HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND
Genre: Christian Fiction; Mystery
Paperback: 298 pages
ISBN-10: 0692214968
ISBN-13: 978-0692214961
Titus Pollard is a critically acclaimed Classical, Jazz & Gospel
musician, educator, clinician, playwright, and actor.
He is personally responsible for teaching some of the most renowned
artisans of contemporary music. Some of his former students have been in the
employ of Dr. Bobby Jones, Maynard Ferguson, the New York Repertory Theatre,
Kelly Price, The Clark Sisters, The O’Jays, and the Morehouse Glee Club.
His most recent projects include the novels Hell In The Choirstand and
Living Right On Wrong Street. In addition to his writing, his most recent
projects include his role as Rev. Cole in the film A Black Woman’s Guide to
Getting Married (2008), the Gospel music CD Conversation with a Psalmist
(2007), and the musical director of the stage play The Whole House (2008). He
is probably best known for his world-renowned video instruction series Learn to
Play Gospel Piano (1989 - Present). He has been featured in three editions of
Jet magazine and BET television. He is currently the minister of music for
Springfield Baptist Church, Raleigh NC.
About The Book
There’s no battle like a spiritual one! In HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND,
Jeremiah David Day moves to the spiritually desolate city of Olds, Michigan.
Jeremiah, an anointed Gospel musician, receives an invitation from Rev. Daniel
Trantham, the pastor of Ezekiel Baptist Church, to become their minister of music.
Ezekiel’s congregation welcomes Jeremiah as he goes to work establishing the
music department as an army of worshippers, but Renard Singleton, the church
organist, feels that Jeremiah is unnecessarily disturbing the natural order of
things.
Renard resents being overlooked for the music minister position, and
enters into a spree of revenge against Jeremiah through botched choir
rehearsals and petty squabbles with individual singers. Renard concentrates the
majority of his activities, however, in the spiritual realm.
Unbeknownst to Jeremiah, Renard is a member of the Society of Tyrus; a
secretive, demonic cult of musicians with chapters (The Pentagrammatory) that
span across the country. Renard prepares a series of musical spells and
incantations; prescribed from their secret book (Codified Manual of Tyrus)
whose origin dates back to the 9th century and believed to be inspired by
Heaven’s (excommunicated) original chief musician, Lucifer. Renard’s intention
– use music to erect confusion among God’s people through the worship services.
Renard’s father, Adrian, attempts to dissuade his son’s scheme with
the admission of a thirty year old family secret, but it’s to no avail.
Equipped with the new information, Renard heightens his damnable acts – the
planting of arcane devices in Bibles, morbid musical arrangements, and secular
compositions that call for the eradication of the people of God. As the story
progresses, the Tyrus Society’s annual DOA – a nationwide strategic confusion
of church worship - is fast approaching, and Renard wants to be at the
forefront of the movement.
But God has sharpened Jeremiah’s weapon.
A battle ensues as the two musicians take up arms; Jeremiah embraces
the Lord while Renard clutches the Ras el-Ain. The result is a musical showdown
amidst a worship service where human and instrumental voices unite to summon
the ear of God and mobilize an angelic host.
The Heavens are telling! HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND is a revelation of the
power that music possesses and how faith in God restores and upholds a people,
a city, and the world.
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Author Interview
Author bio:
Titus Pollard is a critically acclaimed Classical, Jazz & Gospel musician,
educator, clinician, playwright, and actor.
His most recent projects include the novels
Hell In The Choirstand and Living Right On Wrong Street. In
addition to his writing, his most recent projects include his role as Rev. Cole
in the film A Black Woman’s Guide to Getting Married (2008), the Gospel music
CD Conversation with a Psalmist (2007), and the musical director of the stage
play The Whole House (2008). He is probably best known for his world-renowned
video instruction series Learn to Play Gospel Piano (1989 - Present). He has
been featured in three editions of Jet magazine
and BET television. He is currently
the minister of music for Springfield Baptist Church, Raleigh NC.
Personal favs:
Drink
– Arnold
Palmer (1/2 Sweet Tea & ½ Lemon Juice)
Food
– Meatloaf
with Potato Salad
Vacation
– New
Orleans is my vacation spot
TV show
– Perry
Mason
Movie
– The Book of Eli
Animal
– Labrador
Retrievers of any color
Sport
– Baseball
Book
- The Bible
Book title: HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND
Brief synopsis of your book:
There’s no battle like a
spiritual one! In HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND, Jeremiah David Day moves to the
spiritually desolate city of Olds, Michigan.
Jeremiah, an anointed Gospel musician, receives an invitation from Rev.
Daniel Trantham, the pastor of Ezekiel Baptist Church, to become their minister
of music. Ezekiel’s congregation
welcomes Jeremiah as he goes to work establishing the music department as an
army of worshippers, but Renard Singleton, the church organist, feels that
Jeremiah is unnecessarily disturbing the natural order of things.
Unbeknownst to Jeremiah, Renard
is a member of the Society of Tyrus; a secretive, demonic cult of musicians
with chapters (The Pentagrammatory) that span across the country. Renard prepares a series of musical spells
and incantations; prescribed from their secret book (Codified Manual of Tyrus)
whose origin dates back to the 9th century and believed to be
inspired by Heaven’s (excommunicated) original chief musician, Lucifer.
Renard’s intention – use music to erect confusion among God’s people through
the worship services.
A battle ensues as the two
musicians take up arms; Jeremiah embraces the Lord while Renard clutches the
Ras el-Ain. The result is a musical showdown amidst a worship service where
human and instrumental voices unite to summon the ear of God and mobilize an
angelic host.
The Heavens are telling! HELL IN
THE CHOIRSTAD is a revelation of the power that music possesses and how faith
in God restores and upholds a people, a city, and the world.
Current book or project you’re
working on:
I’ve never been a huge fan of sequels, but
the ending of this current novel seemed to flow into my current manuscript, HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND II: The Spawn of
Tyrus
What
was the inspiration for your novel?
I’m a minister’s son, a church worship
leader and a music teacher. Writing this book (for the most part) came natural.
Please
share three interesting facts about your book which are not covered in the
synopsis.
2. I need to make sure that this is understood – I had no idea that the
setting I chose for this novel is the same city where an actual Satanic Temple
existed!
2. The worship tunes that the main characters sing in the book are
actual songs which I’ve composed and will be released in the near future.
3. Of the book’s 60 chapters (♫ Verses), only two are outside of the
protagonist’s and the antagonist’s point-of-view (POV).
Who
is the most complex character from your current novel?
Renard Singleton (the antagonist)
intermingles a humanistic nature among his demonic presence.
Are there
any characters in your book that remind you of yourself?
I guess that the protagonist (Jeremiah Day)
has some of my characteristics.
If
you could pick any well-known or famous author to review your book who would
you pick and why?
If I had my choice, I would love to have
Frank Peretti (In Present Darkness) or William Paul Young (The Shack) review my
book. I believe that they would
understand the very essence of my story.
What, who, and when were you first inspired
you to write? I met Jacquelin Thomas at a dinner
party about 13 years ago. She dared me to write a novel. I took her on and
completed my first manuscript of 100,000 words, thirty days later. We laugh
about that challenge to this day!
Genre/Author/Reader:
What
genre does your book fall into? Christian
Fiction/Mystery & Suspense
What
is the first book you remember reading that affected how you thought or felt
about something? The Bible. Ever since I
was a child, it has always been the book that influences my thinking, my life,
and my writing.
Which
three authors have inspired you the most, and why?
1) Jacquelin Thomas – is my
mentor and close personal friend
2) Scott Turow –
because of his descriptive writing style
3) J. California
Cooper – I love her complex manner of thinking
Have
you ever read a book you couldn’t finish reading? Yes;
just about any book where the author feels the need to have a curse (cuss) word
in almost every sentence.
Do
you read a book, while you are writing a book? I
will only read or reference books on the craft of writing while I develop the
manuscript; I never read a novel during that time.
How
many books have you written? Which book is your favorite and why?
I’ve completed and published two books to
date. Hell In The Choirstand is my
favorite because of the subject-matter and that it references my lifelong work
and love of music.
Is
there anything that helps get you in the mood to write?
A closed office with hot tea, scented
candles, a miniature water-feature running in the background and a host of
books covering the four walls of my 15x15 writing space.
What
were three challenges you faced when writing your book?
1) Scrapping the first seven
re-writes
2) Having to pause
my writing to work the bread & butter job!
3) Making my
writing keep up with the characters as they talked to me
What
lessons have you learned as an aspiring writer?
I’ve learned how
to not head-hop as I develop a single character’s POV. I am still learning how
to develop tension in my writing so that the reader stays on the edge of his/her
seat. And, above all, the writing is the easy part of the process when compared
to the editing.
Do
you ever experience writer’s block? If so what helps you to ‘overcome’?
Fortunately, I haven’t experienced writer’s
block, but I’m told that if I keep living and writing, my day will come!
What
is the most important thing you’ve learned, either in the self-publishing or
traditional publisher, route?
I’ve learned that,
no matter which route you take, it is up to you as the author to put forth the
most effort in marketing and promotion.
How
long does it usually take for you to complete a book?
It usually takes me about a year, although
this novel took me through an eleven-year process.
Do
you have any ideas for your book and Hollywood? Actors, directors, music. In my presence, this book is mentioned quite a bit as a novel that
could easily become a play or movie. I could see Don Cheatle as my protagonist,
and Jeffrey Wright or Terrence Howard as the antagonist.
Which
book to movie conversion is your favorite? American
Gangster
How can people connect with you?
Social Links
Website: http://www.tituspollard.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tituspollard06
Buy Links
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hell-in-the-choirstand-titus-pollard/1121979665?ean=9780692214961
Thanks for being such a gracious virtual host for my novel HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND!
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