BIO: Monte Wolverton is an author, illustrator, and syndicated
editorial cartoonist. His 2014 novel, Chasing
120, won an Illumination book award. He serves on the boards of the
Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and Plain Truth Ministries, where
he is also as associate editor and contributing writer. His work has appeared
frequently in MAD magazine and more
recently in Washington (DC) Monthly magazine.
He participated in the 2014 St.-Just-le-Martel Editorial Cartoon Festival in France , and in 2015, was invited to serve as a
judge for the prestigious Xaimen International Animation Festival in China . He is an
ordained minister and holds an MA from Goddard
College in Vermont . Wolverton resides in his native
southwest Washington
State with his wife Kaye.
Welcome, Monte. Tell us how much of
yourself you write into your characters.
The central
character in my first novel, Chasing 120,
was somewhat autobiographical—a media professional and family man facing the
collapse of his belief system and possibly his job. Grant Cochrin, the main
character in the The Remnant—there’s perhaps less of me in him, but I’m still
there.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever
done?
Quirky, you say?
My wife would say that with me it’s less of a single event and more of an
ongoing thing. I’d like to believe that most of my quirkiness is relegated to
my art. But in terms of behavior (not counting high school and college), there
was the time a couple of years ago when I was at an international cartoonists’
convention in Saint-Just-le-Martel ,
France . I was
asked to sing a solo of the “Star Spangled Banner”—and chose to do so in the
style of Bob Dylan. They seemed to like it, judging from the applause.
When did you first discover you were a
writer?
My father was a
writer/illustrator/cartoonist, so I had that excellent role model. In high
school, I discovered that I really enjoyed writing, thanks to a wonderful
English teacher, Trecia Greene. But I didn’t do much professionally with
writing until decades later. In my graphic design business, I wrote a lot of
advertising copy. Years later, I wrote articles for the magazine where I was
design director. And about that time my MA program required a lot of writing,
including a hefty thesis. After that, I became managing editor and spent most
of my time pushing words around. But my first novel was published only three
years ago, so what do I know?
Tell us the range of the kinds of books
you enjoy reading.
I have always
loved science fiction, as my father wrote and drew sci-fi stories for comic books from the 1930s through the 1950s. I have
enjoyed Heinlein, Asimov, Lovecraft, and C.S. Lewis. I also like carefully researched
historical fiction like Ken Follett’s Pillars
of the Earth and World Without End
and Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon stories. My favorite author however remains
Stephen King, especially his Dark
Tower series, both for
his style and subject matter. Yet when I look back at the books I’ve read,
there seems to be more non-fiction—science, politics, biographies of creative
people.
How do you keep your sanity in our run,
run, run world?
I’m past the
traditional retirement age, but I haven’t noticed a decrease in work and
busy-ness. I have a studio out in the woods where I work nearly every day. And
every day, if it’s not raining too hard, I take my two Rat Terriers up the hill
and sit on a rock. It’s a great place to clear one’s mind, meditate, and pray,
and I always discover something new and amazing there in the tangle of trees,
ferns, and bushes. As composer John Cage said: “One shouldn’t go to the woods
looking for something, but rather to see what is there.”
Sounds wonderful. How do you choose your
characters’ names?
I have blatantly
used names of friends and relatives, living and dead. That way (if they’re
alive) they have to read the novel to see what I’ve done with them. A couple of
character names in The Remnant are anagrams of well-known people. Another character
I named after a kind of tree, as it was the first thing I noticed through a
window when I was trying to come up with a name.
What is the accomplishment that you are
most proud of?
Usually the most
recent one, no matter how mundane. For example, I just finished tiling 650
square feet of my studio floor. I think I’m proud of that. Also, I was pleased
to serve as the only American judge at the Xaimen Animation Festival in China a couple
of years ago. That was educational and cool.
If you were an animal, which one would
you be, and why?
I was fascinated
with sloths before they were popularized through movies such as Ice Age. And I
appreciate horses. But I identify most with dogs. Our two Rat Terriers are 16
and 18. The oldest is pretty deaf, has cataracts and arthritis, but works
around his problems and just keeps going without complaint. He loves his walks,
he loves his people, and he is well cared for. I should be so blessed in my
latter years.
What is your favorite food?
Grilled wild salmon
(or steelhead). And locally sourced sweet potatoes. And a salad with organic
lettuce and avocado. With rice vinegar, olive oil, and feta cheese dressing.
Accompanied by a Washington
State Riesling. And a
slice of wild blackberry pie. With organic vanilla ice cream. Followed by a cup
of dark roast coffee with cream and turbinado sugar. Well…you asked.
Yum! What is the problem with writing
that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
When you say
problem, I take that not to mean challenge, as in the hardest work, but rather
a hurdle that I had to surmount. For me, that would be offering visual cues as
to what a character is feeling. I tend to try to handle those things in verbal
dialogue or narration (is there anything else?). But a big part of human
communication is body language. An editor pointed out that I need to show, for
example, how a character shows his anger—not merely describe him or her as
being angry, or have him or her say angry words. Such a thing is not that hard
to write, but you have to keep reminding yourself to imagine how the characters
look and what they are doing as they are conversing, and render that image for
the reader. That made a big difference.
It took me quite a while to conquer deep
point of view, too. Tell us about the featured book.
A future
dystopian world is ruled by a totalitarian government that has forbidden
religion and destroyed all sacred texts. Those who persist in religion are sent
to work camps. A stalwart band of believers escapes from one of these camps and
embarks on a spiritual quest through a lawless wilderness filled with violent
gangs and bizarre cults—only to come face to face with an unthinkable choice.
That description sounds dire, but I poke satirical fun at more than a few
religious traditions, including parts of Christendom. I hope readers will be
entertained, and gain perspective on the difference between institutional
religion and an authentic personal relationship with Christ.
Book blurb:
What if there
were an Apocalypse and Jesus didn't return? What if the survivors found
themselves living in a world ruled by a totalitarian government, where religion
is forbidden and all religious texts have been destroyed? In The Remnant, award-winning
author Monte Wolverton tells the tale of a band of concentration camp escapees
who trek through the lawless American wilderness on a quest for authentic
Christianity, only to come face to face with an unthinkable dilemma. The
Remnant is a fast-paced story punctuated with dry satire,
memorable characters, and hard questions about religious institutions.
Please give us the first page of the
book.
Prologue—date 2063
On the eastern
coast of Tunisia ,
overlooking the Gulf of Hammamet and the Mediterranean
Sea , sits the Great Mosque of Monastir, a place of prayer since
the 9th century—but no longer. In the year 2062, a cataclysmic global war
prompted the World Federation to ban all religion. Now, less than a year later,
a high-level meeting was being held here in the mosque, repurposed like many
former places or worship as a museum and site for Federation conferences.
Ironically, the subject of this particular meeting was religion.
The men and
women entering the cavernous hall were clearly familiar with making decisions,
issuing orders and receiving respect. Some wore military dress uniforms, others
wore dark suits that spoke of power. Chatting and posturing, they seated themselves
in black leather chairs flanking a ridiculously long, polished ebony conference
table.
In front of each
chair was a name card, an agenda, a water glass and a smaller glass, which
waiters filled with the attendee’s choice of strong coffee or Tunisian mint
tea.
As ushers gently
closed the ornate doors from the outside, a middle-aged man with wavy black
hair, a blue-grey Italian suit and Mediterranean features called the meeting to
order. His deep voice echoed through the hall. “Welcome, every one of you, to
the first meeting of the Religious Directive Implementation Council.”
“Let’s hope it
will also be the last,” quipped a portly gentleman in a military uniform. The
group laughed, until they noticed the glare in the eyes of the chairperson.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
They can visit
the Facebook group The Remnant—CWRpress at
Thank you, Monte, for sharing this book with me and my blog readers.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Remnant - paperbackReaders, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Remnant - Kindle
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6 comments:
This sounds GREAT!
Elly -Indiana-
I must admit that I haven't read much dystopian fiction but this sounds very intriguing. Thanks for sharing!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
Sounds like an interesting book.
Blessings,
Cindy W. from Indiana
I love dystopian. It's nice to see some Christian books in that genre.
Dianna in TN
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