Ted Dekker interview Part II

Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Through this experience, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder. Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. Dekker's body of work includes Heaven's Wager, When Heaven Weeps, Thunder of Heaven, Blessed Child, A Man Called Blessed, Blink, Thr3e, The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White), and Obsessed.

Interview via telephone. December 9, 2005

Gina Holmes: It seems to me at least that supernatural suspense is really gaining interest. Do you agree?

Ted Dekker: You’ve got two best-selling movies that came out recently—The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which was written by a Christian, and Saw 2 which was straight horror. I think publishing simply reflects the market.

Authors like you who write thrillers or in the supernatural should be praying that books like mine and others in the genre do well. Because then editors start saying, who else writes this kind of stuff? By the way, I hope I get to read your stuff some day.

Gina: Don’t worry. I’ll be sending you an ARC (advanced reader copy) so you can endorse me.


Ted: [Chuckles] Okay.

Gina: Why do you think horror and the supernatural are so popular?

Ted: A large group of people like to be thrilled, to have their minds bent. People are really looking for meaning outside themselves. All of us have a deep need to discover what is beyond us. A spiritual need.

Gina: You’ve got a new thriller, Showdown to be released soon.

Book Description

"It begins on a lazy summer day in a small, secluded mountain town named Paradise. But in Paradise, nothing is as it seems.
When a stranger named Marsuvees Black appears and announces he's come to bring hope and grace to Paradise, the town isn't sure how to respond. He offers dazzling love, hope, faith, and fun . . . the kind of fun everyone desires but is too timid to pursue. He knows the unspoken secrets of each person's heart--and has the power to grant them.
Tucked deep in the nearby canyons is a monastery long hidden from the world. Within its walls is power beyond comprehension. Yet that power is quickly slipping out of control.
As dark clouds and sandstorms shut Paradise off from the rest of the world, the unthinkable happens. Readers will be shocked as they discover the true secrets of this sleepy town. The ultimate collision between good and evil begins January 2006 . . . with Showdown. "



Ted: That’s right.

Gina: And you co-authored a book with Frank Peretti, titled House that’s also releasing soon?

Book Description

"From the minds of multi-million selling suspense authors Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker comes House--an epic supernatural thriller that gives a new meaning to the phrase "haunted house."
In rural Alabama, two couples find themselves in a fight for survival. Running from a maniac bent on killing them, they flee deep into the woods and seek refuge in a house. They soon realize the killer has purposely lured them to this house and that they are now trapped. As they huddle around an old fireplace, a tin can falls through the chimney. Scrawled on its side is a message from the killer, establishing his House Rules. The rules call for their deaths unless they kill at least one of the four.
They have less than 12 hours to find a way to survive. At sunrise the game is over and everyone dies if the killer's demands aren't met. What they quickly learn is that the only way out . . . is in. But going further into this house--where unknown challenges await them--is equally deadly."

Ted: Right. That was an interesting experience.

Gina: Do you two live in close proximity?

Ted: No, we did a lot over the phone or through the internet. The experience stretched both of us. You have two strong creative forces thrown together, it was unique. I’d say in this case, it worked out well.

Gina: What do you attribute your success to?

Ted: I think I appeal to the younger readers. I think that’s why Black sold so well. I’m a down to earth guy, a forty-two year who feels more like a twenty-five year old. I’m contemporary and I study the culture.

You know I was a missionary’s kid. My parent’s lived among cannibals.

Gina: Yes, I’ve read that.

Ted: So my parents had to learn the culture, learn to speak in a way those cannibals could understand. I too had to learn to do that. From that experience I’ve learned to speak on other people’s level. I’m a student of culture. I embrace that. Black outsold Thr3e and I think it does so well because it’s contemporary and appeals to the under thirty crowd. I still receive several e-mails a day about that book, two years later. I think that’s because it really connected.

Gina: Any advice for novelists or aspiring novelists?

To be continued...