Author Interview ~ Richard Abanes

Richard Abanes is a bestselling and award-winning author/journalist specializing in the area of cults, the occult, world religions, pop culture, and the entertainment industry. Since 1994 he has authored/co-authored seventeen books (as of mid-2007) covering a broad range of topics relating to his fields of expertise. He also has written for most major Christian magazines including: Christianity Today, New Man Magazine, Christian Retailing, CBA Marketplace, Charisma and Christian Life, Moody Magazine, and the Christian Research Journal.


In 1997, Abanes won the Evangelical Press Association's "Higher Goals In Christian Journalism Award" for his article on various non-Christian faiths that appeared in Moody Magazine.


Also in 1997, he was awarded "The Myers Center Award for the Study of Human Rights in North America" for his "outstanding work on intolerance in North America" (for his book American Militias: Rebellion, Racism, and Religion). His bestselling books, according to Christian Bookseller's Association listings, include "Harry Potter and the Bible" and "The Truth Behind the DaVinci Code."

As an experienced lecturer on many religious topics, he has been a guest speaker at various events across America including those hosted by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Cal-Tech University/Skeptic Society, Mensa, California Baptist University, Biola University, and numerous churches. As a widely recognized authority on cults/religion, Abanes also has been interviewed on hundreds of radio/TV programs including California's KCAL News 9, Extra!, MSNBC, CNN, Hard Copy, The 700 Club, Fox-News (San Diego), The Bible Answer Man, and BBC Network.







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

My first book together with my wife, Evangeline -- a novel titled Homeland Insecurity, which is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller about domestic terrorism in the USA at the hands of white supremacists.



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.

I first started to study and write about white supremacists back in 1996 with the publication of my non-fiction work titled American militias: Rebellion, Racism, and Religion. I learned a great deal at that time about the dangers posed to every American by racists in this country. Then, when 9/11 happened, it occurred to me that Muslim extremists from outside America were not the only threat. White supremacists already in America, whose goal is to topple the U.S. government, are also a threat -- perhaps even more of a threat because they are already among us, look like us, talk like us, share our neighborhoods.

That gave me the idea of a story about how such individuals my attempt to start their own war against America. And as someone who has investigated such things, I created as my lead character, a sort of alter-ego named Frank Delafield. I pitched the idea to my agent, Steve Laube, who approached Harvest House with it. After reading the my summary of the plot and characters, the publisher very quickly agreed to offering a contract for the book -- the entire novel had not yet even been written. To actually write the book took me approximately one year.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Actually, I don't feel that much self-doubt about my work. I am very, very confident in its quality. The problem I always have being an author is simply getting the word out to let people know I exist and that something I have created is available. That's the frustrating part of it all. You hear what people say who have read your work, and they love it (beyond just family and friends of course), but then if you do not have a platform (for example, a radio program, TV show, church pulpit, lecture circuit), then it is extremely hard to let the general public know that you really do have something worth reading.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

I would say not paying attention to what the public is interested in regarding topics. The most common problem I have is often wanting to write about things that I am interested in, rather than things that perhaps the general public might be more interested in. If I write the most phenomenal book ever on topic A, but the public really only cares about topc B, then my book will either 1) never get picked up for publishing; or 2) sell very few copies of it does get published.

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

Write what you know. Don't try to become an expert overnight in something you've never seen, experienced, lived through, or had the slightest bit of contact with.

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

If you believe in yourself enough and just keep thinking positively, then you will succeed. That is absolutely false. There are so very many people in this world who are talented and try extraordinarily hard to succeed at all kinds of things, not just writing, but all kinds of things, and sadly, sometimes it just simply is not meant to be. You should do what you can, try as long as possible to succeed, but if it's not working, then at some point the dream might have to be replaced by another dream. That's reality.

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

It is extremely difficult to make a living on just writing. You always see on TV, or even read in fiction novels, how even first time writers have all this money rolling in from royalties, or get huge advances of $100,000, or go on expensive mult-city tours, and have a glamorous existence with people lining up in bookstores for autographs. But those are all myths. For the average writer, there is far less money to be received, especially if it is your first book. The classic portrayal of an author is actually a lifestyle and level of success that is reserved for a very few number of writers (percentage-wise). I wish I would have know this before beginning my career.

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

Yes. I think I am in it right now. I have devoted my entire writing career to tryingto help people by sharing truth with them about various issues that range from history, faith, religion, social issues, and some very important topics. And sometimes I look around me and all I see are people who literally hate me because I've written something that cuts across what they want to believe about a particular thing. This has been very painful to me emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. And many issues that I have found to be very crucial in our world are being all but ignored, which means that many of my books have not sold as well as I had hoped. Again, this has been extremely difficult.

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

Regarding non-fiction, I would have to say anything from some of the great Christian authors like A.W. Tozer, C.S. Lewis, R.C Sproul. I also enjoy reading memoirs such as Angela's Ashes, one of the best books of its kind. As for fiction, I very much enjoy the modern-day writings of John Grisham and James Patterson. I believe my favorite writings of all time are those by J.R.R. Tolkien.

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

I would have to say that I am most proud and happy about my newest book Homeland Insecurity because it is: 1) my first novel; 2) my first co-authored book with my wife; 3) a great story.

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

I think my pet peeve is the way large publishers will not take a look at the works of authors who do not have an agent. It's understandable, but still very disheartening.

Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.

It's an extremely fluid process for me. I am an artist by nature. Before writing, I was a professional singer, dancer, and actor on Broadway, in films, and on TV. So, when I see a story to tell, I in some ways literally see it in my minds eye. Then, it's just a matter of writing down what I am seeing in my mind's eye. The difficulty for me is capturing on the page what I am feeling, smelling, seeing. Because I have a background in theater and film, it would actually be much easier for me to simply take it straight to the stage or screen.

So my challenge is to get it flowing with words rather than images. Even so, if you read Homeland Insecurity, it does flow like a movie because basically the movie is already in my mind, complete with shots, angles, and direction. Perhaps some day I'll be able to make that a total reality. Also, unlike many writers, I do not write a page a day or a paragraph a day. Instead, I write huge chunks of the story, perhaps a chapter or two, then won't write again for anther several days.

I call this "percolating" because it is during this down time that the story forms in my head and progresses to a point where it will be time for me to get that "chunk" down on paper.

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

My dream would be to make Homeland Insecurity, my latest novel, into a movie. My wife and I have another novel coming out in 2009 titled Celia that I also hope will be made into a movie.

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

Yes. In fact, I am currently at a place where I am considering whether or not to continue writing or go in a different direction. There are a lot of ways to express oneself, make a living, serve God, be creative. So, depending on what happens over the next year, I may or may not, continue to write.

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

Working at home and deciding my own hours, along with the feeling of accomplishment from creating something new out of nothing but an idea. It's like bringing something to life. My least favorite part of being a writer is the financial insecurity. If no one buys your books - you don't get paid. It's that simple.

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

I have done too many radio/TV interviews to count since the start of my writing career. When doing interviews there are definitely a few things to remember: 1) be upbeat and energetic, but not pushy -- let the interviewer promote you and your book; 2) answer the questions concisely and allow the interviewer to give hints as to whether he or she wants you to go on longer; 3) try to not go off on bunny trails, but instead, answer what the interviewer actually asked; and 4) when starting out, be willing to do every interview possible to get your name circulating out there in the public.

Have you received a particularly memorable reader response?

Yes. I recall receiving one letter form a young teen who read my book Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings. He was so intrigued by what I had to say in the book about fantasy books, fairy tales, and literature in general that he told me he felt very encouraged to begin writing. He also said he felt very comfortable with my writing style and learned so much from it that he was goingto try to model his writing after my easy-to-read-concise manner. I thought to myself how wonderful it was that I had such an effect on a young person -- perhaps the next C.S. lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien.

Parting words?

Writing can be an extraordinarily rewarding career, but there are certain difficulties and hardships intrinsic to the line of work that an aspiring author must take into consideration: long hours, very little security (unless you hit a very big bestseller), and a kind of personal connection to the book that can be emotionally draining (not only in the production of it but also in the event of rejection of the book by readers). Overall, however, I would recommned being an author to anyone who has the desire to try their hand at creating. And to do that, of course, takes practice. So my final words of advice to anyone aspiring to be an author would simply be: write, write, write.