Frank Peretti

Israel Wayne: What does it mean to write fiction from a Christian worldview?

Frank Peretti: When you write fiction from a Christian worldview, you are assuming that there is a personal, loving, redeeming God in charge of this universe and that His principles provide the ultimate answers for life and all of its difficulties. You are assuming that man is fallen and that his problems are the result of the fallenness of this world and his own inherent sinfulness. You are assuming that the true hero is the person who, despite hardships and challenges that would impress him to think and act otherwise, comes to rely on and act upon Truth as God has created it to formulate the solution to his problem.

Israel Wayne: Is there a particular theme or over-arching message that spans your body of work?

Frank Peretti:  Every novel I’ve written reflects what I was thinking, learning, and growing through at that particular point in my life, so I suppose an overarching message would be that God always has something new to teach us and that His path for our lives leads us from season to season, lesson to lesson, always for our good.

Israel Wayne: If you could see anything change in the world of Christian fiction, what would it be?

Frank Peretti: Not wanting to be a judge of others or their work, let me speak only for myself: I want to be an honest writer who writes from what God is working in his heart even though such a choice may push against the fleeting dictates of the popular culture.  I would like to be out front and leading by example, not following.

Israel Wayne: 100 years from now, how do you want people to describe your work?

Frank Peretti: I would like to be remembered as a significant cultural influence, equipping and edifying the body of Christ but also keeping the awareness of God and His ways before the eyes and minds of the people of my day. Historians may regard my work as a study in where the Christian evangelical mind was toward the end of the 20th century and through the first decades of the 21st.

Israel Wayne: What advice would you give to upcoming fiction authors?

Frank Peretti: Know what you’re doing. It’s not enough to want to write a book. You have to devote yourself to learning the writing craft, knowing all the nuts and bolts, rules and fundamentals of good fiction writing. I’ve often heard would-be writers advised to “never give up,” but that’s the worst thing you can tell somebody who has no skill, no knowledge of how it’s to be done. That person can never give up, and consequently waste his/her whole life producing unmarketable material. Know what you’re doing.

With more than 15 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian novelist.” In all, including his current work, Illusion, Frank has written nineteen books of various size for various ages. Frank and Barbara live a simple life in rural Idaho. He leads worship at their church, Barbara paints in watercolor, and they enjoy being with their close friends.