Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written a total of eleven books over the years, in various genres and under various names. My interests tend to be all over the place, from historical fiction to the horror/thriller category.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is entitled “The Gospel of Pilate”, and I had the basic idea bouncing around in my head for nearly twenty years. When my wife and I went to Rome for our honeymoon, I was amazed by the fact that all three thousand years of Roman history is piled up on top of itself. You can go from a twenty-first-century building on the street level built up on top of a dark ages church which is then built up on top of a 1st-century temple to Venus. All in the same spot.
When one of the tour guides informed my wife and me that the reason the subway system in Rome is so terrible (and it really is), is due to the fact that every time they begin digging they hit a major archeological find. From this observation, the bones of “The Gospel of Pilate” sprang.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have always had a very odd sleeping pattern. I have no trouble going to sleep – easily falling unconscious in my easy chair at night. But staying asleep has always been a problem. I tend to get up extremely early (3:00 AM usually) and have found that that is the absolute best time for writing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was a geeky kid. How many book prefaces begin with similar admissions? Far too many I am sure; as this particular childhood status is most to blame for the creation of many a wannabee writer. Harsh truths are what they are, though, and this fact about my childhood is undeniable. Where my friends played sports and enjoyed hunting and fishing; I was perfectly content to be alone with my horror comic books, King Arthur castle set, my Avalon Hill war games and a huge collection of Vincent Price movies on Super 8. Ah, the path to weirdness started early, and, is a path I have yet to wander off.
In 1977 my interests expanded dramatically in a direction that lasts to this day. In one of those bizarre forks in the road that pop up every so often in your life, a simple decision was made that set me on a path I could never have foreseen. Now, this was not a burning bush, nor was it anything particularly dramatic, like rescuing a drowning boy at summer camp, or saving the family from a hungry bear while vacationing at Yosemite. Such heroics were not in my experience. No, this radical trajectory all started from simply watching a television show.
My late mother was a huge fan of PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre. How many Sunday nights did I spend watching Alistair Cooke while sitting in the den with my parents? Too many to count or remember, all of them having been rolled up into one saccharine hazy warm memory. To this day I still think he was the coolest man ever to be on television. I still can see him in my mind’s eye, every Sunday night on TV, sitting in his leather chair as he told us what was going to play on his show that week. In general, I remember being less than enthused by the actual show itself, than him specifically. After all, there weren’t a large number of teenage boy fans of Upstairs/Downstairs back then; or now for that matter. But, I knew I liked Alistair Cooke. He seemed very cool; urbane, witty, intelligent; everything I always wanted to be when I grew up. Like I said at the beginning, I was a geeky kid.
Now, during those final hideous polyester-clad and faux wood paneled days of the late seventies; there were not a lot of entertainment options on television. You had the choice of Happy Days or The Six Million Dollar Man. That was about it. Fonzie had still not “jumped the shark” yet, but, he was on that bike and revving, so it was getting close. So, even though Masterpiece Theatre was not targeting my demo, I recognized it was good, even if I did not “get it”. I switched from being a passive observer, to a rabid fan, however, the moment I saw that snake first crawl over the marble mosaic and the words, I Claudius flooded our TV screen. I was instantaneously hooked!
That show, probably more than anything else, set me on a lifelong love of all things Roman. I could never get enough, and I devoured every movie, documentary, and book on the subject I could find. Everything from reading Gore Vidal’s Julian to watching the seemingly endless parade of Italian sword and sandal spectacles of the late 60’s on TV. The foaming waters of the Tiber ran swiftly through my veins now.
Flash forward thirty years, give or take, and I am on my honeymoon in Rome with my lovely wife Mary. She always loves to tell the story about how on our first full day in Rome, we were standing on a platform overlooking the ruins of the Palatine Hill. The weather was perfect and we were the only people on the tour. She, like a normal person, was enjoying the sights and soaking it all in, but was ready to move on to the next thing. Those particular ruins are not that exciting, especially when compared to the beautiful Bernini wonders that saturate the rest of the city. When she turned towards me, and saw I had the stance of someone about to leap into the archeological dig, and literally wallow in the dust of history, she knew she had married a nut. Too late now, the ink on the marriage license is dry! I had come to Mecca, so to speak, and was loving every second of it.
It was on that trip, now thirteen years ago, that the seed for this book was first planted in my mind. Rome, the eternal city, is truly incredible, the layers of history all piling up on each other like a jenga puzzle. When I stood on that platform and gazed down into the ruins of the Imperial Palace, I could not help my mind from wondering. What fascinating history still lay undiscovered beneath the cobblestone streets of Rome? History runs deep there; the past laying heavily on the present, and always lurking just beneath the surface.
One of those possible undiscovered historical gems may very well be a report, from Pontius Pilate to the Emperor Tiberius, similar to the one I fictionalized in this book. It certainly seems quite possible to me. Now, I state upfront, and proudly, that this is unashamedly and boldly a book with a pro-Christian outlook. I am a believer in Christ and feel strongly that one should make their beliefs known to others. That is the great commission after all, isn’t it? That said, this is not a dogmatic cudgel to be broken over someone’s head. I think believers or non-believers could easily enjoy an exciting tale about the most dramatic event in history told from a different angle. I also thought it an interesting thought experiment as to what would actually happen if such a thing were discovered now. It is quite a question.
There are so many people to thank I barely have room. The first person that deserves my gratitude is my wife, Mary Creasy. She has been enormously supportive during the construction of this epic, and was a great first reader, proofer and editor. I could not have completed it without her. She also has been an amazingly good sport as I got sucked into my 1st century time warp. She certainly did not ask to have Pontius Pilate, Claudia, Arastarcas and the rest of the gang move into our house as guests, but, she has been most accommodating. Even when they may have overstayed their welcome.
What are you working on now?
A horror/thriller book entitled “Eye Bleach”. I am also working on “The Gospel of Longinus” the sequel to “The Gospel of Pilate”.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had good success with the book promotion sites, such as Awesomegang.com as well as Facebook & Amazon ads.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day. Even if it is crap, it is good to keep the momentum. Starting is always the hardest part.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write fast and do not edit as you write. Editing is best done later.
What are you reading now?
“Flight from Monticello” a historical account of Thomas Jefferson’s tenure as governor of Virginia during the revolution. It is an excellent book and one I highly recommend.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I definitely plan on finishing up “The Gospel of Pilate” series. It is planned to be a series of three or four books, ending with the final story taking place during the reign of Nero.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow! This is a hard question. I don’t know if I could choose, but…, to be practical, one of those books should probably be about ship building. *WINK*
Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Creasy Website
Paul Creasy Amazon Profile
Paul Creasy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account