DOUBLE CROSS - James David Jordan - Free Book

Welcome back to my blog, Jim. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

If I'm going to write, I want to write about the big questions, the questions of faith. The best way to reach a wide audience is to write fun, page-turning stories. So, I try to write exciting stories with a Christian theme.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

The day I married Sue. Nothing compares.

How has being published changed your life?

Getting a book published (now, three and counting), was the greatest accomplishment of my professional career. I've been blessed with a successful business law practice, but there is no kick like seeing my books on the shelves of Barnes & Noble.

I know that feeling. What are you reading right now?

Angel Time, by Anne Rice, and Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow.

What is your current work in progress?

A techno thriller, the third in my Taylor Pasbury series. Taylor finds herself in the dangerous gray area between science and faith as she protects a client who has a special gift that some foreign corporations would like to get their hands on.

What would be your dream vacation?

Anyplace with Sue and the kids, some trees, and some quiet time away from my law practice.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I like to write about Dallas, Chicago and St. Louis, because those are the places I know best. No sense re-inventing the wheel.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I assume family is excluded. I wish you had asked me this a couple of years ago, when Milton Friedman was alive. I would say Dick Cheney. Fascinating guy who's really been through the wringer.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love sports. I played baseball, basketball and football growing up. Now, I just exercise and watch sports. Baseball is my favorite. I think I qualify as a baseball nut.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Definitely, finding time to write is my biggest challenge. I'm a full time business litigator, and it doesn't leave much spare time. As for the writing process itself, I hate writing the first draft. After that, it's all fun. If I could ever find a ghost writer to write my first drafts, I'd have it made.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Get some instruction. Learn the craft. I thought I knew how to write, but I didn't know what I didn't know about writing until I got some help from a creative writing instructor at Southern Methodist University.

Tell us about the featured book?

Taylor Pasbury stumbles onto a suicide that doesn't add up. Just as she's beginning to investigate, her mother, who ran out on Taylor and her dad when Taylor was nine, shows up on her doorstep. The reunion is less than Taylor had always pictured. Things are further complicated when Taylor's mom becomes part of the suicide investigation. Lots of action, and an important mother-daughter story, as well as a budding love story involving Taylor, who has a less than stellar record in picking men.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.jamesdavidjordan.com/

Thank you for spending time with us again, Jim.

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Author James David Jordan - FORSAKEN - Free Book

Welcome to my blog, James. We're featuring his new release from B&H. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I would say, a little bit. Most of my characters are composites. I generally draw from traits of people I know, and from myself, and put them together to form a completely new person.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I used to put my cereal bowl, cereal, spoon, and vitamin out on the kitchen table in the evening so they would be ready when I came down for breakfast the next morning. My family finally gave me so much grief about it that I stopped.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’ve enjoyed writing my entire life and was a journalism major in college. I suppose I got confirmation that someone else thought I was okay at it when I got some professional articles published in major legal publications. As for fiction writing, the first time I was certain that someone thought I’d done something pretty good was when Crossings Book Club picked my first novel as one of its featured selections for the summer, 2006. At that time, Something That Lasts was self-published (Integrity later picked it up and re-released it), and it was nice to get confirmation that someone in the industry thought I’d written a good book.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Everything from the classics to Life of Pi. A good story, well told, always interests me. I don’t have much patience for writers who try too hard to tell a story in a “unique voice.” That usually means bad grammar and general confusion. My idea of interesting voice, well done, is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Cold Mountain.

What other books have you written, whether published or not?

My first novel was Something That Lasts. I self-published it and marketed it in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It did very well, and Integrity (now part of Thomas Nelson) picked it up and re-released it nationally in May, 2006. It did quite well and got very good reviews.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I’ve got strong faith and a great family. That combination has the effect of slowing things down a bit.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I actually spend some time on that. For my main characters I try to make the name sound like something, or signify something, that has some reference to the character’s role in the story. In my first book, the Parst family was central to the action. I chose that name because of the sound, a combination of parson and Faust (Faustian bargain). In Forsaken, I chose Simon Mason because of the parallels between him and the Apostle Peter (Simon = Peter; Mason = The Rock).
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Personally, that I’ve got a great marriage of 22 years to a woman I love, and I’ve got two kids who are nice, responsible people who have their heads screwed on straight. Professionally, that I wrote a book (now, two, and soon to be three) that got published.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Something quick and athletic, I hope. I’ve always loved sports. But I’m a dog person, so maybe a sleek retriever.

What is your favorite food?

Pizza; lots of pizza.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

I’m a full-time business attorney, so finding time to write is definitely my biggest problem. I’ve learned to use my time efficiently. I’ve also learned to turn off the television (which is particularly difficult for me during baseball season).

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Take a writing class. No matter how much natural ability you have, writing is a craft, and there are some things that you have to learn.

What would you like to tell us about the featured book?

Forsaken is a unique kind of love story wrapped in a Christian action thriller. It is told by Taylor Pasbury, a beautiful but troubled former Secret Service agent who is hired to protect the world’s best-known televangelist when he receives threats from Muslim terrorists. The dilemma the terrorists thrust upon Simon Mason is a parent’s nightmare. I think Forsaken is made more interesting because Taylor is not a religious person, which brings a unique perspective to the book’s spiritual message. It’s a fast-moving story that explores how God uses even our questionable decisions for good if we let him.

I can hardly wait to read it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.jamesdavidjordan.com/

James, thank you for spending this time with us.

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