The Next Great Thing: The Story Behind Antiquity Calais: Standing at Armageddon

Three years ago today, Antiquity Calais, Gillian Usha, Sherman Yazu and the Mighty Mundoo Asquith came to life when Antiquity Calais: Standing at Armageddon was published by Full Moon Over Bunganut Publishing. My friend and fellow Author Stuart West invited me to participate in The Next Great Thing blog interview. Here are the answers I gave when Stuart sent me the questions:


What is the working title of your book?

Antiquity Calais: Standing at Armageddon

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was receiving an alternative healing therapy similar to Reiki. As I lay on the table, while the practitioner did her thing, I had a vision of a man dressed in black, with a cape whipping behind him, his left arm extended toward the Atlantic Ocean, and his right arm pointing behind him toward the ground. Then, suddenly, energy began flowing from the Earth, into the man's right arm, through his torso and out his left arm. From there, the energy hit the water, and caused an enormous tsunami to form, greater than any such wave in recorded history. As a result, cities all along the east coast of the United States, from Portland, Maine to Key West, Florida, were inundated by the wave.

When I opened my eyes, I had a look of terror on my face, and it caught the energy healer's attention. She asked me what was wrong, and when I told her of my vision, she simply said, "You need to write about this."

That scene became the opening scene of Antiquity Calais: Standing at Armageddon, and spawned further inspirations for Antiquity Calais Ascending Olympus (which I have also released) and two other Works in Progress, titled Antiquity Calais & the Children of Light and Antiquity Calais & the Wrath of the Cryptids.

What genre does your book fall under?

It is hard to pigeonhole it. However, it is set largely in space, so there are scifi elements. It also has a certain amount of fantasy elements as well, but what makes it really hard to classify is that it is a tale of good vs. evil, with The Creator and Satan playing prominent roles.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I have given this a lot of thought. Gillian Usha-Calais was named Gillian, because as I envisioned her, I thought she bore a resemblance to Gillian Anderson, the actress from the X-Files. Sherman Yazu looks a lot like Wesley Snipes. The Mighty Mundoo Asquith reminds me a lot of Shaq, who may not be an actor, but now that he is retired from the NBA, I'll bet we could get him to take on acting.

The role of Antiquity is harder for me. For starters, there would have to be two actors, because Antiquity in the beginning of this story looks decidedly different than Antiquity a few chapters later. I may be inclined to do the original Antiquity, since it is a pretty small role. As for the other Antiquity, I'm still thinking about that. He has the body Antiquity had when he was 17 - thin and not muscular. Tall, about 6'4", brown hair, brown eyes. A good stiff wind could blow him over. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!

 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Antiquity Calais is the Creator's Liberator, sworn to search out, battle and vanquish Satan's most prolific Destroyer, Leviathan Avalon.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-Published by Full Moon Over Bunganut Publishing

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The first draft, about eight months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

None - it is one of a kind!

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I was victim of a violent assault, and sought treatment for my physical wounds that healed fairly quickly. The emotional wounds took more time. For those, I was engaged in traditional counseling and psychiatric care, and my counselor told me that unless I could confront the man who had nearly killed me, I would never get past that event. Problem was, for legal reasons, I could not even talk to him. So when I had the vision that resulted in the opening scene of chapter one, I realized I had an opportunity. Modeling the hero loosely after me and the villain loosely after the man who attacked me, I could have the characters fight each other, which they do multiple times. The whole writing process was very therapeutic for me.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

All I would say is that there are many good books out on the market today written by talented writers who, for reasons all their own, choose not to go the traditional publishing route. In my case, I wrote this first book for my son Tyler, and gave him the first draft as a birthday present for his eighth birthday. He loved it so much that I decided to revise it, with his input, and publish it through CreateSpace. I could have tried the traditional publishing route, which is very slow, and perhaps by the time my children are all grown, they might have been picked up by a traditional publishing house. It was more important to me to get the books out, because I am dedicating one book to each child and grandchild, which means that I am looking at writing at least seven books, depending upon how many grandchildren come along. So this would be a great way to get into a series of books that can entertain readers for years to come!