Brandilyn Collins Interview

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

A: Sure. First of all, thanks for the invitation to be on your site. As for my background—I was born in India to missionary parents. My family is a family of writers. Both my parents wrote Christian books—although they were mainly nonfiction. To date I’ve written 29 books, all but two of which are fiction. I’ve written five novels in the contemporary genre (my Bradleyville and Dearing Family series), but I’m best known for my trademarked Seatbelt Suspense®–fast-paced, character-driven stories with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith.

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

A: I guess writing was always within me. I used to make up stories as a child. One of my friends tells a tale about me when we were teens. In my defense—I don’t remember the event and would swear it never happened. Anyway, according to her, after church one Sunday she said to me, “Wasn’t that a great sermon?” To which I replied, “I didn’t hear it, I was writing a story in my head.” (By the way my uncle preached the sermon. See why I disavow the story?)

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

A: I was first a professional nonfiction writer through my marketing company, Vantage Point. I wrote brochures, annual reports, magazine articles, etc. for clients. But that sense of Story pulsed within me. After my second child was born, I cut way back on my Vantage Point clients and dove into learning how to write fiction. That was at the end of 1989. No Internet then (at least as we now know it). No emails or organizations like ACFW to help. I didn’t even know about writers conferences, so I really learned on my own. I used my knowledge of acting (one of my majors in college), going from creating characters on the stage to creating them on the page. I diligently studied characterization, story structure, dialogue, point of view, symbolism, theme, tone, and on and on. I wrote, wrote, wrote, and read, read, read. A decade later I finally sold my first novel. (Yes—ten years.)

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release, Vain Empires?

A: Here’s the back cover copy:

Six people arrive on a remote island–contestants in the “reality show of the century,” Dream Prize. The winner will be the person who learns the most facts about the others and gains the most viewer votes. Sounds simple. But the three men and three women soon discover nothing is as expected.

They are alone on the island. Cameras surround them, filming twenty-four hours a day. And their challenge? Discover which of the Seven Deadly Sins each contestant, including themselves, represents.

Turns out each person has a damning secret–one that could ruin his or her life. Those secrets are about to be revealed on live television.

And this is only the beginning of the twists in the game …

They were stuck on this remote island, all of them. Trapped in this show.

No way to stop whatever came next. No way at all.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Vain Empires?

A: I don’t know. Honestly, a lot of the time my brain is a pretty crazy place to be. From somewhere in its murky depths came this complex and harrowing tale.

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

A: Vain Empires is multi-layered and deeply imbedded with metaphor and symbolism of what the world might look like without God and His mercy in it. Everyone guilty. Everyone judging others, but giving themselves a pass. I want readers to walk away from this story and remember it. I want it to be a story that readers find themselves thinking about and finding new insights and meaning within it long after they’ve closed the book

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

A: Well, now, if I told you that, I really would have to kill you. That wouldn’t be pretty.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: What keeps me going in this crazy and difficult business is the knowledge that people can read my novels and be caught up in the suspense—and learn more about the nature of God and His mercy. I will see people in heaven who are there because they read one of my books. That’s quite an incentive.

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

A: Hah! First, I was already making good money as a nonfiction writer. So—how hard could learning fiction be? (!) This is a hard, hand-wringing, cabinet-kicking profession. Half the time I’d rather be cleaning toilets. I am much more fond of having written than of writing. Still and overall, I love being an author—one who was particularly called of God to do this. And so—I do.

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

A: Expect the journey to be difficult. Put your talent in God’s hands, work as hard as you can, then thank Him for whatever results of success He chooses to give you. (That last part is a lot harder to do than to preach.)

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

A: I’m thrashing about looking for the next Big Idea, since I have just released Vain Empires.

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

A: Watch the wildlife on our property. Hang out with family. Read. In the summer, go boating and enjoy the incredible beauty surrounding us.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A: www.brandilyncollins.com. There you can read the first chapters of all my books. On Facebook I’m at: www.facebook.com/brandilyncollinsseatbeltsuspense.

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

A: Again, thanks for the invitation to share this time with you. And—go buy Vain Empires! It’s tense and unpredictable, but it’s not super scary. So even if you’re a member of the Big Honkin’ Chicken Club (those who claim suspense is too scary for them), you can handle this one. I promise to take you on a twisting ride. This is a great story for book clubs, by the way. Lots of levels of discussion. Go the home page of my web site to see all links for purchasing. The paperback is $14.99. Ebook is $4.99.

Thanks and blessings to all!