An
Interview with Tosca Lee, Author of Iscariot
History has called him many things: Thief. Liar. Traitor. Reviled
throughout history and infamous for his suicide, he is the man whose very name
is synonymous with betrayal . . .
And the only disciple that Jesus called “friend.”
Judas.
But who would take a journey through
the Lenten season with Judas, of all people?
The answer: readers of New York Times
bestselling author Tosca Lee's Iscariot,
in which Lee dares to delve into biblical history’s most maligned character—from his tumultuous
childhood to his emergence as the man known to the world as the betrayer of
Jesus. But more than the story of one man, Iscariot
is a view into the life of Jesus that forces readers to reexamine what they
thought they knew about two of the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in
history.
The study guide, “A Journey with
Judas," is available to book clubs and small groups free along with daily devotionals
from now until Easter at toscalee.com.
Who is Tosca Lee, and why did she choose to write
a book on the Bible’s most controversial character? An interview with the
award-winning author of Havah: The Story
of Eve and the Books of Mortals trilogy (with Ted Dekker) follows.
Q: How did you start writing biblical fiction?
A: I kind of fell into it, actually. Around 2000,
I wrote this story about a fallen angel. I did it in six weeks. And then it
took nearly seven years to sell. When we were doing the deal, the editor said,
“What else do you have?” I rummaged around and found one page I had done a year
before of a very old Eve starting to tell her story. I don’t know why I started
writing that, but I pulled it out and said, “I have this!” And they bought it.
It eventually became the prologue to Havah:
The Story of Eve.
Q: Why Judas? Of all people—why did you choose to write
about him?
A: Several years ago, an editor—the
same editor who acquired Demon and Havah—suggested a story on Judas. I’d
already done a fallen angel and Eve, after all. I flatly refused. Too much
research. Too much controversy. Too hard. But the idea started following me
around. Finally, about a year later, I was sitting in this New York restaurant
eating dinner and found myself scribbling a scene between Judas and his mother
on the paper tablecloth. I knew then I was a goner. I realized I wanted to become
this disciple Jesus called “friend,” wanted to slip into his skin and sit down
next to this enigmatic teacher and healer that people to this day call
“Messiah.” I wanted to see and experience him, for myself.
I tore the scene off, shoved it in my
purse, and called my agent a few days later, hoping he would talk me out of it.
He didn’t. After two years of research, with much fear and trembling, I started
writing.
Q: Did you always want to be a writer?
A: Writing was never the plan,
even though I’d won some contests growing up in school. Ballet was my first
love—I danced with a local ballet company as a teenager and spent my summers
studying dance in Kansas City and New York. But within a few years I literally
outgrew ballet: I’m nearly six feet tall en pointe. After a torn groin and
other injuries, I knew it just wasn’t going to happen. The summer after my
freshman year in college, I decided I’d take a stab at writing a novel. I wrote
it. It got rejected. It’s still in a crate down in my basement like a skeleton.
I’m afraid to look at it. It’s probably got three arms and two heads.
Q: What’s the coolest
thing about writing biblical/historical fiction?
A: We all know the story of
Judas, of Adam and Eve—of myriad other two-dimensional characters we first met
as flannel board characters in Sunday School with just the barest detail to
define the morality tale of their lives. But if these were real people, then they had hopes, aspirations, influences, and
motivations. There’s always more to the story. And that makes them much more
like us than we might care to admit. That’s scary. Inevitably—and this happened
with Iscariot, too—there comes a
point about hallway through the story where I realize I’m no longer writing
Judas’ story, or Eve’s… but my own.
Q: Iscariot has been recognized as a Best
Christian Fiction title of 2013 by the Library Journal and has been nominated
for several other awards. Why do you think Iscariot
resonates with readers?
A: I think because like
Judas, we are all seeking answers. We are seeking some kind of
deliverance—maybe not from Roman occupation, but from a situation, or a fear,
or a sickness, anything. We are looking for answers, and expecting God to
intervene in certain ways. I think we all identify with trying so hard to do
the right things, with having expectations for how God will act, and how, if I
do this and that, God will do this and that. But it doesn’t always work out
that way, and the question becomes how we will respond. I think we all can
identify with that. And I think we all find ourselves completely ruined, in the
best and worst of ways, by love we cannot understand.
Q: What do you do when you’re not writing?
A: I love to adventure
travel—whether it’s fishing for piranha in the Amazon or trekking through the
Balkans, every now and then I just have to get out of town. And I cook. There
was a time when I could burn water and ruin cereal, but today I make a pretty
mean quiche and haven’t managed to poison anyone in years.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: The Queen of Sheba! I figured it was
time to be a girl again.
For more on Tosca and her books,
including the free reading guide “A Journey with Judas," go to
toscalee.com.
Tosca is offering a special giveaway to her readers this Easter. Enter
by April 19th for a chance to win one of three great
prizes:
- A complete signed library of Tosca's work including Demon, Havah, Iscariot and the Mortals Triology
- A signed copy of the Havok Magazine edition that includes Tosca's Ninja short story
- A 30-minute video chat with Tosca that could include a critique of up to ten pages of your writing.
See
Tosca's website for details and entry information.
