Bio:
Originally known for applying his creative vision to the composition of Christian art-rock epics, Bartholomew Boge has found a new niche writing historical fiction. Whether it be through music or literature, Bartholomew challenges his audience to examine the depravity of man and the redeeming grace of God, bought with the shed blood of Christ.
In his debut novel, Regarding Tiberius, Bartholomew explores questions of justice, mercy, unconditional love, and forgiveness. Set during the time of Christ, this fast-paced story moves through several locations within the Roman Empire, including Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and Judea. Confronted with the brutal death of her parents and the destruction of her kingdom, Bartholomew's female protagonist, Helena Mithridates Kleopatra, undertakes a clandestine mission to avenge the slaughter of her people by assassinating the Roman commander who ordered their pitiless liquidation. Success would mean death for herself, her lover, Tiberius, and her only son, Marcellus. Will she do it? Should she? Which is more righteous--justice or mercy? How can one forgive an unforgivable crime, or receive forgiveness for one? Helena must answer these timeless questions along the way to fulfilling her bloody destiny.
In his debut novel, Regarding Tiberius, Bartholomew explores questions of justice, mercy, unconditional love, and forgiveness. Set during the time of Christ, this fast-paced story moves through several locations within the Roman Empire, including Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and Judea. Confronted with the brutal death of her parents and the destruction of her kingdom, Bartholomew's female protagonist, Helena Mithridates Kleopatra, undertakes a clandestine mission to avenge the slaughter of her people by assassinating the Roman commander who ordered their pitiless liquidation. Success would mean death for herself, her lover, Tiberius, and her only son, Marcellus. Will she do it? Should she? Which is more righteous--justice or mercy? How can one forgive an unforgivable crime, or receive forgiveness for one? Helena must answer these timeless questions along the way to fulfilling her bloody destiny.
Bartholomew Boge lives with his family in northcentral Wisconsin.
Book Spotlight
Warning there are some grisly depictions of violence, reflecting the brutal mindset of the period, and a few mild curse words (none that are not found in the Bible).
"..richly atmospheric...sumptuous detail...brings the world of ancient Rome to life and succeeds in giving readers a very memorable character in the person of Helena Kleopatra herself...an absorbing reading experience..." -- Anne McNulty, Historical Novel Society
"Regarding Tiberius is [an] exceptional novel...The authenticity of the setting, the excellence of the portrait of Helena, the narrator of the book, and an intriguing plot make Regarding Tiberius an absorbing read." -- Dr. Carol Mason, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Lawrence University
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As true today as it has been for all of human history, one fundamental question plagues mankind:
In the midst of ancient hostilities and recent atrocities, which choice is the most honorable, the most moral one: justice or mercy?
This novel offers an answer.
Regarding Tiberius is the novelization of a series of ancient scrolls recently discovered in the ruins of famed Roman commander Scipio Africanus' seaside villa (near Naples, Italy). Written in the First Century by a young woman of Persian and Æthiopian ancestry, Helena Mithridates Kleopatra, they comprise an account of how her life and destiny were forever altered by her chance meeting with Tiberius, the son of a prominent Roman senator.
The pair embark on an odyssey that takes them from Asia Minor to Syria and Judæa. His goal is to rise to the upper echelon of Roman military leadership at any cost, hers to find and assassinate Cato, the commander who gave the order to slaughter the entire population of Eupatoria, her ancestral home. Their aspirations lead them to Jerusalem where both of their quests meet bloody, final resolutions.
Interview
What is your favorite section of a bookstore, where do you head first?
When I go into a Barnes & Nobles, I like to browse the huge coffee-table books. Love the scale of them, and the visual impact they bring to whatever subject the authors and editors are exploring. I'll walk by the fiction titles to see what's "in vogue," and to compare the cover designs to my own work in hopes that Regarding Tiberius looks like it belongs among them. I'll kill a fair amount of time looking at fresh, clean, unmarked bibles (unlike mine, which look like they've been dragged behind a pick-up on a gravel road), and chuckle at the way modern publishers have to reinvent the marketing of the Word. The Left-Hander's Bible... the Agnostic Friend's Bible... the Flax-Weaver's Bible... and so on. I'll spend the most time looking at books about ancient architecture, music production, graphic design, sports legends, and biographies of historical figures. I am drawn to nonfiction, really, which is odd, since I'm a fiction writer.
Do you remember the first story you ever read,and the impact it had on you?
In all seriousness, I can recall enjoying science fiction as a young reader: The Galaxy Primes by E. E. "Doc" Smith, all the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, and the Star Wars sequel by Allan Dean Foster, Splinter of the Mind's Eye. My geeky teen years were not pleasant, so books like these were passports to escapism for me.
Before I was a Christian, my older step-brother gave me a copy of The Singer, and epic-length poem by Calvin Miller. I suppose it was the first time a book actually made me cry, and probably planted a seed that would sprout later into full-blown saving faith in Christ.
It's hard to say what had the most impact, though. It all flavored the stew in my brain to some degree. In fact, if you were to ask me what my chosen career would have been in middle school, it would have been "writer." By the time I got to high school, however, I was really smitten by drawing, film art, and music, and my sci-fi brain latched on to what I thought was the greatest combination of creativity, escapism, and talent ever conceived by mankind: the Canadian rock band, Rush. I was a hopeless addict and a complete shill for that band--everything else was just noise. I wanted to be a recording musician and songwriter after that.
Met Dennis DeYoung, the former front man for Styx, and his wife, at an event my first wife was involved with. That's about it.
My wife has this unnerving habit of leaving fascinating historical books on the bathroom sink or the back of the toilet tank, where unsuspecting innocents like myself stumble upon them and get ensnared.
It does now. My wife, Rae, has been a blessing in this regard. She married me knowing that my writing might mean that we could end up living in a refrigerator box under a bridge, splitting a foil-wrapped hunk of government cheese between the two of us. She's on board, 100%. She refers to me as her "Storyteller," which I thought odd at first, but it seems to make more sense to me now. Even as a musician, the large-scale progressive rock/art rock projects I've wanted to do involve narratives--character, plot, setting, etc. So I think she's put her finger on something important with that pet name.
I'm very happy to be the author of Regarding Tiberius, actually. Writing a novel is so personal an art form that I cannot envision having written someone else's work. My debut novel is not perfect or some sort of instant classic, but it is powerful and sincere. So the only books I would choose to have written would be my own. Did I ruin the question?
Cats that impose themselves on a writer as they try to type... Facebook, YouTube, or any other screen-based electronic distraction platform... and people. I have to write in seclusion.
There were several times during the writing when I felt I'd written myself in a corner. It was agonizing enough that I think I've blotted most of those instances out of my memory, like when a woman forgets the excruciating pain of childbirth once the child is born and placed on her chest for the first time.
The main theme is forgiveness. I hope that readers will be convicted to offer forgiveness, or seek it.
There are a number of Latin terms in Regarding Tiberius: weapons, siege equipment, vehicles, furniture, architecture, just to name a few. I will probably have to add a glossary to future editions of the book!
There is one very puzzling question I have about my own book: if I've written a novel that makes many readers cry at the conclusion, why am I not a millionaire? If people are so emotionally involved with my characters and story that they weep over the words printed on the pages of this novel, why isn't it flying off the shelves? Where's Oprah when you need her?
The sequel to RT. I have a story arc that should take Helen through a trilogy. After that, I may have to kill her off, but my oldest daughter probably won't let me. I am also hoping to record more music with my bassist/collaborator Jonathan Dexter.
My book is a leviathan of nearly 600 pp. I will be forever thankful to those readers who, in this busy 21st Century world, paid the price in hours of concentration to consume my art. It is not a small thing to ask when I say to a person "read my book" when that means a 16+ hour time commitment. I am honored by every person who trusted me enough to explore my world and join Helena on her quest for vengeance.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
What do you like to read in your free time?
It doesn't seem like I HAVE a lot of free time. With four cats, a dog, two daughters, a stepson and stepdaughter, a dilapidated Victorian home, and a guitar that constantly begs to be played, time to set aside to read has been difficult to find.
Does your family support your career as a writer?
If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose? Why?
What is your writing Kryptonite?
What was your hardest scene to write in Regarding Tiberius?
Being a historical fiction work set in Roman times, none of the writing of Regarding Tiberius was "easy." I lived, and still live, with the mortal fear that if I get any of the historical details wrong, the online Romanophile community will figuratively crucify me in the blogs and chatrooms; but if I'm too focused on exact precision, my novel will read like a history textbook and bore a casual reader to tears.
What would the main character in your book have to say about you?
What would Helena say about me? Hmm... "Go back to your writing, Storyteller. I've got work to do and you're slowing me down."
What is the message you hope readers will leave with after reading this book?
Are there vocabulary words or concepts in your book that may be new to readers? Define some of those.
Are there underrepresented groups or ideas featured if your book? If so, discuss them.
In Greek and Roman times, women were "underrepresented," but in pre-Islamic Persia (now Iran) women held positions of power and prestige and had far more agency than their sisters to the West did. My protagonist, Helena, comes from both cultures and is something of a bridge between them. She transcends them, as those with true greatness often do.
What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? Write it out here, then answer it.
But I know the true answer already, from the field of music. One of the greatest bands that came out of the Grunge-Era 90's was a trio out of Texas called King's X. They were amazing. In the world of heavy rock fanzines, they were referred to as "Thinking Man's Metal." The bassist/lead singer was a black soul singer. All three members could sing lead vocals, and they could nail beautiful three part harmonies. The lead guitarist's style was a genius blend of George Lynch, Jimi Hendrix, and Brian May, and everything he played sounded fresh and alive.
"But I've never heard of King's X" you say. That, sadly, is the point. Among other musicians, these guys are legendary performers, but for whatever reason, talent and hard work did NOT lead to super-stardom. They are still touring as of this writing, still blowing away every audience they play to, still intimidating the rest of us musicians with their prodigious gifts and talents, but they're not going to be playing the Super Bowl Halftime Show anytime soon.
The members of King's X have come to grips with this reality and have made peace with it. I will have to do likewise. Great bands get overlooked, and Britney Spears sells out arenas. Obscure writers might be penning next century's masterworks in relative poverty while E.L James makes $80 million writing the 50 Shades series. There's no rhyme or reason to it. One has to be content to produce one's art to the best of his ability and trust that he'll survive to paint, to write, to dance, to sculpt, or to act again.
Do you have a new work in Process ?
Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Social Links
Special note from Bartholomew Boge :I am trying to get some issues with the ebook resolved—I may add a giveaway in a few days?
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