Talking Books with Victor Acquista Author of Serpent Rising @victoracquista #Interview
He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, the Florida Writers Association, Writers Co-op, and is a Knight of the Sci-Fi Roundtable.
When not pondering the big questions in life and what’s for dinner, he enjoys gardening and cooking. He lives with his wife and dog in Ave Maria, Florida.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://victoracquista.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorAcquista
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoracquistaauthor/
Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? When did you come up with the idea to write your book?
My fiction writing is in part driven by a desire to explore some underlying theme or social issue. The plot and characters are the means chosen to explore the theme and or issues.
In the case of Serpent Rising, I had been dwelling on the fact that people have a difficult time distinguishing between what is true and what is false. One of the outcomes of this difficulty is that people are vulnerable to being manipulated by lies and falsehood. This vulnerability has clearly been used and exploited throughout human history and has allowed misinformation and propaganda to be utilized to suit the agendas of powerful groups and individuals.
These thoughts percolated in 2016, well before the notion of “fake news” became so much a part of our cultural conversation. The more I thought about this and researched it, the more convinced I became that I needed to tell a story to account for this fundamental difficulty—why are we unable to distinguish fact from fiction, truth from falsehood? The expression, “The truth shall set you free,” took on added significance as I asked myself, free from what? Freedom from ignorance, freedom from manipulation by those who seek to withhold the truth or to peddle falsehood seemed the obvious answer.
As the creative process took hold, an elaborate story about the battle between truth and fiction, light and darkness became the Great War of the Two Serpents. The war has been ongoing since the dawn of civilization playing out in modern times as a nefarious conspiracy. Four years and countless hours of research allowed me to incorporate many factual elements into a two-volume work of fiction. The series is titled, The Saga of Venom and Flame.
Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?
BHC Press is a traditional publisher. They were recommended to me by an author colleague and have done an excellent job in collaborating together to bring the series to publication.
Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?
Absolutely! I am very pleased with the cover image for my book. I worked closely with BHC in articulating the elements that I thought should be represented and they produced a stunning cover.
The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of cosmic harmony. It is the central image on my book cover meant to evoke the notion of harmony and balance, but also to represent the polarities of masculine/feminine, light/dark, truth/falsehood–all elements of the War of the Two Serpents. The Yin-Yang featuring Sun and Moon further emphasize this harmony and balance between opposing elements.
The snake biting its tail is cross cultural inclusive of Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Norse , and other cultures. It has been used by Gnostic philosophers to denote the dual nature of both our earthly and divine nature, matter and spirit. All of these symbolic aspects are woven into a story rich in myth and mysticism.
What other books are you working on and when will they be published?
Book two in this series, Revelation, is scheduled for publication in August 2021. I just completed a pop culture satire that I’m currently pitching. I’ve got a fantasy novel and a medical thriller currently gestating.
What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?
There are many factual elements written into the story that may seem fictional. Some of these elements are conjecture and extrapolation of sourced material that does not provide references. As one famous author once stated in his disclaimer, “This is a work of fiction, except for the parts that aren’t.” I might have paraphrased that quote, but readers will be surprised to learn that there is a lot to the story that I did not make up from my active imagination. I merely connected dots to information that is already in the collective mind bank.
Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?
My author branding is, “Writing to Raise Consciousness.” Part of the messaging in this book is to raise awareness about the use of propaganda and other mind control techniques. I enjoy reading thought-provoking and engaging novels. I hope readers learn some things that they might want to explore further. Hopefully, they will think a little more about sorting out truth from falsehood and become more aware of the influences of media distortion, misinformation, and propaganda.
I also hope that readers will be inspired to be Lightbringers and champions for truth in their own lives. The journey of transformation undertaken by Serena Mendez, the main character in the novel, mirrors a journey each of us embarks upon.
Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this novel and to share some ideas and perspectives about my writing.
Title: SERPENT RISING
Author: Victor Acquista
Publisher: BHC Press
Pages: 304
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Contemporary Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
Serena Mendez is haunted and she is hunted...
... Haunted by trauma—terrified and scarred as a young child, when a secret initiation into an ancient order of Lightbringers went horribly wrong. Unaware of the power latent in her blood, she is haunted by a life out of sync with her true identity. At twenty-one, she is abrasive, jobless, in debt, and addicted to sedatives. Haunted by her past, she knows nothing of her destiny.
... Hunted by an enemy—ruthless and powerful, a Brotherhood that has been pitted against the Luminarian Sects for thousands of years. An ancient struggle continues—The War of the Two Serpents—a saga extending back to the dawn of civilization, to the time of the second breaking, when the elite sought dominion over the masses. Those serving truth and light opposed these dark forces. In return they were persecuted, burned as witches, suppressed and nearly defeated by the powers of darkness.
But the flame was not extinguished.
An old Navajo dream-walker had a plan to open the seven chakras mystically binding Serena’s power. To fulfill her true destiny, to unleash the latent power within her blood, Serena journeys to six continents where she uncovers the truth of who she is, and what she must do.
A warrior stirs, a Lightbringer. She is Serena Mendez. She is awakening. She is a Candelaria…
Serpent Rising is a story of unfulfilled destiny, discovery, transformation, and courage to embrace the truth.
PRAISE
“Author Victor Acquista has opened a pandora’s box of adventure in his new breath-taking thriller, Serpent Rising. I was swept away from the first page in this wonder-filled, mystical, and compelling novel. Cleverly plotted with a female protagonist, Serena Mendez, that is truly original in ancestry, yet very 21st century-real, with personal problems that she manages to set aside to pursue the very truth of her being. We join her in this a non-stop rush that mixes equal parts of history, myth, and lore that I didn’t want to ever end! I’m already looking forward to more of Serena again and again. Acquista is the obvious heir apparent to the globe-trotting, can’t-be-put-down-novels such as The DaVinci Code and The House Of Secrets. Move over Dan Brown and Brad Meltzer, you have deserving company at your table with Serpent Rising!”
-- Patrick Kendrick, award-winning author of American Ripper: The Enigma Of America’s Serial Killer Cop.
Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by. First off, I want to thank my tour host, The Writers Life, for interviewing me and featuring my book. I'll be posting a variety of interesting items to share with you about "Serpent Rising" including backstory and some videos. I'll follow this thread and respond to reader comments and questions.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Serpent Rising received Best New Age Fiction in the 2021 International Book Awards. The second and final book in the series, Revelation, was published a few months ago.
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