John Audbrey Anderson, author of Wedgewood Grey, graciously agreed to answer a few questions about his books. I hope you enjoy this interview!
John, thanks for coming by. How did you develop the idea for the Black or White Chronicles? And why the OR in the title?
On the idea: The best answer to that is: "I guess you had to be there."
And while you read the above statement, imagine that I'm standing in
the foreground waving a large banner that says, "GOD DID THIS!!!".
The whole thing goes back to the eighties . . .My first and only effort at fiction was a two thousand word story I did for our girls . . . a little thing about the ramifications of poor choices; that was twenty years ago.
Ten years ago I decided to pull that little story out and wrap it
around the gospel. I had in mind giving it to a friend of ours. I found myself "backstorying" in an effort to "set up" my little scene from the short story. Then, in November of 2002, I woke up to
find myself surrounded by two or three hundred thousand words and questions about how to get a novel published.
I'm confident my methods won't get me a job as an author in residence, but just being on hand to watch how God worked it all out has been a once-in-a-lifetime gift.
And the OR . . .That's something you get to decide for yourself. The responses from readers have been many, varied, and deep. Maybe, in your eyes, it's about race . . . it could refer to the obviousness of some choices . . . it might have to do with good or evil . . . or truth . . .What do you think?
Great way to toss the question back at me! Are these books grounded in any of your experiences growing up?
Without my growing up experiences, I wouldn't be able to "see" the scenes. However, to my knowledge, we never encountered demons when I was growing up, but we ran into everything else. My friends and I lived lives that would cause Tom Sawyer to want to move to Mississippi. The places we went and the things we did set the patterns for the lives of the people in these first two books. As for my characters . . . they're all "juiced up" versions of people I've known all my life.
What do readers seem to enjoy most about your books? It varies. You can read on my website that some folks have warm feelings for my characters. Other people like the suspense. And still others enjoy where the books take them.
Who is your favorite character in Wedgewood Grey and why is that character your favorite?
You won't believe it . . . then again, you might. My favorite character is Dawg. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read, "I wish I was the kind of man my dog thinks I am."
Dogs are, for the most part, noble creatures. I'd be Dawg.
How did writing this book change you? In a couple of ways. Writing as a whole is making me a more observant person. I'm quieter to the point of being boring . . . listening more and enjoying it. And more importantly . . . WEDGEWOOD GREY made me stop often and consider what Jesus did for us.
Have you ever stopped to consider the worth of a single drop of the blood of God?
Wow! And with that question, I'll leave you to run out and buy this book. Thanks again, John.
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