JA Leary - Writing Thrillers About Theocracy, History and the Underworld

Mathematician, computer scientist and former software engineer at Kennedy Space Center, JA Leary is an author who literally dreamed up some of the locations in his debut novel, The Angel Hunter. Today, Leary chats with us about how he created the character of Victoria Hunter and how a book that was banned from the Bible inspired the story.

Please give us a short introduction to The Angel Hunter

The heroine is my archetype for how powerful, intelligent, and mystical women can be. Victoria Hunter finds herself raising her twin sons after her husband's tragic death. When they are taken from her in a traumatic and strange event, her consciousness begins to rise. Then she not only burns to find her sons,  but she wants to uncover their true origins at the time she conceived. This takes her on an epic journey through the halls of theocracy, the pages of history, and the world beneath.

Faith can only carry you so far. And when it runs out, what remains is pure maternal fire: A cauldron that is self-reliant, tenacious, and fierce.

Has your work as a mathematician and computer scientist had any influence on your writing?

I always enjoyed logic, numbers, and puzzles. As I wrote the book, the story and its facets of theocracy, history, and paranormal had to balance. Like an equation.

In which way did your wife inspire the character of Victoria Hunter?

My wife was instrumental in developing the character. I was writing for a very intense and bold female protagonist. My wife read every page and kept the character thinking, reacting and planning like a female. Many times she'd correct me and say, "Well, that’s all well and good... if Victoria was a guy. But she is not. Better try something else." And I'd go back and rewrite the scene or the line. 

Your scenes are very descriptive.  How do you manage to describe your locations in such detail?

Believe it or not I had several vivid dreams that were churned directly into scenes in the book.  Those dreams are still bright and fresh and colorfully lucid.

Did you come upon the story for The Angel Hunter? Was there something in particular that made you want to write this book?

After I read a dissertation on The Book of Enoch I started writing. The Book of Enoch was banned from Bible in the 3rd century as heresy. Fallen angels having relations with mortal women and then those women having children didn’t sit well with the church. But I thought, what if this were to happen to a young woman today? What would her story be?

Why did you decide to involve the Nazis in your story?

The rise of such evil is hard for any of us to understand. But it was a perfect vehicle to explain what happens when human beings either lack souls (consciousness) or inherited souls from a dark and twisted source.

Your book deals a lot with the theme of faith, the concept of good and evil.  Why?

Faith can only take you so far. Eventually action is required regardless of what your faith, friends, or culture tell you.

What do you hope that readers will take away from The Angel Hunter?

First, that the hours they invest reading will provide great entertainment. Second, that history and theocracy can be interpreted many ways. No one has the market cornered on truth.

The Angel Hunter is your debut novel. What was the experience like and what surprised you most about the reader reactions?

The experience was at times surreal. Parsing the dreams and the constant need to raise the bar for the character with each chapter. That was tough. Reader reaction has been what I'd hoped for. Some readers have told me they read it in one sitting.

This is a book that is hard to put down.  What are some tricks you use to keep your readers interested right until the end?

As a writer you cannot be boring. If you are, you lose the reader. So everything Victoria sees, hears, tastes, feels, and touches must give the story traction. I did not write a single "informational chapter". Every part of the story has to move. 

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Ha, ha. Well my golf game is pretty good. I also play piano and paint. I love Billy Joel's stuff and have spent years learning it.

Who are some of your favorite authors and why?

Dan Brown. JK Rowling. JRR Tolkien.  Their worlds are so visual. Great descriptive writers with incredible characters.  

What are you working on right now? When can we expect to see the next book?

The Tantalus Key is about 3/4 of the way done. I'd say by February next year.

Where can our readers interact with you or discover more of your work?

My email is [email protected] Kindle:  https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Hunter-JA-Leary-ebook/dp/B004GHN64KPaper back:  https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Hunter-J-Leary/dp/098202861X