By Andrew Davis
Lesbian writer Alex Marcoux is known for penning intriguing mysteries with at least a dash of the otherworldly woven in. In her latest work, A Matter of Degrees ( Haworth Press ) , protagonist Jessie Mercer—spurred by her brother's death—infiltrates a secret society run by men and encounters everything from mysticism to past lives.
In her first official interview about the novel, Marcoux discusses everything from precognitive abilities to the long and winding road she's taken to become a writer.
Windy City Times: OK, Alex. How does someone go from getting a degree in food science [ from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst ] to ...
Alex Marcoux: ... becoming a writer of paranormal mysteries? [ Laughs. ] That's an excellent question. Boy, that answer would probably take me a couple days to answer. Let me just say that my full-time career paid the bills and was great. However, my writing is a passion and I love it; it's part of my soul's purpose.
WCT: I actually see your book as a combination of The Da Vinci Code, science fiction and Transamerica.
AM: [ Laughs. ] Absolutely. A lot of people have compared it to The Da Vinci Code and it's even been compared to the work of the author of The Matrix. However, you're the first one to use the Transamerica reference.
WCT: Something told me I would be. Tell me about the research you did for this particular book.
AM: I spent a huge amount of time looking at the freemasons and a lot of time was spent looking at the Bible. I looked at mysteries, including Egyptian and Sumerian texts. I delved into material regarding Mary Magdalene and the bloodline of Jesus as well. I would take parts of where I thought all the connections were, from the Knights Templar to The Middle Ages to modern America.
WCT: And how long did this research take?
AM: I started it in 1999. Even now, I'm still researching it because it's a series. To this day, I'm reading more about alternate theories. It's ongoing, but the research probably took a couple of years total.
WCT: Speaking of alternate theories, there definitely are a few in this work, such as precognition. How many of the theories put forth in your works do you actually believe in?
AM: I came up with the precognition theory, partly from personal experience. After I'd written my first book [ Facades ] , I noticed that some of the things I'd written about started happening to me. Then I started thinking, 'Oh! I wonder if I'd manifest that or if I saw it psychically and it went into my writing.' Then I thought that it'd be a great storyline—a novelist who's psychic, yet who doesn't fully grasp that but psychically tunes into her future and writes about things. That's how Jessie was introduced [ in Marcoux's second novel, Back to Salem ] .
The way I write is that I look at the universe. I watch how things come into my life. I work with synchronistic events and patterns; if something comes to me in a series of three, I realize that it's not a coincidence and that it's meaningful. As things come to me, I realize that I'm supposed to write about them.
What I love is when someone reads my work and [ is intrigued enough by ] a theory that they look it up. Then, that person starts to wonder how the theories sit with their dogmatic religion.
WCT: You also put forth ideas like Mary and Jesus being products of artificial insemination. Do you expect some sort of backlash from churches and religious groups?
AM: Yeah. Do I think that? Absolutely. However, at the same time, the church has to recognize that fiction is an author's creative vision for the work. I can't say anything negative about Jesus. I do expect some backlash but I can't be worried about it, because worry breeds issues. I know it's controversial, and I realize that it would've never been published had it not been for the success of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.
WCT: Were you worried when he was sued [ regarding plagiarism claims ] ?
AM: You know, I wasn't worried. I didn't want to worry because, my God, if they were successful, it would change how just about how every fiction writer writes. You spend so much time actually researching these areas; you want your works to sound believable.
WCT: As everyone on the planet knows, The Da Vinci Code is now a movie. Who would play Jessie or Taylor [ Jessie's lover ] in a movie?
AM: [ Pauses. ] I haven't even thought about that. You know, I can see Sandra Bullock as Jessie. As for Taylor, I'm going to have to pass on that for now. Maybe I should think about that. It might manifest it, right?
WCT: Exactly. Let me ask something more general: What is the essence of good writing?
AM: It's when the author can express their soul through their writing. At the same time, I realize that my writing is pretty simple.
WCT: Will Jessie ever be truly happy?
AM: I think she was happier in Back to Salem. Jessie is on a journey and she's trying to get a piece of what she's supposed to do while she's here—and she had a piece. She does find it back in the next book. Ultimately, she will be exuberant because she will fulfill her soul's purpose.
I hope people can read this book open-mindedly and not think I'm the Antichrist. [ Laughs. ] I hope that people can read and enjoy it and—even if they don't agree with it—can understand that the author is probably expressing some very wild theories. I hope the readers have fun with it.
To find out more about Alex Marcoux, see www.alexmarcoux.com . A Matter of Degrees is now in bookstores everywhere.