More from the author of Fireproof

Yesterday I posted an interview with Eric Wilson, author of Fireproof, which is on the NY Times bestseller list. You may remember an interview I did with him two years ago. I met Eric before he was published via the cool Amazon reviews he wrote about my suspense novels. It encouraged me so much to know a reader outside of my family and friends actually liked my stuff! So I'm thrilled to see how his career has taken off. Today Eric is back, but this time we're talking about his book Field of Blood.

What’s Field of Blood about?
It's a modern story of good and evil, a mix between Peretti's This Present Darkness and C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. It's edgy, atmospheric, and full of biblical history and Judaic legend. Two groups of undead are featured: 1) those who came out of the tombs when Jesus died and was resurrected (Matt. 27:50-53)...these are my good side, immortals left to protect believers; 2) the undead who were unnaturally animated by Judas' blood after it seeped into the burial caves beneath the Field of Blood outside Jerusalem's Old City walls...these are the evil side, those who seek blood for a counterfeit unholy existence. Ultimately, the story is about a Romanian Jewish girl caught between these two sides, about the human struggle between good and evil, and the Nazarene Blood that will prevail.

Which is your favorite character in this story and why?

Gina Lazarescu is the main character and the one I really care about as I write. She's been raised by an ultra-conservative mother who's forced her brand of religion and superstition on Gina, slowly turning Gina away from matters of faith. And yet, a small flame still burns in Gina's heart. Which is a good thing, because she's about to face Jerusalem's undead. She has no idea of her place in the bigger picture, and the purpose God has for her.

Give us another “inside” story--it makes us feel so superior. Hee hee.
Oh, man, I have some crazy stories about how the Lord guided me in the research of this book. Some of those I've included in the author's note of the book. (Sneak a peek while in your local store!) I'll give you some info I haven't included elsewhere, though. How about that? While I was in Romania in 2005, I was already gathering info for this series. I stayed in the Bucegi Mountains (the location of the book's climax) and did some hiking. Two friends and I decided to hike back down through the mountains instead of taking the cable car. We started at the Memorial Cross, a hundred foot monument to soldiers of World War One, then made our way down toward the village of Busteni. The hike took hours longer than expected, very steep, loose shale, dense trees, a stream...A beautiful journey, but we could hardly walk the next day because our calves were so tight. This is one of the most densely populated wildlife areas in Europe, with lynx, bear, boars, foxes, wolves, etc. The area was once inhabited by the Dacians, a word that means "wolf." And it's from here that many tales of werewolves originated. I'll actually have one werewolf-like creature in the sequel, Haunt of Jackals. (You first heard it here.)

Do you have an outline when you start or are you a seat-of the-pants author?
I have a very general outline, but each chapter surprises me and leads to unexpected places. That's half the fun for me as I write. I don't suggest it for everyone. It's not for the faint of heart. On the other hand, it's really a walk of faith for me as I approach my writing each day. I have to start typing and trusting that the story will unfold. When I let it go, it usually happens, though there are days that are nail biters.

How do you come up with your plots?
My plots center around two things usually: 1) a historical mystery or anomaly, and 2) a character's inner conflict. The mystery parts show up through my research and personal reading. The character parts come from my own struggles, or those I see in others around me. Throw those two together and you come up with a big idea that matters on a personal level. That's the way I do it. If I don't care about the characters, though, the plot loses my interest.

What's next for you?

I've just finished Haunt of Jackals, second in the Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy, and I'll be writing the third book, Valley of Bones, from November through March of next year. After that, I want to go back and finish off my earlier series, as well as starting a spinoff series from the Undead Trilogy. I have about seventeen ideas floating through my head right now. We'll see which one lands first, huh?

Thanks, Eric! You can find more from Eric at WilsonWriter.com or JerusalemsUndead.com.