A view from Chris Fabry's Window!

It is an honor and privilege to welcome Chris Fabry to my Window! Chris is a man who loves the Lord and loves to share his gift of writing. His first novel, Dogwood, is a book you don't want to miss! Without further introduction, please welcome Chris Fabry!

Wow, first of all, Kim, thanks for "getting" the book. I think it's a great story but the themes that spring from it are life-changing. Bless you for seeing this in the book.

Where did the seed of this story originate? The story germinated for a number of years. I've always wanted to write fiction for adults and several stories have bubbled in my mind, but in the late 80s and early 90s there were several stories around the country of children dying at the hands of drunk drivers. Add to that, I've always thought of a love story between a beautiful, seemingly "unreachable" female and a simple farm boy. Those two came together with this story.

You are father to nine children, and you chose to write of a parent’s most horrific and painful loss. How difficult was that for you? How did you manage to capture that so accurately? Well, thank you for saying I captured it. I'm not sure anyone can do that without going through it, and even then, to write about it is so difficult. Everyone has suffered loss of some sort, so it was trying to capture that soul-aching, gut-wrenching pain and then showing it rather than telling about it. It's something I hope we, as parents, never have to go through, but I'm also hoping this book will bring some comfort to those who have walked that road.

The quote for page 201 that I chose to use in my review seems to capture the essence of this story for me. Can you tell me if I fully understood the intent of this fabulous book? You captured it even better than I did. Sometimes, in writing a story faithfully, and trying to get into the characters and let them bring that story along, you can get too close to the plot to step back and see the forest. Abandoning our own illusions of life and putting that into God's hands is a daily task and you're right, it's not easy to hear or do.

Can you tell us a little about your family, yourself, and your love for the written word? I grew up in West Virginia with a loving dad who was a part-time farmer and full time chemical plant worker. My mother was West Virginia through and through, but I can remember her listening to the opera on Saturdays and reading voraciously. I gained my love of words from her and as a kid would write stories, poems, songs, and skits. I recorded those in my room and had that kind of creative life as a kid. Now, I write stories on one side of my office and do a radio show from the other. I'm doing the same thing I did as a child as an adult. And I love it!

I met my wife, Andrea, at Marshall University. We were married in 1982--26 years this December. I dedicated the book to her because she's been the constant in my life, encouraging my writing and doing what I really wanted to do. We have 9 children ages 23 to 7. They give me lots of ideas and I think I've been changed more by my kids and my wife than just about anything. Except God, of course.

Would you share with us what exciting things God is doing in your life? Words of encouragement? At this point in my life, I think I've learned that my template, my plan for my life is just absolutely worthless. But that's a good thing, because when you come to that realization, you can fully follow God's plan and you're more open to it every day. That goes with writing, parenting, marriage, and just about everything.

Thanks so much for your great questions. I hope you like the second book--I'm working on it right now. It's tentatively titled June Bug and will come out from Tyndale in 2009. Blessings,

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