The Big Idea: C. J. Beshara

If you knew you only had weeks to live, how would that change your attitude towards life and death? What if you had been dead before, and this was your second, but brief, go-around? Author C. J. Beshara examines life and death through the eyes of the titular main character, as well as on a personal level, as they tell you about their newest novel, Lucianus. C. J. BESHARA: As I’ve gained more experience with writing novels, I’ve come to realize that every one of my main characters pops into existence to teach me a lesson. Not that I ever notice! Only after the story is done can I look back and see what it was, and Lucianus was no exception. This lesson was commonplace, though no less meaningful for it. Simply, it was about death. In the several months before Lucianus ever made it to words, I had started thinking about death with increasing frequency. Perhaps it was a natural expression of approaching thirty, of feeling the drug of youth wearing off, and I expect most people have those…