We Are Not Saints Series
Interview with the author, H. Les Brown
My name is Jay Carson, and I’m pleased to have been invited to interview the author of the fiction series, We Are Not Saints. H. Les Brown is an up-and-coming novelist who’s uncovered a new collection of fascinating characters, and he’s written about his discoveries in a series of four books. Here’s our interview.
Jay Les, before we get into your series, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Les Thanks, Jay. There’s almost too much to tell. Very early on, I got into the learning game, and I’ve got a couple of masters degrees to show for it.
Jay What were your areas of study?
Les My degrees are in philosophy and theology. I became fascinated with language and how people use it to share meaning with one another.
Jay You mean like, “What is truth?”
Les Yes, but more than that. How do we create common perceptions, common experiences, common emotions, or share one another’s thoughts and ideas?
Jay That sounds like philosophy, alright. What about the theology part?
Les It’s almost the same thing, only how we share our spiritual experiences. Do two people even mean the same thing when they say the word “God”?
Jay Pretty speculative stuff. Did you get to use it in real life?
Les All the time. It was an essential tool when I was active in the ministry, but it’s really driven everything I’ve done since then.
Jay Can you give us some examples?
Les Sure. I was a tech writer for a short time, and that was a hundred percent communication. Then, a computer programmer. That’s entirely language and logic. As a life coach, asking the right questions and listening to what was behind clients’ answers was what it was all about. Should I go on?
Jay How about we move on to your new series, We Are Not Saints. How did you come to write it?
Les Believe it or not, I discovered a group of characters who were anxious for me to tell their stories. A few of them wouldn’t leave me alone until I did.
Jay Interesting. Tell us something about them.
Les Okay. There are rather a lot of them, but there are four guys who stand out. My husband calls them “three priests and a dude.” Their names are Jared, Paul, Jeff, and Randy. The first three guys are Catholic priests and the fourth, Randy, is a teen. Each of them has a book dedicated to him in the series.
Jay How are they related to each other?
Les They all at least know each other, some have been very close, and they have a lot in common. They’re all gay guys who are dedicated to their faith.
Jay So, these very religious guys are struggling with their sexuality?
Les Not really. Certainly their being gay has a big impact on their lives, but their conflicts come from other sources: mainly coping with the same kinds of damaged relationships we all have to face. Sometimes, they deal with them well, sometimes not. All the “religious” people you’ll meet in these stories are multidimensional. Their sexuality doesn’t define them any more than their spirituality does.
Jay I’d be anxious to meet them.
Les I’m happy to hear you say that. They’re just as anxious to meet you. Would you like to interview them?
Jay Absolutely! Could you get them to talk to me?
Les In a heartbeat. A couple of them have been clamoring to go first. They’ll be in touch.
Jay I’m ready whenever they are. And thank you, Les, for taking the time to talk with me. I’m excited to learn more about these guys and their stories.
…Until next time!
