Local Authors, Local Books: Finding Humor in Bible Stories  – River Journal Online

In our ongoing series of conversations with local authors, River Journal caught up with Tarrytown resident P.L. Rock to talk about his new book, The Devil and Judas Iscariot (A Comedy), which is available at barnesandnoble.com in either paperback or eBook form. 

River Journal: Tell us a little bit about your book, The Devil and Judas Iscariot. 

P.L. Rock: The book is a lighthearted look at the days surrounding the crucifixion. More than that it looks at the idea that humans haven’t really changed all that much in thousands of years. Awkward conversations with your child about sex? Meeting your in-laws? All the same. 

I’ve also always loved how the Devil is treated in the Bible. In the story of Job, God is having a party and Satan shows up. You’d think this would be a big to-do, right? Nope. God just asks what he’s been up to and a nonchalant Satan replies, “Eh, you know. I’ve been around. So what’s up with this Job fellow?” That’s the Devil I wanted to get to know. A former colleague of God who works freelance.  

Lastly, of course, there’s Judas Iscariot. A few years ago, I read a new translation of the Gnostic Gospel of Judas. In it, Judas is a great friend to Jesus and is the only one who comes to understand what is about to be sacrificed and for what reason. 

All those ideas were swimming in my head and The Devil and Judas Iscariot (A Comedy) was the result.  

RJ: How long have you been writing? 

PLR: I started writing at age ten. I had a friend who knew how to draw and we made comics together. Writing dialog came very naturally to me. 

RJ: Is this your first published book? 

PLR: Yes! I’d published short stories before, and scores of articles regarding various aspects of pop culture. All of which were for websites which have since disappeared. I’ve never written anything as grand as The Devil and Judas Iscariot.  

RJ: How long did it take to write? 

PLR: I had written and had published some of the chapters as short stories during Covid. For example, a story in which Judas Iscariot has the “talk” with his son, Menahem. 

When my kid was born, I had some time off and powered through a few dozen ideas I had in the same vein. I used all of that as the base for the book. To answer the question though, the book took about 4 months of actual writing over the last few years.   

RJ: Can you describe your writing process? 

PLR: My office/library/music space is in my basement. After the kid goes to bed, I have a good three hours to write, edit, work on music, etc. Anything to get the creative side of my brain working.  

RJ: Any advice for those who may struggle with writers’ block or other writing challenges? 

PLR: For every character I create, I think of an actor who could play them and give the character five key motivations. If I’m stuck, I just take two characters and have them talk about something, anything. The subject is irrelevant. I’ll have them talk about sports or video games or something in the news. My trick is to remember who the characters are and have the conversations through their lens. You may not put any of that in your final edit, but it gets your fingers moving. Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino both had a knack for that sort of thing and were big influences on me.  

RJ: Is your book self-published? 

PLR: I did not pay to have it published, but it’s not a traditional publisher either. Everything is available to order online through Barnes and Noble’s website or alternatively when I have a reading. 

RJ: What attracted you to this region to raise a family? 

PLR: After my wife and I got married, we returned from our honeymoon and the world locked down the next day due to the Covid pandemic. We rented an apartment in Brooklyn at the time. I wanted to go live in a cabin in the woods somewhere, but she wanted to stay in the city. The River Towns were our compromise. Of course we fell in love with Tarrytown immediately.  

RJ: Do you have favorite local hangouts to dine, shop, socialize, escape, chill? 

PLR: I’ve heard rumors that we may be getting a movie theater in Sleepy Hollow and I’m very excited about that! Restaurant wise, my wife loves Sweetgrass and I’m a big fan of Bistro 12. For lunch we both adore Santorini and the Taco Club in Sleepy Hollow. My toddler is a big fan of Main Street Sweets.  Other than that, I spend a lot of time in my gardens.  

RJ: Do you belong to any local civic or social or volunteer organizations? 

PLR: I’m a Freemason and our lodge tries to do a lot of charity and community outreach. We recently donated three bicycles to the Washington Irving School for a “Screen Free Week” contest. We also have a scholarship program for our graduating seniors at Sleepy Hollow High School.