BookHuntersBlog.com: Did you study the craft of writing or dive right into
it?
Steven Rage: Hit and miss, this class and that, writing, writing and still
more writing since the mid-1980s.
BHB: What was your motivation behind writing these stories?
SR: Growing up in religious schools, Pontius Pilate was always my favorite
bible character. I could never figure out why he allowed the torture and
crucifixion of what he knew to be an innocent, in fact a holy man? Why? It
plagued me for years, and then I remembered a line from the Rolling Stones
song Sympathy for the Devil: "I was there when Jesus Christ had his moment
of doubt and pain; I made damn sure Pilate washed his hands and sealed his
fate
" Whose fate? Pontius Pilate's or Jesus'? Then I began to think of
vampirism as a punishment of eternal multiple lives, instead of a reward.
And then I went to The Harbor and felt the wickedness. It all came
together and six years later, TA-DAH!
BHB: Are you religious; and if yes, don't you think you have committed
blasphemy?
SR: I am a spiritual seeker. I do not engage in religiosity that has only
one set of right answers and eternal punishments if you've guessed wrong.
As far as blasphemy? If I would not have treated Immanuel of The Harbor,
Jesus of Nazareth, with anything but the utmost respect and adoration, I
would be blasphemous.
BHB: Why did you make Jesus female?
SR: Immanuel is a female because I think the desire and willingness to
sacrifice your life and to subject yourself to torture and defilement for
those you see as your children, is an inherent female trait. The fact that
Her name Immanuel and Her title of respect, El Cristo is the male forms
owes itself to The Harbor.
The men and women there are seen as either masculine or feminine. Much
more so than straight gender.
BHB: Did you ever feel uncomfortable during the writing process?
SR: Two parts of Pilate made me feel
unwell. I will let you ponder on
what those two were.
BHB: Would you say that organized religion has lost its true meaning long
ago?
SR: Organized religion, by it's very nature, is a small group controlling
the thoughts and actions of a larger group. With detailed punishments for
lack of compliance. Yeah, I'd say it has long lost its purity of purpose.
BHB: What do you think about the future of books with all the new
technology coming out (like Kindle and foldable screens)?
SR: I'm not up on new technology. POD (publishing on demand) and marketing
on the internet is still amazing to me!
BHB: How difficult was the publishing process for you?
SR: It was horrifying until I accepted that every aspect of the book,
idea, research, countless re-writes, all the editing and marketing, are
your responsibility. Then it meshed
being a little obsessive-compulsive
certainly helped.
BHB: How much of your own promotion do you do?
SR: Every little bit.
BHB: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
SR: Don't do it for money, do it for posterity. Someone, somewhere, 20
years after you are long gone is going to read what you wrote and be
changed, in some way. Try and top that.
BHB: What are your future plans?
SR: There are three Brutal Bible Tales. PILATE was published in Jan, 2008.
JONAH JOB is being written now, and the third installment, THE DARK
MINISTER, centered on a wonderfully creepy Apostle Paul is in the planning
stages.
BHB: How do you juggle writing with the rest of your life?
SR: Stolen moments, creative surges, dry spells, stimulants and long,
unhealthy doses of sleep-deprivation.
BHB: Do you have any methods or rituals to your writing?
SR: I always write the first draft on lineless copy paper in pencil. The
final draft of the fist paragraph is the last thing I write. The last page
is almost always comes to me about 20-30% into the book. And I can never
write when I am pissed off, or in a bad mood. All the gruesome bits come
when I feel content and secure... My God, what a Psychology major could
make of that!
BHB: How do you find inspiration?
SR: Spending an incognito week with the real-life inspiration for
Immanuel, exploring The Harbor and its unique peoples was critical to the
validity of the fictional setting.
BHB: Was there one certain event or happening that made you want to write
a book?
SR: I always wanted to write a bible-inspired story based in modern times
that had no intention of pandering to anyone; a story that treats both
Dark and Light with the respect all the holy ones, prophets, and deities
deserve.
BHB: What do you do against writer's block?
SR: A full time job! That way, the book is done when it's done.
BHB: Do you use an outline when writing? Do you stay linear or do you skip
in time?
SR: I usually write the outline (timeline) linear. But I like to jump
around to build and maintain suspense. I try to make the book enjoyable to
readers on several layers and in many different ways. Why not have a
horror novel that is based on a bible story, set in modern times, with the
grit and grime of drugs and organized crime with suspense sprinkled
throughout?
BHB: How difficult was it to get an agent?
SR: I sent out a hundred queries to get an agent who loved my Brutal Bible
Tales
.and then waited three long years while I was still being rejected
by every publishing house out there. What a waste of time.
BHB: How important is a good website and do you utilize blogging?
SR: Any success that I may yet acquire can be placed at that doorstep. I
blog my PILATE and even some unpublished JONAH JOB excerpts through
several web pages, including myspace.com/stevenrage and AllTheseBooks.com.
BHB: What do you prefer and why: Mass-market paperback or hard cover for
your debut novel?
SR: Without a doubt, paperback. It's cheaper, so more people will buy it,
read it, and pass it on to a friend with a: "Man, you have got to read
this!"
Nothing in this world would be better than that!
BHB: What are the most difficult and rewarding aspects of being a
published writer?
SR: The most difficult is all the time marketing requires and the
necessary, but sharp learning curve that goes with it. The best is hearing
directly from readers the lines, or parts, or even just the characters
that grabbed them by the throats and shook 'em. It's not always what you
would have guessed
Thank you very much for this opportunity, we wish you much success in your
career! |
