What is The Judas Legacy all about?
Imagine ancient relics that have been cursed with the power to manipulate, and that for 2000 years they have been used by tyrants and malevolent people, to rule. A secret society, known only as The Order has fought to obscure these relics from abuse.
What are the powerful talismans? The thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas Iscariot. Every few generations these relics reveal themselves, and The Order rises to action.
Billionaire and megalomaniac Thaddeus Robinson has learned of the power in these silver pieces and is accumulating them to create a business and political empire.
Maricia, a young museum curator, has discovered this plot and intercepts Thaddeus’ latest acquisition. Fearful of having this coin in her possession, Maricia sends the relic to old friends, Brad and Dian, for safekeeping. Brad is a rare coin dealer and Maricia hopes he can keep the coin from Thaddeus.
When Thaddeus and his henchmen discover the missing piece, they kidnap Maricia’s daughter in exchange for the coin. At the same time, The Order is searching for the coin. If they get it, Maricia may never see her daughter again.
Now Maricia, Brad and Dian must race against time to save Maricia’s daughter and keep the coin away from Thaddeus, who will abuse the coins’ power.
What inspired you to write The Judas Legacy?
When I was younger, I worked in two diverse industries – books and numismatics. Beyond the desire to create a story of a hero’s journey after reading Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, and others, I often had what if moments in dealing with rare and ancient coins.
I pondered what the individual history of each coin was. Had they been carried through wars, through moments in history that we can only start to imagine? Had they been used by good or bad people over time? What if some of the worst people in history had handled them?
Basically, if the coins could talk, what would they say?
Being a fan of Stephen King, a thought occurred to me: it was possible a coin could be cursed, and those who touched them, fell to that curse.
What more iconic pieces than the silver paid to Judas Iscariot?
The rest of the story evolved from that.
What is your target audience for The Judas Legacy?
My target audience is as diverse as the thriller market is.
First and foremost, those who like action thrillers where the fate of the world, or at the very least, a kidnapped
child, is at stake, will enjoy this.
Those who want to believe in unlikely heroes rising to the challenge will find relatable characters in The Judas
Legacy.
Finally, those who like a twisted ending, with a touch of magical realism throughout, will walk away satisfied.
(One surprise for me is who the readers pick as their favorite characters after reading the ending.)
What do you hope readers could get out of The Judas Legacy?
Beyond reading an entertaining story? Running with the idea of heroes emerging from regular life, I hope readers will walk away with the same feelings I have when I read action thrillers – that seemingly impossible odds can be overcome.
At the same time, The Judas Legacy has enough realistic historical connections, I want readers to begin to question the what ifs about history like I did when handling old money.
Some themes arose while writing the story that surprised me when it was done.
Trust, betrayal, fatherhood, both good and bad, and conspiracies. I hope readers will enjoy The Judas Legacy enough to remember these themes.
What are your future goals/plans for the book?
The Judas Legacy is the beginning of the Apocalypse Series. Fans will follow the main characters in the book as they discover more about these evil talismans, The Order, and how easy it is to fall prey to corruption. We’re just starting this journey and so far, the readers I’ve connected with love the story and are awaiting book two in the series, Kayne’s Revenge.
And something more about yourself.
I was born in Calgary, Alberta but lived the first decade of my life in Oregon. We returned to Canada when I was a tweener. I love sports and baseball brought me back to the States for college until injuries curtailed any hope, slim as it might have been, of playing professionally.
I started writing The Judas Legacy when I was in my 20s. At the time, I had an interesting premise but not enough personal experience to pen characters with deep enough lives themselves. The book was put on hold as my wife, and I, raised our two special needs children. Through those years, I worked in retail book sales, numismatics, website development, human resources, and real estate. Those diverse career experiences, along with learning how to raise neuro-diverse children, helped give me a breadth and depth of knowledge into human nature, to make The Judas Legacy believable. For over a decade I have helped with Special Olympics as a volunteer and coach and watched my children win Provincial and National medals with Special Olympics.
Thank you to Authors’ Lounge for the opportunity to share this glimpse into my writing!
I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and IG, or at Leesman.ca.
The Judas Legacy is on Amazon or you can read the first 10 chapters for free.
