Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
|
Eric Wilson interview with Susan Sleeman
|
|
October 01, 2011
A. Love my wife (of 21 years). Love my teen daughters. Love basketball, soccer, chess, hard rock, and, oh yes, reading great books! I’ve tasted failure on large levels and the same with success, and both provide lessons well worth learning. Q: Would you tell us about your current book release One Step Away? A. Ever wonder what you’d do with $6,000,000? Well, in “One Step Away,” the Vreeland family finds themselves suddenly rich. But what they don’t know is that Satan has asked to test them, not through hardship as with biblical Job, but through blessings. It’s a modern suspense story, but with this spiritual backdrop framing it in, and I dare you to put it down. It’s my most readable book yet. Q: Where did you get your inspiration for One Step Away? A: After the success of my novelization, “Fireproof,” many people, especially Christians, acted as though this blessing was proof that I was living right and getting God’s favor. But how does that make sense with drug lords we see prospering, or someone like Hugh Hefner? Or what about a godly woman like Mother Teresa who lived her life without owning a thing? Yes, there are biblical principles that help guide us in life, family, and business, but we cannot blindly assume the best or worst about others based on the car they drive or the clothes they wear. That’s a works-oriented theology, one that fails to touch the true heart of God. Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story? A: That Jesus is our Daily Bread, our Manna. We need to trust Him day by day, instead of trusting ourselves and our 401(k) to keep us secure down the road. Q: Why will readers enjoy your novel? A: It’s a fast-paced suspense story, with one of the most memorably named villains you’ll ever find. It’ll make you laugh, sweat, and maybe even get a tear in your eye. Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book? A: I loved writing the chapter in which Bret (the husband) and Sara (the wife) both deal with their own money and dreams in different ways, and both of them end up in some trouble from it. Bret’s driving his Maserati, and Sara’s on her latest shopping spree. I laughed as I wrote, because I saw so much of my own human nature in both of them. Q: What inspires you to write? A. Pleasing God, providing for my family, and allowing all the creativity flooding my head to find an outlet. All of my novels, in some way, point to grace–whether from the trials of marriage, demonic warfare, or financial trials or blessings. Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession? A: I did tons of research on writing and publication before I was ever published. I came into it with eyes wide open. But I’ve been most surprised by how scared most publishers are to take a chance on a new author or new idea. It’s a business, and even Christian publishers filter everything through dollar signs. In working with a smaller publisher, though, I’ve found a team that is also intent on hearing God’s voice for each project and filtering their decisions through that as well. It’s a huge breath of fresh air. Imagine that. I write a book about living by faith each day, and I find a publisher that is doing just that. Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? A. “Two Seconds Late,” the next book in this series, can be read as a standalone, but it takes a minor character from “One Step Away” and turns her into the main character. Her name is Natalie Flynn. While dating a young, charismatic politician, she finds herself in position to stand against a deadly conspiracy. Like Esther in the Bible, she has been positioned for “such a time as this,” but is she already too late? Q: What is something your readers might be surprised to learn about you? A. I’ve been in 35 countries. I love screamo music. I’m a big romantic. Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do? A. I love reading great books, playing smash-mouth basketball, hiking alone in the woods, land listening to piano solos by George Winston. To this day, I still cry almost everytime I sing the song “I Love You, Jesus.” Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? A. Visit my website, WilsonWriter.com (newly revamped), and come interact with my at facebook.com/EricWilsonNovelist. |
Warning: getimagesize(https://www.thesuspensezone.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/susanamazon-200×300.png): failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 406 Not Acceptable
in /home/susans16/thesuspensezone.com/xxss_class/Utils.class.php on line 849
Warning: Division by zero in /home/susans16/thesuspensezone.com/xxss_class/Utils.class.php on line 856
Eric Wilson credits his childhood as a missionary kid in Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia, for his becoming a novelist. He grew to love language and the arts. In high school, he added basketball and track and field to his interests.
After graduating from college, Eric was encouraged by his wife to “write what was in his heart.” He has penned ten novels, including Fireproof, which was on the NY Times best-seller list for seventeen weeks, and the groundbreaking Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy. He is now working on three new novels, the first to be released in Oct. 2011. Titled One Step Away, it is a modern twist on the story of Job, with a family being “blessed” with $6,000,000, instead of cursed, to see if they will forget about God.
Eric has worked as a youth pastor, warehouse manager, cabinet maker, espresso shop owner–and now, at last, a novelist. He and his wife, Carolyn Rose, have been married over twenty years and live with their two teenaged daughters in Nashville, TN.
Leave a Reply