Welcome back, Valkyries!
This week, we’ve had the honor of participating in yet another stellar book tour with Xpresso Tours ♥ Today, we’re interviewing Louis Corsair, author of Absolution: Redux, an adult urban fantasy packed with psychics, murders, gangsters, and an MC brought back from the dead for 24 hours to solve a crime. So, pretty much lots of stuff we love in stories. Stick around after the interview for a special giveaway!
Official Summary
At the end of the original Absolution, the Executor traveled back in Time and altered Reality. But by doing so, he set in motion a plan to end his existence and collapse Creation. Because of his actions, there is Absolution: REDUX…
In 1947, a gangster murders private investigator Raymond Adams. In 2011, he’s brought back to life for 24 hours to solve the supernatural murder of a Hollywood Adult film star.
When the son of a Pit Lord is murdered in Hollywood, the celestial beings in charge of the Realms ask Raymond Adams to figure who did it and find the victim’s missing soul. Without memories of his life, he accepts the case to gain eternal peace. But the job is daunting:
24 hours to nab a killer…
24 hours to find a missing soul…
24 hours to unravel the victim’s exotic private life…
24 hours to stop a plot to send the universe into chaos…
With only the help of a possessed cop and a medium, Adams must trek through a Hollywood underground filled with pornography, prostitutes, and sadists, along with supernatural monsters. But can he solve the case when his own haunting memories keep surfacing, telling him exactly what kind of man he was in life?
Interview with Louis Corsair
Tell us about Absolution: Redux. What inspired you to write it?
CORSAIR: That question takes me back to 2010. Several elements came together that formed the original idea: I saw a story in the news about an adult film star murdered; I wondered what it would be like to write a supernatural mystery with a unique private investigator (Simon R. Green was killing it with the Nightside novels); I had re-read the Big Sleep.
It would have been nice if I could use the character of Philip Marlowe and bring him back to life to solve a crime in present-day Hollywood. But…you know…Chandler’s work isn’t in the public domain, so I created my own dead detective.
What was your process in approaching the story? How long did it take you to write it?
CORSAIR: I tried to write this particular story as a novella first. It was much shorter and I sent it to the Writers of the Future contest; it didn’t win. But rather than let the story go, I expanded it to the size of a novel. I created a rough draft of the novel in two months.
Then, through multiple revisions and edits, I got the novel called Absolution. The difference between that novel and Absolution: Redux is the world-building. Altogether, it took more than five years to put this novel together. My process is Rough Draft > First Draft > Working Draft > Final Draft.
What can you tell us about this new world where the story is set?
CORSAIR: The ‘new world’ the story is set is our world. I wanted the story to be as grounded as possible. I’m a big fan of that genre (the Urban Fantasy).
In Absolution: Redux, the magical and common place intersect. So, there are creatures that run bars; policemen who are more than they seem; pimps and prostitutes who unknowingly have a link to the Divine. Etc. The supernatural can be found in dark corners of Los Angeles and those that are well lit.
Which character in the story do you most relate to? What can you tell us about the major players in this story? Were there any characters who gave you a hard time?
CORSAIR: I think I most relate to my main character, Raymond Adams. He is struggling to do something decent when he dies. The rest of his story is an attempt to find the good in his deeds; all he really wants is forgiveness and maybe if he solves this murder he can get that. I don’t have a murder to solve, but it is a daily struggle to be as decent as one can be.
As for my characters…the major players in this little drama.
Jenn Adams is a young woman who lives by her own rules. She’s in her early 20s, but already, she’s seen more of the dark side of the world than most people her age. I would call her an agent of Good, but she’s not without her faults. She’s reckless and uses drugs to shut out the pain. The fact that she can speak with the dead isn’t helping.
Harry the Shadow Monger is a creature of the Dark—he is like a walking shadow. He is part of Raymond’s new world, the afterlife. Though Shadow Mongers usually stay away from human souls, Harry befriended Raymond and the two have been close since. Raymond calls in Harry to help him solve the murder; Harry’s experiences in the human world help him grow. In the end, he is no longer just a supernatural creature; he becomes a person.
And of course, the victim, Giovanni Dixon. He was a Pit lordling (the son of a Pit Lord and a human woman) who was in the adult film industry and was murdered filming one of those scenes. But he is a complex being. His father tried to make him cruel and to do so, he had to be cruel. The grotesque acts Giovanni committed made him guilty enough to act against his father and against those Divine beings that rule the universe. Simply put, he was going to perform a miracle that would have earned him and the rest of the world forgiveness. But…you know…the bad guys murdered him before that happened.
What can readers expect? What themes are present in Absolution Redux?
CORSAIR: This is a murder mystery. It is the typical whodunit with a supernatural twist. There are many like it, but this one is mine. The differences stand out; the gritty Hollywood in the novel is the Hollywood we live in, complete with all its disappointments and sorrow.
A big theme in the novel revolves around guilt and forgiveness. I won’t go into the other themes too much. I think it’s more enjoyable if the readers discover those.
What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing? What part of the book was the most fun to write?
CORSAIR: The most difficult part of the book was the climax. There are revelations and discussions and action, lots of action. The thing is that if you have a big info dump, it makes you groan, like gigantic blocks of dialogue. I tried my best to break all that up and at times, I don’t feel like I succeeded. But, here we are…
The scene I most enjoyed writing takes place in a bar. There is a fun interaction between an otherworldly being named Frank Marr, the main character (Raymond), and Jenn. Marr behaves one way and speaks quite differently. The main characters are caught off guard by his friendly nature, more so than his cruel temper and ultra-violent acts.
What has writing Absolution Redux meant to you, personally?
CORSAIR: The novel meant a great many things to me. It represents a period in my life. It is an accomplishment. It is a broken dream. It is, most importantly, a start. The story is the beginning of a bigger story. And I have invested my time to tell it. In many ways, it is a piece of me that I’m putting in writing. Long after I’m dead, that piece of me is still going to be there. My hope is that it doesn’t end up in the forgotten realm of stories told and never seen again.
What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?
CORSAIR: My stories often change in dramatic ways from rough draft to final draft. That is one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing. In the case of Absolution: Redux, the biggest change was the world-building. I had to go back to it after writing another novel in the Elohim Trilogy (The Wizards).
Is it a standalone or a series? If series, where do you see this story going? What kind of readers will most likely LOVE it?
CORSAIR: Absolution: Redux is part of a story called The Elohim Trilogy, which is composed of 7 novels. Yeah. A trilogy made up of more than three novels. Go figure. I blame it on poor planning. The majority of the other books are already published. I still have two to go and I will hopefully have those out before the end of this year.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
CORSAIR: The sequel is a complex story. That means that there are two books that can be called “a sequel to Absolution: Redux.”
The first book is called The Wizards, which includes short stories set in this world; it is a composite novel whose events follow the events of Absolution: Redux and even includes some of its characters.
The second book is called Ascension: Book Two of the Elohim Trilogy. Ascension is a direct sequel, which continues the story of Raymond Adams. The Wizards is an indirect sequel, which continues the overarching story started in the original Absolution.
What messages or insights do you hope readers will take from Absolution: Redux?
CORSAIR: I hope they can identify with the protagonist. Forgiveness is a process. It is an entity. A god.
A massive THANK YOU to Louis Corsair for joining us today on Bookish Valhalla, and to Xpresso Tours for being an amazing tour organizer, as usual ♥
Keep scrolling to learn more about the author, where to find his book, and enter the special giveaway!
About Louis Corsair
Louis Corsair is an eight-year veteran of the United States Army. Currently living in Los Angeles, California, he spends his time reading books, going on walks, writing, and enjoying the occasional visit to the beach–while trying to earn an honest buck. As a Los Angeles writer, he feels the weight of famous Los Angeles novelists, like Raymond Chandler, John Fante, Nina Revoyr, among others.
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