Jim, describe yourself for our visitors.
I like to travel with my wife when I get the chance. My favorite kinds
of music are jazz and movie soundtracks. I listen to these when I’m
writing. I’m involved in my church as a teaching pastor and this,
with my writing, takes up most of my time.
I do like to tool around my home city of L.A., picking up plot ideas.
There’s a never ending stream here.
How do you find time to connect with God?
That’s the first thing I do in the morning. I have good Bible software
on the computer, and do a devotional on it, and some study.
Then I get to writing my quota for the day. Sometime in there I try to
work out. I have to do all three early, or they don’t get done.
Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?
Raymond Chandler, of course. John D. MacDonald, especially “The Brass Cupcake” and “The End of the Night.”
Michael Connelly. Ross Macdonald. Dashiell Hammett.
When I was in college, I loved Hemingway and Saroyan, for their short
stories. I find the short story form the most challenging of all, and
a story I did for a collection, called “I See Things Deeply,” is
something I’m very proud of.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
It was really an odd journey. I was working as a screenwriter in
Hollywood, but getting frustrated at the meetings and starts and
stops. I had a couple of scripts optioned, but they stalled. One day I
decided to write a novel just for myself. It turned into a crazy thing
about Darwin. Thinking it would never be published, I thought about
publishing it myself. I went to the Christian Booksellers Ass.
convention to talk to publishers about the business. A publisher asked
to see my book, took it home, then offered me a contract. Strange, but
there you go.
Tell us about your current book?
The Whole Truth started with the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case. I kept thinking about it, and what would happen to a child whose sibling was snatched from the same room. I made it two boys, and the younger one is my Lead character. I have a prologue about the kidnapping, then cut to him 25 years later. What’s his life like? And what would happen if the past intrudes on his present?
How did you come up with ideas for this book?
In addition to the Smart case, I researched cult movements, as there
is a subplot about that as well.
List your three most recent books.
- Try Dying, the first in the Buchanan suspense series for Center
Street. - #2 is Try Darkness, coming in July.
- No Legal Grounds, from Zondervan.
I’ve also written two books for the “Write Great Fiction” series from
Writers Digest Books.
- Plot & Structure (out now)
- Revision & Self-Editing (May 2008)
What’s next for you?
I’m working on book #3 in the Buchanan series, Try Fear. I just turned in a book for Zondervan, due out next January, and we’re still working on the title.
Where can visitors find you online?
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