Contemporary Adult Fiction/Satire
Date Published: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
The Jesus Nut tells the parallel stories of three unlikely pilgrims—a reviled professor, a delusional homeless veteran, and a priest who loves strip clubs—searching for the greatest religious relic of the 21st century. Thrown together after a raucous showdown with evangelists, they decide to ignore their differences and work as a team in pursuit of their holy purpose. Their journey to New York City leads to a fateful encounter with a former advertising executive, whose mad ramblings suggest he might be the very oracle to help them fulfill their destiny.
A quirky, subversive novel that addresses timely issues and lampoons evangelical hypocrisy, The Jesus Nut ultimately reveals itself to be a story of second chances and agape love. Along the way, you'll meet self-righteous academics, a curious and ambitious stripper, a farmer with a remarkable peanut, a trucker fascinated by the constellations, a profane church maintenance crew, and more. Prepare for an irreverent journey which will remind you of the value of friends and the miraculous power of faith.
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
Marginalizing people in the name of religion
is a bad thing. Religious hypocrisy is a bad thing. Using religion to enrich
yourself is a bad thing. Caring for other people, acting empathetically and
gracefully, and lifting up your fellow man are all good things.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your
writing?
For a long while, it was
just finding the time to do it. When I was a full-time teacher and coach, with
a family, time was often a scarce commodity. I find I work best in the morning
and when I can work consistently for weeks if not months at a time, so that’s
always a challenge. I have plenty of ideas, I love the process of creating
worlds and characters and writing dialog and coming up with nifty metaphors and
trying to craft the perfect sentence. But it still takes time.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I’ve written a couple of screenplays
(one of which began as a screenplay, then became a novel, then was rewritten as
a screenplay) and one other novel (The
Adminisphere, self-published in 2016). The
Jesus Nut is by far my favorite. I think it’s my best. It’s deeper and more
complex, more ambitious even though it’s fairly short (66,000 words), more
nuanced, and certainly more timely. It attacks topics about which I care deeply
these days. Yet it’s still damn funny.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
With an MA in screenwriting, this is something
I’ve considered from the beginning. Indeed, I’ll be working on the screenplay
this summer in hopes the novel creates an audience.
I’d love to see Chris Pratt as Father Brian
William Callum Robert O’Shea. He’s got sort of a bemused attitude that
perfectly reflects the character. Kate McKinnon would make a wonderful Dr.
Haley Berkshire, but honestly I’d love for that role to go to Jayme Lake, who
voiced the character in my audiobook and is absolutely phenomenal. Jesse
Morales is the casting decision that’s got me stumped but, fortunately, if it
gets to that point there will be lots of smart people who can tackle it.
When did you begin writing?
I wrote a few stories as a kid, but I’d
say my first real writing experience was in my high school Spanish class, where
my teacher allowed me to write my own dialogs rather than using the boring ones
from the textbook. I created some weird stuff, but I loved the process and was
empowered by the response.
When I got to college, I played in a softball
league with a bunch of twenty-something journalists, including the film critic
for the Arizona Republic. He got me
interested in film at a much deeper level than before, which led to me to
pursue my MA in screenwriting at the University of Texas.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
My first book, the novelization of the
screenplay, probably took me about a month since most of the dialog was already
written. So that one doesn’t count. Plus it hasn’t been published anyway.
The Adminisphere took me, depending upon how I choose to
answer, either eight months or 11 years. I began it during a How to Write a
Novel class in 2005 and wrote the first eight chapters before I bogged down and
put it aside. I tinkered with it from time to time but accomplished little. I
finally returned to it with purpose in 2015, cleaned up the bog in the middle,
wrote the second half, revised, and self-published in June 2016.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
Most of the authors I’ve
enjoyed, from Matt Christopher and Mary C. Jane as a kid to John Steinbeck and
Joseph Heller as an adult, had some influence. I loved to read, which I think
is absolutely vital for a writer, and so storytelling has always been a vital
part of my life. Certain novels such as Catch-22
and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
were a particular influence on me, but I think the desire to create characters
and tell stories has built since childhood, with every book I’ve read, every TV
show I’ve watched, and every film I’ve seen.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
I love writing dialog—probably from being
an introvert who listened to others and, later, from my experience as a
journalism major. I love the challenge of creating a snappy, clever, meaningful
conversation that conveys character while making the reader laugh, and I think
I’m pretty good at it. (Oddly, though, when I listen to music I’m most drawn to
the music rather than the lyrics.)
I also really enjoy creating a new metaphor or
simile to describe a character or a situation. Figurative language, when done
badly, is painful, and when clichéd is exasperating. So I particularly
appreciate the times I manage to do it well.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Satirical, irreverent, empathetic quest.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
My next project will be the screenplay of The Jesus Nut. With my MA in
screenwriting and the many people who have said the novel is cinematic, I think
it’s a logical step. I don’t yet have any interest from stars, directors, or
production companies, but that’s a goal I’m most certainly dedicated to
pursuing.
Beyond that, I have a few ideas in various
stages of outline. Not sure which one will eventually prevail, but I guarantee
it will be similar in tone to The Jesus
Nut. I bear absolutely no ill will toward those authors who have made a
career from writing about magical children and mythical creatures and time
travel, but that’s not my thing. I’ll keep writing satire.
Contact Links
Facebook: John Prather, Writer
Twitter: @JohnPrather3
Purchase Links
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posts
0 Comments