Pump Up Your Book Chats with David Vermont, author of The Last Confession of the Vampire Judas Iscariot

The Last Confession of the Vampire Judas Iscariot

The Last Confession of the Vampire Judas Iscariot

Born and raised in New York City, David now lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and four kids.

An attorney and accomplished litigator at one of Washington D.C.’s top law firms, he began writing about religion when he was asked to author a series of articles explaining the Catholic faith on the popular blog 52 Prayers.  He now writes regularly about his faith as the leader of an online Bible study group.

About The Last Confession of the Vampire Judas Iscariot

Of all the people who ever lived, surely Judas Iscariot, history’s most notorious betrayer, must be in hell. Or maybe not.

After watching the crucifixion of Jesus, Judas despairs over what he has done and fumes that the Messiah he put his trust in has turned out to be just another pretender like all the rest. The toxic mix of emotions is too much for him to bear and Judas commits suicide by hanging himself.

He is restored to life by the Devil and made into a vampire apostle. The Devil teaches Judas to manipulate men and history. He becomes a king, a general, a teacher and a blacksmith, whatever is needed to effect the outcome of history and move it towards the goal of his new master.

Each time he is ready to move on to his next incarnation he must drink the blood of an innocent victim to be restored to his youthful vigor. But despite his many powers and abilities Judas knows there is one thing he desires and cannot have. Finally Judas meets a laicized priest, Raymond Breviary, and tries to steal from him what he was denied two thousand years before.

  ISCARIOT BANNER

Book Information

·  File Size: 604 KB

·  Print Length: 154 pages

·  Publisher: Koehler Books (April 15, 2014)

·  Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

·  Language: English

·  ASIN: B00J4GISH8

Read Chapter One

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Thank you for this interview, David.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?

A:      For me the writing bug came much later.  I’m an attorney and I have done a lot of legal writing for years and mostly hated it.  But it’s funny how; if you just look at something from a different perspective your opinion about it can change, sometimes radically.  That’s what happened to me.  One day, I was writing a response to a motion and I was really having a good time.  I was laying into the opposing attorney’s arguments with more flare than usual; just eviscerating him with words (I dialed it back a little before I submitted it to the court).  Suddenly, I realized, it was not writing that I hated but rather I hated being told that that I was wrong.  What upset me about legal writing was not drafting the response but was reading the motion papers that listed all the supposed reasons why our side was wrong and the judge should grant the opposing attorney’s request.  Most times they stretched the truth beyond credulity and I always had to respond buy first reestablishing the facts that had been previously proven and then ask the court to ignore the fantastical interpretations of opposing counsel.  My fondest wish was for the court to sanction the attorneys that made work like this necessary.  Anyway, I realized that while I hated getting motion papers, I loved drafting the response and hammering the other side.  I realized what I thought was dislike of writing was actually a mental hangover and subsequent angst of reading the untruths in the motion papers.  I realized that when I was writing other things, from letters to emails to blog posts, I liked to write and most people said I was pretty good at it.  Soon, I was looking for excuses to write more.

My first published piece was on a blog.  It was a meeting place for people of different Christian denominations.  I remember it well because it started a huge debate in the comments section.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

A:      The most frustrating part was getting someone to consider the premise of the book and take a look at the manuscript.  Frankly, I thought my idea was so unique and original that the first person I sent it to would call me and make me a lucrative offer.  That didn’t happen.  All writers have stories of struggling to get their work noticed by a publisher.  Its cliché but it’s true.  You live with something for so long, you labor over it, you tweak it endlessly and then you send it out to the people that can give it life and … they ignore it.  Ugh.

So far the most rewarding part has been the people that tell me they have liked it.  They are an eclectic group.  Their tastes vary wildly but they all found something in it that they liked.  They have been very enthusiastic.  It has been a pleasure, an honor and truly humbling to hear their comments.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life?  Do you have support?

A:      I’m married and have four kids.  It was a challenge to find time to write.  In fact, I recently wrote a blog post about writing a novel while maintaining a career and family.  You can find it here: http://davidvermont.com/2014/04/08/how-do-you-maintain-a-successful-career-as-a-lawyer-have-a-wife-and-family-and-finish-a-full-length-novel/

 

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

A:      For fun, I like to hang out with my wife and kids.  I like to play golf (I’m awful).  I’m starting to teach my sons how to play.  My plan is that if they play, I will have to devote more time to playing and I can get better.  My kids play hockey and I love to watch them play.  I like to watch sports, Sci-fi and fantasy with my older sons.  We like to go where it is hot on vacation, particularly the Outer Banks, NC.  We go with my wife’s family.  In total, we have like thirty people in one house.  It’s a great time.

If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?

A:      Rome!  I’ve never been and I’ve heard the art and architecture is amazing.  I love history too.  I want to visit the Churches there.  I suspect I could get some good wine and food too.

Who is your biggest fan?

A:      Without a doubt my wife.  She has to be to put up with all my foibles.  I wouldn’t be where I am today, in any aspect of my life, without her. 

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

A:      I write at my desk in the basement.

Do you have any pets?

A:      I have a dog-named Slapshot.  We rescued him from a shelter when he was about four years old and had been there for about a year already.  Nobody wanted him because he is a big hound with a loud bark.  But they missed out, because he is super smart and well behaved.

Tell us a secret no one else knows.

A:      Ha! Not a chance.

What’s on your to do list today?

A:      Actually, today the kids are off from school and it’s raining so we are going to the movies.

I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in May via a virtual book tour.  Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?

 

A:      Blogs are where it is at.  They can reach more people, more quickly and are more affordable than traditional media.  The pages are archived and stay around for the life of the blog.  People turn to the internet first to find what they are looking for.  Catch the right blog at the right time and you go viral.

 

Thank you for this interview, David. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

 

A:      Thank you!

 

 


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