Jefferson Scott:

OPERATION: FICTION!

interview by

Mike Nappa

Jefferson Scott first turned heads with his pioneering "cyberthriller" novel, Virtually Eliminated (Multnomah Publishers), a book about an Internet terrorist that set a new standard for action and suspense in Christian fiction--and which generated two highly-acclaimed sequels, Terminal Logic and Virtually Eliminated. 

Not one to rest on his laurels, Scott has now turned his attention to the military arena with Operation: Firebrand---his much-anticipated novel from Promise Press Fiction about a team of Christian commandos who set out to right the world's wrongs--and manage to learn a bit about themselves and God along the way.

Recently, our covert operations team locked Jeff in a room and made him talk. Read on to discover the results of our interrogation...er, interview...

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FamilyFans.com: First, tell us a little about your exciting new novel, Operation: Firebrand.

Jefferson Scott: The premise of Operation: Firebrand is that a small, privately funded team of ex-Special Forces people, all Christians, goes into the world’s hotspots to perform covert missions of mercy in the name of Christ—using only non-lethal weapons.

In this one, the first in a series, the team is formed and attempts to go out and complete its first mission: rescuing some Kazakh orphans turned out into the winter by revolution. In the next book, they’ll be traveling to the Sudan to take on the human slave trade.

What prompted you to write this book/create this series? And what kind of research went into the project?

I think the idea was born during the Kosovo refugee crisis. I saw video and photos of these orphaned children and, most distressingly, the mass graves filled with women and children. I was outraged and frustrated at the same time, because I couldn’t do anything about it (other than pray, which I did mightily). I thought, “Why isn’t there some military group that could go into situations like this and get these children to safety?”

And that got my creative horses hitched to my wagon of burden, and away we went.

I knew the group would probably have to be privately funded, because there are many situations in which the U.S. government simply cannot intervene. But a private group could. Then I thought that it would very likely need to be a Christian group because the desire to defend the defenseless is such a part of Christianity (besides, I’m a Christian and I write Christian fiction, so of course this group would be made up of Christians!).

Still the news stories come in about people, especially children, who are being hurt, abused, and even killed. Not just from the other side of the world, either. I’ve been grieved by the stories of Elizabeth Smart, Danielle van Dam, and Andrea Yates (who drowned all her children).

Even though I still can’t personally intervene in these situations, now I can intervene virtually through the Firebrand team. Whenever I get overwhelmed by a cruelty done to a child, a new story idea is born.

As for research, I gained information from books, photos, the Internet, videos, and personal interviews. The Internet is a wonderful research tool for the writer. This story takes place in southern Kazakhstan, near the Russian-owned Baikanour Spaceport, from which Sputnik, Dennis Tito, and Mark Shuttleworth launched into space. Until a few years ago, this huge facility was top secret. Even so, I was able to find many photos of the facility and the nearby town—and to speak with people who had visited there and even one who lived and worked there. All because of the Internet.

I also had two expert advisors who were on board with the project the whole time. I had Steve Watkins, a former Navy SEAL who is now a pastor, to help me on all things military. I ascribe any technical accuracy and authenticity in my book to Steve. My other fantastic advisor was Dr. Clark Gerhart, a Christian and a surgeon. Clark helped me with all the medical issues—which is vital for a book about non-lethal weapons (tranquilizers, etc.). These two men were invaluable to the book’s success.

Why do you think Christian fiction should play an important part in a faith-based lifestyle?

God is the Father of creativity. I went to the Oregon Zoo recently and went into their butterfly display, in which the butterflies are free to fly around and land on visitors. As I saw the hundreds of varieties—and colors and wing designs—I was once again reminded at how playfully creative God is. Since we are to be imitators of God, it follows that He approves when we are playfully creative, too.

And speaking specifically about fiction, it is good to remember that Jesus used fiction. His parables were made-up stories to illustrate something about God or the kingdom of heaven. So I think there is strong justification for the existence of Christian fiction as a whole.

The other thing is that we as readers allow fiction to tell us things that we’d never allow anyone else, even a pastor, to tell us. I used to write puppet scripts for kid’s church. I was constantly amazed that foam-filled puppets could get up and say the most profound, pointed truths to people—and get away with it. There is something about the unrealism of fiction that causes us to be open to very realistic truth—about God, sin, forgiveness, the Christian life, and just about anything else you can imagine.

Fiction effortlessly vaults over the barriers we put up to keep people, and sometimes God, at arm’s length. Consider the example of Nathan when he confronted David about Bath-Sheba. Through the power of fiction, he could stand before a king and tell him he was an adulterer and a murderer. “Once upon a time, there lived two men in a certain town…”

And since most Christians love fiction anyway, I think it’s much better to have Christian fiction for them to read. Without it, most of them will turn to secular fiction, which is so often full of unsavory elements that can tempt us off the narrow way.

On top of everything else, fiction is fun. We love to meet other people, peer into other lives, hear other perspectives, visit other places—and have a wonderful time in the process.

What's your vision for Christian fiction in general?

I’d love to see Christian fiction setting the bar for all fiction everywhere.

Right now, Christian fiction is just beginning to mature. Readers and Christian bookstore owners are beginning to accept it and appreciate its power. Publishers are taking chances on genres that before now haven’t had many Christian books in them, such as science fiction and military. That’s the first step: catching up to where the world is now in terms of the kinds and quality of fiction.

The next step, of course, is to exceed what the world is offering. There was a time in history when the whole world looked to Christianity to find out what excellence looked like in art: literature, painting, music, architecture, and poetry. That time can come again as Christian writers and publishers seek to produce books that are not second class secular novels but first class (world class) works of fiction dedicated to Jesus Christ.

In the interim, I would love to see more Christian bookstores accept fiction as a major part of their book offerings, not just as one more subsection like women’s studies or apologetics. Secular bookstores devote close to half their shelving units and floor space to fiction, showing many titles face-out. I look forward to the day when that is true in Christian bookstores, too.

What advice would you give to families about how they can take advantage of the growing number of fiction offerings for Christians?

First, go to a large Christian bookstore and just acquaint yourself with what’s available. Some parents don’t know that there are wonderfully engaging series for young readers and teens—boys, too! There are series about living in a Martian colony, X-Files-type series about the supernatural, girls’ series about life in high school, and many more.

For the adults, too, there is now a surprising selection of fiction, especially as publishers try new genres. Men particularly have more reason than ever to give the Christian fiction section another glance.

Second, I would encourage parents to exercise the same kind of protective investigation over their children’s Christian fiction selections as they currently do for their secular novels. Not that I know of any Christian fiction that parents should beware, but it’s just a prudent measure to at least spot-check them.

As more and more publishers, not all of them Christian, learn that there is money to be made in Christian fiction, they will begin to try to breach that market. I recently read about a book for teens in which God is depicted as smiling on lesbianism. It’s just wise to check, especially if the book in question is from a publisher you’ve not heard of or who you’ve only thought of as doing secular books.

How can parents help their children make wise choices in the novels they read?

There’s no substitute for reading the book yourself. If you have questions about a book your child wants to read, why not read it yourself first? Then why not read it together and discuss it?

As FamilyFans.com routinely reminds us, there is nothing better than open lines of communication in the family, especially when it comes to entertainment choices.

How might a Christian use a novel like Operation: Firebrand to connect with non-Christian readers?

I think Operation: Firebrand is especially useful as a witnessing tool. Don’t get me wrong: It’s not a 300-page tract. But it does show Christians trying, and sometimes failing, to rightly walk with God. I have found this method of allowing non-Christians to look over the shoulders and into the lives of real people trying to live the Christian life very successful.

Because people are so interested in the military right now, and especially Special Forces, this book is extremely timely. My local Barnes & Noble bookstore currently has a large table dedicated to nothing but military books, fiction and non-fiction. Today’s readers have an insatiable appetite for all things military.

What could be easier than taking Operation: Firebrand to a non-Christian friend who loves military stuff and saying, “Try this one?” For the clincher, tell him that it was personally overseen by a Navy SEAL who saw action in Desert Storm.

What advice do you have for the young people out there who aspire to write novels like you?

I love to encourage young writers. I had the great privilege of writing and judging a you-finish-the-story contest for Focus on the Family Clubhouse. I was amazed at the creativity of the finalists’ entries. Whatever I can do to throw fuel on that fire, I want to do.

The first bit of advice is just to write, write, write. Like playing guitar or riding a skateboard, you don’t get better unless you practice. Sit down and write out a very short story. Don’t worry if it’s any good or not. Maybe don’t even show anyone else. Just start tinkering with the nuts and bolts of fiction: how people talk, how to describe a room, how to leave the reader in suspense.

When you’re ready for the next step, get yourself a copy of this book: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King. Go through that book chapter by chapter, mastering the exercises in each.

If you do this process you will discover whether or not you’re serious about writing (because, as someone once said, “A writer writes”). You will also be way ahead of even adults who say that one day they’re going to write that novel, but never do.

Write, hone your skills, and then begin showing your babies (you’ll feel like you’ve given birth to these stories) to others. Just don’t be crushed if they tell you it’s not so good. Of course a beginner’s work isn’t going to be as good as an expert’s. But the expert’s work was terrible at the beginning, too!

Just keep at it and, if you feel God has gifted and possibly even called you to write Christian fiction, put Kevlar armor around your heart and try to separate out the helpful feedback from the comments—without being crushed. And go write another story.

After all, you can’t win the Olympic marathon if you tried to do it on your first day of long-distance running.

What makes writing novels worthwhile for you?

Writing novels is just plain fun for me. I get to go research any topic I’m curious about, tell what I think is the “ultimate” story based on it, and actually get paid for the privilege. The icing on the cake, of course, is when other people read the stories and tell me they enjoyed them—and maybe even were spoken to from God through them.

Writing is also gratifying to me because I feel God has called me to do it. So when I write fiction, not only is it fun, but I know I am obeying and pleasing God.

The other great thing about writing fiction is that I get to tell the stories I want to read. There are many wonderful novels in Christian fiction, but sometimes I just wish someone would tell exactly this or that kind of story. I get the great blessing of sitting down and writing that story. And then when I hear that others out there found it was just the kind of story they were looking for too, it’s very rewarding.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Just that I’d love to have any Christian women reading this interview to go buy a copy of Operation: Firebrand—for themselves and for their husbands and teenage sons!

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Want to know more about Jefferson Scott? Or read sample chapters from all his books? Then check out his web site at: http://www.jeffersonscott.com

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