If you have an interest in Christian horror or suspense, and spend any time at all on the internet, chances are pretty good you've heard of Mike Duran. On his popular blog
deCOMPOSE, Duran tackles subjects ranging from society and culture to theology to writing and horror. If you haven't checked his blog, it is one we at AFitD highly recommend.
Of course, Mike Duran does much more than blog. His second novel,
The Telling, is coming out in May 2012 from Realms. His first,
The Resurrection (Realms) was an INSPY finalist and was reviewed
here.
We were fortunate to chat with Mike about his latest book, his own inspirations, and the state of Christian horror.
A Flame in the Dark: You became a minister shortly after your conversion to
Christianity. After eleven years in the ministry you stepped away and began to
pursue writing. What prompted the transition, if it can be called that, from
minister to author of Christian supernatural Suspense like The
Resurrection?
Mike Duran: Wow, that’s a long story. I got into the ministry as a young man and a new
Christian. I had a wife, four kids, and was on a steep learning curve. The
statistics are pretty staggering. The average pastor lasts only five years at a
church, whether it’s due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or in-fighting
amongst members. For me, it was an issue of burnout. I was tired.
After I left the ministry, I kind of drifted. I didn’t jump
straight into writing. In fact, I had no idea that’s what I’d end up pursuing. Went
back into the construction field, spent time with the family, played video
games on my down time. But I was spiritually dissatisfied. This went on for
three or four years. At the time, I subscribed to World Magazine. They sponsored
a fiction contest by Westbow and I decided, rather out of the blue, to enter.
I’d never written fiction. But years in the pulpit had taught me how to work
with words and engage an audience. To my surprise, out of literally thousands
of entries, the story received an honorable mention. That affirmation sort of
got the ball rolling on a possible writing career.
AFitD: Your first book features a rather ambiguous Spirit
character named Mr. Cellophane. And, not to give anything away to readers who
haven't yet had the pleasure, he is something quite different from the
expectations many may have of a book coming from a former pastor. Was there --
and is there -- a conscious effort on your part to deal with issues and
characters generally untouched in other Christian fiction?
MD: Yeah. I think you could say that. One of the things I learned in the ministry
was that there’s a certain scrim of silence churchgoers tend to draw around
issues. We place unreal expectations upon our ministers. We demonize certain
subject matter. As a result, we insulate ourselves against the world. It’s a
dangerous, dangerous tendency. When I started interacting with Christian
fiction writers, I saw the same thing. There are incredible parallels between
where the American church is at and where Christian fiction readers are at. I
realize I’m not the only author doing this, but pushing past the scrim of
safety and creating unconventional Christian characters is something I’m really
desirous of doing.
AFitD: Your website makes plain you consider yourself a
Christian writer -- and certainly anyone who's read your work would be
hard-pressed to disagree -- but many try to avoid the "horror" label.
Do you consider yourself a horror writer?
MD: I think so. But I’m also hesitant to label myself any one thing. However, I admit:
I am fascinated by the psychology of horror. I’m slowly developing a thesis
that horror and holiness are connected. The writer of the Book of
Hebrews said, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God
(Heb. 10:31 NIV)." That “dread” is directly related to God’s holiness. Perhaps
the most horrific reality of Scripture is the reality that every soul must give
account before the Most Perfect Being in Existence. Now that’s scary! The horror
genre has been hijacked by the gore industry and, as Christians are wont to do,
we throw out the baby with the bathwater. Nevertheless, I hate to camp in the
same place too long. Some of my future story ideas are not straight horror. However,
I think I’ll always gravitate to paranormal / supernatural / spiritual themes.
AFitD: You have a new book, The Telling, coming out in May. What
can you tell us about the book?
MD: The Telling was, to date, the most difficult and the most rewarding writing
project I’ve undertaken. In the preface to The Shining, Stephen King talks
about a “crossroads novel,” a choice a writer faces, often early in their
career, to “do what you have done before, or try to reach a little higher.” I
won’t say The Telling is my crossroads novel, but I definitely wanted to “try
to reach a little higher.”
For one, it was the first book that I actually had to write
under deadline. It’s hard enough trying to be creative and original; try doing
it under a deadline. It’s a very stressful experience, which makes me admire
even more those writers who perpetually live in that state. Conceptually, I
wanted to do more with The Telling than my first book. I was getting my sea legs with The Ressurection and purposely made choices to make that novel more
manageable. I limited my POV’s to two and cut a story swath that I felt was
workable. In The Telling, I pushed for more – more POV characters, more action,
bigger story, more bodacious concept. It even includes a little romance! All
that to say, I’m very proud of The Telling and hope readers will enjoy it as
much as I enjoyed writing it.
AFitD: Finally, what's on the horizon? Any other projects in the
works?
MD: I am currently working on an Urban Fantasy tentatively
entitled "The Ghost Box." I’m blazing and, for the first time, the story really
seems to be writing itself. I’m about 1/3 of the way through it. It’s different
from my first two novels in that I am writing in first person POV; the story is
also very noir-ish and paced like a graphic novel. I have other ideas –
including a non-fiction project -- but it’s on the far back burner. This year,
I’ll be attending a couple writers conferences, even teaching at one. So things
are pretty busy and really exciting.
Thanks to Mike Duran for allowing us this interview. See also his dark fantasy novella, Winterland. Review coming soon.
