Tosca Lee's Blog - Posts Tagged "iscariot"
On Writing Iscariot
From the first moment that editor friend Jeff Gerke (who had acquired Demon and Havah and now gone on to start his own publishing imprint) suggested the story of Judas, I was running fast and hard in the other direction. I knew how much research that story would take and was completely cowed.
At some point after avoiding the idea for about a year (this is before work on Forbidden began), I found myself sitting in a restaurant scribbling a scene between Judas and his mother on the paper tablecloth. My head was in my other hand. I was a goner, and I knew it.
I called my agent a few days later, fully expecting him to talk me out of it. He didn’t. All my friends failed in this regard. I flailed around for a few more months. I couldn’t do it.
The thing that finally got me was the idea of slipping into the skin of the only disciple Jesus called friend, of sitting down at the side of this mysterious healer, teacher and uncontrollable maverick called Jesus. I wanted to see him for myself, to experience him in this way.
Over the next year I compiled a library and consulting team of academics, theologians and Bible experts. I went to Israel (and ate so much hummus I couldn’t touch the stuff for two months after returning), read incessantly and then sat down to write. The project took more than three years, (during which time I also wrote Forbidden with Ted Dekker).
Once again, I overwrote the book—this time by 140,000 words (more than 500 pages). Somewhere in that giant forest of history and geek theology I realized I had lost my way, had utterly obscured the trail of this journey and the mystery of Judas and Jesus’ relationship with it.
I thought back to my time in Israel. I had stood on the shores of Galilee’s lake, sat in Capernaum’s synagogue, had seen the theater of history. I had learned so much. But as I entered Jerusalem, I was bereft. Ascending toward the Dome of the Rock that day, steeples and mosques and temples crowding the horizon like so many hands reaching for God, I realized I had not experienced one moment of mystery. I fought back tears on my way toward the mosque, where I stopped to give an old beggar woman a few shekels. The moment I did she grabbed my hand in both of hers, and I nearly fell to my knees. Here was God. And I knew without a doubt I had traveled all the way to Israel just to hold her hand.
I returned to the manuscript and pulled it apart, throwing out three theses’ worth of detail. I returned to the heart of relationship. Iscariot was no longer Judas’ story… it was mine.
Last spring, as I was sharing a Styrofoam container of soggy nachos on the floor in front of my TV with my mom, who was visiting at the time, a text came in from my publisher: “Iscariot won the Gold Medallion!” I blinked at the blue bubble of text, a floppy chip hanging out of my mouth. Iscariot had won fiction book of the year. Celebration was short-lived; I was in the final stretch of edits on my novel of Sheba’s infamous queen. I showed the picture of the plaque to my mom, set her up with a new Game of Thrones episode, and went back into my office.
At some point after avoiding the idea for about a year (this is before work on Forbidden began), I found myself sitting in a restaurant scribbling a scene between Judas and his mother on the paper tablecloth. My head was in my other hand. I was a goner, and I knew it.
I called my agent a few days later, fully expecting him to talk me out of it. He didn’t. All my friends failed in this regard. I flailed around for a few more months. I couldn’t do it.
The thing that finally got me was the idea of slipping into the skin of the only disciple Jesus called friend, of sitting down at the side of this mysterious healer, teacher and uncontrollable maverick called Jesus. I wanted to see him for myself, to experience him in this way.
Over the next year I compiled a library and consulting team of academics, theologians and Bible experts. I went to Israel (and ate so much hummus I couldn’t touch the stuff for two months after returning), read incessantly and then sat down to write. The project took more than three years, (during which time I also wrote Forbidden with Ted Dekker).
Once again, I overwrote the book—this time by 140,000 words (more than 500 pages). Somewhere in that giant forest of history and geek theology I realized I had lost my way, had utterly obscured the trail of this journey and the mystery of Judas and Jesus’ relationship with it.
I thought back to my time in Israel. I had stood on the shores of Galilee’s lake, sat in Capernaum’s synagogue, had seen the theater of history. I had learned so much. But as I entered Jerusalem, I was bereft. Ascending toward the Dome of the Rock that day, steeples and mosques and temples crowding the horizon like so many hands reaching for God, I realized I had not experienced one moment of mystery. I fought back tears on my way toward the mosque, where I stopped to give an old beggar woman a few shekels. The moment I did she grabbed my hand in both of hers, and I nearly fell to my knees. Here was God. And I knew without a doubt I had traveled all the way to Israel just to hold her hand.
I returned to the manuscript and pulled it apart, throwing out three theses’ worth of detail. I returned to the heart of relationship. Iscariot was no longer Judas’ story… it was mine.
Last spring, as I was sharing a Styrofoam container of soggy nachos on the floor in front of my TV with my mom, who was visiting at the time, a text came in from my publisher: “Iscariot won the Gold Medallion!” I blinked at the blue bubble of text, a floppy chip hanging out of my mouth. Iscariot had won fiction book of the year. Celebration was short-lived; I was in the final stretch of edits on my novel of Sheba’s infamous queen. I showed the picture of the plaque to my mom, set her up with a new Game of Thrones episode, and went back into my office.
Behind the Scenes: On Iscariot
From the first moment that an editor friend suggested the story of Judas, I was running fast and hard in the other direction. I knew how much research that story would take and was completely cowed.
At some point after avoiding the idea for about a year (this is before work on Forbidden began), I found myself sitting in a restaurant scribbling a scene between Judas and his mother on the paper tablecloth. My head was in my other hand. I was a goner, and I knew it.
I called my agent a few days later, fully expecting him to talk me out of it. He didn’t. All my friends failed in this regard. I flailed around for a few more months. I couldn’t do it.
The thing that finally got me was the idea of slipping into the skin of the only disciple Jesus called friend, of sitting down at the side of this mysterious healer, teacher and uncontrollable maverick called Jesus. I wanted to see him for myself, to experience him in this way.
Over the next year I compiled a library and consulting team of academics, theologians and Bible experts. I went to Israel (and ate so much hummus I couldn’t touch the stuff for two months after returning), read incessantly and then sat down to write. The project took more than three years, (during which time I also wrote Forbidden with Ted Dekker).
Once again, I overwrote the book—this time by 140,000 words (more than 500 pages). Somewhere in that giant forest of history and geek theology I realized I had lost my way, had utterly obscured the trail of this journey and the mystery of Judas and Jesus’ relationship with it.
I thought back to my time in Israel. I had stood on the shores of Galilee’s lake, sat in Capernaum’s synagogue, had seen the theater of history. I had learned so much. But as I entered Jerusalem, I was bereft. Ascending toward the Dome of the Rock that day, steeples and mosques and temples crowding the horizon like so many hands reaching for God, I realized I had not experienced one moment of mystery. I fought back tears on my way toward the mosque, where I stopped to give an old beggar woman a few shekels. The moment I did she grabbed my hand in both of hers, and I nearly fell to my knees. Here was God. And I knew without a doubt I had traveled all the way to Israel just to hold her hand.
I returned to the manuscript and pulled it apart, throwing out three theses’ worth of detail. I returned to the heart of relationship. Iscariot was no longer Judas’ story... it was mine.
The Spring after Iscariot was released, as I was sharing a Styrofoam container of soggy nachos on the floor in front of my TV with my mom, who was visiting at the time, a text came in from my publisher: “Iscariot won the Gold Medallion!” I blinked at the blue bubble of text, a floppy chip hanging out of my mouth. Iscariot had won fiction book of the year. Celebration was short-lived; I was in the final stretch of edits on my novel of Sheba’s infamous queen. I showed the picture of the plaque to my mom, set her up with a TV show, and went back into my office.
At some point after avoiding the idea for about a year (this is before work on Forbidden began), I found myself sitting in a restaurant scribbling a scene between Judas and his mother on the paper tablecloth. My head was in my other hand. I was a goner, and I knew it.
I called my agent a few days later, fully expecting him to talk me out of it. He didn’t. All my friends failed in this regard. I flailed around for a few more months. I couldn’t do it.
The thing that finally got me was the idea of slipping into the skin of the only disciple Jesus called friend, of sitting down at the side of this mysterious healer, teacher and uncontrollable maverick called Jesus. I wanted to see him for myself, to experience him in this way.
Over the next year I compiled a library and consulting team of academics, theologians and Bible experts. I went to Israel (and ate so much hummus I couldn’t touch the stuff for two months after returning), read incessantly and then sat down to write. The project took more than three years, (during which time I also wrote Forbidden with Ted Dekker).
Once again, I overwrote the book—this time by 140,000 words (more than 500 pages). Somewhere in that giant forest of history and geek theology I realized I had lost my way, had utterly obscured the trail of this journey and the mystery of Judas and Jesus’ relationship with it.
I thought back to my time in Israel. I had stood on the shores of Galilee’s lake, sat in Capernaum’s synagogue, had seen the theater of history. I had learned so much. But as I entered Jerusalem, I was bereft. Ascending toward the Dome of the Rock that day, steeples and mosques and temples crowding the horizon like so many hands reaching for God, I realized I had not experienced one moment of mystery. I fought back tears on my way toward the mosque, where I stopped to give an old beggar woman a few shekels. The moment I did she grabbed my hand in both of hers, and I nearly fell to my knees. Here was God. And I knew without a doubt I had traveled all the way to Israel just to hold her hand.
I returned to the manuscript and pulled it apart, throwing out three theses’ worth of detail. I returned to the heart of relationship. Iscariot was no longer Judas’ story... it was mine.
The Spring after Iscariot was released, as I was sharing a Styrofoam container of soggy nachos on the floor in front of my TV with my mom, who was visiting at the time, a text came in from my publisher: “Iscariot won the Gold Medallion!” I blinked at the blue bubble of text, a floppy chip hanging out of my mouth. Iscariot had won fiction book of the year. Celebration was short-lived; I was in the final stretch of edits on my novel of Sheba’s infamous queen. I showed the picture of the plaque to my mom, set her up with a TV show, and went back into my office.
Reader Bonus: Deleted Scenes from HAVAH and ISCARIOT
I’m going to let you in on a secret–I often overwrite. I mean really overwrite. When I’ve immersed myself in research and writing, I can get carried away. I overwrote Havah: The Story of Eve by 260 pages and Iscariot by more than 500!
Suffice it to say, I’ve written many scenes that never made it into my books—scenes I ultimately cut, but still loved. You’ll find a few of them below. Enjoy!
Havah: The Story of Eve
At some point during the six years I waited for Demon: A Memoir to sell, I randomly penned a single page in the voice of the earth’s first woman. I imagined her nearly 900 years old and near death, preparing at last to tell her full story. I’m not sure why I did this—I only remember her voice, warbled with age, as vivid in my head as my old Korean grandmother’s was the last time I saw her before her death. And then I put the page away in a drawer where I kept scribbles and random story notes, and forgot about it.
That page eventually became the prologue to Havah: The Story of Eve. I was fascinated with the emotional journey of Adam and Eve, with the potential for tension between the alpha Adam and his first son, the idea of seeing a first infant, the first death, the first enmity between human and animal and dysfunction in relationship.
I chased Eve’s story in a dogged panic and overwrote the first draft by 67,000 words (about 260 pages). That’s a picture of the cover from the first edition to the left.
Read deleted scenes from Havah: The Story of Eve at this link: http://toscalee.com/wp-content/upload...
Iscariot: A Novel of Judas
From the first moment that editor friend Jeff Gerke suggested the story of Judas, I was running fast and hard in the other direction. I knew how much research that story would take and was completely cowed.
The thing that finally got me was the idea of slipping into the skin of the only disciple Jesus called friend, of sitting down at the side of this mysterious healer, teacher and uncontrollable maverick called Jesus. I wanted to see him for myself, to experience him in this way.
I compiled a library and consulting team of academics, theologians and Bible experts. I went to Israel (and ate so much hummus I couldn’t touch the stuff for two months after returning), read incessantly and then sat down to write.
Once again, I overwrote the book—this time by 140,000 words (more than 500 pages). Somewhere in that giant forest of history and geek theology I realized I had lost my way, had utterly obscured the trail of this journey and the mystery of Judas and Jesus’ relationship with it.
Read deleted scenes from IscariotIscariot here:
http://toscalee.com/wp-content/upload...
Suffice it to say, I’ve written many scenes that never made it into my books—scenes I ultimately cut, but still loved. You’ll find a few of them below. Enjoy!
Havah: The Story of Eve
At some point during the six years I waited for Demon: A Memoir to sell, I randomly penned a single page in the voice of the earth’s first woman. I imagined her nearly 900 years old and near death, preparing at last to tell her full story. I’m not sure why I did this—I only remember her voice, warbled with age, as vivid in my head as my old Korean grandmother’s was the last time I saw her before her death. And then I put the page away in a drawer where I kept scribbles and random story notes, and forgot about it.
That page eventually became the prologue to Havah: The Story of Eve. I was fascinated with the emotional journey of Adam and Eve, with the potential for tension between the alpha Adam and his first son, the idea of seeing a first infant, the first death, the first enmity between human and animal and dysfunction in relationship.
I chased Eve’s story in a dogged panic and overwrote the first draft by 67,000 words (about 260 pages). That’s a picture of the cover from the first edition to the left.
Read deleted scenes from Havah: The Story of Eve at this link: http://toscalee.com/wp-content/upload...
Iscariot: A Novel of Judas
From the first moment that editor friend Jeff Gerke suggested the story of Judas, I was running fast and hard in the other direction. I knew how much research that story would take and was completely cowed.
The thing that finally got me was the idea of slipping into the skin of the only disciple Jesus called friend, of sitting down at the side of this mysterious healer, teacher and uncontrollable maverick called Jesus. I wanted to see him for myself, to experience him in this way.
I compiled a library and consulting team of academics, theologians and Bible experts. I went to Israel (and ate so much hummus I couldn’t touch the stuff for two months after returning), read incessantly and then sat down to write.
Once again, I overwrote the book—this time by 140,000 words (more than 500 pages). Somewhere in that giant forest of history and geek theology I realized I had lost my way, had utterly obscured the trail of this journey and the mystery of Judas and Jesus’ relationship with it.
Read deleted scenes from IscariotIscariot here:
http://toscalee.com/wp-content/upload...
ISCARIOT Signed Book Sale!
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.” The epic, award-winning story of Judas from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. A singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus that forces us to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.
Order direct from my web store: https://toscalee.com/product/iscariot...
Read deleted scenes from Iscariot here: https://toscalee.com/wp-content/uploa...
Iscariot $1.99 Sale!
Iscariot: A Novel of Judas, my award-winning novel about the infamous disciple, is on sale right now for just $1.99!
About the book:
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.” The epic, award-winning story of Judas from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. A singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus that forces us to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.
Buy links: https://toscalee.com/product/iscariot/
New Giveaway: ISCARIOT
We're giving away 20 copies of Iscariot right here on Goodreads!
Enter by March 18 at:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Iscariot humanizes Judas, the man whose very name is synonymous with betrayal.
Based on extensive research into the life and times of Judas Iscariot, this triumph of fiction storytelling revisits one of biblical history’s most maligned figures and brings the world he inhabited vividly to life.
In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One—the promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, he joins Nazarene’s followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life. But soon Judas’s vision of a nation free from Rome is crushed by the inexplicable actions of Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention—and seems, in the end, to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas confronts the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.
Praised as “an absolute must-read” (New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker), Iscariot is the story of Judas, from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man who betrayed Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus that forces us to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.
Enter to win one of 20 copies here:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Enter by March 18 at:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Iscariot humanizes Judas, the man whose very name is synonymous with betrayal.
Based on extensive research into the life and times of Judas Iscariot, this triumph of fiction storytelling revisits one of biblical history’s most maligned figures and brings the world he inhabited vividly to life.
In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One—the promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, he joins Nazarene’s followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life. But soon Judas’s vision of a nation free from Rome is crushed by the inexplicable actions of Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention—and seems, in the end, to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas confronts the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.
Praised as “an absolute must-read” (New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker), Iscariot is the story of Judas, from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man who betrayed Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus that forces us to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.
Enter to win one of 20 copies here:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
