Author: Dennis Conrad with Co-Author Derinda Babcock

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Release Date: November 7, 2025

When Titus refuses to deny his Christian faith, Roman persecution destroys his family and condemns him to a brutal life in the copper mines of northern Italy.

Underground, surrounded by despair and danger, he must choose between hatred and hope, revenge and redemption.

From a mine collapse to an emperor’s audience hall, Titus’s journey spans the Roman Empire during Constantine’s transformative reign. Alongside Tribune Felix, he discovers that true freedom comes through forgiveness, not force. Authentic historical details bring ancient Rome to life while timeless themes of faith, friendship, and courage inspire modern readers.

This gripping adventure combines accurate historical research with compelling storytelling. Readers will witness early Christian persecution, experience Roman culture, and walk through Constantine’s palace while following Titus’s transformation from broken slave to Roman citizen.

An unforgettable tale where archaeological accuracy meets heart-pounding adventure, proving that faith can triumph over the darkest circumstances and that God’s love never abandons His people.

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About the Authors

DENNIS CONRAD is a retired Professor of Speech Communications. He’s taught in the U.K., Central Asia, and Asia. His picture book, Marcus and the Emperor’s Coin, won Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference First Place, Kudo’s Award, for best children’s book. He is a Fellow of the National Writing Project and an Amazon Bestselling Author. Dennis is a life member of the American Numismatic Association. His books are available on Audible.

DERINDA BABCOCK is an author and graphic designer. She lives in southwestern Colorado near the base of the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. In her previous career as an English as a Second Language teacher, she worked with students of all ages and many different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The richness of this experience lends flavor and voice to the stories she writes.

More from Dennis

The Dairy Cow: The Origin of My Life as a Writer

By the Author of Titus and the Christian Coin

There it was at my fingertips. It was the evidence I needed to prove I’ve been a writer since childhood.

Imagine my surprise when I found The Dairy Cow in my garage. Not just any cow. It was the one I had drawn a picture of and written about in the 1960’s.

I walked by the image and ten lines of writing every day growing up because my mother placed the famed picture in the hallway on the way into my bedroom.

Why would something like this be so important to a man who has written an award-winning children’s book, Marcus and the Emperor’s Coin, and The Two-Cent Piece about the first coins with the words “In God We Trust?”

From starting school until fifth grade, I was a slow reader. My teacher took me aside one day after class and asked, “Have you ever had your eyes checked?”

My response. “No, but my father wears glasses.” After an eye exam, and glasses were prescribed, I could see.

My grades started improving. By the time I was in high school, I was given a scholarship to the six-week University of Kansas Speech and Debate Institute. It changed my life. I earned a master’s degree in Speech Communication. One year, I became Speech Coach of the Year. I ended my career as a Professor of Speech Communications.

The picture of the cow and the little I wrote about the history of cows is an heirloom from a bygone era.

Writing the earliest manuscript of Titus and the Christian Coin, my current young adult novel, required skills I acquired over a lifetime of writing including my writing and illustrating The Dairy Cow.

May God bless you and your family,

Dennis Conrad

Interview with the Author

1)What does success as an author look like to you?

I do not attribute my success as an author to hard work, persistence, or dedication. It is not having attended countless writer’s conferences or invested heavily in training courses. Even though I have done these. Years ago, I asked, “Lord, I am open to what You have for me. Tell me what you want me to do in retirement.”

I heard the still small voice of the Lord say, “Write for me!”

The Lord gets the glory for my successes and my becoming an Amazon bestselling, first-place, award-winning author.

I am successful because I have been obedient.

2)What inspired this book?

I found a picture of a coin online and did some research. The coin was from the time of Constantine the Great. I wrote an early version of Titus and the Christian Coin as a children’s picture book manuscript. In August 2024, I pitched that book idea to a publisher. She was not interested in the children’s book version but wanted me to rewrite the manuscript as a middle-grade novel instead. She expected a 160-page manuscript. After five months, I completed a 158-page manuscript. Derinda Babcock ultimately helped with an extensive revision, so she became my coauthor. Titus’s age changed, so the final manuscript became the young adult (YA) novel it is today.

3) What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

My life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

My first children’s picture book, The Two-Cent Piece, is about the first coins with the words “In God We Trust.” At the front of the book, the dedication ends with a citation of Proverbs 3:5-6. All of my books have elements that give parents an opportunity to discuss trusting God.

4)What are you reading right now?

I am reading a nonfiction book by Dallas Willard who was a theologian and University of Southern California professor. The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionize Life with God was released posthumously and edited by his daughter. The second chapter is entitled “How Jesus Taught.” This chapter distinguishes the difference between faith in Jesus and the faith of Jesus (in the Father to do far more that we can ever ask or imagine).

5)If you could have one book or piece of art or music on a deserted island, what would it be and why?

If I had to choose one book, it would be the Bible, but if I had to choose one book from the Bible, I would take the book of Luke.

Luke was a doctor. I find his Gospel, the Good News of Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection, to be fresh every time I read the passages. I remember reading Luke. For example, I have sat with family members on Christmas Eve when we each read one verse from the Bible aloud about the events that led up to Christ’s birth. I have also been with relatives on Easter mornings when I read the details of the resurrection. Luke’s message to believers at the beginning of his book indicates that the details are accurate, for Luke says in Luke 1:3B-4, “…to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (ESV)