Brandilyn Collins Answers The Faithful Fifteen
October 2004
 Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and bestselling novelist, writing in both the contemporary and suspense genres. In this interview Collins explains why she changed her fiction writing from secular to Christian, how her bout with Lyme disease helped shape her Scripture reading habits, and a special faith-based tradition that her husband started for their entire family.
FaithfulReader.com: What kind of testimony to your faith are you demonstrating in this book? If you are writing fiction, do you write fiction that is based upon your faith, or that has a message for the reader? Is your goal to demonstrate your faith in your writing?
Brandilyn Collins: STAIN OF GUILT pushes my protagonist, Annie, further in her spiritual journey. The story deals with God's ultimate victory over evil, and His ability to lead our lives better than we can. In writing each book of the Hidden Faces suspense series, my objective is to write an edge-of-your-seat thriller interwoven with biblical truth. I want to wow readers; I want to grab them, sink the talons of my story into them and pull them along. If I can do that --- if I can capture them with a heart-pounding story, which is what they're expecting, I'll then be better able to get my message across. A reader must first trust me as an author of a good story. When I gain that trust, the reader is more apt to listen to the message imbedded within that story.
FR: When did you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus? Where are you today in your walk? Is your faith an important part of what you do?
BC: I became a Christian at an early age (raised in a strong Christian home), but strayed. As an adult, I was living a Christian life, but was pretty nominal at it. Jesus was my Savior but not my Lord. Over six years ago I had a life-changing experience in a prayer meeting, in which I totally, completely gave all of myself, including my talents, to God. It was after that time that God soon began speaking to me about turning my fiction writing from secular to Christian.
FR: Tell us about your church experiences, how you grew up (or maybe didn't grow up) in the church, where you attend now, your involvement in your local assembly, etc.
BC: My parents were missionaries to India (J.T. and Ruth Seamands). My uncle, David Seamands, and his wife, Helen, also were missionaries to India, as were my grandparents. We returned to the States during a furlough when I was three, and one of my sisters became very sick. We couldn't return to India. We settled in Wilmore, Kentucky, where my father began teaching missions in Asbury Theological Seminary. He remained there until retirement, and also was an evangelist on weekends. Mom and Dad, and my Uncle David, all are known for their Christian nonfiction books.
FR: Tell us about your current church family/fellowship. How does it influence your work?
BC: The church that my husband, Mark, and I attend is nondenominational and multi-cultural. Abundant Life Christian Fellowship (www.alcf.net) has an African-American pastor, with about half the church of that race, and the rest are white, Asian, and many others. Really an unusual and fabulous church, located in Mountain View, CA.
FR: Who are your spiritual mentors? Your professional mentors?
BC: My parents have been a very big influence on my spiritual life. My husband is my major day-to-day influence. I also have a group of women, four of us altogether, who meet each week for prayer. In fact, STAIN OF GUILT is dedicated to them. These women are my accountability group.
Professionally, good writing in general is my mentor. I read a lot of fiction, always learning, always looking for what works and what doesn't work.
FR: Discuss your calling/mission --- as a writer, and as a Christian.
BC: After that change in my life over six years ago, I suddenly couldn't write secular fiction. I couldn't even read it. My soul was hungry for Christian input. I went to our local Christian bookstore and started reading the Christian fiction, which I hadn't even been aware of before. God spoke strongly to me --- this is what He wanted me to do. I took back the manuscripts my agent had placed on interested editors' desks, saying they were no longer available. These books were rewritten as Christian novels, becoming CAST A ROAD BEFORE ME, COLOR THE SIDEWALK FOR ME, and EYES OF ELISHA. With the added spiritual element, these stories absolutely blossomed in a whole new way. They became much better novels. I've never looked back. Once I gave my talent for writing to God, He showed me what He wanted me to do with it. My own, selfish plans for that gift would never have measured up to God's perfect will for it.
FR: What are your Scripture reading habits?
BC: (The full story of this healing is on my Web site, www.brandilyncollins.com.) But while I was in the disease's grip, God taught me to pray the Psalms aloud. Whether I felt like it or not --- and those days, I didn't. But He taught me how to praise Him for who He is. The Psalms are all relevant for today. You'll find Psalms of praise, against spiritual warfare and illness, and all kinds of trouble, even many Psalms that sound like they were written as prayers against the terrorists of today. I still read 10 aloud each day. This puts me through the book in a little over 2 weeks (Psalm 119 is a day in itself!). And then I start over. I have become so entrenched in the Psalms, and I can't tell you what it's done for me in terms of learning how to praise God, and how much they've helped me pray for others.
As far as reading the Bible, I simply read through it, over and over. It's the best way I know to get the big picture of God's divine will through the centuries, and how the coming of the Messiah fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament.
FR: What books have most influenced your work?
BC: Hard to answer this question with actual books. Again, it's the body of good writing I've read. In learning how to write fiction, I've found the process is 50% writing and 50% reading. If you want to learn how to write fiction, you have to read fiction --- a lot.
FR: Do you read secular fiction at all? If so, who are your favorite authors, and why?
BC: Yes, I read it. I love Anne Rivers Siddons books for characterization. She has taught me a lot in writing my women's fiction books. And for suspense writing, hands down --- Dean Koontz.
FR: What are your other media habits --- television, movies, music, etc.?
BC: I watch hardly any TV except for getting in a show like "Forensic Files" or "Cold Case Files," etc. from the Court TV channel when I can. I purposely don't watch TV dramas like "CSI" because you can't rely on them for the reality of what goes on in crime scene investigation. (These shows are bound by the constraints of having to wrap up everything within around 50 minutes, without using an overabundance of characters). But the true crime shows are really helpful for research, and I've gotten a lot of ideas from them.
FR: Do you and your family have any special faith-based traditions?
BC: We started something last year (one of my wonderful husband's ideas) that I think we'll continue. Each member of our family (including our three kids) had a name of someone else in the family. The task was to find a Bible verse that we thought appropriate and helpful for that family member. We made them into some sort of sign --- either a colorful printed one that could be put up on the wall, or even a very small one to fit into someone's wallet. Then we read these verses to each other and presented the signs in whatever form on Christmas Eve.
FR: Tell us about your prayer life and habits.
BC: My prayer life is a running conversation with God. I also have a dedicated prayer time during my morning devotions. Through my own healing, through the spiritual gifts God has given me, through my experiences with spiritual warfare, I have learned the power of prayer. More and more, my novels are about God's power as released through the prayers of His people.
FR: Describe what you believe the role of writing in religion is.
BC: Christian writing challenges us. Nonfiction books can teach us, make us rethink some of our doctrinal positions. So can Christian novels. A scripturally-based story can lead a person to Christ, or can take a believer further in his/her faith.
FR: Tell us about one or more of your favorite encounters with readers.
BC: Sheesh, that's a hard one. How 'bout one of my favorite letters? From a gal who wrote a long e-mail about how she read my book CAST A ROAD BEFORE ME --- and threw up. Yup, she had the "up-chuck" flu, as she called it. But she couldn't stop reading the story, so she learned how to balance her head over the toilet and keep reading. The e-mail goes on from there, getting pretty graphic, but you get the picture…
FR: Would you share a story about someone you've brought to Christ or share how your writing has helped someone?
BC: It's hard to talk about only one person here. I've received many wonderful letters regarding my various novels from people who have been challenged in their spiritual life. One gal who found my Hidden Faces series wrote about how she has begun to realize the power of God and prayer. Many who read COLOR THE SIDEWALK FOR ME (about a painful rift between mother and daughter) wrote to say: that was my story --- how did you know? And they've gone on to say how much the story has helped them turn to God for healing of that relationship. From my Chelsea Adams suspense series (EYES OF ELISHA and DREAD CHAMPION) readers have talked about how the books brought them face-to-face with the realization of God's supernatural power, and His mercy in choosing to use it in people's lives.
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DEAD OF NIGHT: Book Three in the Hidden Faces Series
WEB OF LIES: Book Four in the Hidden Faces Series