Richard Mabry Interview

Q: How did you get your start writing fiction and what genre do you predominantly write in?

A. I attended a writing conference when I was trying to write a non-fiction book about the loss of my spouse. (By the way, that book—The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse—came to fruition and is still in print seven years later). At the conference, two of the faculty—James Scott Bell and Alton Gansky—encouraged me to try my hand at fiction.

After a number of false starts (i.e., four books over four years garnering forty rejections) I settled on medical suspense. That seemed to work for me, and—fortunately—for editors and readers as well.  

Q: What does your writing space look like?

A: I work in a crowded little room  that’s so small the mice are hunchbacked, and I have to step outside to change my mind. However, I like it that way. I swivel away from my computer, and I’m at my desk. Everything is either at hand or just a few steps away. My problem isn’t with the space. It’s making myself go into the space to write.

Q: In this busy world, how do you find time to connect with God and how does this impact your writing? 

A. I’m not as disciplined as I should be in finding time every day to read the Scripture and speak with God. However, Kay and I hardly ever miss attending our church, Stonebriar Community Church, where we’re fed regularly by Dr. Chuck Swindoll, Dr. Jim Allman, Dr. Steve Farrar, and have the opportunity to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the journey.

As for how it affects my writing, I’d have to say that it allows me to consistently write from a Christian worldview. I can’t imagine doing otherwise.

Q: What part of a writing career do you find most difficult?

A. No question, it’s the marketing. Writing is generally a solitary pursuit, yet even after a writer gets a contract (or two or ten or whatever), it’s necessary for him or her to shout to the world in some fashion or other, “Buy my books.” Even though I try to do it discreetly, it’s still the toughest part of the industry for me.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release, Heart Failure?  

A: When her fiancé’s dangerous secrets turn her world upside-down, a beautiful doctor must choose between her own safety and the man she loves—and thought she knew.

Dr. Carrie Markham’s heart was broken by the death of her husband two years ago. Now, just as her medical practice is taking off, her fresh engagement to paralegal Adam Davidson seems almost too good to be true . . . until a drive-by shooting leaves Carrie on the floor of his car with glass falling around her.

When he confesses that Adam isn’t his real name and that he fled the witness protection program, Carrie is left with an impossible choice: should she abandon the fiancé she isn’t sure she really knows, or accept his claim of innocence and help him fight back against this faceless menace?

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Heart Failure?

A: Like most of my book ideas, this one came from advice I got at the start of my road to writing—Alton Gansky taught me to ask “what if…” I read a story about a man who’d lived quietly under another name in the Witness Security Program until his real identity came out. I wondered, “What if someone was on the run from criminals and was living under a new identity, and he fell in love? Would he tell his significant other about his past life? And if he did, what would be her reaction?” From there, the characters told me how to proceed.

Q: Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her.

A: I actually had trouble getting into Adam Davidson’s head, mainly because of the conflicting emotions he had. He intended to tell Carrie Markham about his past—he really did—but he put it off and eventually just hoped he could get by living the rest of his life in his new identity. Then, when someone puts a bullet through the windshield of the car he and Carrie were in, he knows he has to tell her—even if he’s running the risk of her saying she never wants to see him again.

Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Least?

A: The first part of any book is the least enjoyable for me to write, because I’m still learning the characters. As the book progresses, I often have to go back and rewrite the portions that have gone before as I get to know the characters better. By the second half, things go a lot faster. This one was probably even more difficult than any of my others because of the complex emotions both characters were experiencing.

Q: What is the main theme or spiritual message of this book?

A: Wherever we run, God is there. Whatever our need, God will meet it. Or, as Psalm 139:7 puts it, “I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” (NLT)

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

A. I’ve just completed Critical Condition, which Thomas Nelson will publish in April of 2014. Here’s a bit about what it’s about:

Not only couldn’t she save the life of the man shot on the lawn of her home, the events that followed threatened to take her own.

It began as a quiet dinner party honoring Dr. Shannon Frasier’s colleague, but became a nightmare when a man is shot dead on her lawn, reviving emotions from a similar episode a decade ago. A midnight call from her sister raises fears that Megan is back on drugs once more. “Almost-fiancé” Dr. Mark Gilbert’s support just adds to Shannon’s feelings of guilt, since she can’t bring herself to fully commit to him. She turns for help to her pastor-father, only to learn that he’s just been diagnosed with leukemia.

Shannon thought it couldn’t get any worse. Then the late-night, threatening phone calls began, the rough voice asking, “What did he say before he died?”

Q: If you could have dinner with 2 people, who would they be?

A. Just two? I guess I’m supposed to choose people like Jesus and the Apostle Paul, but other than that I’d like to sit back and listen to the late Mickey Mantle and Bobby Bragan tell baseball stories. I’ve heard some of them, and I know they have thousands more.

Q: Do you have a favorite hobby?

A. I play golf most Wednesday mornings, and have done so for at least a dozen years. My golf partner and I don’t keep score, if we hit a shot we don’t like we hit another (but no more than two apiece or we forget where they are), and in general we just enjoy the outdoors, talking with each other and finishing the round with a hot dog. Not sure if that’s a hobby or an aberration, but we enjoy it.

Q: What is the most rewarding thing you have ever done? 

A. Interesting question. I suppose my greatest reward came from my practice of medicine, although not in the way you might think. I was fortunate enough to gain an international reputation in my specialty, wrote or edited eight textbooks and over 100 professional papers, served as President or Vice-President of three major professional societies, and did some groundbreaking research at a prestigious medical center. But, honestly, my greatest reward was the simple “thank you” I received from patients whom I helped. Those are special.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? 

A. My website is http://rmabry.com. I’m on Twitter (RichardMabry) and have a Facebook fan page (rmabrybooks).

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

A. I appreciate this opportunity to let your readers know a bit more about me. I hope they’ll try my novels (Heart Failure is the sixth). And most of all, I trust that if they do read the books, the stories will help them see that God is in everything we do. That’s what I’ve tried to convey in every novel.