A Christmas Conversation with Theodore Judson, author of "Hell Can Wait", on Countdown to Christmas.

With 4 more days to Christmas, we are pleased to share the rare opportunity of a mini-interview with Theodore Judson.
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My name is Ted Judson, and my book title for Edge in 2010 was Hell Can Wait.

    In answer to your questions:
    1.  What was my strangest Christmas gift? 

When I was a boy on the farm in Wyoming, the neighbors once dropped off a dead pig in our yard on Christmas Eve.  Our neighbors were a clan of ne'r do well outlaws who had kept the pig in a fenced-off area and had fed it on the remains of the wild animals they poached.  They knew the beast was probably inedible after several years of such an odd diet, but they thought we might have a use for the hide.


2. What is my favorite Christmas treat? 

I have a cousin in Pennsylvania who every Christmas used to send us a package of minature people made out of maple candy.  I have no idea what these confectons might taste like, but my daughter used to make crowd panoramas with her dolls and the little maple people.  After a couple Holiday seasons, she had a entire village of the light-brown people in her bedroom, and they only grew harder and more indestructable as time went by, which was more than could be said for her dolls.

3.  Do I do anything odd to celebrate the season?

 I don't know if it is odd, but I always make a cherry cake for Christmas dinner.  My grandmother (my brothers and I were raised by our grandparents) used to make a cherry cake for every birthday or special holiday, and I do it in memory of her.

4. What character in my book would enjoy celebrating Christmas? 

Mr. Banewill, one of Lucifer's minions, would enjoy Black Friday, a day that would confirm everything he believes about humanity.
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Read Chapter One of Hell Can Wait

Hell Can Wait by Theodore Judson

After 1800 years of waiting, Maternus’ Judgement Day is here...

For 18 centuries after his death, Maternus has waited for the bureaucracy of Hell to find his records. Now, in a bid to claim his soul, an angel and a demon argue over the fate of the Roman soldier.

The decision is made to bring the warrior back to life, not in Ancient Rome, but in modern day Colorado. There he must complete three seemingly impossible challenges laid out
before him, under the ever watchful eyes of the celestial duo.

Without a sword and shield to protect him, the soldier must rely on his wits coupled with a bit of divine inspiration (found in the strangest places) as he faces unfamiliar customs in this strange new life. Fortunately, the warrior is blessed with a weapon he did not have in his previous life — the ability to read!

With books in hand, the ancient Roman soldier begins his quest for a second chance!

Theodore Judson
Judson grew up in western Wyoming. A graduate of the University of Wyoming, Judson has dedicated his life to teaching. He began writing after his wife’s death, publishing Tom Wedderburn’s Life (2002), Fitzpatrick’s War (2004), and The Martian General’s Daughter (2008). His short story The Sultan’s Emissary appeared in the anthology "Sideways in Crime".

Theodore Judson currently lives in Wyoming, where he teaches high school History.