Revelations by Julie Lynn Hayes – Excerpt/Author Interview

Blurb:

Judas has never been very popular, not in any incarnation that he and Jesus and the others have lived through. But he doesn’t care about that. All he cares about is following the instructions of God as set forth in the script that they follow. And Jesus. For Judas has secretly loved the son of God for over two thousand years.

But now he decides that enough is enough, and he’s tired of watching Jesus die far too early, and for what? This time Judas is determined to see that Jesus lives a long and happy life, no matter what price he has to pay to accomplish it…no matter if he has to make a deal with the devil himself.

Revelations is a story of what could be, told by those who play it out, time after time after time, unbeknownst to the rest of mankind.  They’ve come back again, for yet another round.  But this time is going to be different.

Excerpt:

Prologue: God

            It’s not always easy to sit on the sidelines and watch what is happening, to resist the urge to intervene in his best interest.  My son’s that is. Jesus. But I do so, because I know it’s for his own good.  As well as for the good of mankind. I can’t let my concerns as his father override my vested interest in the fate of man. But sometimes that is easier said than done.

This morning I am not alone. Someone else is with me, someone with his own agenda, although we are not as diametrically opposed as some would imagine us to be. Good and evil aren’t the simplistic concepts some would portray them as being—there are more grey areas there than you might think. And rightly so.

He smirks. Too much for my taste, I have to admit, but sometimes he does have his moments, and he too has a part to play in what is happening in the world of men. Someone needs to fill the role of the villain, after all.

The stage is being set for the third act, the scripts have been handed round, and the actors are taking their places. Will this time end any differently than the others? That depends on my son, on Jesus. I’m thinking this will be the time when he’ll make the change.

“He’ll change nothing,” Lucifer interjects, although I’ve asked him nothing, certainly not inquired as to his opinion.

I glance at him. He’s dressed to within an inch of his life, and wears the most ridiculous sunglasses I’ve ever seen. I decide not to comment on his fashion sense. “I think he might, this time. I think he’s ready for change.”

Lucifer snorts. “It’s been two thousand years, and neither one has exactly caught on yet. Why should this time be any different?”

“Care to put your money where your mouth is?”

He eyes me carefully. “I would, but you see you have this whole mystic omnipotent God thing going on. Personally, I don’t care for those odds.”

I arch an eyebrow. “I may be omnipotent, but Jesus does have free will  and he does possess the ability to make his own decisions. You think I’d stack the deck in my son’s favor? Just to win a bet with you?”

“Let’s say I’m taking no chances.” He smiles. “Tell you what, though—give me free rein.  Let me do what I want, and you not say anything or do anything to interfere with me? As far as they’re concerned, that is.”

I open my mouth to object, he hastily interjects. “No killing, I swear to it.”

That’s better. I still have some measure of control over the serpent.

“So be it.” I agree, turning my attention back to where it had been, to my son.  I’m smirking now. Openly.

O ye of little faith, watch and learn.

Welcome Julie Lynn Hayes! Please start off by telling us a little about yourself.

Thanks for having me, Harlie! Well, obviously I’m a writer, have been for over forty years, which puts me on the other side of fifty lol  I’ve lived most of my life in the St. Louis area, been married twice, have five kids, but only one still at home. I have two cats. My favorite thing to do is write, but after that I enjoy reading, watching movies, long drives in the country, visiting the Art Museum (St. Louis has a great one!), crocheting, knitting, cross stitch and needlepoint. I visit my kids when I can, and hope to do a lot more traveling in the future.

 

Is Revelations a single title, or part of a series?

 Yes and no lol  It isn’t part of a series, but there will be other stories that feature the characters. You might call them companion pieces, but they aren’t exactly sequels, and are still in the writing stage.

 

What were your inspirations for the story?

One of my biggest inspirations was Weber & Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar. I’ve listened to it so often I know most of the words and can sing all the parts (not well, mind you, so only in private). After that, I drew on inspiration from other movies I watched and books I read, and I formulated my own ideas and they became Revelations. I think one of the biggest spurs came from listening to someone talking about the Second Coming and what would happen at that time, his vision of a fire and brimstone God that I found to be rather strange, as I began to think to myself, how do you know there hasn’t been a Second Coming already, a non-announced one? Maybe more?

 

Please share your setting for Revelations.  Have you ever lived or visited there? If so, what did you like most?   

Revelations has no specific setting, not geographically. It all takes place within a small area, including the jail of a small town, and the site where most of the action takes place, just outside of town. But you can see it as you wish, it’s anywhere you want it to be. The characters are what counts, not the setting.

 

When did the writing bug first bite?

When I was maybe  nine or so. Our teacher was reading a book to us about some kids and the adventures they had and I began to imagine my own story and wrote it, a mystery involving an island and dinosaurs and an expensive diamond perfume (long before Elizabeth Taylor ever conceived of White Diamonds lol). Sad to say, no copy of this story exists any more.

 

Who are you favorite authors, book/series?

That’s a tough question, because there are so many. William Faulkner, P.G. Wodehouse are two. Charlaine Harris/Sookie Stackhouse, Sherrilyn Kenyon/Dark Hunter, Preston & Child/Pendergast series, Frank Herbert/Dune, Isaac Asimov/Foundation, not to mention great manga/yaoi series: Youka Nita/Embracing Love, Kizuna, Love Mode, Maiden Rose, and much much more. And great new upcoming m/m writers: M.A. Church, Chris T. Kat, Sui Lynn, and others. And let’s not forget graphic novels: Mike Carey/Lucifer, Neil Gaiman/Sandman, Mike Carey/The Unwritten, Joe Hill/Locke & Key

 

 

 

If you could have an author roundtable discussion with any authors, who would you invite?

 

Oh this would be fabulous! I’ll limit it to live authors, for expediency’s sake.  Mike Carey, Joe Hill, M.A. Church, Sui Lynn, Charlaine Harris, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Neil Gaiman, Dan Brown, Christopher Moore.

 

Better stop there, that’s a full table lol

 

 

Do you have any hobbies or special things you like to do in your spare time? 

 

Yes, I love to crochet, knit, cross stitch and needlepoint. I don’t do anything useful, like sew, though. I love jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles, the harder the better. And Sudoku.

 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve heard or seen?

That’s a hard question. I’ve seen a lot of things in my over fifty years. I heard the sound of my first husband being shot to death, although I did not see it. It doesn’t sound anything like in the movies.  I’ve heard people talk in tongues, which I found rather strange.  It’s hard to separate the strange from the normal sometimes, it all goes into the pool of our experiences.

Thanks for having me, Harlie! And thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Author Info:

Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she’d never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another’s arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn’t mind. Marching to the beat of one’s own drummer is a good thing, after all.  Her published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, and MuseitUp Publishing, and she has also begun to self-publish at various places on the Internet.  

My Links:

My blog:  http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com

My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527332074

My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3442231.Julie_Lynn_Hayes

My Publishers:

Museit Up Publishing:  http://museituppublishing.com/

Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_222