Please Welcome...Robin Parrish
What a joy to have Christian author Robin
Parrish as
our interview guest at WhereTheMapEnds.com.
I first heard Robin's
name in connection with his hip and influential e-zine INFUZE. I could tell from his editorials and the
content on the site that he was a kindred spirit. Indeed, when he reviewed WhereTheMapEnds in 2007 he said it was an
idea he wished he'd come up with himself.
(Note that as of this
writing INFUZE is in danger of folding. Consider going to the site to see whether or not you might
be able to be a part of saving this worthy enterprise—not to mention the financial
stability of its editor-in-chief: Robin.)
It came as pleasant
news but no surprise, then, when I heard that Robin had also become
an author of a Christian speculative novel: Relentless. Robin's second
novel, Fearless, released in 2007, and
his third novel in the Dominion Trilogy, Merciless, is set for a July
2008 release.
His writing has
been described as "a blend of Dekker's Black,
Red, White trilogy, the X-Men movies, a
dash of Lord of the Rings tossed in for
spice, all mixed and baked with historical information along the lines of
The DaVinci Code, National Treasure, and The Librarian."
Cool, huh?
Robin describes
himself this way: "I am a professional novelist, and I am a Christian.
Too many Christian authors put the cart before the horse, believing that
if they have something important to say, the artistry and entertainment
value is almost beside the point. If we really expect to have any kind of
voice in society's marketplace of ideas, then we have to speak to them
with real integrity as artisans serious about our craft."
So, without further ado, here
is the interview.
WhereTheMapEnds: Catch us up with what's
going on in your life.
Robin Parrish:
My wife and I just celebrated the birth of our first
child, a son named Evan! He was born December 19, 2007, and he has changed our
lives in so many wonderful ways, I can't even put it into words. He's the
most precious, most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life. I absolutely
adore him.
At the time of this interview, I'm putting a polish
on my third novel, Merciless. This is the conclusion of the Dominion
Trilogy. It's like my Return of the King or Deathly
Hallows. I've been waiting three years to tell this part of the story,
so I had a long time to perfect it in my mind.
I think that if you're going to ask readers to wait
two years between starting a story and finding out how it ends, then you'd
better have an ending that's worth getting to. And I think I have an
ending that's worth getting to.
WhereTheMapEnds: Excellent! I know your readers will be stoked. So,
Robin, what is your favorite speculative novel of all time (Christian
or secular) and why is that your favorite?
Probably James Byron Huggins' The Reckoning. [Note that you
can find a listing of Huggins' novels over at the Booklist.]
That book was one of the most exciting and compulsive
reads I've ever enjoyed, and it still influences my writing to this
day.
I
also loved the level of realism in Byron's details. He didn't just
regurgitate the same old clichés that get used in every story about guys
who are trained to fight. He had actual personal experience and his prose
was so gritty and efficient and I found it a tremendously potent
experience.
It was the first time I can remember my heart racing
in my chest while I was reading. And it was a really great story,
too.
WhereTheMapEnds: What made you want to write Christian speculative
fiction?
Robin Parrish: I don't have a great story for this one. I think
it's just in my DNA to write. It's all I've ever wanted to do. I've found
my sweet spot, it's the thing I was created to do. If I couldn't write, I
think I'd explode.
WhereTheMapEnds: [grinning] I know
what you mean. Robin, how was your first idea for a Christian speculative
novel received (by anyone: spouse, friends, parents, agent, publisher,
readers, reviewers, etc.)?
Robin
Parrish: My route to publication was a very unusual one. I had
conceived of this serialized story I wanted to write and deliver online
like it was a TV show. Only you'd read it instead of watch it. It was great fun for
me to have this elaborate story all planned out, to end each chapter with
a cliffhanger to keep you coming back, to layer in all these secrets and
character mysteries and this big conspiracy plot. I loved every minute of
it.
It did quite well, and caught the attention of a few
publishers. I was offered a book contract based on that.
My mother would tell you that that wasn't my first
novel, though. My parents bought me a plastic toy typewriter when I was in
grade school—and it really typed. I wore that thing out writing all sorts
of stories and "books" (most of which were no more than twelve pages or
so). My parents were always wonderfully supportive of my creative
pursuits, so I really have to credit them a lot for that.
WhereTheMapEnds: Ah, the power of
supportive parents. What is your favorite speculative genre to read? To
write? If they’re different, talk about that.
Robin Parrish:
I like just about everything except for historical or
romance. My favorite kinds of stories are the ones that blend more than
one genre together. That's what the Dominion Trilogy does, blending some
mild fantasy aspects with suspense/thriller stuff, big drama, heavy
action, some mystery, and a little romance. I imagine I'll always dabble
with mixing genres together. They're just different weapons in the
arsenal, after all.
And I generally do read the same kind of stuff I like
to write.
WhereTheMapEnds: I wish I could take a
survey to determine this, but I suspect most novelists (myself included) got into writing because nobody
was writing exactly the kind of story they wanted to read. If no one else
is going to write it, I guess I'll have to!
Or else we end up
publishing it ourselves, which is also quite
fun. 0:-)
How would you characterize the current state of
Christian speculative fiction writing and/or
publishing?
Robin Parrish:
It's been gratifying to see publishers opening up to
more speculative ideas in fiction. So for what it is, I think the
Christian publishing world is doing pretty good.
But let me take a big step back and look at the
larger picture, the more "eternal perspective," if you will.
I worry that there's something fundamentally flawed
in an industry that's tailored to be, by definition, self-serving. I don't
see a lot of the Great Commission at work in any of the "Christian"
industries, be it publishing, music, film, or what have you.
The desire is there to reach across the aisle, the
publishers want to get their books out to general audiences,
but in creating a dedicated industry for ourselves we've effectively
segregated and marginalized ourselves in the eyes of the world at large.
Nonbelievers are not going to come into Christian
bookstores to get our stuff, and they wouldn't be caught dead buying a
novel from the back corner of Barnes & Noble or
Books-A-Million.
How do we ever hope to reach the world when the world
doesn't even know we're here?
WhereTheMapEnds:
Well said, Robin. I agree. Having a distinctly Christian industry does
kind of put us in a room off on our own. On the other hand,
that specialization has also strengthened us and given Christian media an identity
that has helped us survive.
If there
were only secular publishers and they put out a few Christian books now
and then, I think the Christian distinctives would begin to blur and there
would be pressure to be more homogenized. Concentrating on a well-defined
niche is good business.
But it doesn't help us when we then want to reach
back across the aisle and say, "Hey, you should read our books over here."
That's why I think the Internet is part of the
solution. Online, there are no aisles. Or, as the child says in The Matrix, "There is no spoon."
So tell us, Robin, what do you think Christian speculative fiction
writing and/or publishing will look like in three years? Five years? Ten
years?
Robin Parrish:
I have no idea. I hope it looks different. Christians
have a place in the arts and in popular culture. Christian ideas have
shaped art and culture for thousands of years. The Renaissance was largely
brought about by artistic contributions from Christians. We were once at
the forefront of shaping culture and ideas and art, but now we let
ourselves get shunted off to positions of illegitimacy.
I'd love to see Christians reclaim dominance over
artistic expression again.
WhereTheMapEnds: Excellent.
Very Francis Schaeffer of you. Love it. What advice would you give to someone who aspires to
write and publish Christian speculative fiction?
Robin Parrish:
Know your craft. Get good. Be a strong, entertaining
writer or no one will care about what big, profound thing you have to
say.
WhereTheMapEnds:
Great
advice, Robin. What’s the best book or seminar on fiction writing
you know?
Robin Parrish:
The Writer's
Journey by Christopher Vogler remains a major favorite of
mine. It's required reading for anyone interested in the hero's
journey.
WhereTheMapEnds:
Now you're
really singing my song, Robin. I have The
Writer's Journey on my shelf. I've even got a heavily marked-up copy
of Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand
Faces, from which the whole idea of the hero's journey was drawn, on
my shelf, as well. My next novel will certainly be a
hero's journey story.
What’s the best part about writing and publishing
Christian speculative fiction?
Robin Parrish:
Getting to tell my stories and actually have people
who want to read them!
WhereTheMapEnds: Awesome. Excactly. What writing project(s) are you working on
now?
Robin Parrish:
My second draft of Merciless is
due in just a few days. My editor will take his pass at it after that, and
then I'll get one last chance to tweak things before it releases in
July.
Next up I'll be doing a standalone science
fiction novel about the first manned mission to Mars, and what happens when
the crew from that mission returns home to find...well, something no one ever
imagined possible. It'll be another blend of genres with lots of suspense
and mystery and action.
After that, I'm planning a supernatural thriller with
one of the most original story hooks I've ever come up with. I'm obsessed
with this idea and can't wait to write the
story.
WhereTheMapEnds: Don't you hate it when the
story you really want to write is not the story you're able to get to just
yet? Beautiful misery. But hey, don't give short shrift to the Mars story.
I'm sitting here with the coffee table book Postcards from Mars on my
desk. Seeing
all those stunning photos of Mars from ground level is
incredible. I'd love to see what you do with a trip-to-Mars
story.
What’s a cool speculative story idea you’ve had
lately?
Robin Parrish:
Oh come on, you don't really expect me to tell you? I
wouldn't have much of a future as a speculative fiction writer if I went
around blabbing all my ideas before I got a chance to use
them.
WhereTheMapEnds: Oh pweese, oh pweese, oh
pweese? All right. [sighs]
But hey, sharing our most awesome speculative ideas,
even in their infancy, is pretty much all we do over at The Anomaly. Come out and join us, one and all.
Recent what-if ideas on The Anomaly include thoughts about a female
messiah on another world, the validity of Christian horror fiction, and my
own speculation on why God may have an alien invasion queued up next in
human
history.
So, Robin, what’s the best speculative story (Christian or
secular, book or otherwise) you’ve encountered
lately?
Robin Parrish:
Ted Dekker's Adam. Best thing he's ever
written. Intense, smart, imaginative, and absolutely
un-put-down-able.
WhereTheMapEnds: What else would you like to say to the readers of
WhereTheMapEnds.com?
Robin Parrish:
Don't ever settle. And don't sit around on your
thumbs. You get only one, very brief shot at mortal life—don't waste it!
No one is ever going to care about your work more than you do, so get out
there and do
it.
That's
all for this time
What a wonderful interview, huh? Thanks again to
Robin Parrish. Be sure to visit Robin online.
If
you missed the previous months' interviews with other speculative authors,
including Frank Peretti, Jerry Jenkins, Karen
Hancock, Tosca Lee, and Ted
Dekker, you can read them here. And be sure to come back next month for an interview
with another mover and shaker in the world of Christian speculative
fiction.