Ask the Author: D.W. Koons
Answered Questions (6)
D.W. Koons
Exercise: I road bike a lot in good weather. I also hike and get into nature as a means to clear my mind.
I also get inspired by reading other great authors or by watching a movie (that may spawn some visual images). Occasionally, it's just a good idea to put the writing aside for a couple of days and return to it with a fresh perspective.
I also get inspired by reading other great authors or by watching a movie (that may spawn some visual images). Occasionally, it's just a good idea to put the writing aside for a couple of days and return to it with a fresh perspective.
D.W. Koons
Hearing others talk about your characters as though they are real people, and sparking a conversation about the theme of the book.
D.W. Koons
Start by writing for yourself and stick with it. You have to have the desire to write, both from the creative aspect of telling a story as well as the discipline of editing the writing into good form. Nothing magical, just like what you do! Some of the best advice I remember is to get your story down and don't try to edit it in process.
D.W. Koons
I'm in the process of wrapping up a sequel to Divine Vengeance called Cup of Redemption. This novel takes place about 60 years later as the Cathar wars merge into the Inquisition.
D.W. Koons
Inspiration is a tough one to answer. It's a combination of the desire to tell a story and the discipline to stick with it. I find it tough to write when my mind is full of work or projects, and it's only when I have had time to "chill" and in a sense let my spirit catch up to me, that I sit down and write. Ironically, my most productive writing has happened when I was unemployed!
D.W. Koons
I had the opportunity to live and work in Spain from 2003 through 2006. We were in a town outside of Barcelona, Sant Cugat. While traveling in southern France in Languedoc, we came upon a series of castle ruins in a region called Pays Cathare, and I developed an interest in the history of the so-called “Cathar wars”.
The “wars” started slowly, with the Pope sending emissaries into a region of proclaimed heretics to debate theology with them in the hopes of turning them back towards Catholicism. Over time, and no doubt frustration with this ineffective approach, the Pope launched a crusade, enlisting the King of France and conscripting crusaders to pour into Languedoc. The result was years of bloodshed.
What intrigued me was the concept of the monks originally enlisted to go into the region and debate with the Cathars. I wondered what it would have been like to have been brought up in a monastery, learning peace, prayer and spirituality. How would such a person react to the call to arms? Would they rebel against violence or would they justify it?
The “wars” started slowly, with the Pope sending emissaries into a region of proclaimed heretics to debate theology with them in the hopes of turning them back towards Catholicism. Over time, and no doubt frustration with this ineffective approach, the Pope launched a crusade, enlisting the King of France and conscripting crusaders to pour into Languedoc. The result was years of bloodshed.
What intrigued me was the concept of the monks originally enlisted to go into the region and debate with the Cathars. I wondered what it would have been like to have been brought up in a monastery, learning peace, prayer and spirituality. How would such a person react to the call to arms? Would they rebel against violence or would they justify it?
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