Judas, Otherwise follows a deeply human Judas Iscariot as Roman violence, family loyalty, spiritual longing, and political unrest shape him into a man whose misdirected love leads him toward history’s most infamous betrayal. What drew you to reimagining Judas as a man wrestling with fear, love, and choice?

Ever since I was a child, I have struggled with the idea that Judas was chosen by Jesus to follow Him, favored among the disciples, and tasked with a responsibility to deliver Jesus as was needed for Him to complete his path and provide salvation to all… and in all of this, Judas was the only one who had no free will, no choice, and then gets vilified for eternity.  The Bible tells the necessary tale, but we have no idea who Judas was, or how he became the man who could fulfill what was needed.

The novel asks whether Judas was truly free to choose differently. How did you approach that question without making the story feel irreverent or overly revisionist?

This was of the utmost importance to me.  I had no desire to challenge God, Jesus, or the Bible.  I didn’t want to challenge anyone’s faith or beliefs.  My goal was to give backstory, to explain that Judas was a man, was chosen by Jesus, and completed a task nobody else could be counted on to do.  I wasn’t apologizing for Judas, or making him seem like a hero.  I just felt that Judas deserved to be understood and then let people decide for themselves if his legacy was fair.

The conversations between Judas, Shimon, Ezran, Matthew, Peter, and Jesus carry much of the book’s moral tension. How did you develop such distinct voices for each of them?

I did my research through the Bible and available texts and tried to keep the spirit of each man, and Mary of Bethany alive and distinct.  It was important to me that the interactions between them all had weight and merit and not just added fluff.  It was especially important where Jesus was concerned because adding dialogue to Jesus had to be consistent and fair to his spirit as much as it can be known.  I didn’t want to attempt to change anyone or give them characteristics that didn’t appear anywhere else.  I didn’t want cartoons of those sacred to the story.

What do you hope readers take away from Judas’s tragedy, especially in the way the novel frames his downfall as misdirected love rather than simple evil?

I would like for people to have an open mind about Judas.  He was human like the rest of us and given the most hateful task in history, even though it had to be done for Jesus to be able to offer the world salvation through His blood and sacrifice.  Jesus died for everyone, and I find it hard to believe that He didn’t immediately forgive Judas – and perhaps no forgiveness was needed since Judas did what had to be done.  I guess someday we may all know the truth, but since Jesus tasked everyone with being forgiving it would seem that Judas was just as deserving or at least worth a deeper thought.

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