JC De La Torre.com

Hey there! Morris Anderson here, webmaster of JCDeLaTorre.com, the DLT Atlantis Publishing website and all the other sites associated with Mr. De La Torre. I'm being released from the little cubicle that he's hidden me in to provide you with the access you hoped for when we re-designed the website.

JC has graciously agreed to talk about Nightmares From Eberus, the 10 short story collection featuring Science Fiction, Fantasy, the Occult, Horror - pretty much anything having to do with Speculative Fiction. As you may know, this collection already has generated controversy with Christian and Muslim groups, despite not even being released to the public as of yet.

JC has said no questions are off limits. Nightmares From Eberus is an e-book exclusive release and will hit cybershelves on June 29th. Here we go!

MA: Thanks so much for allowing your fans the opportunity to find out more about Nightmares From Eberus. 

JC: I've always prided myself in being very accessible to the fans. I believe it's important they understand the controversy surrounding the book and what my intentions were when making it.

MA: Why did you make a short story collection? You've been pretty successful with the Rise of the Ancients saga.

JC: I love the short form, always have. While I love Stephen King's epic novels, it's his short story collections that are without question my favorites of his work.

 I think short stories are making a comeback. In our information superhighway society, folks' attention spans have decreased. It's not anyone's fault - think about it. We have so many distractions from 400 plus television channels, You Tube, the IPad, phones like Droid and IPhone that are like little computers themselves, the internet. We're on information overload, so folks want their entertainment in nice little containers. Short form is perfect for that.

MA: It doesn't mean the end of you being a novelist though, right?

JC: No, no, of course not. There will be more Rise of the Ancients books, a new series we'll talk about later - plus some other ideas I have percolating around.

 

 

MA: Your two previous books have been strictly Urban Fantasy, yet Eberus leans more to the Occult and Horror. Why is that?

JC: Rise of the Ancients was a great series that I simply had to get out of my head. My interests though lay with Horror and the Occult. I'm fascinated by scaring folks. I love curling up with a good book and being absolutely creeped out so I can't get to sleep. That's exciting fiction to me.  Don't get me wrong though, I also love Science Fiction and Fantasy. Two of the longest stories in the collection are Sci-Fi.

MA:  In fact you start the collection with Science Fiction, right?

JC: Yes, we debut with Continuum Force – the New Guy, and then go straight into Tawney’s Stars.

MA: Continuum Force is the prequel for your new series, isn’t it?

JC: Indeed it is. Continuum Force will be a fantastic new series that I think the fans will love. I love history and Continuum Force will give me a chance to go back in time and do what if’s. What if the Roman Empire never fell? What if Germany won World War II? What if the South won the Civil War? What if we lost the Revolutionary War? What if Kennedy wasn’t assassinated? There’s so many stories throughout history that you can look at and say – gee I wonder what would have happened if…

MA: It’s Sci-Fi though. You said your heart lies with Horror – why not do a Horror series?

JC: It’s just not where I’m at right now. At some point I’ll do a horror series, I’m just not ready for that yet. There’s a vampire one I have in mind but the genre is so overdone I want to wait until the Vamp hysteria dies down a bit.

MA: But wouldn’t want to cash in on the success of Twilight and all the movies or TV shows out there now?

JC: I suppose you can look at it like that, but for me it’s just not the time. Besides, I think the Twilight fans may get a little angry with me after Serial.

MA: Your vampire short takes a shot at Team Edward and Team Jacob?

JC: Just a little jab. (smiles)

MA: Twilight fans aren’t going to be the only ones angry with you.

JC: No but they’re by far the scariest (laughs).

MA: Getting a little serious though, you’ve angered many Muslim Activists with your portrayal of violence against Muslims in Killing Osama.

JC: It’s unfortunate really. The story is about the mob getting even with a terrorist named Osama for killing all of their Dons. The mafia has never been known for their compassionate interrogation techniques.

MA: The torture is pretty brutal though.

JC: It is, but it’s no worse than what you’d see Jack Bauer do on 24.

MA: Yes, but the creators of 24 have gotten into hot water over its treatment of Muslims.

JC: True.

MA: Is the Osama in the story Osama Bin Laden?

JC: No, it’s not Bin Laden. He’s a combination of several on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist lists.

MA: In a twist at the end – and I’m trying to be careful here not to spoil it – the story characterizes the Islamic Extremists as being manipulated by pure evil.

JC: Yes.

MA: With the death threats put against the creators of South Park for their portrayal of a certain religious figure – are you not fearful of making yourself a target?

JC: I’m already a target for terrorism. Anyone who calls themselves an American, a Christian, or a Jew is a target. They want to kill all of us.

I did nothing to insult the religious faith of Islam and I think the view of Extremism being evil is shared throughout the world.  

I mean really, what kind of deity would give heaven to someone who kills innocent women and children in his name? I’m sorry, if you want to fight a jihad, fight the warriors – the soldiers.

There’s no reason to attack innocent people on a plane, in buildings, or simply shopping in a market place. It’s pure insanity. They (the extremists) don’t care who they kill. If other Muslims are on the plane or the market, they don’t care. It’s collateral damage.

I’m not saying that the Americans with their bombs are any nobler. We have our own collateral damage as well.  But I didn’t drop a bomb on anyone. Neither did any of those people on the planes or the folks in the World Trade Center.

If you want to show God or Allah or whomever your worth, stop being cowards and face the American military head on. They won’t though because they know there’s no victory there. So they’ll just continue spreading their evil cowardice by killing the innocent.

So yes, I’m as against extremists as they are against me. However, I’m very respectful of Muslims and their faith. I often have very positive Muslim characters in my stories, including Lucifer’s Lament in this collection.

This is fiction, folks. Personally, I don’t believe in violence. I don’t hate faith group, religion or sect.

The torture and the revelation at the end were plot devices to add to the realism and understanding of the story.

MA: The Muslims aren’t the only ones upset with you are they?

JC: No, I’m apparently an equal opportunity offender.

MA: Christians are upset with your portrayal of Lucifer as a hero, not a villain. What kinds of things have been said?

JC: Oh, you know. The usual suspects. I’m a devil worshiper, I’m a Satanist. I’m the herald for the Anti-Christ. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

MA: What religious faith are you, if I may ask?

JC: I was raised in a non-denominational Christian family, but converted to Catholicism nine years ago when I married my wife.

MA: Are you devout?

JC: Not really. I do believe in God. I do believe a man named Yeshua (Jesus) walked the Earth. I believe he was a remarkable individual and in his message of love and peace, I believe he was a radical for his time and it got him killed by greedy people.

He existed. I’m convinced of that. Was he a God? Did he have powers and is he the savior of mankind? I hope so, but I don’t know.

I consider myself a man of science. I believe in what can be proven and I’m afraid very little of what Christians believe can be proven. It’s all based on faith. I’m not really a faith kind of guy.

MA: So you’re leaning toward being an Atheist?

JC: No, I wouldn’t say that at all. I think the term is Agnostic Theism. You see, I believe that there is a Creator – God. The way I view God though is a little different than most. It’s come out a bit in my Rise of the Ancients writings.

I feel there’s life throughout the universe and I think the Creator is similar to an auto worker. When the auto worker builds his car and it’s completed, he moves on to the next car. I think God does the same. He gives life to a planet, then moves on to the next.

I don’t believe He or She continues to try to be involved in our daily lives. I believe the rituals we have today are just tradition based. A way for the elders to control society and give them the moral fiber to do good.

The “miracles” people see are normal events that would have happened whether they believed in a single deity or not. Because they wanted a certain outcome and by happenstance they get it, they believe God intervened on their behalf.

I find it hard to believe that a being as powerful as God would care who wins a football game or help you find a way to pay rent this month.

I know that’s going to upset some in my family to have that view but it’s the way I feel.

MA: Do you still consider yourself a Catholic?

JC: I think I’d be hypocritical if I said yes.  I have many issues with Rome and no, it has nothing to do with the sex scandals. I have issues with idolatry and the pagan holidays.

MA: What do you mean?

JC: God said, There should be no idols before me. Yet Catholics pray to statues of the Saints, the Virgin Mary when they should be praying to God.

Not only that, most of their holidays are based on pagan holidays. It’s Rome. They wanted to convert as many non-believers as they could, so they used holidays that people were used to celebrating and used those time periods for their own holidays.

Anyone who believes Jesus was born on December 25^th needs to really re-read their bible and maybe do a little research on the internet.

MA: So you don’t celebrate Christmas?

JC: No I do, it’s the only date we have to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and so I follow the ritual like everyone else.

Look, I want to make myself clear. I’m not anti-Catholic at all. When I do go to church, it’s a Catholic church. I just have questions about some of the things in the church, as I believe any knowledgable Christian would.

The Pope and his Cardinals may have been appointed by God – but they’re still human beings.

They make terrible decisions and they have flaws. The Crusades and the Sex Scandal all but prove that.

MA: Do you pray?

JC: Rarely. I try not to be a hypocrite. I’ll go through the rituals when it’s required of me but I think God and I understand one another. I could be wrong and I guess I’ll find out when I leave this place.

I really apologize if my views offend Catholics. That’s not my intent. I don’t believe in projecting beliefs on other individuals so I’m definitely not doing that to you. You have the right to believe whatever it is you want to believe.

I’m probably an idiot that doesn’t know what I’m talking about. At some point we all will face judgment and it will be that time when I get VERITAS (The Truth).

MA: So we have a pretty good sense of your religious views, why write about Lucifer as a good guy?

JC: He very well could be. Do we know for sure?

MA: It’s pretty clear that he’s considered the Devil.

JC: Is it? No, that’s modern religion and Hollywood distorting the truth. Go back into scripture, Morris. I’ve done it and basically all there really is about Lucifer is that he was the most beautiful and brilliant of the Angels. His pride got him tossed out of Heaven.

Modern theology has cast Lucifer, Satan, and the Devil as one in the same. Lucifer and Satan were two different angels. Satan was created by God to tempt man…and he’s damn good at it. Lucifer remains in exile – but he was never evil, just prideful. Believe me, if pride made you evil, we all have a ticket to Hell.

MA: Do you believe the Devil and Demons exist?

JC: I don’t know. If you believe in God, as I do, than as a result, you must believe in his adversary. Then again, Satan could just be the boogieman dreamt up by the early writers of the gospel. Better be good, Jebediah, or ole Scratch is going to come and take you to the fiery pits of Hell.

There’s some who absolutely believe they’ve done battle with demons. There are others that worship them. Maybe it’s true and maybe they all have mental issues. Who knows?

MA: Do you believe there is a Hell?

JC: I believe we’re in Hell. Right now.  This is Hell. I believe that if you live a good life, be peaceful and kind to others, and just be a good person, you’ll get your ticket to paradise.

If you’re a jerk, when you die, you’re going to keep coming back until you finally get it right.

MA: Okay so we’ve talked at length about Killing Osama and Lucifer’s Lament. We’ve discussed Serial, Continuum Force and Tawney’s Stars. What other stories are you providing in this collection?

JC: Morris, the stories here span my writing career. From High School, College to today.  I wrote Gator Country a long time ago, but it continues to be one of my favorites. It was another one of those stories that goes a little macabre. You gotta feel sorry for Harvey Copper, even though he’s more like an Anti-Hero.

Shockers comes from being a former watcher of the Sci-Fi show, Ghost Hunters. I don’t really watch the show any more but I always what would happen if they got themselves into a situation with a really ticked off entity.

Reality is just my demented mind wondering what would happen if some of these survival reality show stars got themselves into a situation where the animals were going after the contestants.

Until the End of Time is a love story I wrote for my wife. I believe we’re soulmates and were meant to find one another. Who knows, maybe we’ve been here multiple times and found each other over and over throughout history. That’s what this story is about.

Finally, there’s Rise of the Ancients – Allulim. I felt at the end of Annuna, I had some clean up I needed to do. What happened to all the minor gods like Dionysus – who wasn’t among the Olympians but was still an important deity? What about some of the Sumerian gods, where the term Annuna came from? How did Dan Ryan rebuild the world after it was devastated by the Gods? There was a lot still to resolve and I tried my best to do that with this short story.

MA: It seems like a lot of your stories are based on questions?

JC: Great observation. I like to ask questions, it’s my nature. My stories are really me asking ‘what if this happened’ or ‘what if that happened’. I love challenging my imagination and my reader’s as well.

MA: Do you have a favorite among them?

JC: Morris, that’s like asking a parent which of their kids they like best. If I was forced to choose, I’d say I’m most excited about Continuum Force – the New Guy.  I’m really hoping the fans like the storyline and characters because even more than Rise of the Ancients, I really want Continuum Force to be what people associate my name with.

That’s not to say I’m going to abandon Annuna-heads. I’ll never do that. There are still many great stories left to tell in the Rise of the Ancients world.

Unlike other authors (Anne Rice) I also encourage fan fiction. Go for it. I have no problems as long as it’s never published for profit. I still own my copyrights and will prosecute if someone looks to steal my visions for their own monetary benefit.

But Fan fiction just for fun…published on a website somewhere that’s freely accessible. Go for it.

MA: JC, I want to thank you for this lengthy and amazingly candid interview. It was truly enlightening and we all wish you the best of luck with Nightmares From Eberus.

JC: Morris, thanks so much for the opportunity and I want to thank the fans for reading and understanding my motives. I hope the stories will entertain and provoke thought.