Absolution: Redux
By: Louis Corsair
Series: Elohim Trilogy
Publication Date: September 15th 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
At the end of the original Absolution, the Executor traveled back in Time and altered Reality. But by doing so, he set in motion a plan to end his existence and collapse Creation. Because of his actions, there is Absolution: REDUX…
In 1947, a gangster murders private investigator Raymond Adams. In 2011, he’s brought back to life for 24 hours to solve the supernatural murder of a Hollywood Adult film star.
When the son of a Pit Lord is murdered in Hollywood, the celestial beings in charge of the Realms ask Raymond Adams to figure who did it and find the victim’s missing soul. Without memories of his life, he accepts the case to gain eternal peace. But the job is daunting:
24 hours to nab a killer…
24 hours to find a missing soul…
24 hours to unravel the victim’s exotic private life…
24 hours to stop a plot to send the universe into chaos…With only the help of a possessed cop and a medium, Adams must trek through a Hollywood underground filled with pornography, prostitutes, and sadists, along with supernatural monsters. But can he solve the case when his own haunting memories keep surfacing, telling him exactly what kind of man he was in life?
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Hello and happy summer. My name is Emily and thank you for giving me some of your time.
Was writing your first love?
My relationship with writing goes beyond love. Once upon a time, I was a teen and not well-adjusted. A high school teacher introduced me to the wonders of literature and also artistic expression using the written word as a medium. It quickly became part of my dna. These days, I live to write and I write to live.
Where do you like to write?
I like the idea that I can write in any location. I like it, but it isn’t always true. The answer that makes sense to me is: I like to write where I feel comfortable. Cafes. Libraries. The park. The beach. At home. My workspace is mobile. My tools are mobile. It really is a matter of going out and discovering a new writing place. Or, if I don’t feel like going out, then I can stay in.
Is writing everything you thought it would be?
No. If it were all I thought it would be, then I would have grown bored of it a long time ago. Every story is unique and requires new approaches. And since I like to experiment, every story provides a new challenge.
Who is/was your favourite character to write about?
Actually, I have favorite character interactions. Like, I enjoy the way Jenn and Maeve go at it, because it’s so much like a sibling relationship, even though the two women are not related. I will say that it is a pleasure writing Wendell the Great, the Wizard; just about everything he says is quotable, and his mastery of magic is currently unparalleled.
For Absolution: Redux, the interactions between the main characters, Raymond Adams and Jenn, were the most fun to write.
How do you form your story ideas?
My brain is constantly bombarded with stimuli. The more traumatizing the stimuli, the more likely that it will become a seed that will grow into a story.
For example, a family member hit me with passive aggressive insult that really got me. It later became the basis of a short story.
For genre stories, like fantasy and mystery, it’s a bit different. The core story is what the reader will relate to—a coming of age story; a family saga; a friendship or love that perseveres. But the other stuff, world building and magical systems, they require a ton of thinking and research.
Sometimes, I get a story idea, but it doesn’t work when I try to flesh it out. Later, that failed story may grow into something completely different because I combined it with a new story idea.
Do you keep notes during the day? (In case something inspires you or, if you had a lively conversation and thought, “Hey that would be great in a book.”)
I remember when I had to do that in the 90s and 2000s. These days, my smartphone has a ton of productivity apps that help me with that. At times, I will get an idea and record it—either as an email, or a text message, or in my notes. The digital note is there to remind me of the idea. Conversations are great for dialogue ideas, especially if it’s a lively discussion. I take apart the conversation and look at the components: How the other person phrased their thoughts; the way the vocabulary changed over time; emotional outbursts; body language.
Do you write in one sitting or in bursts?
That depends on the story. But I guarantee I won’t write a novel in one sitting. If it’s a piece of flash fiction or a short, short story, then I try to get it out in one sitting. For longer works, I plan out a chapter or two and write them. Every now and then I will write a scene or a chapter in a burst of creativity.
What was the last book you read? Did it live up to your expectations?
The knees and the nose! The book was Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. It is supposed to be a great book, a masterpiece. I tell you, that Rushdie fellow has some talent. The novel lived up to my expectations. I think if I had read that earlier in life, it would have been a great influence.
What are some of your most difficult parts to write?
Key moments in the story are difficult to write. Whether it’s a conversation or a fight, the importance of the moment is sometimes difficult to capture.
Did this book follow your original plan? Or did it turn into something completely different?
Absolution: Redux is a new version of the original Absolution, so you could say it became something different. The original Absolution was part of a trilogy. Absolution: Redux is part of a planned series that will, when it’s finished, be more than twenty novels and stories.
Did your characters ever stop talking to you at any point in your writing?
I don’t do that type of exercise. I often picture real people talking to me all the time; imaginary conversations are part of an over-active imagination. To do that with fictional characters would be problematic. One day, I might not know who is real and who isn’t.
Was it hard to stay motivated during your writing process? What were some of your go-to strategies to stay on point?
There are times when you just want to put the story away and go do something else, anything else. What I do when I feel that way is take a moment. Go watch a movie. Eat ice cream. Drink coffee. Watch some tv. Bing a show on a streaming app. Or…spend time with a friend. That always helps and I can go back and write.
Do you have a playlist for this book?
I don’t usually create playlists for a story. But music helps in a number of ways. If I’m revising a manuscript and need to drown out the background noise, I will play classical music. For stories, it’s a bit more complex. Sometimes, a song will help me develop a story idea.
There is no way to predict what song goes with what story; it happens on its own: I will be listening to the radio in my car or going through my music library and I start to visualize fictional events.
When a song becomes attached to a story, I listen to it to help me see events in the plot or just to motivate me. Usually, the events I see will play out like a movie trailer.
Lastly, what is one key piece of advice you would give to anyone wishing to go down the writing path?
Every writer has preferences when it comes to writing; time to write; where to do it; what to drink during; what to do before and after; how much to write per sitting; etc. Experiment to discover your preferences. And always remember, in the battle of the preferences, yours should always come out on top.
Thank you for your time today :)
And thank you for having me here, Emily!
Louis Corsair is an eight-year veteran of the United States Army. Currently living in Los Angeles, California, he spends his time reading books, going on walks, writing, and enjoying the occasional visit to the beach–while trying to earn an honest buck. As a Los Angeles writer, he feels the weight of famous Los Angeles novelists, like Raymond Chandler, John Fante, Nina Revoyr, among others.
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Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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