Writing comes pretty naturally to me, and I see it as fun work, but still work.  I do not wait until the mood or inspiration hits me.  A person could wait a lifetime waiting for the mood to write a 400 page novel!!

Brent Paris – 25 August 2013

The Back Flap

My novel, Corpus Gnostica, is a contemporary historical fiction weaving a tapestry of adventure, intellectual and psychological tension, secret societies, and religious archetypes between the modern and ancient worlds.  I have recently been interviewed by Miguel Conner on Aeon Bytes Radio about my novel and my website is corpusgnostica.com.

Dyson Teal, a young graduate student is on the translating team for Princeton’s newly unearthed Corpus Gnostica, when the text is pilfered from the university library. Teal and his girlfriend, the sexy Angelica Herald find the text hidden in the evil Professor Lucius Fox’s home office. Dyson begins translating the codices with Angelica as his reluctant accomplice. Soon, they learn that the Corpus is a secret history of pre-civilization and the rise of early Christianity. Within hours, law enforcement authorities begin an intensive investigation led by the enigmatic detective Ric Chin, who becomes suspicious of the nervous graduate student.

Presenting thirteen codices as Dyson translates, the reader discovers the truth about the ancient Gnostics from the perspective of the gods. The romance between the goddess Sophia and Christ, and their struggle against the evil archon Samuel are central themes.

Unknown to Dyson, Professor Fox is actually the noxious Samuel. Leader of a wicked secret society, Fox and his Masonic cronies are plotting against Dyson even as the police are closing in. But Dyson is also protected by friends, the mysterious Children of Light, who learn that he possesses the codices as their prophecies have long foretold.

Filled with archons, gods and goddesses, police, and members of secret societies, this novel takes the reader on a wild adventure unfolding in the ancient and modern world.

About the book

What is the book about?

Corpus Gnostica is a fast paced contemporary fiction combining a criminal conspiracy with the psychological tension of alternative history. Dyson Teal, a Princeton graduate student,t is on a research team that has recently unearthed a collection of thirteen ancient Egyptian codices. Tragically, the codices are stolen from the university before the team can begin its work. Dyson is shocked when he discovers that his mentor, Professor Fox, is involved with the heist and has hidden the codices at his home. Dyson and his girlfriend, the sexy journalist Angelica Herald, realize that they should turn the codices over to the police, but are overcome by curiosity. They discover the codices are a series of Gnostic gospels, comprising a secret history of pre-civilization. These gospels reveal the fall of Atlantis, the mystical romance between the goddess Sophia and Christ and the rise of early Christianity. Soon, a full-fledged criminal investigation surrounds the young couple as they hurry to translate the texts. Filled with fallen angels, gods and goddesses, police, and secret societies, Corpus Gnostica takes the reader on a wild adventure unfolding in the ancient and modern worlds.

When did you start writing the book?

I began the book in 2008 and completed it in 2012.

How long did it take you to write it?

4.5 years

Where did you get the idea from?

I was inspired by the neo-Gnostic movement in general, particularly the interest in the Nag Hammadi codices discovered in 1947, and the effect that new discoveries would have on the religious world.  And I also wanted to have an adventure or crime mystery element built into the novel.  So I created a conspiracy intrigue surrounding the discovery of these ancient texts called the Corpus Gnostica.  I love history and mystery so the novel practically wrote itself.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Character formation and voice was a little difficult for the modern sections of the text.  The actual Corpus sections went much more easily, but finding the voices for my modern characters, Ric Chin, Dyson Teal, and Angelica Herald required more time and effort.  I wanted a story that built in some of the modern mystery or questions concerning various esoteric groups and I also needed some villains in the story.  So building these in took some time.

What came easily?

The Inner Text of the novel, the actual ancient codices called the Corpus Gnostica came pretty easily.  They practically wrote themselves.  I had most of the themes and story lines already developed in my mind and notes, long before I began writing the novel.  Most of the themes have already been explored by neo-Gnostic and ancient Gnostic writers already, so putting a little twist on them to knit the story lines together came together naturally.  The Inner Text, was by far easier, but the outer text, the crime-conspiracy part set in the modern era was more fun to write.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

My characters in the modern part of the novel are pure invention, and have no relationship to anyone I know.  The characters within the Inner Text, the codices themselves are almost all historical characters or characters from the Gnostic scriptures and Bible.  These characters provided me with a framework to draw out their personalities within the Corpus Gnostica.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I have been influenced by many writers, including Robert Graves, author of the White Goddess, the great Dan Brown, the authors of Holy Blood Holy Grail, Cormac McCarthy for the development of the tempo in the novel and the elements of darkness, Philip K. Dick for the elements of post-modern Gnosticism, and the independent author and pod caster extraordinaire Miguel Conner for developing modern Gnostic fiction.

Do you have a target reader?

Yes, any reader that enjoys reading historical fiction, and modern conspiracy novels will find things to enjoy in my novel.  Anyone that loves the esoteric twists that often appear behind the scenes in history and religion should appreciate this book.  It is a thinking person’s book, with many hidden riddles and sub-texts woven within the novel.  Because it is actually two stories being told at once, it appeals to the reader who enjoys a certain complexity in their reading.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

Writing comes pretty naturally to me, and I see it as fun work, but still work.  I do not wait until the mood or inspiration hits me.  A person could wait a lifetime waiting for the mood to write a 400 page novel!!  Writing requires a good amount of personal discipline and time management.  I need to set out certain times to write, and then just do it.  Soon enough, I find myself getting into the work, and it moves along at a quick pace.  But this is not a natural process for me, I must force myself to do the work, or I will become distracted by the many things in life that prevent us from doing the things that we believe are important.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I need to outline more, and promises myself that I will do so for my next novel.  But the truth is, I keep almost everything in my head until I write it out in full draft.  Then I clean it up later.  Sometimes I will create chapter headings and main ideas or story lines to be covered within Chapters, but these serve more as guidelines.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Both; I edit immediately the rough drafts a day or two after completing a chapter.  But after the novel was finished, I spent the better part of two years editing and revising the draft into its current form.  Editing is painful business, but it is the place to make sure that you have included all of your ideas, that you have removed any conflicts in the story lines, and it gives an opportunity to refine the language in the novel.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I wish I had the resources for professional editing.  However, with self-publishing, I was only able to have a couple of friends help me out.  Professional editing saves time and eliminates problems.  At some point, I hope that my writing will afford me the opportunity to utilize professional editors.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I do listen to music as I write.  The whole Inner Text or the codices were written to music.   I even know which songs go with which scenes.  Music provided the mood for all of these chapters.  Many of the codices have dark themes, and the music I listened to put me in the creative mood to write these sections.  The outer text has more action going on, and they required that I do more, ‘hard thinking.’  Therefore I had to keep my head clear, and did not listen to music for these sections.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I did at first, and one agent, although they did not pick up my book, they did refer me to CreateSpace.  That was a big help to me for getting my novel published.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

The choice to self-publish was made slowly, as I discovered that agents were not interested in representing me, I learned more about self-publishing.  One agent was particularly helpful in directing me to the means of self-publication.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

My book cover was professionally designed by the good folks at CreateSpace.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

My marketing plan appears to be more of a process than an event.  I have published the book, it is selling some, and I now have a website and blog.  I hope to use Indie outlets and methods to continue getting the word out for the foreseeable future.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

My advice to the newbie is to just finish that novel!  Do not get side tracked or discouraged.  Do not worry about who will like or hate your book.  Write because you have something to say, and there will be someone who wants to read it.  See self-publishing as a long term process, as developing a career, it is not a quick event and then done.  You will be working on this project for perhaps the rest of your life, so take your time and do not let anyone hurry you along.  Do your very best work… always.

End of Interview:

For more, visit Brent’s website.

Get your copy of Corpus Gnostica from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).