QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Raymond Khoury, one of the authors spotlighted in our Debut Suspense/Thriller feature, answers readers' questions about the process of writing THE LAST TEMPLAR, what elements of the story are based on historical fact, and the twist that occurs in the book's epilogue.

Jorge from Alameda, CA: Mr. Khoury, have you ever been to any of the places mentioned in the book? How did you come up with the story's concept? What were you thinking of creating? Was the result what you had planned or did you have a different story in mind? Where were you when the bulb lit and you thought, "Hey, four horsemen dressed as Knights Templar will be attacking the Met"? Good luck, and best wishes on the success of THE LAST TEMPLAR.

Raymond Khoury: Thanks, Jorge. To try and answer your questions: I've spent a lot of time on Greek islands over the years, I'm particularly fond of them and love being there. In fact, I wrote the last quarter of the book while sailing around the Ionian islands. I haven't yet been to Turkey, although I'm planning a trip there this summer. The story's concept came out of researching the Templars, and reading up about the legends associated with them, this idea that their mythical treasure was never found, and the notion that it could be esoteric rather than monetary. But I was setting out to write a contemporary thriller relating to this missing treasure, and things fell into place pretty quickly once the idea of faith vs. science became the central issue of my story.

The four horsemen...it's a moment of inspiration that's really served me well, it's a visual set piece that's really caught people's imaginations over the years. Eric Fellner, probably the UK's top movie producer (Bridget Jones, Notting Hill, etc) once called it "the greatest unfilmed scene he'd ever read." (This was back when it was a screenplay --- more on that on my website, in the interviews).

Mike from Albuquerque, NM: What elements of the story are based on historical fact? Were the locations based on known history or were they arbitrary choices?

Raymond Khoury: Mike, the history of the Templars is based on fact, in that they were defeated at Acre, rounded up a few years later in Europe, accused of heresies, and a lot of them were burnt at the stake (slowly over hot coal, actually, which sounds even more horrific). Everything in the book about the gnostic gospels and the way the Bible came to be, about Jefferson, that's all true. What I made up is the specific adventure of Aimard, Martin and their band of Templars, the notion that they were entrusted with "something" and what it was --- and the decoder, that's fiction. For the locations, I looked at what we know about the route Templar galleys would take --- typically, sailing from Southern Italy, along the coast, down to Acre --- and worked from there, choosing locations that would work dramatically and would also be believable, in the sense of having islands nearby that they could reach.

Nora from Crawfordsville, IN: You may think this a specious question, but it is sincere. Do you believe that you invent your characters, or do you feel that they are out there, waiting for someone to listen to their stories? Are you their creator or their scribe?

Raymond Khoury: Tough question, Nora. I don't know. Sometimes it's hard to give a voice to a character. Other characters write themselves, and I'm not sure why that is. In my screenplays it happens all the time, some are more successful and better drawn, they sound more "real" than others. I think they're inevitably influenced by things we've seen or heard, people we've come across. I think strong characters will inevitably have something factually-based about them. So in that sense, maybe they're more "compiled" than invented...

Susan from Winter Park, FL: Were you writing this book before THE DA VINCI CODE came out, or was it a result of the hoopla that resulted from that book?

Raymond Khoury: This is such a long story, Susan. If you have the patience, check out the interview on my website (www.thelasttemplar.com), which explains it in more detail. In a nutshell, though: I wrote this story as an original screenplay back in 1996! And back then, a publisher got hold of it and I was offered a huge advance for them to turn it into a book. Only they had a small change in mind: they wanted to "lose the religion" and turn it into a hunt for gold, jewels, treasure. I said no, which was a huge decision to make. The screenplay did, however, kick start my screenwriting career, and I was working solidly ever since, only not on this story.

Then in 2000, I signed up with the William Morris Agency and my new agent there kept calling me, telling me to write THE LAST TEMPLAR as a novel myself. I did --- and halfway through it, THE DA VINCI CODE came out. I read it, really liked it, and thought it was the worst thing that could have happened. As it turns out, it paved the way and opened up a curiosity in people about the topic, so it's all worked out beautifully.

Diana from Port Arthur, TX: What was your main source of information/inspiration that put the twist in the last chapter? I ask because I do not necessarily think the Bible is verbatim the words of Jesus and often get into debates about what is real and what we believe.

Raymond Khoury: Diana, this is a tricky question to answer without giving away the ending of the book! My thinking was that this was first and foremost a fiction thriller, and it's one thing to explore the historic origin of a religion, and another to propose something as fact, albeit a "fictional" one if that makes sense. I was more interested in exploring the "what if" about the situation. Sorry if that's not specific enough!

Rose from Vinton, LA: Was the epilogue planned from the start or was it added in at the end to stave off objections?

Raymond Khoury: When I sat down to write the book, which is structured differently from the screenplay, it became clear to me that Martin's story would be a major part of the story, and that ending the book with his tale would be a nice way to go. The twist in the epilogue came out of my thinking about what the Templars were really doing in Jerusalem for those first few years, and that, like I said above, I was more interested in the "what if" than in proposing a fact that is ultimately made up. The reservations a few people of faith have expressed, and there haven't been many of those as the message of the book is meant to be (and, I think, accepted as) an uplifting one, are more about the history of the Church and the Bible than about the Templars' discovery.

Barbara from Union, NJ: When's the next book out?

Raymond Khoury: Barbara, the plan is for me to finish it by the end of the year, and publish it sometime in 2007.

Maggie from Woods Hole, MA: What's next? Do you scuba dive? As a diver, I was pleased to read a not-too-over-the-top diving sequence, although I suffered for our heroes trapped in their wetsuits for hours.

Raymond Khoury: Maggie, I occasionally scuba dive, though I have to admit I'm very nervous when I'm underwater, I find myself constantly looking around searching for a great white bearing down on me. Plus, and this always makes my wife laugh, I have some kind of buoyancy problem, which means I'm always floating up and to be weighted down --- maybe it's my body telling me it prefers to be on the water, not knowing what's underneath, than below. We're going to the Maldives next month, and I'll give it another go...

Karen from Lenexa, KS: I don't have any questions for Mr. Khoury, but I wish him well with his book.

Raymond Khoury: Thank you very much, Karen!

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