Author: Byron Justice
ISBN: 978-0-9701793-4-0

The following interview was contributed by: Mary Simmons: Click Here To Read Mary's Reviews: To read Mary's review of the book CLICK HERE

Mary: What sparked your interest in the Apocalypse and what made you decide to
write a book on the subject?

Byron:   The Left Behind series rekindled my interest in the Apocalypse, but it
was only about those left behind, and I didn't relate well to the
characters. I saw the movie Armageddon that wasn't even about Armageddon. I
love disaster movies, but they all take place in New York, L.A., or Chicago.
I'm from Houston, and I think we're worthy of a great disaster here
("Violent Night" was at the printer when Houston evacuated from the path of
Hurricane Rita!). So I wrote a novel about the greatest disaster of all, and I dared to take
ordinary characters beyond the Apocalypse to The Other Side. It helped that
I've had a vision of The Other Side in my head since I was a toddler (insert
Twilight Zone theme here).

Mary: Weather plays an important part in the advent of the Harvest in your book.
Do you see current weather patterns as signs and should people be taking
heed? In other words, is there any way to predict the Harvest?

Byron:   The tsunami last year, as did hurricanes Katrina and Rita, set records.
To some, these were coincidences, flukes. To others, they were what the
Bible calls "birth-pangs." A third group blames it all on global warming. I
travel with the birth-pangs group. The timing of the Harvest depends on how
we react to the warnings; so only God, if anyone, could attach a date to it.
When everybody who will take a side has done so, the Apocalypse will come.

Mary: Violence is prevalent in the book, as suggested by the title, 'Violent
Night,' and you seem to suggest there are times when it is inevitable. Is this accurate and what was your thought  process when it came to this aspect of the book?

Byron:  Inevitable? Of course. Bad? No more so than rain is. Rain takes lives in
floods; rain gives life to deserts. Our culture of political correctness
equates all violence with evil, despite the fact the Bible accepts it.
I'm not pacifist or politically correct. I don't respect the man who
depends on a gun to solve problems, but I'd take the black eye rather than
the lawsuit. Some of the characters in the book disagree with me on that.
We're still arguing about the role of violence in the Christian realm.

Mary: In 'Violent Night' you reference many aspects of pop culture, particularly
classic rock music. At one point, the characters debate analog versus
digital technology. Do you think the advances in technology have helped or
hindered our society?

Byron: A Simpsons episode comes to mind. Springfield gathers in their new
concert hall to hear Beethoven's Fifth Symphony; they walk out after the
first four notes because "the rest is just filler." Lenny says it sounds
better on his cell phone. Too many people worship technology for its hype,
not its merits.

As a record collector, I argue that digitized music is no longer the
vibration of sound on a medium. It is an imitation of sound. No one can
claim technology doesn't help our society (BookPleasures.com is itself a
welcome use of technology), but I don't understand why some of us prefer a
virtual world when there's an awesome real world just outside the window.

Mary: You have said The Other Side is your personal vision of Utopia. How does this differ from your vision of Heaven  and how does the latter fit into your version of the post-Apocalyptic world?

Byron:  I do not have a vision of Heaven, just an understanding that it is
eternal life (though not confined to this body). The post-Apocalyptic world
of "Violent Night" is two living worlds isolated by The Place of Judgment.
Death in either world would land a soul in Heaven, Hell, or lost somewhere
between.

Mary: Jesus Christ plays his own role in 'Violent Night.' You describe him as, "a young man paddling a blue  kayak, floating toward the picnic area. His rounded face was framed in  straight copper-colored hair that looked metallic in the sun. With the
wire-rimmed glasses, he resembled John Denver." Where did this vision of
Christ come from?

Byron:  I couldn't think of a kinder face than that of John Denver. I like Jack
Nicholson too, but he's not right for the part.

Mary: You are planning a sequel to 'Violent Night.' What can readers expect in
the second installment and when will it be available?

Byron:  In the next book, the Temple Shadows Gang will be forced to participate
in Armageddon to save the world (all three parts) from the Antichrist.
Buster Murphy, the antagonist from "Violent Night," plays a key role. Sorry,
pacifists, looks like more violence ahead! I am finishing a compilation of
ghost stories now, so the sequel to "Violent Night" won't be out until 2008.

Mary: Before we end the interview, is there anything else you would like to add?

 Thank you for inviting me for this interview. I welcome comments from
readers through the book's website.