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Luana Ehrlich interview with Susan Sleeman
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November 30, 2015
A: I grew up as a preacher’s kid, and it was actually my dad who gave me my first spy novel when I was eleven years old. After that, I was hooked on the thriller/suspense/mystery genre forever. I’m also a news fanatic, and I follow events around the world on a daily basis, particularly the Middle East. I married a minister, and we’ve lived in several states in the South and Midwest and have served as missionaries in Costa Rica and Venezuela. For the past two decades, we’ve lived in Norman, Oklahoma, where my husband has been the pastor of a Baptist church. I do freelance work for Baptist Press, a national news service for Baptists, where I write stories about the experiences of newly converted Christians. And, in a similar fashion, when we lived in Indiana, I wrote a weekly column for The Indiana Baptist, which told the stories of ordinary people who became followers of Christ. I belong to several organizations for writers, including the American Christian Fiction Writers. Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? A: As soon as I learned to read and began to devour books, I started to dream of becoming a writer. I even decided I would write under another name, and I chose the name Pam Black, because I thought mine was too difficult for people to remember. Now, I love my slightly unconventional name, and I killed Pam Black off in one of my novels. Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break? A: My first writing break came almost thirty years ago, when I was asked to write a weekly column in a denominational newspaper, The Indiana Baptist. Following that, I was approached about writing for Baptist Press. Once my husband retired, I began writing the Titus Ray Thrillers series. Q: Would you tell us about your current book release TWO DAYS IN CARACAS?
As the danger mounts, he’s forced to partner with an untested operative to complete the mission and bring Ahmed to justice. While several issues from the first book are resolved in the second book, this story also ends on a cliffhanger, and the story continues in the third book, Three Weeks in Washington, which is due out in 2016.
Q: Where did you get your inspiration for ONE NIGHT IN TEHRAN? A: The Titus Ray Thriller series was launched when I wrote ONE NIGHT IN TEHRAN, and I was inspired to write this first book in the series, when I heard about the persecution of Christians in Iran about five years ago. Because I’ve always been an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, I knew my first book would be in this genre. However, when I heard about the Iranian Christians, I began asking several questions, which eventually became the plotline of the book. I wondered what would happen if a veteran CIA intelligence operative in Tehran encountered a group of Iranian Christians and became a believer. How would his conversion affect his career? How would a man trained to lie and deceive others be able to follow the teachings of Christ in the real world? Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story? A: I If there’s an underlying message in the series, it’s that God is always at work in the lives of unbelievers to bring them to faith in Christ. Titus is a career intelligence officer, dedicated to carrying out deceptive, treacherous, sometimes violent, operations against both individuals and governments. He was raised in a dysfunctional family with no spiritual upbringing. Yet, while hiding out from Iran’s secret police, he is confronted with the truth of the gospel. The message is that a conversion experience often happens to the most improbable people in the most unlikely of circumstances. Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book? A: My favorite chapter in ONE NIGHT IN TEHRAN is chapter 8, where Titus is told by the head of the Middle East division at the CIA, that’s he’s being put on medical leave after confronting the Deputy Director of Operations during a debriefing. What I love about this chapter is the interplay between these two characters. It’s both sad and humorous at the same time. Q: What inspires you to write? A: I’m inspired to write by the sheer joy of creating something out of nothing. In writing fiction, I have the ability to make anything become a reality—at least on paper. Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession? A: The biggest surprise to being a published novelist is the obligation I feel I owe to my readers to keep on writing. From book signings to emails, my readers keep urging me to hurry up and write the next book in the series. I never expected to hear this or feel such a responsibility to quicken the pace of my writing in order to please my readers. Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started? A: The best advice I can give to anyone wanting to become a published author is to become disciplined in your writing. Set aside a specific time each day, or several hours during the week, and begin to write. You’ll never become an author until you decide to make writing a priority in your life. Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? A: I’m working on THREE WEEKS IN WASHINGTON, the third book in the Titus Ray Thriller series. Most of the action of this book centers around Washington D.C., where Titus races against the clock to prevent a chemical weapons attack on the nation’s capital. Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do? A: I’m an avid reader, so, if I’m not writing, I’m reading. I also enjoy gardening and spending time with my family, plus I’m an active member of a local church. Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? A: I have a couple of websites, plus I’m on social media. Website: http://www.LuanaEhrlich.com Website: http://TitusRayThrillers.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuanaEhrlichAuthor Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/luanaehrlich Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LuanaEhrlich YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=558MD5S-dsg Blog: http://www.hisglorymyjoy.wordpress.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/luanasbooks Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/117406243187132893304/posts Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Luanasbooks/ Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? A: Besides wanting to entertain my readers with a series of exciting spy novels featuring a hardened, veteran CIA officer struggling to understand his newfound faith, I also wanted readers to be encouraged in their own walk of faith. Titus lives in a shadowy world few of us can understand or even identify with, yet he still faces some of the same dilemmas we all face as we seek to understand our purpose in life and what we might face when we leave this life for good. |
Luana Ehrlich is the author of the award-winning Titus Ray Thriller Series, featuring CIA intelligence officer Titus Ray, and the Mylas Grey Mystery Series, featuring private investigator, Mylas Grey. Her novels are clean reads with intriguing plots, fascinating characters, jaw-dropping twists, and occasional touches of heart-warming romance.
Besides being an award-winning author, Luana is a minister’s wife, former missionary, and, of course, an avid reader. As a news fanatic, she also follows events around the world on a daily basis, particularly the Middle East.
Luana developed her passion for spy thrillers and mystery novels at an early age, but she didn’t begin writing her series of Titus Ray Thrillers until her husband retired from the ministry. Now, she writes from an undisclosed location, trying to avoid the torture of mundane housework, grocery shopping, and golf stories. However, she occasionally comes out of hiding to visit with her two grandsons or to enjoy a Starbucks caramel macchiato.
