Matt: Your latest book to come out is called Stolen Lives. Can you tell us a bit about the book and how you came up with the storyline?

Brian: The book deals with identity theft and how it could be used for revenge in the hands of a talented social engineer or hacker. I actually came up with the storyline after reading about a wreck in Birmingham (the scene of the crime in the book, actually). While no one died, the wreck was made to look like the woman's fault. That started me thinking about what would have happened if her husband had seen the wreck as it happened... which developed into "What if that husband wanted revenge--and had a way to get it without ever being caught?" Working with computers and networks every day, I knew how easy it was to get in and out of some company's systems, and that led to "What if the guy was a hacker with the ability and talent to make it all happen?"

One thing I wanted to do with this book was create a story with no obvious heroes. These are just two men who've both made mistakes and are reacting to the situation their own way. From their own perspective, each feels the other is the villain and themselves a victim. That's often true of our own life. I mean, how many out-and-out enemies do you have in your life? Probably not many, and the ones you do have most likely see you as the bad guy. It's all a matter of perspective. This actually opened up some pretty interesting discussions with readers about the book, because everyone seems to pick the person they're cheering for based on how they'd react in a similar situation.

Is that a mark of great writing in your opinion: Relatable characters? I'm reading On Writing by Stephen King right now and he believes so.

Absolutely. I think the best stories are those with characters who are flawed and "human." They need to make real decisions and not just stupid ones for the sake of moving the plot forward. They need to struggle just like we do. I try my best to live a Christian life, but I still make mistakes from time to time. But then again, so does every other Christian I know. Why then do many authors feel compelled to make their Christian characters flawless? We all struggle with doubts from time to time, so let's admit it and use that.

The follow-up to Stolen Lives deals with the spiritual journey of two of the characters from this book. One is a preacher, and one is an agnostic, but by the time the story is finished, enough may have happened in their lives to actually make them switch roles. That, to me, is believable. There are times when even the most grounded Christian has to wonder what's going on when things go bad, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll turn away. The stories that pull you in are the ones with characters you can recognize from your own life.

Now, Stolen Lives isn't your first foray into publishing. Can you tell us your own background and experience?

I originally wrote a Christian Sci-fi story about a man who travels back in time to save the life of the woman he loved. I shopped it around to publishing houses and agents, but received the same reply: Christians don't read time travel stories...and some are even offended by them. That was a surprise to me because I had always been fascinated by good Sci-fi stories, and never once found myself questioning the existence of God because of a novel. The last straw came the next week when I saw that a major Christian publisher had signed a two book deal with an author...for two time travel stories! Rather than let the story rot in a drawer somewhere, I decided to independently publish it just to see if there really was an audience out there for my type of story. Turns out, there was. I've heard from numerous readers over the years since it was written and not a single one was offended because of the time travel aspect of the story. If anything, I thought the book made a clear argument as to why it shouldn't happen.

The funny thing was the way God used the book to open the door for my next novel. During an interview with a website focusing on Christian Sci-fi, I actually met the aforementioned author. He'd heard of my story from the website owner and offered some help. Through him I eventually met my publisher and my agent. So if I'd never published my book, who knows what might have happened?

The book was the first of a planned trilogy. I had planned to release the next book the following year, but Stolen Lives got bought by a publisher instead and I worked on it and another novel after. I'm about halfway through with the second TimeSlip book though after working on it in between novels, and I still plan to publish it someday as well if a publisher doesn't buy it.

What are these two novels you are working on now? Is one the follow-up to Stolen Lives? If so, will it stand on its own?

Writers are notorious for guarding their stories until they come out, but I'll give a little. I just finished a supernatural thriller that has ties into Stolen Lives, but can easily be read on its own. I don't give away anything that happened in the first. This one deals with Ian and Levi, and their perspectives of life and death. As I mentioned before, a crisis occurs that forces them both to look at what they believe and whether it's right or wrong.

The two I'm working on at the moment are different. One involves Ian Richardson and brings his story to what I consider a satisfying conclusion. The next is one I'm really excited about. I don't want to give anything away with it, but it's a concept that's never been done in Christian fiction before. The novels today are heading this direction, but for now I've never heard of anything like it before. Sorry to be so vague, but I promise as soon as I can share more I will.

Well, without giving away the storyline, can you at least tell us what this direction is that you're speaking of? Which way does the industry seem to be heading?

This is the most exciting time for Christian fiction ever! Ideas and concepts that would never have been considered before are being published, and it's opening the creative doors wide for Christian authors. Christian fiction used to be thought of as this squeaky-clean story where nothing really bad ever happened and everyone got saved and lived happily ever after. The stories are so much deeper now, and much more powerful.

Shane Johnson started a sort of "Christian horror" slant a few years ago with Chayatocha, and other authors have been able to build on that. House is a perfect example. Peretti and Dekker were able to put out a story that was at times terrifying yet hopeful. Peretti changed the scene forever years ago with This Present Darkness. There were a lot of knock-offs there for a while until authors started finding voices of their own, but it eventually led to some incredible novels.

I'm working on a novel now with elements of "Christian horror," which I'll define as "a story with more scary moments than a simple suspense novel, no blood or gore, but ultimate redemption through the power of Christ before it all ends." It's a story that would have never even been considered by a Christian publisher ten years ago, but now the readers are out there and ready for a story that thrills them.

You've written quite a bit or are going to be in the near future. How disciplined are you at your craft?

Not nearly as disciplined as I should be. I write solid on the weekend with the exception of church. During the week I don't write as much because I try to spend a lot of time with my wife and kids and be there for them. If a deadline is approaching, they understand when I lock myself in my office for a while and change the schedule though. They're very supportive of me and what I do.

The funny thing is this is the most productive way for me to write. I've tried sitting at my keyboard every night and morning trying to stumble through a story because I know I should be writing. Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me. When I'm not writing, I'm thinking about the story. I follow plot threads, and try to find twists where I can. When Friday night arrives, I get started, but I feel I've already written most of the story. I write solid then because I know exactly what I want to say after I'd taken the time to let the story "brew" in my mind.

I'm not one of those plot-every-single-breath-the-character-will-take kind of writers. I know where the story will begin, and most of the time I know where it will end. How it gets from "Point A" to "Point B" is just as much of a thrill ride for me as it is the reader. Yes, there are times when I can write myself in a corner, so to speak, and have to back up a bit, but not often. It usually all works out perfectly in the end, with dozens of plot threads all working themselves out in a believable way. The funny thing is I enjoy the story so much more this way. The spontaneity of "What would happen if I did this to the character right now?" keeps me excited about the story all the way to the end. Many writers grow tired of their book halfway through, but thankfully this hasn't happened yet... and I hope it never does.