Into the Fire

After reading other interviews with you, I’m sure most readers assume you’re a super nice guy who loves the Lord. If they haven’t read your books, they might be surprised to find your novels fall into the supernatural thriller with a touch of horror genre. You don’t touch on evil, you dive right into it. You’ve said you like to explore the “dark” side which exists in all of us. Explain who you are as a writer to potential readers.

Here’s the bottom line. I’ve been given a gift and an opportunity to use that gift and I don’t for one second take that for granted. I heard 1 in 3,000 writers actually gets published. Those are staggering odds. I’m that one. That’s very humbling. And I take no credit for any of it. This whole journey to publication and now to multiple books has been mapped out by God. I take it very seriously. In every book I write I want there to be a gripping story played out by captivating and interesting characters. But more than all that I want there to be a message that is potentially life-changing for the reader. For me, that’s what it’s all about. My stories have to include a message that I hope will resonate with the reader even after reading the story. The plot may fade, the characters get lost in their memory, but if they remember the message and ponder it, then I’ve done my job and I’m satisfied. It was all worth it.

As for the “dark” side, we all have it and very few of us want to expose it, let alone deal with it. But it’s in shining the light on it that we push back that darkness and let our light shine before men.

Most writers who have to manage jobs, writing, and their families make their share of mistakes in that process. Many times families don’t “get” the writing persona and husbands/wives struggle with their spouse’s addiction to the demands of serious writing. Any of those difficulties in the Dellosso household?

We’d be weird if we didn’t have those struggles. When I first started writing I was obsessed with it and determined to get published. I wrote all the time, often at the expense of time with my wife and kids. I justified it, of course, but I was wrong, simple as that. Jen and I had our disagreements about it and shared some “intense fellowship” (what my dad calls arguing). But one day, during one discussion she referred to the computer as “the other woman.” That hit me hard and woke me up. I was spending too much time with the computer.

I won’t lie, it’s always a struggle balancing family, work, and writing but I have a system down now that works pretty well. I wake up at 5:00 am, start writing by 5:15 or so and go at it until 6:40. Everyone else in the house is still asleep so I’m not taking time from the family. It’s before I go to work so that doesn’t interfere with anything. And I can do that seven days a week and write about 1,000 words in that time. When I’m under deadline and things are winding down, I may add an occasional evening in there from 9:00-10:00 or 10:00-11:00 to get caught up.

Some writers hope to see their books on film. How ‘bout you? If so, have you cast your characters?

I’ve always imagined the leading man being Luke Wilson. My male protagonists are never action hero macho men or GQ hunks, just normal guys living normal lives. For some reason, Luke Wilson embodies the “normal guy” image. In DW, the lead female, Juli, has to be Sandra Bullock or Zooey Deschanel (Jovie in Elf).  No one else could play her part.

Favorite actor(s)?

Harrison Ford, Dennis Quaid, Matt Damon, Amy Adams, Sandra Bullock.

Do you have any quirks (writing or otherwise) you’d dare to share with your readers?

When I’m under deadline I get pretty OCDish about writing 1,000 words a day, every day. I have to make it 1,000. It has to be 1,000. Okay, stop . . . stop! I’m also very much into routine. My mornings are mapped out sometimes to the minute with waking, writing, getting ready for work, etc.

Since you write thrillers with a touch of horror, what do you read? And what do you like to watch on film?

I read supernatural and horror stuff mostly. Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Travis Thrasher. I like Peretti’s works and Dekker’s older stuff. But I also enjoy Charles Martin and Dale Cramer, two of my favorite authors.

As for movies, anything M. Night Shyamalan does. Signs was the best. One of my favorite movies, though, is I am Legend. I also love The Patriot, Last of the Mohicans, the Bourne trilogy, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I could watch those movies over and over again. And I do.

A lot of authors are asked who their favorite authors and books are, and most give answers with general market responses. Would you also include those books and authors in the Christian writing world?

Not sure I understand the question but my favorite authors in the Christian world are Kathryn Mackel, Charles Martin, Athol Dickson, Angela Hunt.  

If you could set any goal for your writing, what would it be?

Theoretically, I just want to minister while entertaining. I want my stories to keep people turning pages but at the same time give them something to think about, something to be challenged by, something to be inspired by.

Practically, I want to sell books. Every author does. It’s what keeps me writing books. And I’d like to sell enough to quit my “real” job and do this writing thing full-time. That’s a long way off but, then again, there was a time when I thought landing a four-book contract was a long way off. 

Do you have what I call a “signature verse” from the Bible?

It has always been Joshua 1:9 but lately I stumbled upon 1 Corinthians 15:10: But by the grace of God I am what I am. Powerful stuff!

How would you currently evaluate your walk with the Lord?

Up and down, three steps forward, two steps back . . . but progressing. Every day brings struggles of its own. I stumble and fall, get up, dust myself off, plug on, fall, get back up, and so on and so on. But every day also brings triumphs and blessings and brand new ways of seeing God at work in my life. I hope I learn from my mistakes and slowly, bit by bit, step by step, am becoming more like Christ. 

Worst fan or writing experience (or both)?

There was a lady at my church who thought because I write what I write there was no way I could be a Christian. I was an elder at the time and it could have caused a stir if it wasn’t nipped in the bud early. She even left a gospel tract on my car. Funny thing was, she never even read any of my books. She was judging them solely on the cover, title, and subject matter.

How ‘bout marketing? You enjoy it, hate it, look forward to it, resent it? 😉

Marketing is something I do because I have to but really don’t enjoy. It’s a necessity. Now days, publishers are asking and expecting the author to do more marketing and promoting. Don’t get me wrong, my publisher does a ton of marketing for my books, more than most, I think, but I’m responsible for more of the local stuff and grassroots stuff like social networking and internet marketing. As time goes on and I get more books out there, I’m learning how to more effectively market to my target audience and how to do it smarter. Like writing and anything else in life, this marketing business has a learning curve. 

Okay. A snapshot of Michael Dellosso: Who are you and how do you want people to think of you as a person and as a writer?

I’m a normal guy, nothing special, average in just about every way. I’m the epitome of Average Joe. I’m flawed. I say things I shouldn’t, do things I shouldn’t, stumble and fall every day, but I’m forgiven and saved and trying my best to live a life pleasing to my Lord. I’m a husband, a father, and try to be the best I can be at both though I fail miserably almost daily. My “real” job is giving people physical therapy in their homes. I get to drive about a beautiful county full of rolling hills and apple orchards and Gettysburg battlefields and meet interesting people and hopefully impact their lives for the good. I’m trying to get back into running. When I finished chemo and all my surgeries I told myself I was going to run a 5K to celebrate. I’d never run one before so I started training, ran three that year, and haven’t run since. I need to get back into it and start running some races again.

As a writer I’m learning and hopefully improving with every book. I consider myself very fortunate and blessed to be able to do what I do. I don’t know why God gave this opportunity to me but I want to make the most of it. I don’t take any book for granted and realize full well it could be my last.

Darlington Woods feels a little like an allegory. Would you agree?

I wouldn’t say it’s an allegory but there are certainly elements that are allegorical. Some of that was intentional, some was not. The story grew out of who I am and what I’ve gone through. I’ve known fear, real fear. I’ve battled monsters. I’ve faced death. And I’ve found the Light in the midst of all of that. All those themes are fleshed out in DW. The heart of the story is the struggle of my own heart, my soul splashed across the pages. It’s fun to hear readers talk about what they think each element in the story represents and most of the time they’re right on.
 
You handled the fear factor very well in Darlington Woods. All of us deal with it to some extent. Is this subject personal? 

More personal than I’d like it to be. I’ve struggled with stuttering all my life. When I was a kid it was pretty bad. I developed a lot of fear of speaking, both in a public setting and one on one. I remember well the days in school when it was my turn to give a speech. The pounding pulse, the sweating, the shaky hands, the shallow breathing . . . I was gripped with fear. The same was (and still is to some extent) true whenever I’m in a new group setting and those terrible words echo through the room: “Let’s go around and have everyone introduce themselves.” For a stutterer, often the hardest thing to say is your own name. Even today I have a real fear of speaking. I’ve overcome that fear in many ways and now teach children’s church and even a college course on writing.

And then there was the fear that went along with cancer. Just the word evokes fear in so many people. To battle that awful monster is a fearful thing. I can’t say I was afraid of dying, no, I know where I’m going, but I feared suffering and I feared even more leaving my family behind. I had an ileostomy and I feared that thing. I feared the surgeries I underwent. I feared the chemo and its arsenal of side effects.

So, yes, fear is a very personal matter for me. I’ve seen it up close, too close, and have battled it hand to hand. But in the midst of all the fear I also found the Light and He dispelled that fear and gave me peace and hope. His grace is truly sufficient.
 
Amercian Christians tend to discount demonic encounters yet Jesus emphasized their influences and gave the battle against them prominence in the Gospels. Without giving away any of the storyline what did you intend to project about spiritual warfare in Darlington Woods? 

When it comes to spiritual warfare and demonic encounters I think there needs to be a bit of balance there. I don’t discount them because I know they exist. Evil is present in our world. Satan, after all, is the ruler of this world. But I don’t see demons around every corner either. I’m careful not to give Satan the credit for every struggle, temptation, trial, or fall. Sometimes we bring it on ourselves. Sometimes it’s just a byproduct of living in a fallen world. Sometimes, yes, it is Satan or one of his minions at work.

As for DW and the spiritual element there I had in mind the monsters all of us face in our own lives. Monsters such as a hateful boss, an abusive husband, a passive aggressive mother-in-law (NOT speaking from experience!), cancer, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and list goes on. Evil that we battle on a daily basis that is a result of living in a sin-cursed world. In the story, those monsters are embodied as darklings, monsters of the most evil kind.
 
Were there any specific individuals in your life who inspired the characters in Darlington Woods?

Hmm, tough question. Not really. My characters are usually a patchwork of people I know or have had contact with and myself. Every character I write has a little bit of me in him or her. Sometimes it’s the quirky side (in DW, Juli shows my sarcasm), sometimes the dark side, sometimes the nutty side (Stevie in The Hunted), sometimes the struggling, tormented side (Mark in Scream). I’m constantly watching people and gathering ideas for characters, whether it be dress style, hair style, facial features, body language, accent, slang, colloquialisms, or whatever. I’m always on the lookout for material.
 
Would you categorize this novel as Speculative Fiction or would you prefer to keep it in the Thriller category? Any special plans for marketing this novel?

In its purest form, DW is Christian horror but that label isn’t real popular so it gets called supernatural suspense. I steer clear of the Spec Fic thing because too often people think sci-fi or fantasy and it’s neither of them. My favorite label is what Publishers Weekly called it: Psycho-spiritual suspense. That about sums it up.

Anything else you care to add?

Not to shamelessly self-promote but . . . I hope your readers and visitors to this blog will give Darlington Woods a try. Even if you’re not into the whole supernatural suspense/horror thing the story goes way beyond that. Yes, there are scary components, but at its core it’s the story of one man and his battle with fear, something we all battle at some point in our life.

Thank you, Nicole, for the probing questions. I’ve done my best to answer them honestly and completely and hope I haven’t turned anyone off to the wonderful world of Christian fiction.

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