Erin Healy
BIO
Erin Healy is the bestselling co-author of KISS (with Ted Dekker) and an award-winning, highly-acclaimed editor for numerous bestselling authors. Her debut solo novel, NEVER LET YOU GO, is available May 2010. She and her family live in Colorado.
INTERVIEW
January 15, 2010
Erin Healy --- the bestselling co-author of 2009’s KISS and the newly released thriller BURN --- recently spoke with Bookreporter.com's Marcia Ford about her latest venture with collaborator Ted Dekker. In this interview, Healy explains what made the writing process easier this second time around and discusses the research they performed, as well as the creative license they used, to center the novel on a little-known community in the New Mexican desert. She also delves into some of the spiritual aspects explored in the book and discusses her solo projects in the works, including NEVER LET YOU GO, due out in May.
Bookreporter.com: BURN marks your second collaboration with Ted Dekker. How did the team writing effort on this book differ from the first one (KISS, which released in 2009)?
Erin Healy: The practical process was largely the same, but the creative effort was much easier. We'd worked out most of the first-time kinks that plagued KISS and seemed to find our stride more quickly.
BRC: The initial setting for BURN is an unusual one --- a Gypsy community in the New Mexico desert. Given the Gypsies' traditional code of secrecy, what obstacles did you face in researching their lifestyle and in particular their way of thinking?
EH: The primary obstacle was that there simply isn't much written about the North American Romany tribes, which are more rare in the United States than in other parts of the world. We relied heavily on the research of Anne Sutherland in her book GYPSIES: The Hidden Americans. Of course, because our book is not only fiction but highly imaginative fiction, we took some liberties as well.
BRC: Unlike KISS and many of Ted's solo books, BURN reads like a straightforward suspense novel --- for several hundred pages and then some --- before the reader encounters the major mind-bending plot twist that changes everything. How did that structure evolve? Was it intentional from the start, or a product of the writing process?
EH: In the original draft, we withheld the plot twist until the very end, presenting it as a major reveal. But as we weighed the effect of this, we decided the device was so outrageous that we needed to introduce it as soon as possible, to allow readers to live with the magnitude of it for a while. Actually, the story begins to hint at the plot twist as early as page 95, and then the characters themselves begin to wrestle with the truth around page 150. It's subtle, but our hope was that by the time things become obvious, readers will have already put two and two together, thus making them more likely to buy into the crazy scenario.
BRC: Shortly after KISS released, readers began "casting" the book --- suggesting which actors they would cast in the book's leading roles should it ever go to film. So…who would you cast as Janeal Mikkado, the lead female character in BURN? How about Robert Lukin, her long-lost boyfriend? Salazar Sanso, the ultimate bad guy?
EH: I love this stuff. I'd cast Mila Kunis as Janeal and Antonio Banderas as Sanso. Robert…hmm. I'll take suggestions. Someone olive-skinned and beautifully dark. Maaaaaaybe Taylor Lautner. With a tan. Ten years from now.
BRC: How much of you is in the character of Janeal --- or her best friend, Katie? How much of Ted is in Robert --- or Salazar?
EH: Janeal and Katie are portraits of extremes, which serves the story but doesn't make a good mirror for me. I can't say there's much of me in either woman. Katie is everything I wish I could be; Janeal is everything I hope I'm not. I could have fun with the question about Ted! But I'll just say that Ted has all of Robert's drive and all of Sanso's bad-boy leanings, except he's never done anything illegal. That I know of.
BRC: BURN is replete with theological concepts, primarily the battle between good and evil that is waged within the human heart. Please tell us about some of the other spiritual aspects of the book. How did they emerge in the course of the writing?
EH: Above all else, BURN is a story about the complexity of dying to self, and that was an idea present in our minds from day one. Ted and I were working independently on story concepts about characters who had opportunities to make alternative life choices, or to confront the courses their lives took after critical moments of decision. When we discovered this was happening, merging the ideas seemed like a natural thing to do. We met in Austin one day to plot the overarching storyline, and as that emerged, "dying to self" became the thematic title scrawled across the top of our notes. I'm hopeful the story suggests that this death is not a one-time event, but a lifelong, difficult process --- as the complementary decision to live for Christ is also a journey. Both actions are accompanied by high costs and great rewards.
BRC: At one time, you and Ted had concrete plans to collaborate on a future book. Is that still in the works? If not, why not, and if so, will it be in the same vein as KISS and BURN?
EH: We did have plans, but they've been tabled for the time being. Ted and I both had some exciting developments with our solo books that eclipsed our third project together, and all parties involved felt that the best opportunities for everyone involved pursuing those wholeheartedly. It was a matter of timing, simple as that.
BRC: What's one of the most important writing lessons you've learned from Ted? What’s one of the most important lessons you think he's learned from you --- either when you were his editor or now as his co-author?
EH: I have an index card on a tack strip near my desk with a whole list of things I've learned from Ted as a writer and as an editor. It would take a while to explain them all. But as far as "most important" goes, I would say I have an amazing model in Ted of an author who understands what it means to love his readers. Serving them with stories that will speak most pointedly to them is his highest goal, as it is for most authors I know. But Ted actually does it, and exceptionally well. As for what he's learned from me, I really couldn't say, but he uses words like "desperate," "insane" and "perfect sense" more sparingly now, because I've threatened him.
BRC: Your first solo novel, NEVER LET YOU GO, releases in May. What can you tell us about the plot and about writing alone for the first time?
EH: My solo debut is a supernatural thriller about a young single mother, Lexi, who is paid an unwelcome visit by an old friend. He demands she testify on behalf of the killer who murdered Lexi’s sister. If she refuses, he’ll harm Lexi’s daughter. Within hours, she also learns that her estranged husband, gone seven years, is attempting to reconnect with their little girl. The strangely timed reappearance of the friend, the killer, and the husband sabotages Lexi's efforts to love and protect her daughter. NEVER LET YOU GO is a novel about the high price of bitterness and forgiveness, neither of which it seems Lexi can afford to pay.
The authors I've edited will be amused to know that I was subjected to everything I've ever said is normal about the writing life --- the fears, the insecurities, the highs and lows, the blind spots, the sense of accomplishment. Writing is a fabulous, lonely experience. My editorial life and my broad tastes in reading (which spans many genres) have helped and hurt. On the one hand, the creative process doesn't frighten me. On the other hand, I have a very difficult time making firm creative decisions. There are so many options to pick from! In the co-authored books, Ted made most of those decisions. He makes them swiftly and with seeming ease. I'll need a few more novels under my belt before I work that out for myself.
BRC: The last we heard, you also had two more novels in the works. What are they about?
EH: I'll let you know just as soon as I'm sure. I keep changing my mind. (Like I said.) But at this moment, I can say confidently that I'll continue to write supernatural thrillers that explore the intersections between the spiritual and physical realities of our lives. These are the themes that occupy my mind and heart even when I'm not writing.
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INTERVIEW
January 9, 2009
Bestselling author Ted Dekker teamed up with his longtime editor, Erin Healy, to co-write the recently released suspense novel KISS. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Marcia Ford, Healy describes some of the challenges she faced in the transition from editor to author, while Dekker speculates on his broad readership, despite the fact that he is usually classified as a Christian writer. They also discuss what made their collaboration work, give insight into their writing process, and share details about their next publication, BURN.
Bookreporter.com: Ted, Erin Healy has been your fiction editor for six years. What made you decide to bring her on as your co-author?
Ted Dekker: I’ve worked with a number of editors in my career, but not many have shown me the unique combination of story insight and crafting that Erin has. Most editors are good at pointing out flaws in writing, but original storytelling is an entirely different animal. Erin has rarely blinked on my numerous explorations of our market’s edges, in fact lending me confidence when I needed it most. Over the years we’ve developed a unique trust for each other’s skills, offering balance and challenge at every turn.
BRC: Ted, your novels have an audience with secular and Christian readers. Why do you think that so many readers of various faiths --- or no faith --- are drawn to your books?
TD: For many reasons, I think, but two that are most obvious. One, I write pure escapism with little reservation in big “what if” stories. Frankly, I get bored with stories that don’t move either my pulse or my heart, and I write for readers who share this illness :-) Two, Christianity is running headlong into the behemoth challenge of inauthenticity. In the eyes of a rapidly growing majority, being a “Christian” means that you are fake, naïve and toxic about it. Like an odorous, toxic plastic. A growing audience is seeking stories that shy from plastic fiction, particularly among the under-40 crowd. The key is writing about faith in a way that doesn’t wreak of toxic plastic. I do that more effectively now than I used to, as do a number of my peers.
BRC: Ted, please bring us up to date on your next solo effort --- rather, efforts. You usually have several books in the works at one time.
TD: BONEMAN'S DAUGHTERS, a story about a father who will stop at nothing to rescue his only daughter from a killer called BoneMan, comes out in April. It's packed with more heart than any novel I’ve written in some time. I also have two young adults out in June to complete the Lost Books Series. Then a big event in September with the release of GREEN, Book Zero in the Circle Series. It is both the beginning and the ending of Thomas Hunter’s circular story, a prequel to BLACK, and a sequel to WHITE.
BRC: Erin, KISS is your first book as an author, and your co-author is nothing less than a New York Times bestselling novelist with a huge fan following. What was your biggest challenge in making the shift from editor to author? Did you feel pressure to continue Ted Dekker's pattern of success --- and if so, how did you handle it?
Erin Healy: I sure uttered my share of “please don’t let me blow this!” prayers, especially at the outset, when the learning curve was so steep. Writing and editing skill sets don’t exactly overlap. But I had complete trust in Ted’s abilities, and because he was the guiding light on this project, I drew confidence from him. He’d make a great editor, no matter what he says about that! My biggest challenge came in learning how to write without thinking like an editor. Ted had to work hard to get me to loosen up and learn a new set of guiding principles.
BRC: Erin, will you continue to work as an editor, or has your KISS experience turned your heart more toward writing?
EH: Writing and editing seem to be my complementary halves. Ideally, writing more will improve my editorial skills, and editing more will improve my writing skills. I’ll have to take a lighter editorial workload for practical reasons, but I don’t plan to quit. I’m indebted to all the authors who have taught me so much by allowing me to work with them. They’ve set a high bar for me.
BRC: What can you tell us about the next Dekker/Healy project, BURN --- and is there a possible third co-authored novel?
TD and EH: BURN ups the ante. It’s an intense, brain-bending story about a woman forced into making a critical, life-changing decision...and what MIGHT have happened if she’d made a different decision. It’s a novel about the dramatic stakes involved in dying to self, and what life on the other side of that action looks like, for better and worse. We hope BURN will be the second of many Dekker/Healy novels.
BRC: How did you divide the writing responsibilities? Please describe the logistics of working with each other in an effort to create a seamless work of fiction.
TD and EH: We’ve worked together long enough now to know each other’s likes, dislikes and tendencies when it comes to storytelling. We’ve done a lot of give-and-take over the years and managed to establish trust in each other. Having that professional relationship long established was probably the most significant factor in making KISS “seamless.” As for the storytelling, most of that took place over the phone in hours-long conversations. We beat story questions and scenes and options nearly to death audibly long before a word was ever typed. Then Erin laid down the first rough draft and a new process began with both of us, writing, tearing apart, rewriting, more rewriting, editing, etc. The book is roughly 100,000 words, but at least 200,000 words were written to get there. Gotta love it.
BRC: KISS delves into the mysterious inner workings of the human brain. What kind of research was involved in making the story both imaginative and believable?
TD and EH: Just enough to make us dangerous reporters! We didn’t want the story to bog down with scientific details that might distract readers from the theme. Most of our research focused on treatments being developed for war veterans who are coming home with devastating post-traumatic stress disorders. Drugs are being developed to help these men and women cope with the emotional effects of their memories. In a particularly interesting trial, researchers were successful in causing rats to forget their fear of a sound within a day of associating the sound with an electric shock. In other studies, scientists claim to have erased the actual memories from rats. That’s a ripe “what if” scenario for a novelist.
BRC: KISS also explores the potentially terrifying possibility of having memories erased, filtered or otherwise tampered with. How did that exploration affect your attitude toward your own memories and their value to you?
TD: All we really have are memories and hopes. I have to re-engage even my worst memories to fashion a meaningful story, and I do it frequently. My first three books were written on the heels of and fueled by my brother’s death. Recounting such memories has a cleansing appeal. It tends to rid us of our toxic plastic odors. :-)
EH: The bulk of my memories are overwhelmingly happy ones, and I’d be grieved to lose them! Even so, I’ve often thought that if given the opportunity to relive any part of my life --- to be younger, or to get a “do over,” or to fix a regret --- I probably wouldn’t take it. I just don’t want to relive the pain that is a part of life. Certain memories make me feel physically sick when they come to mind, and yet I associate these experiences with hard-won maturity that might not be achievable any other way. So I choose to look back on these experiences as valuable rather than destructive. If I didn’t, I think they’d be a roadblock to maturity.
BRC: The use of experimental drugs --- in KISS, without the patient's consent --- is a related and equally terrifying possibility that figures into the plot. Why the decision to use pharmaceuticals instead of other forms of mind manipulation? Do you see the potential for the misuse of experimental drugs?
TD and EH: This decision was a pragmatic one, and nothing more. Pharmaceutical giants are money makers, and putting Landon McAllister at the helm of such a giant gave him the cash we needed him to have. The experimental-drugs angle provided the story’s antagonists with an opportunity to carry out their sinister plans. Any kind of experimentation can of course be abused, but we never intended KISS to be a commentary on today’s drug makers.
BRC: Some people are uncomfortable with paranormal activity as it conflicts with their own feelings about spirituality. Did you work to handle the paranormal in a way that both reveals spiritual reality and yet tries not to offend?
TD: Smells a bit like plastic to me :-) Paranormal is simply... well, para-normal. According to the Encarta World Dictionary, paranormal means “scientifically unexplainable.” As such, spirituality is mostly paranormal. There are many things science can’t explain, some that have spiritual explanations, some that are simply yet not understood, like how a savant can glance at a jar of toothpicks and know there are 104 toothpicks in the jar without counting them. The brain, like the heart, is a wonderful, mysterious gift from God.
EH: Having said that, in KISS, the “paranormal” has a loose physical explanation. Shauna’s abilities are the result of drugs she received. I hope anyone who might be offended by the causes of Shauna’s situation can still feel free to explore the core questions of the effects: What is the true value of our memories, and what will happen to us --- or to the people we love --- if we forget or ignore these experiences?
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