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QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Raymond Khoury answers readers' questions about the length of time and the amount of research that were put into his two books, THE LAST TEMPLAR and THE SANCTUARY.

Elizabeth from Rye, NH: How long did it take you to research and write both of your books?
 
Raymond Khoury: They were different experiences. THE LAST TEMPLAR was based on a screenplay I wrote back in 1996, at the very beginning of my screenwriting career. I wrote the novel over a three-year period, “after-hours,” while working on other screenplays I'd sold and some TV series I was writing. THE SANCTUARY took about a year and a half, from the initial idea, through the research, to actually writing it.
 
Michele from Chesterton, IN: How did you manage to unearth all the research material for your novel? That had to be a massive undertaking!
 
Raymond Khoury: It sure was --- but that's just one of the pleasures of writing a novel like THE SANCTUARY. It's the best feeling when you're building a story and things fall into place, as they did for me when I discovered St. Germain, Di Sangro, the Ouroboros, the Brethren, the Yazidis... Then you get an additional kick with the small details that come up during the writing that give it so much texture, like the timing of the earthquake in Lisbon, which draws Sebastian back to his homeland. 

With THE SANCTUARY, the task was even bigger since I had chapters set in different places at different eras, and I had to make sure all the history, the period detail, the “feel” of the places came through evocatively enough on the page to draw you into those worlds! The chapter that's set in Paris is one of my favorites. But before getting into the history, I need to get fired up by exploring a big theme, a big idea, a big debate at the heart of the book --- and then I get to educate myself about it, learn as much as I can, even if only a small part of it ends up in the book.

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