Brandt, describe yourself for our visitors.
I’m 49 years old, have been married for almost 28 years and have two sons. I’m fortunate in that I’ve always had a solid family life, both as a child and as an adult. I’m a big believer in family, so most of my relaxation comes from the things we do together.
Friday nights are big for us. We generally stay home, rent a movie (if MONK isn’t on) and send out for a pizza. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? But that’s who we are. Neither my wife nor I are much for flash and show. A weekend spent hanging out at the local bookstore or seeing a movie is our idea of excitement.
I like all types of music, although I grew up on New Orleans style jazz and southern gospel. I’m a big fan of New Orleans jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain and the southern gospel of Carroll Roberson. I also like Michael W. Smith.
But I grew up listening to The Eagles, Aerosmith, ABBA, and … yes, The Captain and Tennille. I still listen to all of them. (Except for The Captain and Tennille. I’ve got to draw the line some place.)
I’m an eclectic reader. I read in nearly all genres, but prefer – surprise – suspense and crime fiction. Dean Koontz, Robert B. Parker, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, and Ken Follett are about as good as it gets. But I also read Ann Tyler, Lisa Samson, and others whose writings rarely include a gun, knife, or garrote.
My ministry is to honor God in whatever role He has placed me. Over the years, I’ve gotten to the point where I worry less about my “spiritual gifts” and more about how I’m conducting life in the arena that God has placed me. The consequence is that I find He does some pretty remarkable things that I could never do if I were working alone.
As I get older, I find myself developing a stronger and more pervasive sense of the eternal. Life is so very short and it seems foolish to me to live for the here and now. Only the things we do for Christ are going to last, and they will follow us into eternity. Meaning, of course, that they will laasstt. This view has changed my philosophy on writing, working, and just about everything else I do. Consequently, I’ve become a big fan of Randy Alcorn’s work. I think his Eternal Perspective Ministries has hit it on the head.
That’s not to say we should ignore the needs that confront us in the here and now. But it is to say that I believe we should engage in God’s work on earth, so as to more completely follow Jesus by putting the needs of others first.
Someone – I can’t recall who – once said that what we do with Jesus’ work on the cross will determine where we spend eternity. But how we do the work He has given us will determine how we spend eternity.
How do you find time to connect with God?
I’ve been active in the church for a long time. I’ve taught a Sunday school class for years, served as an elder, and chaired the fund-raising campaign when building our new building. And during that time, I found myself moving farther away from God as I became increasingly busy serving Him. I think it is a paradoxical truth that the more we work for God, the colder our relationship can grow. We simply don’t have time to talk to Him, much less listen. Charles Stanley, of Atlanta’s First Baptist Church, mentions experiencing much the same thing when he first began his ministry. He wrote that he was so busy serving God (preaching, teaching, radio, and television) that he ended up being hospitalized before God could get hold of him.
Today I do less, though I still serve, so that I can set more time aside for Him. It is a rare evening when I go to sleep without first reading the bible and praying. And I begin the morning with Him, by reading His word and thanking Him for the day He’s given me.
But simply reading the bible isn’t enough. We must also study His word. I set aside time to do that, using a good study guide, and then memorize the scriptures He’s given me. If I can’t find time in the day, then I will rise early. It’s amazing how much can get done if we’re willing to sacrifice 30 or 60 minutes of extra sleep. And of course, turning off the TV helps to clear the schedule too.
Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?
Besides the authors I’ve mentioned above, I favor (in no particular order) C.S. Lewis, Chuck Colson, Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, Faye Kellerman, David Baldacci, anything by A.W. Tozer, and Eric Wilson.
Some of my favorite books are: Lightning, Watchers, Voice of the Night, and The Dark Place, all by Dean Koontz, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiel Hammett, Thunder Point by Jack Higgins, the nonfiction work of C.S. Lewis, Born Again and Loving God by Chuck Colson, Eye of the Needle, The Man from St. Petersburg, and Code One by Ken Follett, virtually anything that Randy Alcorn writes, Tom Sawyer, Patriot Games by Tom Clancy, and Lincoln by Carl Sandburg.
Tell us about your journey to publication
It was one of those long, arduous trips that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But having said that, I’m glad I did it.
I’ve wanted to write since I was in grade school. Writing was the one thing I truly look forward to and that seemed to come easily.
I liked art too, but I remember my first grade teacher holding up one of my paintings and telling all of the other kids that “this is exactly what we don’t want.” Any competition that I might have provided for Thomas Kincaid ended right then and there.
In college, I had the encouragement of a very good and engaged creative writing instructor who re-kindled my interest. He told me that I would do very well if I decided to write – and worked hard at it. He also told me that I would one day have regrets if I didn’t try. Still, it would be another eight years before I’d begin writing in earnest. But once I began, there was no turning back.
I wrote for twelve years before I broke through with a non-fiction article in The Christian Standard. Four years later I was offered a three book contract by Harvest House and have been with them ever since.
Writing is a process, not a destination. Although I couldn’t see that simple truth when I was struggling, I can clearly see it now. Having published five novels, a short story, and an article – along with a sixth novel that’s on the way, I can tell you that each piece I write becomes more difficult because I continually push the envelope. This is why I love the act of writing more than I loving having written. It is impossible to ever get good enough. No one who writes ever truly arrives. It’s a journey of continual discovery, much like a walk with Christ.
Tell us about your current book.
Daniel’s Den will release on January 1st and is my most complicated, complex work to date. It is a stand alone suspense novel, and tells the story of Daniel Borden and Laura Traynor whose lives are on the fast track to nowhere, but who find themselves the target of some very powerful, very dedicated, and very motivated enemies. They lose all they have, even their very identities, in an effort to unravel the mystery of their pursuers. And like Daniel, while in the Lion’s den, they find they have nowhere to turn but to the God they’ve denied.
How did you come up with the idea for the book?
The idea for the book ar
ose from the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. While watching the news coverage, it occurred to me that the victims of this disaster could not rely on their neighbors (remember the looting?) the city’s infrastructure, or even the federal government. There was nowhere to turn but to God. And I began to wonder, do we see that truth in the good times too, or must we always be confronted with disaster before we can see that God is the only rock that can cleft for us; that He is the true Rock of Ages.
God is with us in the good times and the bad; He can be found in the valley as well as the mountain top.
I use a great deal of symbolism with Daniel’s Den (the settings, the season, the weather) and have tried very hard to write an ending that will resonate with my readers long after they’ve finished the book. I want everyone who reads the story to know that God is the friend who sticks closer than a brother. I want my readers to come away knowing that He is with them in the good times and the bad. I want them to see that He will never leave or forsake them, even when they don’t think they need Him.
List your three most recent books.
My most recent release was White Soul which came out in February, 2008. It is a crime novel and tells the story of Ron Ortega, an undercover DEA agent who penetrates a Cuban crime syndicate in Miami. The story is about temptation and the subtlety Satan uses when trying to ensnare us.
For example, we find in the story of David and Bathsheba that it was David’s second look that led to his downfall. Just one more look. Just a peak. Looking can’t do any harm. But in fact, it is in our minds where sin is first conceived.
I chose to write about an undercover officer because these men and women must go where angels fear to tread. And by doing so, often place themselves at huge risk for being tempted by the very thing they’ve sworn to defeat. Seeing undercover officers fall to the temptation that surrounds them, and begin participating in the very schemes they are supposed to be investigating, happens more than we’d like to think.
I wanted Ron Ortega to be put in that situation. As a Christian, I could raise the bar for him and hopefully help my readers see at least a little bit of them in him.
Satan has been around a long time. He’s crafty. He’s unyielding. And he doesn’t play fair. There are no rules. He wants you dead. He wants your family dead. And he wants you separated from God forever. To that end, he will do whatever is necessary to win.
The two previous books were The Lost Sheep and The Root of All Evil, both from my Colton Parker Mystery series.
What’s next for you?
More novels. I think I would like to explore the dark side of family divisions. What happens when a family member is a Christian in a non-believing, maybe even hostile, family? Or the reverse; what happens to a strong, close-knit Christian family when they must deal with one who has gone astray – in a big, heart-breaking way?
Everything doesn’t end in a nice box with a bow on top. In fact, life seldom ends that way for any of us. But there are answers that can be mined from a story like this and, I believe, help those who are dealing with these issues.
Where can visitors find you on line?
The best place would be my website at: www.brandtdodson.com
But I also blog at: www.keepmeinsuspense.com and on my profile at: www.amazon.com
Drop me a line. I always enjoy hearing from readers and I always respond.
Thanks Ty. I’ve enjoyed it.
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