Author Interview: Mike Yorkey

Mike Yorkey graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism in 1975.
He went on to become Editor-In-Chief of eight magazines at Focus on the Family. He has authored or co-authored fifty books with nearly 1.5 million copies in print.









Plug time. What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

By the Sword releases January 15, 2006, and although I am the author or co-author or more than 55 books, this is my first novel. I wrote it with my church pastor, Rick Myatt, and it’s basically a Middle East techno-thriller with the following premise: What would the world look like if jihad-minded Islamic leaders sought to extend The Prophet’s influence through conversion by the sword? After all, that is how Islam took root more than 1,000 years ago.

We are confident there is an audience for a suspense thriller told through the eyes of Amber Robbins, an American reporter stationed in Jerusalem. Her dangerous search leads her on a path that pits her faith and her investigative reporting skills against Islamic fundamentalists intent on converting all people to Allah and his messenger, Mohammad.

Broadman & Holman is publishing By the Sword, which pleases me to no end. They’ve been doing the Ollie North fiction, and I’ve long felt that By the Sword is cut from the same cloth and would be a good fit for B&H.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

Rick and I started writing By the Sword in the spring of 2000 when the World Trade Center stood sentry in Lower Manhattan, welcoming tens of thousands of workers and tourists each day. We thought we had a fairly outlandish plot until a pair of passenger jets toppled the Twin Towers on September 1, 2001. On that fateful day, we were 75 percent finished with By the Sword—and just as stunned as the rest of the world.

We quickly finished the manuscript, but we soon learned that publishers were skittish about releasing a novel that touched so close to current events. Every publishing house our agent contacted turned us down.

We greatly believed in By the Sword’s message, so we persevered for several years, rewriting and revising our novel.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

No, because I labored several years on this book . . . working on it when I had holes in my schedule with my deadlines for my non-fiction books. For some reason, I’ve believed in this story, even with all the rejections. Rick suggested at one time that we give up the ghost and go on to something else, but I believed that Amber’s story was right for the times we’re living in.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

Have other people read your work and be bold enough to let your friends or acquaintances know that they can tell you what didn’t work, or where they lost interest, or what you could do to improve the manuscript. We probably had 20 people read By the Sword in various mutations, and we learned something from each round.

What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

To change the title of our novel . . . an agent and close friend of mine suggested we change the name of By the Sword to Cloaked Intent . . . he thought the latter title would appeal more to the female demographic, but I thought it was too nebulous. We switched back to By the Sword, and that’s when it finally sold to Broadman & Holman.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

I always felt if I could just get someone at a publishing house to read the novel . . . to compare it against what they published or what they received over the transom . . . then we would have a good shot at winning a publishing offer.

But acquisitions editors are so swamped with manuscripts that it was very difficult and time-consuming to get someone to sit down and stay with the novel. Again, I know how important the first 50 pages are, and our novel starts out with a bang and keeps up the heat . . . but even getting people to read those first 50 pages was a chore.

Is there a particularly difficult setback that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

Sure. Although I’ve written 55 books or so, I’ve been fired four times along the way. Well, maybe fired is too strong a word, but I was asked to stop working on the project, which I guess is the same as being fired. I’ve found out that one person can come along and say, “We’re going in a different direction,” and that’s all she wrote. I’m a people pleaser by nature, but sometimes these things are out of your hands.

What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)

Rick and I always enjoyed Tom Clancy, but his last few works have not been as good as his first half-dozen books. I’ve enjoyed Ken Follett and David Baldacci . . . but lately I’ve been reading more biographies . . . I even read a couple about those Sixties icons, Jim Morrison of the Doors and Joe Namath of the New York Jets.

If your authorial self was a character from The Wizard of Oz, which one would you be and why?

I think I would be the Scarecrow . . . he runs around without thinking a whole lot, and I tend to do that as well . . . chase after something without giving it some thought first.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Touched by the Savior, a book I wrote about how James Dobson, Chuck Colson, Luis Palau, and people you never heard came to salvation in Jesus Christ. Everyone loves a story, and this book was filled with great come-to-Christ stories, but Touched by the Savior didn’t touch off great sales numbers.

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

Not really . . . but I do know that I hate how long it takes for book publishing companies to move or make a decision. It takes so long to get things done . . .

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I wake up, read my Bible some, check my e-mail. Then I eat breakfast and read the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune. By then, it’s 9 a.m. I work on my various book projects: I’m usually juggled two or three different ones at the same time. Sometimes I go play tennis at noontime for an hour, or I eat lunch. Then I type away in the afternoon, stopping around 5:30 to exercise at the gym if I didn’t play tennis. Eat dinner, and then I may do a little work after dinner. No all-nighters for me. By 7 p.m., I’m pretty wiped.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

Bob Welch, a columnist with the Eugene Register-Guard, is an old college buddy, and his ability to make words sit up and beg amazes me. I’m weak on similes, and he is so good at them, like a . . . see, I can’t come up with one.

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

Well, if By the Sword ever got made into a movie . . . but seriously, I’m part of the Every Man’s Battle series with Fred Stoeker, and that’s been a career highlight for me.

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

No, but there have been my share of low moments, like after the times I was fired, that I’ve had to mentally regroup and keep on plugging away.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

I love being able to create. I love what I do. I get to play with words all day. Bring characters to life. Create.

I’ve been writing for a living for nearly twenty-five years and met some fascinating and interesting people along the way. I worked for and interacted with Dr. James Dobson for eleven years as editor of Focus on the Family magazine. I’ve walked into the White House to interview a presidential aide, been escorted into the Pentagon, where I interviewed General John A. Wickam, the Army Chief of Staff (the guy before Colin Powell took the job), and strolled onto an on-location movie set where I yelled a question at actor and funnyman Eddie Murphy.

I’ve interviewed Christian artists like Rebecca St. James, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Sheila Walsh, and sports personalities like ABC football announcer Dan Fouts, Coach John Wooden, NBA star A.C. Green, San Diego Charger placekicker Rolf Benirschke, pro tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez, PGA golfer Paul Stankowski, pro tennis player MalVai Washington, and sports agent Mark McCormack.

My job has allowed me to meet Billy Graham, Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Michael W. Smith, Margaret Becker, Point of Grace, and Zig Ziglar. Best of all, I’ve gotten to collaborate with some amazing people by writing their books for them: folks like Tim and Beverly LaHaye, evangelist Luis Palau, pop singers Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., tennis stars Michael Chang, Roscoe Tanner, and Betsy McCormack, baseball pitcher Dave Dravecky, and Jordan Rubin of The Maker’s Diet fame.

Least favorite part?

Waiting for decisions from publishers!

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

I haven’t done much, but I got a website going in the last month called http://www.mikeyorkey.com/

Come by and visit . . .

Parting words?

If you want to be a good writer, you have to read.