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Please welcome Mathew Peters author of The Brother's Keeper.

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The Brothers’ Keepers

by Matthew Peters

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INTERVIEW:

1.  What elements are necessary components for this genre?

There are several components necessary to the thriller/historical mystery genre. The first is an incredible amount of research. I believe this is the most crucial component of the writing process. An attempt must be made to make the story seem as real and as “possible” as one can. Second, the stakes must be very high: death and/or the end of the world as we know it is usually a potential outcome. The third component is a well-drawn protagonist, one that has depth and dimension. This is true for all stories, but especially in this genre, where solid characterization is sometimes slighted or overlooked. Fourth, there needs to be a credible, believable antagonist. The story is really only as strong as the antagonist, and every attempt must be made to avoid building straw men/women here. Finally, there must be twists and turns along the way, and a certain level of action and intensity.   

2. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I am trained as a political scientist, so I was able to bring that background to bear on the book. I was also able to use the research skills I’ve developed over the years to help make the story as realistic as possible. I’ve spent a lot of time writing lectures, trying to explain difficult concepts as easily as I can, so I hope that helped when it came to the book. But, I found myself at a slight disadvantage in other respects. Writing non-fiction is vastly different than writing fiction. It’s taken me a long time to develop a feeling for the elements of effective fiction. I can only hope that I’m getting better as I go on. The other thing is, there’s a great deal of information to convey in the book, and I did not want it to come across as a lecture. I’ve been told that I did a very good job at not making it sound like a lecture, so I have to rest satisfied in that. 

3. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I think my bio is pretty complete and certainly self-revealing.

4. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

With regard to THE BROTHERS’ KEEPERS, my future plans are to continue the Nicholas Branson series for as long as readers demand more. I’m getting messages asking about the next book. All I can say is it’s in process. These books take a great deal of research and time and energy to write; I can’t slap them together. I believe in quality writing and I refuse to sacrifice quality for quantity. 

At the same time, I wish to continue writing literary fiction. My other novel, CONVERSATIONS AMONG RUINS, is a work of literary fiction. The protagonist, Daniel Stavros, is dual diagnosed (I’ll say more about this a little later), and it is about his struggle for salvation in extremely adverse circumstances. 

5. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

If I could be one character from THE BROTHERS’ KEEPERS, I would be Nicholas Branson, the male protagonist. It has to be fun to hang out with Jessica Jones, the female protagonist. She’s witty, intelligent, and beautiful. I’ll make a full disclosure here: I wrote Jessica’s character with Scarlett Johansson in mind ☺ But Nick is smart, much smarter than I am, and I think it would be amazing to travel to all the places he goes in the book and to be on this incredible quest for a treasure that could shake the foundations of the Judeo-Christian world. I mean how cool and exiting is that? Of course, people want him dead, so I don’t think I’d appreciate that aspect. But still…   

6. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

Here is an excerpt from the book:

The man lit another cigar. “As hard as I try not to smoke these things, I just can’t seem to help myself. The treasure must have something to do with the Roman Catholic Church’s claim as God’s sole representative on earth. Nothing else makes sense. So, it has to be something that threatens their claim to such authority, and taking into account the involvement of secular powers, I think whatever it is threatens Judeo-Christian civilization as a whole.”

“How could anything bring down the dominant civilization?” Branson had thought of this often since his session with Rawlings.

“Among the world’s religions, Christianity is uniquely susceptible to having its underpinnings knocked out. Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism all developed slowly, along the lines of indigenous cultures. Without Mohammed, Islam would still live, as would Buddhism without Gautama. Christianity rests on one thing, the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, Christianity becomes a mere set of moral maxims, at best a good way to live one’s life, perhaps even a precursor to secular humanism. But if Jesus died and was raised from the dead, then Christianity has what other faiths only promise, the guarantee of eternal life in paradise.” Albert puffed on his cigar until it glowed fiercely. “And so, Doctor, another question. Is there proof of Jesus’ resurrection?”

Branson was on familiar ground now. “The Gospels give us eyewitness accounts. Mary Magdalene sees Jesus in the garden near his tomb. His disciples see him again in the Upper Room and elsewhere.”

Albert knocked his cigar ashes into the fireplace and smiled. “Let me ask you this: which Gospel is the oldest?”

“Mark, written around 70 AD. The next oldest is Matthew, followed by Luke, and finally John.”

“How does Mark, the earliest of the Gospels, end?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Tell me how Mark ends his story.”

Jessica joined in. “Three women go to Jesus’ tomb and find it empty. They meet a young man dressed in white who tells them that Jesus is risen. Then, not long after, he appears to the apostles.”

“Does she have it right, Dr. Branson?”

“Well, she’s pretty close. The three women go to the tomb, find it empty, and are told by the white-robed stranger that Jesus has risen. But…”

“Yes?” Albert pressed.

“The fact is the original version of Mark’s Gospel ends there. The material about Jesus appearing to the apostles, his ascent into heaven, was added later. But in the original, Mark makes no mention of any appearance of the resurrected Jesus.”

“Is an empty tomb proof of resurrection?” Albert asked. “Is hearing about the resurrection from a stranger proof? A rather shaky foundation to build a world religion on, n’est-ce pas? What about the testimony of the Roman guards? Of course they agreed with the resurrection story. If they’d admitted to falling asleep, or leaving their posts, or getting drunk, they would have lost more than their jobs. Just an empty tomb does not a resurrection make.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean the resurrection and appearance to the apostles didn’t happen.” Branson sounded more defensive than he’d intended. He didn’t feel himself to be in a strong position to serve as apologist for the Church, not here and now.

Jessica cleared her throat. “So, let’s ask a different question. What would constitute proof that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead?”

Branson let the objective scholar within take over from the Catholic believer. Under the circumstances, he was certainly glad he had the ability to do so. “Well, off the top of my head, I’d say finding his bones.”

“Very good,” Albert said, puffing away on his cigar. “But is that really the case? Old bones in some ossuary. How would you prove they’re the bones of Jesus Christ? Highly unlikely. So proving Jesus died is probably not the threat.”

“Isn’t there anything else that might challenge the foundation of Christianity?” Jessica asked.

Branson thought for a moment. “I suppose something that brought into doubt the virgin birth or the crucifixion.”

“Very good, Dr. Branson,” Albert said in between puffs of his cigar.

“Also very unlikely,” Branson admitted. “How can you prove the virgin birth? It’s not like Mary went around town saying, ‘Look at me, I’m the Virgin Mary.’ That title was bestowed upon her by the Church hundreds of years after her death. Unless you could find the equivalent of a two thousand year old birth certificate, or a paternity test from Joseph you’d be hard pressed to disprove it. And even if we allow for the fact that Jesus had siblings, as he clearly did from what the Gospels tell us, there is nothing to say that he wasn’t the eldest, and thus Mary could still have been a virgin at his birth, while the other children were conceived by Joseph.”

“What of the crucifixion?” Albert said.

“How can that be proved?”

“Well, I suppose you could find the cross upon which Jesus was crucified, or the nails used to affix him to the cross, or the crown of thorns he wore. However, proving any of that is next to impossible. The Romans crucified thousands and there is no way to tell from the remnants of wood who was crucified on a particular cross, the nails that were used, or the crown that was worn.” Branson thought for a moment. “So what do you think the Cathar treasure is, and where is it?”

Albert blew smoke rings into the cabin’s stale air. “Those are exactly the questions we hope you can help us answer, Dr. Branson. Will you join us in our efforts?”  

7. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I do belong to a critique group. It consists of three other talented writers, who have also become good friends. The group helps my writing by the feedback I get and give in the group. We keep track of grammar, but, more importantly, we keep an eye out for big picture elements, such as cohesiveness of plot, character arcs, and pacing. I learn as much from critiquing others as I do by their critique of my work, in terms of seeing what’s effective, and what might need more development. I can’t over-emphasize the benefits of belonging to a good critique group. It is crucial to get feedback on your writing from someone other than your significant other or a family member. Though the process can be scary, it can also be extremely rewarding. 

8. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

9. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

The best advice I’ve ever received regarding writing is that you should give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft. The best first draft is a finished first draft. You should first seek to simply get the story on paper. Hold on to perfectionistic tendencies for the final version, and even then, realize that nothing is ever perfect. Builders used to incorporate imperfections when they built the great cathedrals to remind themselves that no one is perfect except God.

The worst advice I ever got, and, unfortunately, you hear this all the time, is to write every day and/or to shoot for a high daily word count. I don’t think it’s necessary to write every day. I think having down time from writing is crucial to the creative process. I take weekends off, and I only write in the mornings. My daily word count, on the days I write new material, is 500 words. At this rate, you will have 480 pages at the end of a year, which is at least one book, perhaps two. 

10. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I outline my books extensively before I write, especially when I’m writing the Nicholas Branson series. Thrillers/mysteries, by their very nature, almost require that you know what is going to happen at the end before you start constructing the earlier parts of the story. Also, there is a huge focus on what information gets discovered where and how and this must be properly planned. I plot out the book on a big piece of butcher paper, and then I do individual scene cards for each chapter. That having been said, I leave room for things to happen during the writing process, things that depart from the outline and the scene cards. This is because some of the best writing occurs when you actually are writing, and things develop that you could not have seen beforehand. 

BLURB:

Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, and Jesus’ purported spouse, Mary Magdalene. But what about Jesus’ siblings? What role did they play in early Christianity?

Contemporary Jesuit and renowned religious historian Nicholas Branson is about to find out…and the answer will shake the foundations of the Judeo-Christian world.

It all starts with the murder of a United States Senator in a confessional, and the discovery of a strange religious document among his possessions. At the urging of his FBI friend, Branson joins the investigation. His effort to uncover the truth behind the murder draws him into the search for an eight-hundred-year-old treasure and into a web of ecclesiastical and political intrigue.

Accompanied by a beautiful, sharp-tongued research librarian, Jessica Jones, Branson follows a trail of clues, from the peaks of the awe inspiring French Pyrenees to the caves of war-torn Afghanistan. Along the way, shadowy powerful forces trail the pair, determined to keep safe a secret buried for centuries.

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EXCERPT:

Father Rawlings drained his cup and set it on the table. “What I’m about to tell you may sound ridiculous and melodramatic. At best it will seem the stuff of conspiracy theories and spy novels. However, I assure you it is not.” He fixed Branson with a steely gaze. “As God’s soldiers, we are engaged in a battle, Nicholas. As real as any battle ever waged. The war we fight has raged for centuries, but the battle we fight now could well be the last. And we, you and I, the Roman Catholic Church as a whole, must emerge victorious. Nothing less than the foundations, the stability of the Christian world is at stake.” He smiled again, this time with bitterness.

“Of course it sounds unbelievable, even paranoid, but believe me, it is neither. I choose my words carefully. I don’t make bold assertions I cannot support. I assure you I am telling you exactly how things stand, exactly what is at stake. Before I go on, however, I must demand a pledge from you, your promise to help the Church in the epic struggle in which we currently find ourselves. We require your guarantee, your warrant if you will, that you will use all your energies, resources, and powers to secure the interests of the Church, and that you will let nothing deter you from the task at hand. With this binding agreement comes an inexhaustible supply of resources: anything and everything you deem necessary to accomplish your mission. But I must have your pledge before we proceed.” Rawlings rose from his seat, motioning for Branson to stand as well. “Before you give me your answer, listen again to Jesus’ words: ‘He who is not with me is against me.’ Nicholas Branson, tell me now: Are you with our Lord, or against Him?”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Dual diagnosed* from an early age, Matthew Peters dropped out of high school at sixteen. He went on to obtain an A.A., a B.A. from Vassar College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University. He has taught various courses in a variety of disciplines throughout North Carolina. He is committed to increasing the awareness and understanding of the dual diagnosed. In addition to The Brothers’ Keepers, he is the author of Conversations Among Ruins, which features a dual diagnosed protagonist. Currently, he is working on a sequel to The Brothers’ Keepers.

*The term dual diagnosed refers to someone suffering from a mood disorder (e.g., depression) and chemical dependency.

Website: http://www.matthewpetersbooks.com/

Blog: http://www.matthewpetersbooks.com/blog/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewPeters65

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.peters.79656

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