ASK THE AUTHOR
Irene Hannon
LATEST PROJECT: Vanished (978-0-800-72123-7, $14.99, January).
PUBLISHER: Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group.

Vanished is a “Private Justice” novel. Where does the series’ name come from? This series focuses on a private investigation firm comprised of three ex-law-enforcement operatives (also college buddies) who’ve left the official world behind, but are committed to pursuing justice as civilians. Hence, private justice.

Where did you find your inspiration for this particular story? I’m glad you asked! Usually, I have a hard time pinpointing the specific source of inspiration for an idea. Most stories start as a tiny seed planted because of an article I read or a situation I observe or a conversation I overhear. In hindsight, I often can’t remember the triggering incident because typically it’s something insignificant that somehow got the creative juices flowing. In this case, however, I can tell you the exact moment when inspiration struck. I was driving home from church one night, when all at once a bicyclist appeared in my headlights. I swerved to avoid him—then started what-iffing. What if a woman were driving on a country road at night in a rainstorm and her headlights picked up a figure with terrified eyes standing in the middle of the road? What if she tried to avoid the figure, spun out of control—but heard a solid thump that told her she’d hit this person? What if, while dazed, a hooded figure appeared at her window, told her he’d seen the accident and to stay in her car while he checked on the person she’d hit and called 911? What if she zoned out, then came to an hour later to find no Good Samaritan, no 911, no sign of the person she’d hit? What if the police dismissed her claims for lack of evidence and she was forced to turn to a PI for help? That incident with the bicyclist, which lasted mere seconds, inspired not only Vanished, but the whole “Private Justice” series.

What kind of characters are Moira Harrison and Cal Burke? Moira, an investigative reporter, is a tenacious crusader for justice. She’s smart, brave and goes the extra mile for her stories. Cal, a former police detective, is also committed to justice. He’s detail-oriented, strong and honorable—but he’s still recovering from a traumatic loss.

Did it feel like a necessity to add a touch of romance to this detective story? Since I write romantic suspense, absolutely! I think adding a romance element to a suspense novel ups the ante and heightens the tension. Solving a case can be exciting in and of itself, but when the person you love is also in danger, the stakes go up exponentially.

You used to work for a Fortune 500 company. Does your experience in the corporate world influence your writing? Yes, in a couple of ways. First, I had a demanding corporate career that left me limited time to write, so I had to be very disciplined about my fiction work. Once I left my corporate job and began to write full time, that discipline was a great asset as my input increased and my deadlines became more aggressive. Second, my corporate career gave me the opportunity to travel quite a bit and to work with many different people. Since I handled many high-level communications duties (including speechwriting for the CEO and chairman of the board), I was often there when decisions were made by some of the most powerful Fortune 500 businesspeople in America. All of those experiences broadened my perspective and gave me a lot of insights that are helpful in plot and character development.

Christian retail stores sell a lot of fiction. How does this one stand out from the crowd? First of all, from a purely visual standpoint, this book has a unique cover for an inspirational romantic suspense novel—no people, just dynamic, gripping graphics. Plus, the plan is to print it on a silver-coated paper, which should add a striking shimmer to the rainstorm scene. Those elements alone should help it stand out on the shelf. From a content perspective, this book continues my tradition of taking readers into the head of a fully developed, complex villain. The reader is with him every step of the way and is often privy to information the hero and heroine don’t know. The depth of my approach to villains is unique in this genre, too. Finally, the plot of Vanished is very intriguing, and my hero has an interesting backstory that adds dimension to the book.

You’ve won several awards, including one of our own Retailers Choice Awards for Deadly Pursuit. Is that the icing on the cake for you? Winning awards truly is the icing on the cake—especially an award like Retailers Choice, which is voted on by some of my favorite people: booksellers! They read countless books every year, and for them to pick my book as the best contemporary romance for 2012 was an incredible honor. The award sits on the credenza behind my desk, along with my two RITA awards from Romance Writers of America and several others. On days when I wonder if a story will ever come together, they help me remember that it always works out in the end!

Read more of this Ask the Author Q&A at www.christianretailing.com/hannon.

Fashion editor Lauren Scruggs is sustained by her faith and family despite the loss of her eye and hand

TITLE: Still Lolo

AUTHOR: Lauren Scruggs

PUBLISHER: Tyndale Momentum

ISBN: 978-1-414-37669-1

PRICE: $24.99

RELEASE DATE: November

Looking at Christmas lights from a two-seater plane led to tragedy for 23-year-old Texan Lauren “Lolo” Scruggs, resulting in the loss of her left eye and hand. With New York Times best-selling author Marcus Brotherton, the Dallas Baptist University graduate and fashion editor tells how faith and family have sustained her as she fought for her life, in Still Lolo: A Spinning Propeller, a Horrific Accident, and a Family’s Journey of Hope (978-1-414-37669-1, $24.99), releasing Nov. 20 from Tyndale Momentum.

Scruggs’ tragic accident at a private airport in McKinney, Texas, nearly one year ago drew the paparazzi and worldwide media attention from outlets such as NBC’s Today Show and People magazine. But she received the support of celebrities such as Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm to a shark bite. Her Caring Bridge page saw more than 1.5 million visits as many caring people checked in on her progress and lifted her up in prayer.

Immediately following the accident Dec. 3, 2011, Scruggs underwent multiple surgeries, including brain surgery. The skilled doctors of Parkland Hospital in Dallas, famous for treating John F. Kennedy after he was shot, initially treated the young woman, stabilizing her ahead of the long, grueling journey that meant the loss of her eye and hand and ongoing therapy.

Because there were times when even strangers would come to visit her in the hospital, Scruggs had to be code-named for her own security. Surprisingly, and because of an answer to prayer, she was home in record time, just three weeks after the accident and in time for Christmas.

Still Lolo tells the story of Scrugg’s life before the accident as well. Rarely separated from her twin, Brittany, she had to learn to make the adjustment of being apart when she felt called to strike out on her own and go to the Big Apple, landing two internships in the fashion world at the Gossip Girl TV show and in the Michael Kors fashion showroom.

But the city didn’t always treat her right. After a successful first summer there, she went back—against her better judgment—and ended up going down the wrong path into drinking and dating a “player.” A serious mystery illness led her back to the safety of home and down the road of repentance.

Today with a prostethic eye and hand, Scruggs is off of pain medication. Not only has she had to deal with the trauma of her accident, but also with paying medical bills and learning what it means to be a public figure. She was surprised when a Tweet with a picture of her first vacation after the accident led to a call from NBC.

With Still Lolo—with chapters written by her mom, dad and sister as well as herself—Scruggs wants to come alongside teen girls and women who struggle with body image and insecurity. She shares her struggles with looking for love and acceptance now that she has a prosthetic hand and eye and before the accident when she was drawn to the glamour of New York’s party scene.

To order, call Tyndale House at 800-323-9400 or visit www.tyndalebooksellers.com.

Influential evangelical and best-selling author Albert Mohler sets out to recreate the Christian’s idea of leadership in The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters (978-0-764-21004-4, $22.99, hardcover), releasing this month from Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group.

“My goal is to redefine Christian leadership so that it is inseparable from passionately held beliefs, and to motivate those who are deeply committed to truth to be ready for leadership,” writes Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and hailed by TIME as “the reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S.” 13

Making his case for the need for strong leaders, he observes that in the last three decades, he has seen the “emergence of a renaissance in leadership,” and states that “the deep hunger for leaders has never been more evident than now.” 12

Chapter by chapter, Mohler examines each of such 25 leadership principles such as a deep investment in Christian truth, passion to lead, decision-making and good stewardship. He introduces young, enterprising leaders to these concepts, but also talks of later-life issues such as retirement and leaving a legacy.

In the chapter on “convictional intelligence,” he emphasizes what is important and what is essential in a leader’s traits.

“Charisma is a great gift, but it cannot substitute for conviction,” writes Mohler, who goes on to cite other such gifts—personality skills, gifts of communication, media presence and organizational ability—none of which “can qualify a Christian leader when conviction is absent or weak.” 23

Seeing leadership as “the greatest intellectual challenge I can imagine,” 35 he calls leaders to understand prevalent worldviews and “shape the way their followers see the world. The leader must shape the way followers think about what is real, what is true, what is right, and what is important.” 38

A frequent radio and TV guest, and one who writes his own blog and records regular podcasts, Mohler believes in using the power of the media. He encourages leaders to wield their influence using such forms of communication, and advises them specifically on what to do when a reporter calls.

For more information, visit www.bakerpublishinggroup.com, or to order, call Baker Publishing Group Customer Service at 800-877-2665.

Medical doctor Matthew Sleeth reflects on one of the Ten Commandments American Christians seem to struggle with: “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” In 24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life, he shares how his own family members were changed when they adopted Sabbath practices, and helps readers better understand how their lives can be transformed by adopting a 24/6 lifestyle in a 24/7, plugged-in world. Releasing this month from Tyndale House Publishers, the book retails for $12.99.

Best-selling author and executive director of marriage and family formation, Greg Smalley draws from research, counseling and his own marriage to show couples how to fight productively in Fight Your Way to a Better Marriage. Acknowledging that conflict can be beneficial to a relationship, Smalley shows spouses that conflict is often driven by fear, and dealing with that fear can lead to a healthier marriage. Releasing this month from Howard Books, it retails for $21.99.

Baker Publishing Group releases this month a 672-page guide to equip believers with what they need to defend and explain their faith. Apologist Norman L. Geisler offers The Big Book of Christian Apologetics: An A to Z Guide ($24.99, softcover, Baker Books), an abridged version of the Baker Encyclopedia on Christian Apologetics. This significant resource examines nearly every key issue, person and concepts related to Christian apologetics.

Lincoln’s Battle With God ($22.99, hardcover) examines the struggle president Abraham Lincoln had with his personal faith and what it meant for the nation. Releasing this month from Thomas Nelson, the Stephen Mansfield biography will hit store shelves Nov. 6 just ahead of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and prior to Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln movie release.

Releasing this month from FaithWords, Until We All Come Home ($22.99, hardcover) tells the story of Kim de Blecourt, who not only encountered some of the usual challenges when adopting a child internationally, but also endured physical assault and arrest. Having experienced a year-long struggle to adopt a young boy from Ukraine, de Blecourt now heads the Nourished Hearts ministry in support of adoption, foster care and orphan care.

Writing from personal experience in When Your Husband Is Addicted to Pornography, Vicki Tiede reminds the wife who is suffering because of her husband’s use of porn that her healing will come as she learns to fix her eyes on Jesus, not on her spouse. In the New Growth Press book, she guides readers through this healing process by focusing on six key topics: hope, surrender, trust, identity, brokenness and forgiveness. Releasing this month, the book retails for $15.99.

Karen Ehman, author and a national speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries and Hearts at Home events, offers a humorous, yet thought-provoking book for women who struggle with wanting to be in control. With biblical and contemporary examples, doable ideas, new thought patters and practical tools, Let. It. Go. How to Stop Running the Show and Start Walking in Faith helps women discover the freedom of allowing God to be in control instead. Launching the week of Nov. 12, Let. It. Go. ($14.99) is available from Zondervan.

With January marking the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, author Roger Resler wades into the highly charged debate surrounding the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision in Compelling Interest: The Real Story Behind Roe v. Wade ($15.98). Drawing on original sources and conversations with experts on the subject, he considers questions such as how the court came to be involved in the abortion debate and whether language was manipulated to affect the outcome. Releasing Nov. 7 from eChristian Books, the book is available through Noble Marketing.

Latest project: Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples (David C Cook).

Multiply is based around a simple concept, making disciples, but Christians don’t always practice it. Why is that? This is why we wrote this. Think about someone rising from the dead and saying to you, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. …” That’s a huge statement! “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” A lot of people have memorized this passage, but are they actually doing it? Is it actually happening? For the most part, the answer is “no.” And the reason is that we’re all afraid. We all have insecurities. The journey of making disciples begins when I overcome that fear of man and open my mouth and share my faith. We need to work together to get rid of those fears and pray that God gives us power over those things. Then we need to actually go and do what He commanded us to do.

How did disciple-making become something you personally cared about? I grew up in church. I did the church thing for years and I didn’t totally get it. There came a point in my life where I studied the Bible on my own and I finally went, “I get this!” Reading the words for myself, I’d never heard it like that before. So I started praying to this God. The way He answers my prayers today, I could sit here all day long and tell you about answered prayer after answered prayer. My life is an absolute miracle. I know that there’s a God, allowing me to breathe right now, watching me right now. He’s forgiven me, and I know I’m going to spend eternity with Him. This is a real thing to me, and it’s not a game. There’s nothing like this. As much as I love my wife and my kids, there’s nothing compared to knowing God. It’s time for the church to quit making everything easier and easier and dumbing it down, and go back to what Christ commanded us to do, which is, “Go and make disciples.”

How can the everyday Christian get to the point where disciple-making is normal in his/her life? When the Holy Spirit enters a person, there should be some pretty serious life change. There should be a difference between a person who is dead in their trespasses and sins and a person who now has the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead dwelling in them. He or she should have some desire to tell others about the new love in their lives and a desire for loved ones to escape His wrath. It seems like these would be natural desires for the person with a new nature. I believe that as we are making disciples, we’re really going to experience the presence of Christ with us in a fuller way and a real, tangible way. That’s why He gave us the Holy Spirit. He says, “I’m going to give you this Holy Spirit, and when He comes, you’re going to receive power to be my witnesses.” What does it mean to follow Jesus, surrender completely, and make disciples? It requires saying, “Holy Spirit, what would You like me to say today? What would You like me to do right now? I’ve surrendered to You. I’ve died to myself and I want to follow You.”

Disciple-making is not something Christians should do in isolation, is it? No. Right now in San Francisco I’m gathering with a few guys every morning to study the Word and then go share the gospel door-to-door—and it’s hard. But I’m trying to think how many times in my whole Christian life I had other believers pray for my courage and my boldness to go out and share with other people. Up until this last year, I think I could count the times that’s happened on one hand. Then we wonder, “Why am I so insecure? Why am I so afraid? Do I really believe that prayer and gathering believers together to pray over me is actually going to change something? It’s been awesome to have like-minded people in the room, encouraging one another, “Come on, let’s do this. Don’t be afraid.” We share our discouragements from the day before, pray together, study, worship. I need to be reminded to love others and to be bold. I’ve got to be reminded of who I am, that I’m forgiven, you know? We each need people to do that for us. As we pray for each other in the boldness area, I see that prayer answered. And I see it happen as we go out. There are days where it’s like, “Let’s talk to anyone,” and that’s not normal for me. That’s not something I can’t muster up.

Multiply has links to other resources. How is it more than a book? Multiply is much more than a book. David Platt and I are doing two Multiply events together this fall, and the Multiply site at www.MultiplyMovement.com has a blog, videos and other resources as well.

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

ASK THE AUTHOR
William P. Young
Latest project: Cross Roads (November).
Publisher: FaithWords.

How did the plot for Cross Roads come to you? I have lived long enough to be around and near the events of death and dying. I have been intrigued by NDE (near death experiences) and stories of people who have exited comatose states to report awareness and experiences that suggest significant events can occur inside that “thin place.” How does one explain the continuation of mindful activity even when the biological brain has ceased activity? How does one comprehend a conversation between Jesus and Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration? In The Shack, we struggle with Mackenzie who is stuck in the midst of his life. What would happen if we catch a man in-between, in this place between this earthly existence and the other? What if this man is not a likable person, fraught with the frailties so common to many of us, selfish, egotistical, willing to sacrifice relationship for control and success? How do we reach this man? Those sorts of questions along with the metaphor of a crossroads, a place of intersection where one has to stop and choose a direction, face others and witness the consequence of actions, combined to give me an imagination for the storyline. When I began working on it, I wasn’t sure it was possible, that it could work. I am thrilled with the results and I think readers will be also.

Like The Shack, Cross Roads employs nontraditional manifestations of the Trinity. How do you choose how to portray the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? The beautiful reality of imagery is that it employs word pictures, and as we all know, a good picture is worth. … Even in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, imagery is rampant and provocative. God is father, but also wind and breath, but also a mother hen who covers and protects her own, an eagle who rescues, a rock that is solid, a fortress that shields, a woman who loses a coin, a man who finds an abandoned baby girl and falls in love with her (Ezekiel, in case you were wondering). Idolatry is when one fastens upon a single image as a definition of God, and begins to assemble one’s life around that single facet. Imagery was never intended to define God, but like facets of a precious stone, each reflects the light of God’s character and the wonder of God’s nature in a way that we can perceive and sense and know. As a word-painter then, I am given freedom to express this magnificence in creative ways. God is not male or female, but all maleness and all femaleness is derived from the Beautiful One, who is a community of other-centered, self-giving love. So, part of the art is to craft metaphors and imagery that satisfies the heart, incompletely but partially, and bends the framework of our paradigms to allow for more space, more light, more love, more anger at all that damages and hurts, more beauty, more grace. The incarnation means that God fully joined our humanity. Jesus is the ultimate bridge birthed in bone and blood. I can touch and understand this man. God has found a son-language that I can comprehend. Can the Holy Spirit not come to me in a way that I can grasp, inside the wonder of a child or the honor of an elder? I think the landscape is open as we participate with the One who the creative.

Your main character, Tony, has quite a few relationship troubles. How did he get so entangled? To use language from Cross Roads, Tony is not entangled because of life, but rather because of death; not just the fear of the event of death, but the ubiquitous presence of death that we dwell within and to which we seem to willingly give ourselves. We find it so much easier to refrain from the conversation that might heal or bridge, to be right than to love, to judge the other, to be afraid of imaginations, than to embrace the person and Spirit of Jesus, who welcomes the stranger, carries the enemy’s pack, receives the outcast along with the religious. We are entangled by death. Tony’s drive for control and significance is birthed within that “beautiful mess,” beautiful because he is made in the image of God and a mess because he knows it not.

 While Tony is in a coma, he spends time in some unusual places—from a place that manifests the state of his heart to the mind of an Alzheimer’s patient. Where exactly is he in that in-between state? I don’t know exactly, that’s why I have called it the in-between. It gave me an opportunity to explore this space, the territory of the soul, if you would. How expansive do we think the human soul is? I like to think that it is an expanding universe barely understood, but exploding outward. I have lived with Kim, my wife, for 33 years. How little do I comprehend the depth and breadth of her soul, but I get to witness and learn and wonder. So for Tony, my question was: What if Tony was given the invitation to explore not only his own soul, but also the soul of another? How would that impact him or effect change? A worthy investigation, at least from my point of view.

C.S. Lewis makes an appearance in the story. Why did you choose “Jack” as a key figure? Many readers will not understand that Jack is indeed C.S. Lewis, at least not without a little work. Introducing him into the story was actually the suggestion of Baxter Kruger, the author of The Shack Revisited. It was one of those playful ideas that took root and grew. Through his mother, Tony was introduced as a child to some of this man’s work, and like a seed planted but ignored, it simply waited for the right conditions to spring to life. Jack gave me a character to “play” with as well as hint at the significant role that authors, teachers, artists, musicians, friends and family have in the formation of our lives. It was also a way for me to give a nod to this brilliant brother, who has astounded me, given me hours of wonder and slipped into some of the precious places of my own soul. 

How do you cultivate your imagination from which spring stories like The Shack and Cross Roads? Good question. I think that being around good stories helps to cultivate the imagination, whether you are listening to another who is a story, or reading or watching, etc. A good story may be shocking, or odd at first glance, or completely other than the expected, but will contain the ring of truth and longing and humanity and meaning. Learning to ask questions and doing so with openness is vital, along with the permission to imagine and explore. Being comfortable with silence and friends with imagination itself.  

First printing for this book is 1 million copies. What do you have to say about such a significant first print run? That is so cool, don’t you think? The first real printing of The Shack was 10,000 copies, and we were told that usually means 8,000 in your garage after two years. Frankly, my first printing of 15 copies at Office Depot accomplished everything that I wanted it to do, so this sort of thing just makes me grin and shake my head. Don’t confuse me with someone who actually knows what they are doing. My gift is quite narrow, and I am so grateful that others know what they are doing.

How might Christian retailers best present this book to their customers? Read it yourself, and then you will know how best to present Cross Roads. While The Shack and Cross Roads come from the same parent, I find it rather difficult to compare one child with another. However, when you meet either one, you will recognize the family resemblance and the more time you spend with either, you will understand their distinctive natures. So fun!

Read more of this Ask the Author Q&A at www.christianretailing.com/young.