Jack Kerr Interview

INTERVIEW WITH JACK KERR FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) The book questions good and evil and, of course, brings in the character of the Devil. At times, also the character of the Devil. Do you believe there is a Devil in the world, or was he more of a representation in the book?

JK) Three dramatic references to the Devil can be found in the Bible: 1) In the Old Testament, Lucifer, the beloved angel, sitting at the right hand of God; 2) an innocuous-looking snake with an apple in the Garden of Eden; and 3) in the New Testament, a friend kissing Jesus on the cheek after supper. The most powerful theme about evil in these dramatic representations is that it always appears to be something else--innocence, even good. So the nature of appearance and reality becomes the most deadly and devastating aspect of evil. In the Bible, it is called the Devil. In the world about us, it can take on many different faces, and because of its nature, it can wreak havoc before society recognizes that the Devil is reallyloose. In this sense, there are legions of people in the world who walk in the shadow of Lucifer and who can be identified in the mythic sense as devils.

DM) Judas kissing Jesus was a symbol of the Devil?

JK) The ninth circle of Dante's Inferno is a frozen sea, the Cocytus, representing the ultimate acts of evil, treason, the betrayal of love and trust. These are the only acts that have the destruction of love and trust as a major pre-requisite, and run a whole gambit of possibilities, kindred, country, guest, lords, and ultimately God. The damned here are forever held in ice--evil being a part of their nature. In the center of this great sea is a hole with Satan standing in it, devouring the three arch traitors, Brutus, Cassius, and Judas. Shakespeare effectively took care of this medieval view of Brutus and Cassius, especially Brutus, whom he depicts as "the noblest Roman of them all." Judas, however, can still stand as Dante's image of Evil--betraying to death his friend and master. In the Christian sense, betraying God was the ultimate evil, according to Dante.

DM) Are you saying that Judas was a literary representation of the Devil or actually the Devil incarnate?

JK) If you agree that Lucifer, Satan, ergo the Devil, equals Evil, I suppose you can use the word "incarnate." So Judas could fit as well as Howard in The Devil and Lieutenant Hilderbrand.

DM) When did you first start writing The Devil and Lieutenant Hilderbrand, and how close is the book to your original version?

JK) I started writing the Hilderbrand project several years ago. Two sequels, Of Graves and Worms and Epitaphs and Murder in East Texas have been finished. The fourth, The Pentagram Murders,is in progress now. The conclusion of The Devil and Lieutenant Hilderbrand was radically changed from its original version, that ended in Howard's capture and trial. It became obvious this ending was not going to work.. So one day I was driving by the Walls Unit in downtown Hunstville when I got the idea for a possible new ending based on a plot gimmick, one that had been used in literature and films many times before ­ someone escaping execution, the rope or the electric chair in particular. I made an appointment with an assistant warden, who, in effect, walked me through the execution routine used in lethal injections; and afterward, he gave me a pamphlet that described how the process is handled from fourteen days out. In the novel, I used the pamphlet, putting holes in steps that could possibly help someone beat the needle for literary purposes, like the rope or the electric chair. As you can understand, I left the end deliberately ambiguous. Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, noted Texas attorney, wrote a review in which he says " ... fantastic. Scary when you know it could happen."

DM) Do you worry that you might inspire others to follow those steps?

JK) If you are talking about the character of Howard in The Devil and Lieutenant Hilderbrand, he is not glorified but rather is painted in a most dark and sinister way, coming to the end he deserves. However, if you are talking about his attempted escape from lethal injection, I would think "no." The story leaves whether this was successful or not ambiguous. Bedsides that, Howard spent afortune in arranging his escape, according to Lieutenant Hilderbrand. We allknow that people who have money never wind up on Death Row.

DM) Do you believe that enough money can truly help somebody avoid getting convicted of almost any crime?

JK) Listen to Shakespeare's King Lear: Through tattered clothes small vices do appear,Robes and furrowed gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold and the lance of justice hurtless breaks.Armored in rags, a pigmy's straw does piece it.

DM) Some people describe writing as the perfect job where you get to follow your dreams, and others say that the hard work of writing a book is turning your dreams into a chore. Where do you stand?

JK) If you interpret "dream" in an idealistic way, writing something ethereal, I'd say the first could apply with a touch of chore. But if you are writing commercial fiction, then character, plot, entrance, exits, etc. dominate the writing process, with little of the dream aspect present. This type of writing can become a difficult chore.

DM) Would you have preferred to write for the fun or it or the "job" of it?

JK) A combination of both would be ideal.

DM) Is that ideal even possible, or is it that the second you start to write for the public, you instantly turn it into a job?

JR) I don't know, really. Sometimes it's fun and sometimes it's work, depending on where you are in the novel. At least I found it that way in The Devil and Lieutenant Hilderbrand and the two sequels that will follow: Of Graves, and Worms and Epitaphs and A Murder in East Texas.