Ask the Author: Lewis Ben Smith
Answered Questions (11)
Lewis Ben Smith
Clark's wife had been dead for seventeen years.
He still enjoyed waking up next to her each morning.
He still enjoyed waking up next to her each morning.
Lewis Ben Smith
With my summer break starting in a week and a half, I have a pile of books waiting for me to start. But the top of the stack is occupied by Jesse Greever's new book, ZEPHYR. He says it's really "twisty," so it sounds like a lot of fun.
Lewis Ben Smith
Hmmm . . . my life isn't that mysterious, but I guess . . . what would have happened if I found that underwater hump covered with artifacts back in 1996, instead of that old man who lived in the Oasis? Over ten thousand artifacts were recovered there.
Lewis Ben Smith
Of the couples I have created in my novels, I suppose Josh Parker and his wife, Isabella Sforza-Parker. I created them in my first novel and have carried them through two sequels, and they have grown in the process into two people who are very real and very dear to me. (You can read about them in THE TESTIMONIUM, and MATTHEW'S AUTOGRAPH, and next year their adventures will conclude in THE GNOSTIC LIBRARY.
But of characters created by others, I loved the complex relationship between Julius Caesar and Caepia Servilia in Colleen McCullough's MASTERS OF ROME series.
But of characters created by others, I loved the complex relationship between Julius Caesar and Caepia Servilia in Colleen McCullough's MASTERS OF ROME series.
Lewis Ben Smith
That sounds like a good idea, but I am completely sold out at the moment! I just ordered more books yesterday, and should have them in 2 - 3 weeks. So we could do it then, or if you prefer, you could buy or download a copy and I'll reciprocate.
Lewis
Lewis
Lewis Ben Smith
I'll talk about THE TESTIMONIUM because it is the only novel I have that is currently in print. Several years ago, I did a costumed monologue for Easter Sunday at my church. I presented the character of Pontius Pilate, dictating a letter to Tiberius Caesar about the events surrounding the trial and execution of Jesus. As I presented this tale, I wondered how Pilate explained those events in real life. I began to do some research, and I discovered such a letter did once exist. I imagined all the furor that would ensue if it were re-discovered today - and thus THE TESTIMONIUM was born.
Lewis Ben Smith
I usually pour a drink (Diet Dr. Pepper is my poison of choice) and then sit down and read the last chapter I completed. As I relive the story up to that point, a hole in the keyboard opens up, and I crawl through and emerge on the Isle of Capri, or in Israel, or in the ancient Parthian city of Ecbatana, or in Rome - and there I join my story in progress and record what I see.
Lewis Ben Smith
My current WIP is a novel called LOVER OF GOD, set in the First Century Roman Empire during the reigns of Claudius and Nero. It tells the story of Quaestor Marcus Quintus Publius, better known to posterity as Theophilos - the man to whom Luke dedicated his gospel and the Book of Acts . Since nothing is known of Theophilos, I was able to create him out of whole cloth, although his story is closely interwoven with the actual history of Rome, and the events of the Book of Acts.
Lewis Ben Smith
Keep writing. And, if you want to write well, keep reading. A person who does not have time to read does not have time to write.
Lewis Ben Smith
Walking into the store and seeing my book on a shelf there (especially when there are fewer copies than there were last time!). Getting reviews here or on Amazon from someone I have never met. Watching other people care about my characters as much as I do. All those things never get old!
Lewis Ben Smith
Usually, if I start to write, the story begins coming to me pretty quickly. If it doesn't, I simply do something else; watch goofy YouTube videos or play a game, and come back another time. I've never had a sustained block yet, but I'm sure my time will come.
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