Rick Barry Interview

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

A:  I grew up in the home of a pilot. As a teen in the 1940s, Dad did odd jobs at Michigan’s Pontiac Airport in exchange for flying lessons. He always owned one airplane or another as I grew up. So airports, aircraft, and air shows were part of my upbringing and affect my writing. Dad was also a ham radio operator (call sign K8PJF), who chatted with people in distant lands. That exposure to faraway countries led me to study French, Spanish, and German in high school. To this day I often use foreign languages, although usually Russian.

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

A: I actually attempted to start a novel in 5^th grade. Two paragraphs in, I realized I was way over my head with no clue what to do next. I destroyed the evidence of that botched attempt! Still, I always enjoyed writing English papers in school even though my friends groaned and gnashed their teeth over such assignments.

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

A:  Not until college did I attempt once more to write for publication. This time I started small, with a simple magazine article. They bought it! That modest success persuaded me to try more articles, then short stories. Many (though not nearly all) of those sold too. I had dozens and dozens of publishing credits when I finally decided to try a novel. On a whim, I wrote a YA fantasy. It didn’t sell, and I left it in the drawer and went back to articles and short stories. My wife Pam and daughter Jessica were the ones who encouraged me to edit the fantasy story. As a surprise, they even retyped my yellowed, old manuscript into a new Word doc. Eventually that book sold. Kiriath’s Quest is still available from JourneyForth Books. Next I attempted a YA story set in WWII. Gunner’s Run sold too.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release The Methuselah Project?

A: If this book were a cake, the batter would consist of a large bowlful of 1940s history, a cup of suspense, another cup of romance, a dash of humor, and sprinkling of speculative throughout. The kick start for the story is when cocky P-47 pilot Roger Greene gets shot down over Nazi Germany. His captors don’t take him to a POW camp. Instead, Roger becomes an unwilling guinea pig in a hush-hush experiment intended to outlast the war. If I say much more, I’ll spoil it for readers. But keep in mind that I promised romance, too. Roger doesn’t reach The End all by himself!

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for The Methuselah Project?

A: The initial idea was a big “What if?” exercise. I like stories that take ordinary people and cast them into extraordinary situations where they must somehow survive or die. Since I’m a WWII buff, I found it fun to imagine a captured pilot carrying around a secret in his body long after the war. Countless obstacles had to get worked out, but step by step I found solutions for each problem.

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

A: Although I wanted to give readers a thrilling ride with plenty of ups and downs and a satisfied sigh at the end, my underlying theme—never stated—is trust in God. In the beginning Roger Greene cares little about God and rarely thinks about Him. But over the course of the story, Roger has plenty of time to reflect. He reads an old Bible. He changes and places faith in the Lord—even when he totally doesn’t understand what on earth God is doing.

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

A: Once again, I don’t want to include any spoilers. What I will say is that the second-to-last chapter includes a scene that brings tears to my eyes each time I read it. When reviewers talk about a chapter that even made them cry, I know exactly which scene they’re talking about! And I’m glad those moments touch them, since I poured much of myself into those emotions.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: A great idea that wells up in my mind. Very rarely does it work when editors email me an idea of theirs and ask me to flesh it out for them. Someone else’s ideas are just that—someone else’s. For me to be inspired, the idea has to grow from within me. There comes a moment when I must think, “Wow. Developed right, that could be really cool!” Bingo!

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

A: Before I was published, I figured novelists were a special breed, a cut above. Then I became one. At first I felt that I had somehow received a free pass to an elite club where I didn’t belong. Sooner or later the “real” novelists would discover that I’m a fraud who mows his own lawn and changes his car’s oil in the driveway. But in time I learned that many, many authors feel exactly the same way—frightfully normal and not nearly exciting enough to wear the “Author” crown.

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

A: First, realize that learning English in grade school doesn’t mean you know how to create a novel, or even a magazine article. You need to study the craft. Learn the techniques that separate bland writing from quality writing. If you can’t take a class in creative writing, then read blogs, books, or magazines for writers. Second, don’t believe your spouse or your mother when they rave about your adorable prose. People who love you can’t be trusted to point out weaknesses that need attention. Third, as many others have suggested, read quality books in your genre. If you want to write suspense but read nothing more suspenseful than People magazine, you’re not drinking from the right well of inspiration.

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

A: I recently completed a 2,000-word short story assignment for Focus on the Family. Now I’m going back to a sequel for The Methuselah Project.

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

I begin my day with coffee, some Bible reading, and prayer. I’m very involved with my church, and I work with the children’s program there. (When I was young, I attended a boy’s program at a local church in Union Lake, Michigan. Now it’s my turn to invest in the next generation.) I also enjoy running and weight-lifting, but never for competition. I’m simply a middle-aged guy who wants to maintain my health.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A:  My author site/blog is at www.rickcbarry.com. I tweet at @WriterRickBarry, and my Facebook home is https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRickBarry.

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

A: I’d like to say that I applaud all of you readers. That’s not just because you provide an audience for writers. When you read, you engage your inner imagination in a way that movies simply can’t duplicate. Instead of merely watching characters on a movie screen, you become the main characters in novels. You see through their eyes and think their thoughts. You experience situations in distant lands and even different lifetimes. Plenty of people on earth never learn to appreciate reading a great story. They don’t know how much they’re missing.