ASK THE AUTHOR: Dee Henderson

LATEST PROJECT: Full Disclosure (October).

PUBLISHER: Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group).

How would you compare and contrast this novel with your previous works? Full Disclosure is like my other books in that I love a good mystery and a good romance, and since I’m writing for my own enjoyment, that’s the story I set out to tell. The hope is I found a story idea and characters that will captivate readers as much as they have me.

I wrote this book a bit against type. I wanted to write a romance from the perspective of someone who was comfortable being single. Ann Silver is a wonderful lady who is perfect for Paul Falcon, but she is comfortable being single. And also against type, Paul Falcon is, from the beginning of the story, intentionally looking for a wife. The reader can see the potential, but until Ann makes her decision late in the story, it isn’t clear if this romance is going to work out. I think that added an interesting new dynamic to the book.

That shift from single to married is a wonderful window into who people are, and I love to explore it in my books—how people get to that point and why they cross it. I wanted to write more about their lives after the wedding, and this story let me go that direction. It’s something I hope to do more of in future books, to write that next chapter in my characters’ lives.

Full Disclosure is also a richer plot with more layers than my other stories, so it’s the longest of the novels I’ve written, and it also has my favorite ending.

How did you develop the plot for Full Disclosure? I had developed the ideas within this book as part of a mystery series. When I sat down to write the title, that mystery series became the backstory for a single title. I think it added a layer of depth to the plot that’s more detailed than some of my other titles. I enjoyed having that scope to work with for the story, and I loved the characters.

Does one particular character stand out for you in this story, and why? Ann Silver stands out for being the character I have most enjoyed writing about since probably Quinn Diamond in The Truth Seeker. I like her history, how she’s managed her life and how she thinks about God.

Are any of the experiences in this story based on real life—yours or others? You can pretty much read a book of mine for the dog I either have or want to have. But my books are pure imagination for the characters and the story lines.

“Romance matters,” you wrote on your Facebook page for this book. Why do you feel so strongly about that? I was asked the question: Who/what inspires you? What I wrote in reply: “I’m more inspired by what I don’t like. I do most of this work of being an author because I want to change what the culture considers popular. Personally it bothers me to see Fifty Shades of Grey being read more than the ‘O’Malley’ series, not because I’m looking for the publicity and being well known, but because people desperately need to see a better view of what life and relationships could be like. Romance matters. I’d like to see true romance valued more than the junk our culture currently calls ‘romance.’ Christian fiction can show another view of what life could be like.”

To your question why romance matters: Romance is love in action. Romance—the kind I want to write about—is the strong bond that runs between two people who make a decision to spend their lives together. Fiction lets me explore that bond, how it develops and how it glues a couple together.

What approach should Christian retailers take in recommending this novel to their customers? Full Disclosure is both a mystery and a romance and it’s a pretty fast read, even for a long story. It’s designed for readers who like a puzzle. Readers who like Terri Blackstock in the CBA market or Nora Roberts in the ABA market will find it a good fit.

So, as the book trailer asks, are some secrets better left hidden? Ann Silver wrestles with this question in the book, and comes to the conclusion there are some secrets that should be left hidden. Several secrets are revealed in Full Disclosure—hence the title—but I left the question open for readers to decide if they agree with her. I personally came to the conclusion she was right. Secrets get revealed for a myriad of reasons. Having the truth known in the wider public domain is not always the best outcome when the reasons for its disclosure have more to do with the one revealing the secret than the truth that is shared.

Read more of this Q&A online at www.christianretailing.com/henderson.

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