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 calledExercises: “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
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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 isRIGHT HERE.
Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog
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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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