The Whisper of Pialigos
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do you pronounce Pialigos?
A: pē - ǍL -
ĭ - gōs
Q: What made you decide to write a book of fiction?
A: Like many
people, I love a good story that takes me to another time and place. Fiction
offers the opportunity and the challenge of conveying ideas in a way that is
both entertaining and informational, to show the dynamics of a character’s
change while he or she is involved in “real life” situations. For example,
we’re all looking for meaningful relationships, perhaps even that ultimate
soul mate. With fiction you can place a character in that seeking position,
show their quandary of trying to maintain relationships that don’t quite
fit, show their process of sorting through what is real and what is not, and
portray how they wrestle with their own values when confronted with a given
challenge. For me it’s not just a writing experience; it’s a form of
journaling, of self-counseling that helps me confront and maybe even resolve
my own issues that surround a particular problem. I also confess that I’m
addicted to the creative process, and fiction offers countless opportunities
to explore stimulating ideas in both fascinating and educational ways.
Q: Is Pialigos a real place?
A: Pialigos
is a composite island that is based on extensive research of the area. The
setting itself is incidental, designed to create atmosphere and to mentally
and emotionally transport the reader to a place that is different than the
one they inhabit on a day-to-day basis. I would not recommend booking your
next vacation to Pialigos. However, you would be quite safe booking one to
Santorini, another key island in the book.
Q: Isn’t it difficult to write about a place you’ve never been?
A: Not at all. As any writer will tell you, good research and a vivid
imagination are the keys to bringing people, places, and events to life. Who
would believe, for example, that a former insurance
salesman whose poor eyesight kept him out of military service, would
become a foremost authority on military culture? That would be Tom Clancy.
As far as anyone knows, James Patterson has not committed even one of the
grisly murders he writes about. And it’s unlikely that Nora Roberts, who
holds family values in high regard, has ever engaged in anything resembling
one of the illicit affairs she is so capable of describing. With volumes of
information available on virtually any subject, a writer can provide
sufficient detail to engage the reader’s imagination, to empower them to
“overhear” conversations that have never taken place, and to experience a
piece of the world from inside the head of a character who never existed.
Q: What made you decide to use Santorini as a backdrop for your story?
A: The island has an extremely intriguing
history, especially to an armchair archeologist like myself. Santorini is
the modern name for the ancient volcanic
Q: You have been a Unity minister for the last twenty-five years. Is
The Whisper of Pialigos a
religious novel?
A: No, the
story is not religious but it does contain a number of spiritual themes. The
concepts of the inner journey, soul mates, and the possibility of
reincarnation are among those explored. There is also speculation on the
“missing” years of Jesus and his possible Essene connection. In this sense,
the story should be read as thought provoking entertainment rather than as a
definitive attempt to unravel the historical mysteries surrounding these
fascinating subjects. I will add, however, that the story contains
substantial amounts of solid biblical and historical scholarship.
Q: Your nonfiction books have a strong spiritual focus. Is it difficult to
shift to writing fiction with emphasis on story and action rather than on
spiritual principles?
No. So much of life is story and action. Life is a journey of Self-discovery
and a process of evolving values from a superficial to a more permanent,
universal grounding. The Whisper of
Pialigos presents
in story form a dynamic demonstration of this process.
The Three Measures of Wisdom
are what I consider the essence, the foundation
of all spiritual teachings. Every other metaphysical concept is true because
The Three Measures of Wisdom
are true. If you want to know my definition of
Truth, you will find it embodied in this trinity of ideas. I don’t think
I’ve put it forth any clearer in any other book I’ve written.
Q: People tend to see ministers in a certain light. Your novel contains some
profanity, allusions to sex, and some violence. Were you concerned that this
might shock some of your readers who know you only as a spiritual writer?
Yes and no is the answer to the question. This story reveals a side of me,
the artistic side, that not everyone has seen. To
be believable, I felt the story required the elements I included. If a
reader is shocked, it won’t be because these particular elements are in the
story, but only because I, a minister, wrote them. I think a lot of people
get the idea that ministers live in a kind of bubble that is removed from
the reality most people experience. Actually ministry, somewhat like law
enforcement, places you at a pretty raw edge of humanity. If I hadn’t
already been exposed to the full range of expletives before I was ordained,
I would have heard them all in the first couple of years. We’re not
protected from that side of humanity. In fact, we’re often thrust into it
far deeper than the average person is willing to go. I’m not shocked by the
way this story came out; I don’t see why anyone else should be.
Q: How did you come up with your cast of characters?
While none of
the characters are based on anyone specifically, my years working with
people have provided an insight into human nature that helps bring the
book’s characters to life. The characters are real in the sense that they
are believable. Their extraordinary behavior arises from the extraordinary
circumstances in which they are placed, but they express the same doubts and
fears that most anyone in similar circumstances would experience. The story
itself shaped the characters and several of my original ideas became extinct
as things evolved. Other characters cried out to be added. Still others
started out in one role and ended up taking another. The two main
characters, Stuart Adams and Niki Mikos, have been on board from the
beginning.
Q: You portray Pialigos as an island containing an ancient Pialigarian
monastery. What are the basic tenants of the Pialigarian belief system?
A: The Pialigarians are depicted as the mystical, priestly heart of the
Minoan culture who survived Thera’s eruption but
lost their wisdom when that civilization was forced to scatter. What
survives through the Pialigarians is the Minoan concept of a deity known as
the Great Mother. Through the Zadim,
the subtle voice of intuition, the Great Mother quietly guides
each of her children. The individual’s path of life is perceived as a great
labyrinth spanning a multitude of incarnations. The Great Mother, like any
good earthly mother, is compassionate, nonjudgmental, eternally patient in
allowing each of her children to gradually find their way through their own
labyrinth and back to their Cosmic unity.
Pialigarian scripture predicts the return of a prophet who will reveal to
the world the lost, Three Measures of
Wisdom, secret knowledge that made the Minoans great. Once
restored, this knowledge will bring success to all who obtain it and it
promises a global revolution in human consciousness that will create a world
“sweet with the fragrance of peace.”
Q: Where did you get the word, Zadim?
A: I contacted a scholar who is involved in deciphering the
linear
B script and I asked him if he had discovered any Minoan words
relating to spiritual concepts. He wrote back explaining that the closest he
could think of were
za, meaning
life, and
dim, meaning
spirit. I combined the words
into Zadim, or
life spirit, which the
Pialigarians portray as an inner, very quiet force of guidance. I discovered
through another scholarly paper that this word also means “stone cutter” or
“bow maker” in an ancient Babylonian context.
Q: How long did it take you to write The
Whisper of Pialigos?
A: Writing the original story took about six months. Bringing it to the
story it is today evolved over a period of six years. For a number of years
I submitted the manuscript to publishers and agents simply as
The Scroll. Through countless
rewrites and evolving ideas it became
The Whisper of Pialigos.
Q: Is your book anything like The
Celestine Prophesy or The
Da Vinci Code?
A: Any similarities are purely coincidental since I have only read excerpts
from both books. I did recently buy The
Da Vinci Code at a church book sale
but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. When
The Celestine Prophesy first
appeared, I put it down after the first chapter because it just didn’t
resonate with me. I was several years into working on my own book when
The Da Vinci
Code made its splash. Recently I watched the movie versions of
both books, so I think I know enough about them to safely say that mine is
indeed a very different story.
Q: You have two nonfiction books in print. Was it difficult to switch from
writing nonfiction to fiction?
A: I’ve jokingly said that in writing nonfiction you have to keep your facts
straight. With fiction, you have to keep your lies straight. Both forms of
writing offer their own rewards and challenges and both require great
discipline. Writing nonfiction is a relatively straightforward process of
presenting facts. Fiction is a presentation of facts, but in a
showing rather than telling type
of way. You show through action, internal and external dialogue. You want
your reader to experience
your story, so you make a conscious effort to engage a variety of senses.
Because of this, writing fiction is, for me, more difficult than writing
nonfiction. But I love where I go when I’m working on it and I love what I
learn in the course of doing the research. It’s a creatively challenging
endeavor and I never want to stop learning how to do it better.
Q: Do you have other fiction and nonfiction projects in mind?
A: Yes, I
have both and I will introduce them when the time is right.