As if national radio host Chris Fabry
weren’t busy enough already (what
with being on the radio all the time
and all), he’s also been making a
name for himself in Christian fiction:
first with his mysteries and end-times thrillers for young readers,
and now with an award-winning
series of novels for adults. His latest,
Almost Heaven, is his third set in
Dogwood, West Virginia.
Q: Your new novel ALMOST
HEAVEN is your third trip (so
far) back to Dogwood. What is
it about this town that keeps
bringing you back?
This is where I grew
up and these are the
people I know best
and love most. How
can you not want to
go back?
Q: You’ve said this was your
“most difficult novel to write”
so far. What were the
challenges for you this time around?
The main character’s life is so difficult and
hardscrabble, and yet he holds onto God with
not much evidence that God is there. Telling
the story from the eternal and in the present
and finding hope for him was difficult but
worth it.
This story is for those who feel like God
isn’t using them. It’s a book about dreams
and failure and getting up again.
Q: What inspired you to write this story?
There was a man
who ran a radio
station in Lost
Creek, W.Va., who
died last year.
I wrote it to honor
him and encourage
others.
Q: How much of yourself is
in these characters?
There’s always a lot
of me in the main
character. This guy loves radio and thinks
it’s important. That’s me.
Q: Is your ?rst goal to
minister to readers, or
entertain them?
My first goal is to draw them into the story
so that I have an opportunity to encourage
them.
Q: What do you most hope readers take away after reading
your book?
I hope they’ll see their failures and struggles
as the proof that God is at work.
Q: What’s the best thing anyone said about one of your
books?
“I felt like I knew those characters and
continue to look for them on the street.”
Q: What’s the worst thing anyone said about one of your
books?
“Cute,” or “lame.” I see both of them as the
same criticism.
Q: You also co-wrote Drew Brees’ spots memoir COMING BACK
STRONGER—for you, what are the pros and cons of writing
?ction verses non-?ction?
Both are enjoyable and try to make a story
understandable. I enjoy nailing a life on the
page but I also enjoy telling the truth through
a story I’ve cooked in my head.