Creston Mapes Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself. 

A. I have always loved creativity, artwork and writing. After majoring in magazine journalism at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, I worked as a newspaper reporter and photographer. I loved the newspaper business, which inspires many of my novels, including the new thriller series, The Crittendon Files, about Trenton City Dispatch reporter Jack Crittendon and his family.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. A college advisor who was a free-lance writer for National Geographic magazine inspired me to pursue a career in journalism/writing. So it was in my junior year of undergraduate studies that I determined to pursue a career in writing.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break? 

A.After my newspaper career, I became a writer for a creative agency that provided marketing for colleges and universities. We traveled to universities across the nation, researched those schools and conducted market research, then created and produced the marketing materials directed at potential college students.

From there I became the creative director at Walk Thru the Bible Ministries in Atlanta. But it was in that position that I learned I was not a very good manager. I wanted to be writing again. So I went out on my own as a freelance copywriter and began writing marketing copy for large corporations, such as Coke, BellSouth, The Weather Channel, Chick-fil-A, ABC-TV, and many others. I’ve done that type of work fro more than 20 years and still do, because my novels have not hit the big-time….yet.

So in 1999 I decided to try fiction. I wrote an entire novel called Hooked, got courted seriously by one big publisher, but was ultimately rejected by them and many others. After many other attempts and five years of more than 100 rejections, I got an agent (Mark Sweeney) and a 3-book deal with Multnomah (Julee Schwarzburg).

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release FEAR HAS A NAME? This is a thought-provoking thriller about Trenton City Dispatch reporter Jack Crittendon, who is working on a story about a pastor who has disappeared, leaving his family and church to take his own life.

At the same time, it is the tale of a man named Granger Meade, who was bullied as a boy and unwanted by his religious zealot parents. When Granger sets out to find the only person who ever cared about him, he finds her happily married to no other than newspaper reporter Jack Crittendon.

To steal a bit from our marketing materials: “It was more than a break-in. More than a stalking. It was personal. When a stalker targets his family, journalist Jack Crittendon must uncover who the person is and what his motives are—if he is to protect the ones he loves. It will lead Crittendon into a world of behind-closed-door secrets and faith gone awry…Each move Crittendon makes weaves him tighter and tighter into a web of lies, greed, hypocrisy, sin, and danger.”

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for FEAR HAS A NAME?

A: As a kid, I always hated bullies. I guess I may have been bullied a little at times, but many kids got it much worse. I’ve always had sympathy for the underdog, kids who were overweight, extra shy, or not physically attractive by the world’s standards—and those who were bullied. This book takes a close look at the life of a man who was bullied and unwanted. Although Granger Meade is the clear antagonist in the story, I try to give the reader a glimpse of his life, his youth, and why he turned out he way he has—which is very bad and dangerous, indeed.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: There are several things. 1) Try not to judge a person until you’ve worn his or her shoes; 2) Bad, difficult, trying, unthinkable circumstances DO happen to Christians; 3) Fear is a part of life, but God wants us to throw all of our worries onto him, even those unthinkable trials; 4) No one is beyond God’s reach

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: Probably the opening scene, a real-action packed break in at the Crittendon home. Something relatively similar actually happened to our family a long time ago. It is a thrilling chapter that I trust will thoroughly quarantine the reader for the remainder of the book.

Q: What inspires you to write? 

A. God. I was once very lost, actually until I was about 27 or 28. So I know what it is like to live on the dark side, to live for other things, to try to find satisfaction in the world. God transformed me and I try to show that in some way in all of my stories.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession? 

A: Oh my. When I got my first contract I started talking about writing books full time. I thought getting published was the ‘be all, end all.’ Few people realize that, just because you have a few books published, doesn’t mean you are ‘making a living’ at it. I still hope to write novels full time. But until then, I do my freelance writing. I guess I also didn’t realize how much time and energy goes into books, from writing and editing to marketing and promoting. It takes TONS of time, effort and passion.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Read books and do research on the craft of writing good fiction. I found out that writing marketing copy is a whole different animal than writing fiction. I still have much, much to learn about writing great fiction. But the great thing is, you can learn easily by studying the craft. I’ve been blessed by working with two fantastic editors, Julee Schwarzburg and LB Norton, and try to apply what they’ve taught me with each new book.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? 

A. Yes, I’m just putting the finishing touches on book two in The Crittendon Files, tentatively entitled Poison Town. In this thriller, Jack discovers that a large fiberglass manufacturer on the poor side of Trenton City may be emitting pollutants that are killing workers and residents. As he and his best friend, reporter Derrick Whittaker, get further and further into uncovering the sinister details of what’s really going on, that knowledge becomes a very dangerous thing—for everyone involved. I’ve also started writing book three in the series, which finds Jack out of a job and working part-time at an arena/entertainment venue where something very big is going to go down. In this book, we may even see a surprise visit from rock star Everett Lester, who was the protagonist in my first two books, Dark Star and Full Tilt.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do? 

A. Be with family and friends. Encourage other people. Enjoy a strong cup of coffee. Go to the beach.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? 

A. CrestonMapes.com; twitter.com/crestonmapes; facebook.com/creston.mape

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? 

A. Just that I appreciate the chance to be with you on the Suspense Zone, and that I promise if you give my books a few pages, I think you’ll be hooked. See you between the pages!