A Virtual Book Review Network exclusive...

Interview with Erik Quisling

Fables from the Mud

Erik Quisling:  I initially came up with the idea for Fables from the Mud shortly after I graduated college.  In the course of my soul searching and trying to figure out my place in the world, I was struck with the idea of a clam who was trying to do the exact same thing. For some reason it struck me as extremely amusing.  This is how The Angry Clam, the first fable in my book, was born. 

Lauren Smith: Do you see Fables From the Mud as a satire, cultural commentary or something more? 

Erik Quisling:  Fables From The Mud is about three little creatures – a clam, an ant, and a worm – all of whom are struggling with very human problems.  The stories are satirical but in many ways are simply a cultural commentary on the human obsession with finding meaning in the world.  All in all, they are designed to be amusing and to get you to see somewhat the absurdity of taking life too seriously. 

Lauren Smith: How did you develop each of the fables? 

Erik Quisling:  Each fable was born from its own separate bout of inspiration. In each case, it was a single line of text that came to me that was like lighting a fuse that set the story on its course.  Once the fuse was lit, the stories pretty much wrote themselves – I simply had to go back and edit them a little bit. 

Lauren Smith: Are any of the characters based on anyone – or any type of person - you know? 

Erik Quisling:  I can say that the more I read the stories, the more I learn about myself.  But I truly think each character is a reflection of some deeply common human experience – not of any human in particular.

A Virtual Book Review Network exclusive...

Interview with David Dent,

author of Alex Webster and the Gods

David Dent

David Dent: Science fiction and fantasy have always been obsessed with the nature of godhood. The idea came to me in 2002 after reading an article in the Atlantic Monthly on the explosion of new religious movements. The article noted that there were about 10,000 religions competing for our souls and that some sociologists use the idea of a religious economy or spiritual marketplace to explain what helps a religion succeed in gaining followers. One could say that Darwinism had its start in the heavens. Because the capitalist marketplace is the dominant metaphor, if not mythology, of our age, I thought it would be interesting to examine a world where gods are the producers of religious services, competing to meet the demands of humans.  

VBRN: How did you arrive at the idea of Yahweh as the first capitalist? 

David Dent: About the same time that I was considering ideas for my book, I was also taking a course in world religions. During one class the professor asked about the nature of god as presented in the Old Testament. Rather than responding from a theological perspective, I considered it from a modern reading of the Bible, asking, What kind of business leader was Yahweh? This was not by chance because my career at that point dealt with issues of corporate governance and management.  Interestingly, I found that one can argue Yahweh’s management style evolves from an entrepreneurial, hands-on deity to a maturing manager who, overtime, introduces more sophisticated management and control methods to achieve his goals. The cause for these changes is that Yahweh, like any good manager, learns from experience. His evolution is similar to that of many entrepreneurs who create new ventures and navigate them to successful organizations. In Yahweh’s case, his brand dominates the religion market, with Christianity taking about a 32 percent share worldwide. In other words, Yahweh’s story is not unlike that of Bill Gates or Henry Ford, evolving from a temperamental, even eccentric, entrepreneur to the avuncular, but distant, Chairman of the Board. And the idea tied in beautifully with the notion of a religious market. Arguably, Yahweh is the world’s first and oldest capitalist and, to this point, most successful. 

VBRN: How did you decide on Jupiter as the old god looking for a comeback? 

David Dent: Jupiter was the obvious counterpoint to Yahweh. Two thousand years ago, Jupiter was the supreme god of the Roman Empire, worshipped as Mr. Optimus Maximus. In other words Jupiter was where Yahweh is today, the ceremonial divinity of the world’s greatest empire. So if Yahweh is the grand winner of the religious marketplace, Jupiter was the corresponding loser. In the end, the Roman people humiliated him. Emperor Theodosius I, who was a supporter of orthodox Christianity, officially banned the practice of the old Roman pagan religion in about 389CE.  In a full meeting of the Roman Senate he posed the question of whether the worship of Jupiter or that of Christ should be the religion of the Romans. The outcome was decisive.  Most of the Roman Senate condemned and degraded Jupiter. It was an impeachment of Divine  proportions. So Jupiter slipped away, banished by the people who had once worshipped him. He has nursed his wounds and tried to forget for almost two thousand years. Until now.

THE WRITER WITHIN YOU

A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and

Publishing in Your Retirement Years

By Charles Jacobs

Lauren Smith:  Why did you write this book? 

Charles Jacobs:  Whenever I speak to groups on subjects related to writing and publishing, members of the audience, particularly older folks, approach me and state enthusiastically, “I’ve been dying to write this book for years. It’s a fabulous story.” A moment later I hear their forlorn admission, “But I don’t know how to do it. I need help.” They long for easy-to- understand instruction in a single volume to get them started.  Convinced there was a great need for this type of book, I surveyed their specific wants, and used those findings to craft The Writer Within You. 

Lauren Smith:  Why do you think it’s important that people write and/or tell their stories? 

Charles Jacobs:  Years of life experiences help a person fashion his/her unique view on living. Many want to pass this on to loved ones and friends by writing a memoir. Others prefer to build their outlook into a character of a novel or short story. Some express their individual interests by writing a how-to. Many retirees try to remain active in their chosen careers by writing for trade publications or freelancing in related businesses. 

Lauren Smith:   Do you see more people interested in telling their stories?