Confluence
Imagine a community of artists seeking truth through the languages of song, color, film, and prayer. These creators let their art and faith flow together, wrestling with brokenness, grace, and God. But what happens when manipulation and control enter the mix as well?
I am excited to announce my second novel, Confluence, will publish on August 18, 2026, in paperback and Kindle formats. This is a story that has lived in my head, in one form or another, for nearly twenty years and I’m thrilled to bring it to the page.
Confluence is the story of Jeremy, an aspiring playwright and screenwriter, who has kept his need to create
hidden from a world that views imagination with suspicion. When he discovers Confluence, a church of young artists and misfits, he finds a sanctuary where his creative life and his spiritual life can speak the same language.
Under the charismatic guidance of Graham, Confluence’s pastor, Jeremy is welcomed into a world where sermons are inspired by indie films and every artist is celebrated. But as the community tightens its bond, the radical welcome begins to look like conformity and control. When the lines between mentorship and manipulation blur, Jeremy soon realizes high cost of belonging.
At its core, Confluence is a restrained, penetrating look at the intersection of faith, art, and the quiet violence of a community that demands your identity in exchange for a home.
Writing Confluence was a very different experience than my first novel, The Gospel According to Doubters and Traitors. For one, there was no years-long hiatus inflicted by a global pandemic and the subsequent need to homeschool my children that slowed the writing process. Once I sat down to make this book, it came together rather quickly. It certainly helped that the story takes place in America in the 21st century rather than in India two thousand years ago. And it was a relief to use modern idioms and slang. The self-imposed artistic restrictions—including it had to have a one-word title—made for fun challenges.
I’ll leave you with these words from Rev. Dr. Jeff Reed, senior pastor of Highland Covenant Church, and Director of Wind in the Reeds Press:
Confluence is an absolute masterclass in the religious psychology of contemporary American Christianity. Watson knows just how to push buttons and twist minds and emotions to take the reader on a gut-wrenching ride through the labyrinth of modern evangelical church gamesmanship. Beware the ordinary setting and placid scenes. They mask fierce undercurrents running through every page that make it nearly impossible to put this psychological thriller down.
Tyler Watson writes fiction and theology. He has served as a pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church and earned his MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. He has written two novels, the forthcoming Confluence (available Agust 18, 2026) and The Gospel According to Doubters and Traitors, as well as several devotionals. His books are available in paperback and Kindle. You can find more about those works on this site.
