Richard Long Pre-Written Interview
Please enjoy
this interview with Richard Long, author of the nail-biting supernatural
thriller, The Book of Paul. Then read on to learn how you
can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $300 in
Amazon gift cards, 5 autographed copies of the book, and a look into your
future through a free tarot reading performed by the author.
1. Tell us about the spark of inspiration that
eventually grew into The Book of Paul.
The initial inspiration for The Book of
Paul came when I wrote the first line of the first chapter called
Exercises: “He practiced smiling.” I wanted to
explore a character who had been so damaged by childhood trauma that he could
no longer feel compassion, joy, affection, and had, accordingly, committed all
kinds of horrible acts. I wondered if such a person could ever regain his
emotional capacity and be redeemed by love.
2. What was the research process like for this
book (which can at times deal with some pretty heady and—frankly—grotesque
goings-on)? Any horror stories to share?
There are many aspects to the story, so the research was
really extensive. I love doing the research almost as much as the writing, so
it’s a joy for me to read and learn so many new things. The creation mythology
literally goes back to square one and builds from there, tracing the history of
Hermetic and Gnostic philosophy, alchemy, druidism and pagan
mythology--particularly Egyptian, Greek and Celtic traditions. There’s also a
strong science fiction element involving quantum physics, artificial
intelligence, life extension and what’s known as The Singularity. Other lines
of exploration involved Irish genealogy and what I call the pain culture:
tattoos, elaborate piercings and body modifications.
I made some gruesome discoveries along the way. The most
disturbing was the Extreme Body Modification website I stumbled upon, which is
one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen. I first saw it in the early
days of the Internet, which is pretty amazing in itself. I checked recently and
it’s still there, though I didn’t have the stomach to peek inside again. I’m
actually as squeamish as some of my readers about certain things, which is
probably why the horror comes across so vividly. If something scares the hell
out of me, it’s easy for me to convey that fear and revulsion.
3. Tell us about Paul. Who is he and what is
his book about?
The Book is a 4th century codex, the only one of it’s
kind. How and why it was made and what it contains is one of the central
mysteries of the series, so I’m not going to spill those beans. Paul is every
bit as mysterious. When he is first introduced you might think he’s a serial
killer involved with the occult in some way. As the story progresses you
discover some really unexpected things about him. One thing is clear from the
outset – he is one very nasty piece of work. I’ve always felt that any horror
novel or thriller is only as good as the villain. I definitely aimed for the
fences with Paul.
4. There is a strong tarot undercurrent to
this novel. The protagonist even makes his living by reading the cards. Why did
you decide to work it into The Book of Paul, and how does
it surface throughout the course of the story?
I actually did tarot and numerology readings when I lived in
the East Village many years ago. The tarot led me to a lot of dark occult
explorations, which are mirrored in William’s journey. I was lucky enough to
pull out of that nosedive and hop over to the Buddhist side of the fence.
William is not so fortunate. The reader gets drawn into William’s world through
his first person narration as he talks about becoming a collector of ancient
occult manuscripts, which leads him to the tarot. Then he gradually reveals
more through his journal entries, which contain the meat of the mythology and
all the Hermetic and Gnostic lore. Finally, he discovers that the tarot is
actually related to an apocalyptic prophecy, which Paul is determined to
fulfill by any means necessary, which is very bad news for Billy.
5. At almost 500 pages, this is not a short
novel. From start to finish, how long did it take you to write, revise, and
ready for publication?
I’ve written over 2,000 pages for The Book of
Paul and the series. The first draft of this volume was close to a
thousand pages long. I cut out eight characters and their storylines in the
second draft, which netted my first agent. She wanted a lower page count, so
many of the narrator’s interior musings were cut. Those were actually some of
my favorite sections. Then I moved to another agent and he wanted more of the
mythology put back in, so it grew close to this size. After six months he
hadn’t sold it, so I got sick of the whole process, wrote it the way I wanted,
and published it.
6. The concept of synchronicity plays heavily in
this novel. What attracts you to it, and has it proven a heavy influence in
your own life?
I’ve always been a spiritual seeker. I was raised as a
Catholic, but the nuns effectively beat those beliefs out of me quickly. Even
as a kid, I couldn’t accept the idea of God as the big guy in the sky with the
white beard. Science and mythology and my own imagination showed me all kind of
possibilities. I first noticed synchronicity when the number eleven kept
showing up for me all over the place--addresses, hotel rooms, etc. Someone
suggested I get a book on numerology and I discovered that eleven was my “name
number” and also a power number. I started noticing all kinds of things after
that, coincidences that were just too weird to brush away. Then I read some
Jung, and when I got into quantum physics that sealed the deal. Synchronicity
for me now is the manifestation of interconnectedness in the universe. There is
nothing you can perceive that isn’t connected to you. As the Buddhists say, “no
separate self.”
7. Paul is... scary (we’ll leave it at that).
How were you able to effectively become this deranged character, and how did
you hang on to your own humanity after the fact?
I would imagine it’s much the same as when Anthony Hopkins
played Hannibal Lecter. He was very disdainful of method actors who got all
caught up in identifying with their characters. There’s a famous story about
Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman on the set of Marathon Man. Hoffman was a
method actor and he stayed up all night before their torture scene together and
Olivier said something like, “Why don’t you try acting, dear boy?”
That being said, I’m not immune to being disturbed by these
things. When I wrote the traumatic scenes of him and Martin--well, I cried when
I wrote them and they stayed with me for days. So maybe the method is working
for me too.
Paul is great to write because it’s like letting my Id out
of a cage. I get to play out my most evil imaginings and nobody gets hurt. I
also had to find Paul’s humanity to make him really interesting for me. I
didn’t want him to be some cartoon monster. Paul is also in a lot of pain; he
was traumatized as a boy and his life was changed forever. By the end of the
story you get to see many other sides of him. And of course, there’s a lot more
to come.
8. Irish mythology is woven into The
Book of Paul, and at one point, Paul even makes a sarcastic quip
about the luck of the Irish. Why Irish, and how all does its culture influence
the story?
When I’m writing, I go into a daydream state where I imagine
the character and what he or she looks like and where they are and what they’re
doing. No outline usually. I sit back and watch and listen. If it’s great the
way I imagine it, then writing the dialog is like taking dictation. When I
wrote the first chapters with Paul, I was surprised because I kept hearing him
speak with an Irish brogue, but his accent went in and out – sometimes really
thick, sometimes a little lilt, sometimes no accent at all. So I’m thinking,
what’s that about?
I come from Irish American stock, but my parents told me
absolutely nothing about their parents other than to say they were cruel. So
that’s the starting point with Paul. He’s the ultimate bad dad. The more I
explored Paul, the deeper it led me into Celtic mythology, Irish genealogy and
history. I suppose I’m trying to find the missing links of my own heritage. My
grandmother was born in Ireland, so I have dual citizenship, even though I
haven’t been there yet. I’m thinking I’ll go next year when I’m writing the
third sequel.
9. The Book of Paul is
unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and in that way, it can be difficult to
classify. So tell us, who is your target audience for this
novel?
Given the fact that there are some rough episodes in the
story, you might think that the so-called target audience would be men who are
into horror, thrills and mayhem. But women actually seem to be my biggest, or
at least, my most vocal fans. I’ve been getting some really enthusiastic
reviews from men, but even more so from women, who surprisingly seem less
squeamish than some of the male reviewers.
The Book of Paul doesn’t fit into any
neat, tidy genre. It’s very complex and like you say, unlike anything I’ve read
before either. There’s a Pulp Fiction element to it, with
quirky characters in a seedy environment. There’s a major
religious/mythological mystery for the Dan Brown crowd. It’s very funny, but
incredibly poignant. It’s very disturbing, but there are lots of fast-paced
action scenes. There’s romance and kinky sex. Something for everybody.
10. Why did you decide to self-publish
The Book of Paul, and how has the journey been so
far?
Read above. The traditional publishing industry in general
is like a boxer on the ropes in the tenth round. For fiction it’s even worse.
Add first-time novelist to the list and sprinkle on an unclassifiable genre for
a little seasoning. I had two agents who were well known and successful, and
very enthusiastic about the book. But the editors they reached wouldn’t take a
chance on it. I could have kept trying, but frankly, I ran out of patience.
How has it been so far? The book is out in the world and
it’s just the way I wanted it. I have complete control over everything I do,
including the cover art, which is also exactly how I want it. The marketing is
a lot of hard work, particularly the social marketing, which I had never done
before. But that’s turned out to be a lot of fun too. I’m meeting so many great
people--other authors and readers--and getting such a strong response on the
book that it feels like a vindication. See? I told you so. Nyah! Nyah! Nyah!
As
part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the
price of the Book of Paul eBook edition is just 99
cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an
incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes.
The prizes include a Kindle Fire, $300 in Amazon gift
cards, 5 autographed copies of the book, and a look into your future through a
free tarot reading performed by the author.
All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is
RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy
as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment--easy to enter; easy to win!
To win the prizes:
About The Book of Paul:
A cross-genre thriller that combines the brooding
horror of Silence of the Lambs with the biting humor of Pulp Fiction.
Get it on Amazon or Barnes &
Noble.
About
the author:
Richard Long is the author of The Book of
Paul and the forthcoming young-adult fantasy series The
Dream Palace. He lives in Manhattan with his wonderful wife,
two amazing children and wicked black cat,
Merlin. Visit Richard on his
website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.
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