| Ted DeKker May 2010 Author of the Month |
The suspense/thriller genre is a very difficult one to crack, without moving into more
horror to get the desired effect the writer is looking for. Ted Dekker however is one of
not only leave you up all night to finish, but also because you are scared to death. His
previous book “The BoneMan’s Daughter” was a huge success, so he had the pressure on
with his latest book. The good news is that Ted delivered another bestseller and his fans
will flock to the store to grab this one. He has been called “The Master of Suspense”
while starting his career writing fantasy books. His popularity is growing with every
suspense/thriller book written and has to now be considered one of the top writers in the
world today. It was great that he took some time out of his busy schedule to give us an
interview. I have to say that Ted was one of the best interviews we have ever had, so I’
m sure you will enjoy it.
Suspense Magazine (S.MAG.): Your villain in the “The Bride Collector” was very well
written, did you think of him first and write the story around him?
Ted Dekker (T.D.): No, but I did want to create a villain whose philosophy of life was very
sympathetic. One that we could all identify with and who in many ways represented truth.
And, as such, he’s a sympathetic character. So, the story is as much about him as it is the
other characters and we spend a lot of time in his mind.
S.MAG.: Parts of the “The Bride Collector” were very scary, what scares you?
T.D.: Situations don’t scare me as much as loss. Like the loss of a child or the loss of my
wife. Loss of life and dignity. I’m not so much afraid of seeing a boogie man come out of the
closet as I am imagining what that boogie man might do to my world. Those imaginations are
fleshed out in my books, which are a safe way to examine the “what ifs” of life.
S.MAG.: Did you do any “on site” research for this book?
T.D.: I spent time with a psychiatric professional who specializes in the criminally insane.
And I read many books on mental illness, the most fascinating of which was The Center
Will Not Hold by Elyn Saks. But if we’re honest, all of us are a bit upside-down deep inside
and finding that part of me and putting it on the page was what this book was about.
S.MAG.: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
T.D.: I write in two genres. One is mystery thrillers like “Bride Collector” and the other is
fantasy, which are also thrillers. You’ll see one of each coming from me each year. This
year, for the first time in paperback mass market, readers will be able to buy “Adam” and
“Thr3e”, both psychological thrillers and my next hardcover thriller will be “The Priest’s
Graveyard”, which comes out April 2011.
S.MAG.: What is the worst job you have ever had?
T.D.: Working road construction in Northern Canada, picking rocks off the side of the road
for two months, seven days a week, twelve hours a day. Suffice it to say, I lived in hell for
two months and hated every moment and survived to become a man, a warrior, a slayer of
many beasts. Well, slayer of rocks at least. But in my mind, every one was a beast.
We would like to thank Ted for this interview. We encourage all of our readers to pick
up “The Bride Collector” and enter the world of Ted Dekker, because once you do, you
won’t want to leave.
horror to get the desired effect the writer is looking for. Ted Dekker however is one of
not only leave you up all night to finish, but also because you are scared to death. His
previous book “The BoneMan’s Daughter” was a huge success, so he had the pressure on
with his latest book. The good news is that Ted delivered another bestseller and his fans
will flock to the store to grab this one. He has been called “The Master of Suspense”
while starting his career writing fantasy books. His popularity is growing with every
suspense/thriller book written and has to now be considered one of the top writers in the
world today. It was great that he took some time out of his busy schedule to give us an
interview. I have to say that Ted was one of the best interviews we have ever had, so I’
m sure you will enjoy it.
Suspense Magazine (S.MAG.): Your villain in the “The Bride Collector” was very well
written, did you think of him first and write the story around him?
Ted Dekker (T.D.): No, but I did want to create a villain whose philosophy of life was very
sympathetic. One that we could all identify with and who in many ways represented truth.
And, as such, he’s a sympathetic character. So, the story is as much about him as it is the
other characters and we spend a lot of time in his mind.
S.MAG.: Parts of the “The Bride Collector” were very scary, what scares you?
T.D.: Situations don’t scare me as much as loss. Like the loss of a child or the loss of my
wife. Loss of life and dignity. I’m not so much afraid of seeing a boogie man come out of the
closet as I am imagining what that boogie man might do to my world. Those imaginations are
fleshed out in my books, which are a safe way to examine the “what ifs” of life.
S.MAG.: Did you do any “on site” research for this book?
T.D.: I spent time with a psychiatric professional who specializes in the criminally insane.
And I read many books on mental illness, the most fascinating of which was The Center
Will Not Hold by Elyn Saks. But if we’re honest, all of us are a bit upside-down deep inside
and finding that part of me and putting it on the page was what this book was about.
S.MAG.: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
T.D.: I write in two genres. One is mystery thrillers like “Bride Collector” and the other is
fantasy, which are also thrillers. You’ll see one of each coming from me each year. This
year, for the first time in paperback mass market, readers will be able to buy “Adam” and
“Thr3e”, both psychological thrillers and my next hardcover thriller will be “The Priest’s
Graveyard”, which comes out April 2011.
S.MAG.: What is the worst job you have ever had?
T.D.: Working road construction in Northern Canada, picking rocks off the side of the road
for two months, seven days a week, twelve hours a day. Suffice it to say, I lived in hell for
two months and hated every moment and survived to become a man, a warrior, a slayer of
many beasts. Well, slayer of rocks at least. But in my mind, every one was a beast.
We would like to thank Ted for this interview. We encourage all of our readers to pick
up “The Bride Collector” and enter the world of Ted Dekker, because once you do, you
won’t want to leave.
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