Contemporary Adult Fiction/Satire
Date Published: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
The Jesus Nut tells the parallel stories of three unlikely pilgrims—a reviled professor, a delusional homeless veteran, and a priest who loves strip clubs—searching for the greatest religious relic of the 21st century. Thrown together after a raucous showdown with evangelists, they decide to ignore their differences and work as a team in pursuit of their holy purpose. Their journey to New York City leads to a fateful encounter with a former advertising executive, whose mad ramblings suggest he might be the very oracle to help them fulfill their destiny.
A quirky, subversive novel that addresses timely issues and lampoons evangelical hypocrisy, The Jesus Nut ultimately reveals itself to be a story of second chances and agape love. Along the way, you'll meet self-righteous academics, a curious and ambitious stripper, a farmer with a remarkable peanut, a trucker fascinated by the constellations, a profane church maintenance crew, and more. Prepare for an irreverent journey which will remind you of the value of friends and the miraculous power of faith.
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
Slowing down.
Sometimes, especially when I’m really enjoying a particular part of the story,
I tend to rush through it, neglecting the sensory description necessary to make
it work for the reader. There are times I’ve written pages of crackling dialog
only to find out that nobody in the conversation actually did anything, forcing
me to go back and add body language attributions or descriptions of the scenery
or whatever in order to enrich the scene.
What songs are most played on your
Ipod?
Lots of Led
Zeppelin these days. Frank Sinatra is a mainstay. And, as always, classic
soul—Marvin Gaye, Barry White, the Chi-Lights, etc. That’s what I listened to
as a kid, and it still makes me happy.
Do you have critique partners or beta
readers?
I was
fortunate to have tons of support. I had three beta readers who offered some
fantastic ideas that made the book significantly better. Then, after revision,
I joined a writer’s group in San Diego, which enabled me to receive chapter-by-chapter
critiques of the final third of my novel.
There is a
maxim in law that says, “A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a
client.” I’d say that concept is true of most occupations, and certainly valid
for writers. Honestly, I think anyone who does not avail themselves of critique
partners is either foolish or an infinitely better writer than I am, or both.
What book are you reading now?
At this very
moment, none. My Booklife review suggested The
Jesus Nut would be great for fans of Christopher Moore’s Lamb (which I loved) and Roland
Merullo’s Breakfast With Buddha, so I’ll
check that out soon. The review also said, “Prather on occasion unleashes the
scathing incredulity of a merciless satirist like Carl Hiaasen”—which I
consider exquisite praise—so I’ll read some more Hiaasen this summer. Finally,
Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel
and Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens
remain at the top of my pile.
How did you start your writing career?
I wrote a few
stories as a kid and wrote weird, funny dialogs in my high school Spanish class
so I didn’t have to do the boring ones in the textbook. A big push was becoming
friends with Michael Petryni, at the time the film critic for the Arizona Republic, which got me into
film. From there, I went to the University of Texas for an MA in screenwriting
and, I guess, the ball was rolling.
Tell us about your next release.
My summer
project is the screenplay of The Jesus
Nut. I don’t have any interest from a production company yet, but since I
was a screenwriter before I was a novelist, I’d like to write the adaptation so
that my lawyer and I can pursue actors or a director in an attempt to sell the
rights to Hollywood. Many of my readers and one of my pre-release reviews noted
that the story is very cinematic.
After that,
I’m not sure what’s next. I have a few ideas in various stages of outline, so
we’ll see which one inspires me the most.
Contact Links
Facebook: John Prather, Writer
Twitter: @JohnPrather3
Purchase Links
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