Rick Barry Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?
A. I began writing when I entered a magazine’s contest in my sophomore year of university. (I didn’t win, but they bought my article anyway!) That initial success led to hundreds of published short stories, articles, and devotionals. I’ve also worked as a textbook editor/project manager. Later I served on the staffs of two different Christian mission agencies targeting Russian-speaking lands.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Methuselah Project S.O.S.?
A: Writing this book was fun but difficult. In the first place, my goal was to write another novel that both women and men will enjoy, which isn’t always easy. Second, the amount of research it required (I’m a stickler for details) added to the challenge. The hero, Roger Greene, is an Air Force captain, and his love interest, Katherine, works with the CIA. When the CIA taps Roger to assist on a temporary assignment investigating a worldwide organization that once held him prisoner, that mission launches Roger and Katherine into dangers neither of them expected. My research included the CIA, the Air Force, escape and evasion techniques, functional booby traps, and more. The resulting story is a roller coaster ride through danger, suspense, and hope—plus a satisfying touch of romance.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?
A: In my previous book, The Methuselah Project, I intentionally left a number of plot threads dangling in case enough readers wanted a follow-up novel. They did! So, I took those loose ends and began spinning a story where we get better acquainted with Roger and Katherine as they face rising stakes and increasing danger.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: Although Roger Greene is patriotic, faithful, and conscientious, he’s not perfect. But one thing he’s learned is that God is always there. Like Nehemiah in the Bible, Roger often speaks to God in his thoughts. That sincere, 24/7 relationship is one element that I hope Christian readers will notice and emulate.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?
A. I typically pick settings for a reason. For instance, when I needed Roger assigned to a specific type of Air Force base where he could fly an experimental version of a fighter, my research led me to Eglin AFB in the Florida panhandle. When I needed a location for the bad guys’ secret underground facility, I picked a remote location I myself once visited. (Sorry, no spoilers!)

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?
A: Although part of the initial inspiration for pilot Roger Greene was my dad (as a teen, he learned to fly a biplane), I generally create my characters from scratch. Sometimes I copy and save photos from the Internet to help me visualize my characters as I write.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. My author tagline is “Ordinary people, extraordinary circumstances.” I like to take a normal person and then toss him into situations beyond his control. With that in mind, I’ve returned to a series of short sci-fi stories I once created for Focus on the Family’s Breakaway magazine and expanded them into a full novel. In Chapter 1, teen Rankin Johnson is flying to Israel when terrorists shoot a missile at his airliner. What happens next is out of this world.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?
A. I love traveling, and there are many places on earth I’d love to see. But if money were no object, I’d like a vacation aboard the International Space Station. (Wouldn’t that be a fascinating locale for a fiction writer?)

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
A. In high school Spanish class, my team did a skit where I dressed as an elderly grandmother, complete with dress, a (clean) mop head for hair, and cowboy boots. At the end of the skit, the class was rolling with laughter. Just for fun, I ran out the exit and came around the side of the building to laugh and wave at them from the outside—and immediately disrupted other classes when all the students jumped up to stare out their windows at me. Ha!

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
A. Five years after getting a BS degree to teach French in high school, I began studying Russian. It wasn’t easy, but with God’s help I’ve gotten good enough that I’ve preached in Russia, interpreted for others, and led mission trips to Ukraine.