INTERVIEW WITH REYNOLD CONGER

What are you working on now?

I have a blog that highlights my writing and the things that inspire me.  As part of that blog, I have written a serial: Life on the Left Side of the Fast Lane.  I have posted the first installment for this action/adventure story.  I plan to post another installment every 3 to 4 weeks.

http://rjcsite.Wordpress.com

Tell us about yourself

I was trained as a chemist and an engineer.  I worked in the pulp and paper industry for 30 years on assignments ranging from applied research to environmental management to technical supervision.  Near the end of my career I served the industry as a consultant.  While consulting, I traveled around the world.

My wife got me interested in flying.  I hold a private pilots license and flew my own plane for several years.  I used it to service some of my domestic consulting clients

The consulting company I worked for closed their doors, and I became self employed.   Though I was initially successful, my business suffered along with the decaying world economy.   Thus in 2001, I began teaching school.  For eight years, I taught science and math at the high school level, retiring in 2009.

My wife and I live in rural New Mexico with our dogs and cat.  We enjoy writing, gardening, and hiking.  I must confess to being a physical fitness nut that has run a marathon.  Our two children have careers of their own.

Did you always know you were a writer?

No, I was actually “turned off” by language arts in school, but I always have been able to spin a good yarn.  While I was traveling overseas, I began writing fiction to entertain myself.  I found it fun.

What inspires you to write?

My scientific training taught me to be observant.  Thus my attention is drawn to unusual behavior and unusual events.  My imagination is overactive, so when I see something unusual, I immediately think, “What a great concept for a plot.”  Frequently, my wife will say, “There’s a story for you.”, and thus stimulating my creative juices.

I am also motivated to write stories that display a Christian world view.  I look at the setting of my story and make sure the proportion of Christians in my story is about the same as the proportion of Christians in that population.  Then I make sure that those characters who are Christian display Christian characteristics.  They attend church.  They pray.  Some of the stronger characters may even witness their faith.

What challenges do you face when writing and what do you do to overcome them?

I am mildly dyslexic.  Thus letters are frequently moving around in words.  This contributes to the fact that I am terrible at spelling.  Even words spelled correctly often look wrong.  Thank God for spell-check and a good proofreader.

Do personal experiences affect your writing? Any examples?

The best plots come from real life.  Of course, fiction departs from fact, but the real life experiences stimulate creativity, enabling us to write something even more exciting than real life.  For example, I have made many trips to countries that drive on the left side of the road.  Having been trained to drive on the right, my reflexes expect oncoming traffic to be on my left.  I was terrified, while riding in a car, to see a vehicle approaching on the right.  Over the years, my brain has adjusted to this, but left hand driving still makes me nervous.  Thus I was inspired to write a story about an American thrust into a world of left hand driving while he is in Pakistan.  That story is the serial currently running on my blog.

What advice would you give to people who “run out of creativity” when writing?

Look around.  Look for something unusual to write about, or look for an unusual twist that can be applied to something common.  Think like O’Henry.

What advice do you have for new aspiring writers?

Do not write for fame or fortune.  I am not sure a person should even write as an occupation where the writing is the primary job, unless the writer gets something out of it, such as enjoyment, experience, or pay.   Just like any other occupation, you have to look at the compensation you get for your time and effort.  Beginning writers seldom are compensated with money.  Thus do not write unless you get something non-tangible out of it.  It would be nice to be paid, but I write for fun.

If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?

One of my favorite authors is the late Dick Frances.  We both love animals.  We both have imaginations that enable us to introduce something unusual in a plot and use it as a lever to twist the plot into a different direction.  I like the way Dick uses hooks at the ends of chapters.

Tell us about your recent book and what gave you the idea to start it?

My wife and I spent a month in Australia to celebrate our 40^th anniversary.  Australia is so spectacularly different from North America that my creative juices were stimulated.  One evening we were driving back from Port Douglas to Cains on the Captain Cook Highway.  This highway winds along the cliffs next to the ocean.  Of course, I was driving on the left side of the road, the wrong side from my perspective.  There was no moon and the recently repaved road had no markings.  The black pavement just faded into the darkness ahead.  Headlights would appear above me or below me to the right or to the left.  Usually they appeared to be on a collision course with me, until the vehicle would flash past on my right.  The entire time, I was negotiating a curving section of the road that resembled a snake.  I suffered from worse vertigo than when I had flown a plane through turbulence while on instruments.  I commented to my wife that I was glad I was not involved in a high speed car chase at the moment.  That started us speculating who might be chasing Americans on a road such as this and why?  The plot for a thriller was born.

Chased Across Australia is a thriller about an American couple who find themselves being chased across Australia by terrorists.  Unknown to them, computer files intended for a terrorist were accidentally downloaded onto their laptop.  The terrorist organization desperately needs these files for their bomb plot.  Attempt burglary, armed robbery with gunfire, attempted seduction, blackmail, an ambush, and a high speed car chase with gunfire all fail.

The action takes place at all of the locations we visited.  Thus all locations are real, but somehow there was no excitement during our anniversary visit.  We enjoyed Australia, but my characters lead more exciting lives than we do.

Who is your target audience for your recent book and what do you want your readers to take away from the experience?

My target audience is adult readers, particularly those middle aged and older as the main characters are middle aged and very active.   My primary objective was to provide clean entertainment free of gratuitous sex, but I hope the reader will pay attention to the main characters.  They are strong Christians who live lives that include church attendance, prayer, and witnessing.

For example, when our hero and heroine take the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb, they are not aware they are being followed by a terrorist.  When the terrorist freezes with fear, it is the hero who holds the terrorist secure and comforts him with talk about how Jesus can assure everlasting life while the heroine is calling the guide to assist the scarred terrorist down from the bridge.

When the terrorist chases the hero and heroine into a church, the terrorist finds himself in spiritual danger.

While this is not a Christian book per se, it is written from a Christian perspective with characters who are Christian.  Thus it should also sell well in Christian book stores.

Where can your fans get your new book?

Alas, until I obtain an agent and a publisher, the book is only available to those friends who I have asked to give me comments on the manuscript.

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