Ray Sutherland is a Kentucky native who grew up on a farm outside of Bowling Green. He served in the Army, spent two years in Germany, received his B.A. in religion from Western Kentucky University, and his PhD in the Bible from Vanderbilt University. Ray has served of Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke for over thirty years, pastored a small church for nine years, and is retired from the Army Reserve. He and his wife Regina live in North Carolina and have two sons and four grandchildren.
INTERVIEW:
Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Secret Agent Angel. To begin with, can you gives us a brief summary of what the story is about and what compelled you to write it?
A: Billy Graham said that angels are God’s secret agents and I decided to write the fictional adventures of one of those secret agent angels. I wrote it in the first person from the angel’s perspective somewhat along the lines of the secret agent and detective novels of the 50’s and 60’s by Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Mickey Spillane, and Donald Hamilton, which were often told in first person. Samuel the angel comes to earth in human form to help persuade some people to make right decisions in crises. He visits an accountant who is tempted to steal. He goes along with two truckers who befriend an abused boy. He helps a war veteran find forgiveness of his former enemies. He helps some porters on their trip down the Ho Chi Minh trail. All of these things come together in a snowbound truck stop where a fire demon comes to destroy one man’s faith. Or his life. Forty years of angelic work all come together for that one confrontation.
Q: What do you think makes a good inspirational suspense? Could you narrow it down to the three most important elements? Is it even possible to narrow it down?
A: Suspense and inspiration, both of which are provided in “Secret Agent Angel.” Most importantly, it is a well-told story and highly entertaining. The suspense comes from the tense situations in which Samuel the angel and his companions find themselves. The inspiration comes from the people in the story learning about their spiritual talents and their ability to do what is right. Even the angel learns some things.
Q: How did you go about plotting your story? Or did you discover it as you worked on the book?
A: I don’t work from a written outline but I certainly have a mental one. I planned out the opening, the major turning point and the ending, including the climax. Then I wrote the whole book with those plans in mind. I keep a detailed plan in mind for the next couple of episodes.
Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist and how you developed him or her. Did you do any character interviews or sketches prior to the actual writing?
A:There are no real angels around for me to watch so I had to improvise what I thought about how an angel would act. There are a few short accounts in the Bible about angel’s appearing, but they are very short of details. Much more helpful was the apocryphal/deutero-canonical book of Tobit which features an angel appearing as a human, so I relied on that account fairly heavily. But I had to use a lot of imagination.
Q: In the same light, how did you create your antagonist or villain? What steps did you take to make him or her realistic?
A: I have known some people very much like the angel’s opponents in the story. So the villains are composites of people I have known.
Q: How did you keep your narrative exciting throughout the novel? Could you offer some practical, specific tips?
A: I mostly used my own reaction as a guide. If an episode excited and entertained me, I kept at it. If it didn’t, I didn’t write it and found another way which I found to be exciting and entertaining.
Q: Setting is also quite important and in many cases it becomes like a character itself. What tools of the trade did you use in your writing to bring the setting to life?
A: A standard writers’ adage is to write what you know and in Secret Agent Angel, I followed that advice. I haven’t yet met any real angels, but most of the situations in which Samuel the secret agent angel finds himself are very similar to things I have done in my own life. I was assigned to tanks in the army. My first job was loading and unloading trucks. The owner of the truck company also owned a truck stop, so I spent some time in it and other truck stops as well. I have visited many hospitals in the course of my pastoral duties. All of those settings appeared in the novel. One part which does not come from my own experience is the chapter about porters on the Ho Chi Minh trail just before the Tet offensive. I had to do a lot of research for that, but I enjoyed that challenge.
Q: Did you know the theme(s) of your novel from the start or is this something you discovered after completing the first draft? Is this theme(s) recurrent in your other work?
A:The theme that the spirit world is at work in our world is that is one thing that I have seen in my own life and experience. I had that theme firmly in mind when I started the book. That God is at work around us is as much an underlying assumption of the book as it is a theme. It is very much present in my next book, a historical novel about King David, the biblical king of Israel.
Q: Where does craft end and art begin? Do you think editing can destroy the initial creative thrust of an author?
A:Editing is an absolute necessity, both self-editing and outside editing. Editing can be done in such a way as to be a problem with creativity, but I did not have that problem. My editor at Black Opal, Faith, did an excellent job and was very helpful.
Q: What three things, in your opinion, make a successful novelist?
A:Reading widely and learning from great writers is mandatory. Being persistent. Keep at the writing and finish the project. Write the book, then prepare the manuscript for submission. Be persistent in submitting it. Every writer gets rejection. Get over it and send it out again. And again. And again. Constant improvement is a necessity. Learn as you go. Figure out what works. Learn to self-edit. Like any job, writing requires certain skills and attributes. Learn them, use them, and keep getting better.
Q: A famous writer once wrote that being an author is like having to do homework for the rest of your life. Thoughts?
A:Homework was forced drudgery and basically useless, so I seldom did it, especially over Christmas vacation. Writing is work but it is enjoyable work. It is only forced on me by myself.
Q: Are there any resources, books, workshops or sites about craft that you’ve found helpful during your writing career?
A:Read great books, classics and current. Learn how the masters wrote, then find your own style. Dictionaries, use a good thesaurus, and follow Heinlein’s rules which are in the next question and answer.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers about the craft of writing?
A: Robert A. Heinlein said it best. His Five Rules for Writers:
- You must write.
- You must finish what you write.
- You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
- You must put the work on the market.
- You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.
He is right and I can give no better advice.
