Podcasts open up an entire world of possibilities

Chris Christensen, your new
favorite podcaster

Podcaster extraordinaire Chris Christensen recently shared a study regarding the listening habits of Americans. It shows that the average person aged 13+ spends a little over four hours a day listening to some type of audio. Of that, less than two percent are podcasts. As a podcast enthusiast, I am working to improve that number.

For the uninitiated (and we were all there at one time or another), podcasts are simply a type of audio you can listen to online or download for later. They might be your church’s weekly messages, a presentation by NPR, or content recorded to go straight to podcast without being heard somewhere else first.

Podcasts can be retrieved from websites or the iTunes store. There may be podcasts that cost money, but I only go for the free ones, so that’s the only kind with which I’m familiar. And why are they called podcasts? I’m just guessing here, but it’s probably because they were originally listened to on iPods. (Feel free to correct me, if that’s not true.)

For me, the great value of podcasts is they literally open up the entire world to you…and on your schedule. Whether you are looking for information about the world around you, intellectual floss, spiritual nourishment, or simply “the odd laugh along the way,” (more about that later) podcasts are a no-charge way to listen to the very best of audio broadcasts from around the world.

This list of suggestions to get you started is broken up into three categories: The Physical World, Intellectual Considerations, and Spiritual Food.

The Physical World

Because inquiring minds want to know, the show 99% Invisible is a public radio podcast dedicated to why things are the way they are. It’s a show spawned by really smart people who were driving down the street asking themselves, “I wonder why…?” Topics vary from the sprightly carpet at the airport in Portland, Oregon, to the development of those air-powered floppy guys you see at used car lots.

Quick quiz: How are the island of Trinidad, the Olympics, and used car lots irrevocably tied together by fabric “air men?” Listen and learn, my friend. Listen and learn.

The shows are incredibly funny, stockpile you with hours of interesting conversation for cocktail parties and church socials, and will leave you absolutely unbeatable at Trivial Pursuit. And why is the show called 99% Invisible? That will be the first thing you’re smarter about when you go to http://99percentinvisible.org/.

When I recently asked visitors to my author’s site on FB to list their favorite podcasts, an overwhelming number of votes came in for This American Life, another NPR offering. I first became aware of TAL through SiriusXM. However, when my Sirius subscription expired and I was otherwise financially obligated, it was nice to know there was another way to access the show. And here’s the beauty of podcats: it doesn’t matter when a show airs or even if it airs in your local market. With podcasts, the world is your audio oyster, and served up on your timetable, not the broadcaster’s.

My favorite episode of TAL is the one in which they spent an hour explaining, point by point, how an earlier show was completely wrong. In the age of Brian Williams, it’s good to have an outlet that isn't afraid to admit when they screw up. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast

I mentioned Chris Christensen earlier. His Amateur Traveler podcast takes you all over the world, from Fort Worth to Portland to Xi’an to Quito to –ready for this? – North Korea.

How much desire do I have to travel to North Korea? Zero. How interesting was it to hear from someone who did? Totally. If you’re planning a trip or wanting ideas for your next vacation, you have to make this a regular part of your listening pleasure. (http://amateurtraveler.com/)

Intellectual Floss

We know from Harvey  Deutschendorf that people with high levels of emotional intelligence are “lifelong learners, constantly growing, evolving, open to new ideas, and always willing to learn from others. Being critical thinkers, they are open to changing their minds if someone presents an idea that is a better fit. While they are open to ideas from others, and continuously gathering new information, they ultimately trust themselves and their own judgment to make the best decision for themselves.”  (http://www.fastcompany.com/3028712/7-habits-of-highly-emotionally-intelligent-people)

Hence, if you wonder what the rest of the world is thinking, what better way to find out than to find out? Three options include the daily news podcast from the People’s Republic of China (http://english.cri.cn/cribb/programs/hour.htm), the documentary archive from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/docarchive), and from Jerusalem, the podcasts of The Israel News (http://www.haaretz.com/misc/podcasts).

The Beijing Hour podcast promises to give you a new perspective on the world and “the odd laugh along the way.” I’ve listened and listened, but not a single odd laugh.

Okay, I came close once when they did a news story on a city official from southern China who was sentenced to three years “rehabilitation” for “repeated, excessive use of irony” in dealing with citizens. Yikes!

There are entire American cities that would go to the slammer if that was a crime in the good ole’ US of A.

Another podcast I’m quite amused by is Indiacast (http://www.theindicast.com/index.php/indicast-podcasts). It presents all things India, including their current success at the world Cricket championships. I've listened to the episode on cricket at least a half dozen times. What do I now know about cricket I didn't know before? Not a blasted thing.

But it does give me a real-time appreciation of what I've been putting my wife through for years by making her watch Sports Center and listen to ESPN Radio. Gibberish. Pure gibberish.

Spiritual Food

Many people take great care of their bodies, but their spirits are suffering serious malnutrition. Either they’re loading up on empty calories or simply starving themselves to death. Regardless of what church you attend, or even if you currently attend a church, there is a bountiful treasure of nutritious snacks available via podcasts.

Andy Stanley, son of famous preacher Charles Stanley, keeps the followers of Jesus on their toes with books like, “Can We Do That?” His podcast (http://northpoint.org/resources/podcasts) is just as refreshing and, dare I say it, irreverent.

Have you seen the t-shirts that say, “No Perfect People Allowed,” and wondered what that was all about? Wonder no more. (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/experience-life-audio-podcast/id258983493?mt=2)

And finally, have you ever wondered what was going on at the church down the street? Now you can walk right in (via podcasts) and find out. Study after study shows people – even extroverts – are reluctant to visit a new church.

Now you can literally be a fly on the wall and see what’s being taught without having to fill out a pesky visitor’s card or make small talk with strangers. Here are some to get you started from across the US.

Lubbock, TX: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/st.-lukes-lubbock-umc-sermons/id626928348?mt=2

Portland, OR: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/city-bible-church-portland-or/id81557880?mt=2

Philadelphia, PA: http://www.epicwired.net/

Milwaukee, WI: http://www.mtolivemke.org/archives.html

To find which churches have podcasts in your city, simply Google or go to the iTunes store and do a podcast search. 

By the way, you can set your iPad or other device to record all programs from a given source, only the particular episodes which you choose, or only the most recent episodes. I choose the last option for newscasts like "The Beijing Hour." If I get behind in my listening, chances are I'm not going to go back and listen to two-week old news. Hence, I set it to only keep the most recent two episodes and erase any older episodes, whether they have been listened to or not.

Enjoy, friends, enjoy. There are a lot of great podcasts out there. And if you find one you really like, please pass it on to me at Bear Mills Author on FB.

Boulder Bear Motor Lodge is a slice of heaven in the Northwoods of Wisconsin

Dennis in his boat on Wildcat Lake

Dennis Duke and his wife Cathy are owners of the Boulder Bear Motor Lodge in Boulder Junction, deep in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Last summer we had the privilege of staying with them for a week. It was one of the most refreshing times of our twenty-eight year marriage. The accommodations are homey and comfortable, and the Northwoods whisper life and nourishment. In addition, the many restaurants and resorts in the area offer a diversity of tasty foods suitable for any budget.

However, the principal charms of the Northwoods lie in the forests themselves. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest encompasses 1.5 million acres of northern Wisconsin. It is a playground of lakes, bike and hiking trails, and quaint villages that will keep any outdoor enthusiast entertained for as long as you want to stay.

Boulder Bear in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin

Dennis, we visited in the summer. However, you also do a brisk business in the winter. Tell us about Boulder Junction in the cold months. All you need to know is it started snowing on Halloween, and February never got above 32F.  But that is a good thing for the winter sports that we depend on during the cold months.  Like other times of the year, it is the forests and the lakes that draw people to the region.  Ice fishing, cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, and sitting by a fire are reasons to come north.  But the big draw is the hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the region that wind themselves across the landscape from town to town. It is a unique area of the country, blessed with cold weather, an abundance of snow, helped by Lake Superior.  In this area snowmobiling is about trail riding, the destination, and the tavern stops along the way.  

The snowmobile crowds are passionate about their sport, and they are the reason Motels like ours can survive.  Before the advent of the snowmobile, this area could not support a year-round lodging business.  Now, with the coordinated efforts of all the snowmobile clubs, the State of Wisconsin, and the riders that come every year, the winters in the Northwoods can be as busy as June or August.  Minus 30F, which we saw a few times this year, doesn’t seem so bad, really.

A loon

I seem to recall you’re not a native of northern Wisconsin. What brought you here originally? This area has always been like a second home to me.  I have been coming here on vacation for 50 years, and my father before that with his parents.  It has always been our get-away, and I’ve always felt comfortable here.  I was born and raised a corn-fed Hoosier from the south side of Indianapolis.  My family roots go back to the original settling of Indianapolis in 1822.  But Boulder Junction was always a place we longed to spend more time.  My parents built their retirement home here in the mid-1980s and it always reminded my mom of where she grew up in Germany.  They called their cabin “Waldes Ruhe.” My wife and I honeymooned here, as did my Brother and Sister.  So it holds a special grip on my family.  My kids now have the same attraction to Boulder Junction and Wildcat Lake.  Every year when I came for vacation, I would leave the area with all kinds of business ideas that would allow me to someday move here and make a living.  We didn’t know how, but I think it was always in the cards that we would end up here at some point.

What did you do prior to owning the Boulder Bear? What caused you to change professions? Cathy taught for twenty-five years, and I worked in the Defense industry for 38 years.  My degree is in Engineering, and I spent my whole career with the same company.  Originally with Allison, a Division of General Motors, and then we were sold to Rolls-Royce in the mid-1990s.  I worked in Indianapolis until 2001, mostly aero related Gas Turbine stuff.  In 2001 I transferred to Rolls-Royce Naval Marine which was located in Walpole, MA, just outside of Boston.  We lived there for 12 years, raised our kids through high school and college, and enjoyed New England.  But we always drove the fourteen hundred miles to vacation in Boulder Junction.  Our three kids are all married and out of the house, two in the military and one working for Rolls-Royce.  Eventually, my fun meter ran out, and in July of 2013 I began the effort to buy the Boulder Bear Motor Lodge, knowing it was time for me to move on to my next thing.  We closed the end of May 2014, just a few weeks before we met you. 

Yours truly enjoying the bike trails

It seems northern Wisconsin has as many miles of bicycle and hiking trails as any place I've ever visited. That had to be expensive. What is the back story on all those miles of trails? As you noted, there are large areas of state and federal land in Northern Wisconsin, along with several Tribal Reservations.  We are in the ceded territories that go back to the original treaties with the native Indians in the area.  Boulder Junction, as with many towns up here, are surrounded by DNR managed land.  I am happy to say that the DNR partnership is active and healthy in this area.  The trails and outdoor resources we enjoy are closely tied to this public/private relationship.

We have about 200 lakes within about 10 miles of Boulder Junction, and numerous hiking and biking trails.  You can find trail systems that range from paved, to semi-civilized, to wilderness.  That goes for hiking and biking (cycling).  We are blessed with rivers and lakes that make the canoe/kayak enthusiast happy. 

But the newest blessing to our area is the fifty miles of paved bike trails.  They are the result of town leadership vision from over twenty years ago, and a strong partnership with the DNR.  The Town Board, and its Chairman of 30 years, Jeff Long, saw the vision of bike trails along before they became widely popular.  Through a combination of town funds, government grants, and local donations, the towns of St Germain, Sayner, Boulder Junction and Manitowish Waters are now connected by what we call the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System.  By the end of next summer, the Town of Mercer will be connected to the system of trails as well.

But if you don’t like paved, we have plenty of off-road riding trails as well, as well as some lightly traveled roads if you are into road rides.  Even this winter we began to see the emergence of Fat Tire bikes.

Finally, dual sport motorcycle enthusiasts are starting to find our area very attractive.  All the DNR land is crisscrossed with logging roads, and unpaved roads that are excellent pathways for this emerging sport. 

Photo by Mike Crowley, used with permission

Your area features a beautiful oddity of nature known as ghost deer. Tell us about them. The white deer, some being true albino, have become a visitor draw in their own right.  They cannot be hunted in Wisconsin, so that helps their survival.  But this area seems to have an abundance of them.  And, when asked, the locals will tell the visitors the most likely areas to see them.  If you try several times over the course of your visit, there is a good chance you will spot one.  They are a majestic sight, and I had a recent guest that saw two white and one brown buck running together. 

 Most people think the white coat to be a disadvantage, but I am not so certain.  In this area anyway, it is not unusual to have snow covered ground during hunting season.  So who has better natural camouflage in that case? If you want to see some great pics of the white deer (or this area in general), check out and follow Mike Crowley, at www.LifeintheNorthwoods.com, or on Facebook.  His work adorns our lobby, it was one of our first changes after we took over. They have become so popular, we have named our new Triathlon event the “White Deer Triathlon”.  This is the inaugural year, check it out at www.whitedeertriathlon.com  It is the first event in the Northwoods of Wisconsin Tri-Master Series. 

Many times, remote or semi-remote areas are a little lacking in quality dining establishments. However, within a few miles of the Boulder Bear are all sorts of great places to eat. Any you want to spotlight? You are putting me in a tough spot.  We are a very tight knit business community and I sit on the Chamber of Commerce Board, so I am reluctant to publically list favorites.  But honestly, you can’t go wrong with the food establishments in the area.  Bad food and bad service doesn’t survive here very long.  The season is too short and the market is too small. 

As you might expect, they all have their draw, or specials, and most of them do a great Friday Fish Fry.  Some of my individual favorites are Blackened Prime Rib at Headwaters Restaurant on Saturdays, The Guides Inn Liver Pate and homemade ice cream, Gooch’s Pizza, Boulder Beer Bar Cheese Curds, Aqualand Alehouse Craft beer selection, Junction Tap Walleye Sandwich, Granary Corn Beef Hash breakfast.  Now I’m hungry….

There are a lot of great choices and I didn’t name them all, so you will just have to come and try them.

The Bohemia Lodge in nearby Manitowish Waters

You've had your share of celebrities in the Northwoods over the years, including the gangster John Dillinger and the actor Johnny Depp. You clued us in on their connection to the area. Tell our readers about it. The story you reference is always told as part of the John Dillinger story.  In the 1930s this area was really out of the way and it seems those looking for a place to stay low would come up to the Northwoods.  Dillinger and his gang came to Little Bohemia Lodge in the 30s and the local police were tipped off.  The result was an FBI ambush that killed locals, but did not catch Dillinger.  Little Bohemia is still in operation today and you can see the bullet holes in the glass and buildings from the raid.  Johnny Depp was here to film his movie “Public Enemy” about Dillinger a few years back.  An hour or so west of here, Capone had a similar hangout.

In the Fifties President Eisenhower visited here to go fishing, and Elizabeth Taylor spent time at Wildcat Lake at the cabin owned by the owners of Coca-Cola.  Wildcat Lake is the lake my parents built on, and it is the lake that I showed you around when we took the boat trip.

The lakeside cottage once frequented by Elizabeth Taylor

If people just want to drive into Boulder Junction for a week of R&R, without venturing into the neighboring hamlets, tell us some of the things to do there. Boulder Junction is a hub for all the “Silent Sports:” Fishing, hiking, paddling, cycling, bird/nature watching, fishing, geocaching, swimming, water skiing, etc. We have public parks, with sport fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, a skateboard park, and access to beaches. You can visit the Boulder Junction Museum, shop for sporting goods, antiques, clothes, custom-made cedar strip boats, jewelry, leatherwork, art, pottery, clothes, home goods, chainsaw carvings, rent bikes and various types of watercraft, just to name a few.  

Boulder Junction at sunset

Conversely, if one wants to go farther afield, what do you recommend? Boulder Junction sits right on the state line with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  We are perfectly situated for day trips up to the Porcupine Mountains, Black River Harbor, or the Apostle Islands.  Copper Peak is a cool visit.  It is an old Ski Jump, once used for Olympic trials, that has been refurbed and they are planning to reopen as a ski jump.  But, it is open now for visitors and you can take a ride to the top, and get a magnificent view of the U.P. Minocqua, Manitowish Waters, Mercer, Eagle River, Land O’Lakes are all towns within a 45 minute drive that are worth a visit while you are staying in Boulder Junction

Finally, if readers want to learn more about your excellent motor lodge or the Northwoods, recommend some good websites.   You can check out the Boulder Bear at www.boulderbearmotorlodge.com or follow us on Facebook.  The Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce is at www.boulderjct.org and is also on Facebook. 

Vilas County and Wisconsin also have great sites at www.vilaswi.com and www.travelwisconsin.com    

Planning a trip? Don't do it without Chris Christensen, aka The Amateur Traveler

Chris Christensen is one of America's top travel reporters. His podcasts, website, and videos feature the most interesting people and places in the world. I dare say it would be impossible for your Bucket List to not expand dramatically as you listen to and read his reports. 

Chris's iconic image, found on
the Amateur Traveler podcasts

The website, http://amateurtraveler.com/, is an incredibly handy site for perusing various destinations, deciding what you want to do once you get there, and choosing the best way to travel there and home again. If Chris hasn’t been there, he knows someone who has and will share their insights. It truly is a travel community.

One of the things I most appreciate about Chris’s interviews is that through his Dick-Cavettesque questioning style, you learn not only information about a place, but the biases of the interviewee. That can be invaluable, and you don’t get that from travel books.

The Amateur Traveler, his podcast, often includes the kind of information you usually don't find in tour books. Most importantly, his podcasts are completely entertaining. If you've never heard them, make a beeline for iTunes. The podcasts are free.

First, Chris, this interview is being conducted following an extended boat trip off the coast of South America. Tell us where you went and what you were doing there. I was on a cruise around Cape Horn from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile. I was sponsored by Holland America to take this cruise. We saw penguins in the Falklands, tango in Buenos Aires, and glaciers in the fjords of Chile.

Mr. Christensen's Penguins,
photographed during his trip to South America

I believe your professional career was originally centered around Silicon Valley. How did you transition from that to being a professional travel writer? I actually still make my living from software, both my own start-up company (BloggerBridge.com) and part time contracting work for my old employer, TripAdvisor. I used to be their director of engineering for TripAdvisor Flights and SeatGuru. Travel writing and podcasting are my third job.

You call yourself and your website The Amateur Traveler, but I just referred to you a professional travel writer. That sounds like a contradiction, but I know it's not. Clarify that for us. When I chose the name Amateur Traveler, I had in mind “travel for the love of it.” Amateur meaning to do something for love. Remember you used to have to be an amateur to be an Olympic athlete, yet they were considered the best in the world. The ark was built by an amateur and the Titanic was built by professionals.

Chris took this picture at the Great Wall

While people might think about travel writing as a fairly right-brained activity, what I see is that you approached this in a very left-brained way. Tell us about The Amateur Traveler as a business. I think I find the travel writing is right brained, creative; but being a travel blogger or podcaster also means that you are not just a writer, but a publisher, with all that implies. You need to sell ads if you are going to have them, set schedules, set and meet deadlines. Some parts of that I have done better than others. I am not the best salesperson for instance.

You have well over four hundred podcasts available through iTunes and on your website, www.amateurtraveler.com. Talk about what's involved in putting a show on the air. An episode of Amateur Traveler probably takes about eight to nine hours of production work starting with the interview, then editing the interview, adding in other elements, publishing, and publicizing. We also do "This Week in Travel" which takes less because we don’t edit that show. Fortunately, I hire an editor to take care of the editing of the audio, and also adding in the photos and links that we have in the iTunes enhanced version of the show. That takes 5 hours off my plate.

How do you select guests for your show? I find they are all extremely effective communicators. What's your audition process? I reach out to some people directly who I have heard speak, or ask the travel blogging community who would be a great guest for a specific destination. I also get unsolicited pitches (http://AmateurTraveler.com/pitch-me) for being on the show. You need to pitch a place, not a person. Sometimes the shows just don’t work. Not every interview gets aired.

Chris as Yosemite

What are some of the highlights of your own travels? If you were putting together a "greatest hits" list of your adventures, what would make the cut? Some of the most memorable destinations would include Tanzania, Egypt, Istanbul, China, and Japan. Rafting down the Green River in Dinosaur National Park and blackwater rafting in New Zealand were some memorable adventures. The most unusual may have been working as a photo journalist for the day in Jordan covering a visit by the pope and the royal family (http://asia.amateurtraveler.com/day-papal-paparazzi/) or an invitation last December to the White House (http://amateurtraveler.com/white-house-wants-study-abroad/).

You've traveled all over the world. What locations are still on your bucket list? I have published a Bucket List (http://amateurtraveler.com/my-travel-bucket-list/) and am working through checking things off. I also use the UNESCO World Heritage list (http://amateurtraveler.com/unesco-world-heritage-sites/) and the list of U.S. National Parks as a bucket list.

A walk among the ruins
with Chris Christensen

How do you see your work as being unique from, say, travel books like Frommers or websites like Tripadvisor? I am a big fan of both Frommers -- I consider Pauline Frommer a friend -- and TripAdvisor. I sometimes describe an Amateur Traveler episode as an audio guidebook for a destination. We won’t provide all the information you will need to go there but we will help you decide if you want to go there.

In addition to writing about travel, you are also periodically leading travel groups. Tell us about that. We have not done that very often but in April we are having the second Amateur Traveler group trip (http://amateurtraveler.com/amateur-traveler-trip-morocco-april-2015/). We will be with a group of eleven people, or a few more if anyone is interested, counting my wife and I heading to Morocco. We did an Amateur Traveler photo tour of Egypt back in 2010, just before the Arab Spring. That trip was part of a larger group trip, so I am looking forward to a more intimate trip. I am working with a great tour company that is doing all the logistics.

The Amateur Traveler,
Chris Christensen

I believe I am correct in saying that you come from a Lutheran background. Your website also has links to some Bible study options. What is the connection, in your mind, between our physical journeys and our spiritual journey? Yes, in addition to three jobs and two travel podcasts, I also lead two bible studies a week. One is a podcast, The Bible Study Podcast (http://TheBibleStudyPodcast.com), and the other is in a lock-down unit for violent youth offenders in the local Juvenile Hall. I view all of life as a journey, only some of which comes with jet lag.

How do you spell suspense? B.R.A.N.D.I.L.Y.N. An interview with Brandilyn Collins

Brandilyn Collins is my favorite living author. Her sense of suspense is second to none. I was first introduced to her through the Kanner Lake Series. If you enjoy suspense, it doesn’t get any better.

However, there is another side to Brandilyn Collins that we need to address right off the bat.  Though she wasn't writing to my demographic, her two romance series, The Dearing Family and The Bradleyville novels are also extremely popular.

Brandilyn, I know books don’t always get published in the order in which they are written. Which came first, the romances or the suspense novels? How did you decide to move from one genre to the other? Actually, I don’t write romance. Those books are considered simply “contemporary” or “women’s fiction.” They have large romantic subplots, but the main plot centers on family relationships.

Having said that, my first novel was Eyes of Elisha, a suspense. My second (written) was Color the Sidewalk for Me, a contemporary. I had a huge learning curve to write Eyes Of Elisha, since it involves a lot of police work, forensics, and courtroom scenes. I’m not a lawyer, forensics person, or police officer, so I had to learn everything from the beginning. Plus, EOE came in the middle of writing a true crime, my first book to be published. (A Question of Innocence, my only book that’s now out of print.) The true crime took a lot out of me because it involved the death of a four-year-old. After writing that, and all the forensics research for EOE, I just couldn’t do another suspense. Since I was unpublished at the time I could write whatever I wanted. So I wrote Sidewalk. Later I wrote a prequel to Sidewalk, titled Cast A Road Before Me. Road was my first novel to be published, followed by EOE, then Sidewalk. The third contemporary novel in what came to be called the Bradleyville Series is Capture the Wind for Me. By the way, Cast A Road Before Me is free in ebook.

"You da man" "No, you da man."
Barndilyn Collins with fellow author
Ted Dekker on the 2010 Thriller tour.

What was the process that took you from being a person who wrote books to being a published author? The process? Lots of staying up all night, kicking cabinets, writing, writing, writing, and studying the craft. Oh yes, and ten years.

  

Discuss the first time you realized, “Hey, I’m a celebrity! People want my autograph.” Conversely, what are the downsides to celebrity? Wait, I’m a celebrity? Why didn’t anyone tell me this?

 Talk about the birthing process for your suspense novels. Lots of staring out windows. Lots of going down a maze run and retracing my steps. “Nope—that’s not the right path.” Far more “what if” premises run through my head than ever are actually written. My Seatbelt Suspense® brand promise has four points: fast-paced, character-driven suspense with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith. I've found it a very difficult brand promise to live up to. Some suspense plots simply couldn't start fast enough for my readers, who expect that fast pace to begin on page one. Some don’t bring about enough twists. So I pace and pray, and then sit down to write when I at least have the beginning and ending and the major twists figured out. The middle comes as I write. That’s the theory, anyway.

Honestly, writing is really hard for me. And with each book it seems to get harder. I have more “reputation” and reader expectations to live up to. I have to be fresh. And always, always, I want to represent the human condition in a true-to-life way, through well rounded characters caught in a compelling situation. Writing deep emotion takes a lot of energy. It can’t be skim-the-surface writing. I want my readers not just to read my scenes, but to feel them.

You live in Idaho and the Kanner Lake series is based in a small Idaho town. What was the reaction of your real-life neighbors when you brought fictional mayhem to a town not unlike the one you and they really live in? We had our second home in Idaho at that time, but we still lived in our main home in California. Now we live full time in our Idaho home. But even when we were in Idaho at the time that the Kanner Lake books were being released, people in the area loved that they were locally set. It’s fun to read a novel that takes place in a setting that is familiar to you. The reader can picture the streets and shops.

I’d love to do more Kanner Lake books, but the setting was, as you say, in a small town. And just how much mayhem big enough to receive national attention can you put one little town through? I do miss the characters, though. Methinks Wilbur is still sitting on his chair in Java Joint, crabbing about something and everything.

 There can be raised eyebrows when Christian authors create bad guys who are just a little too convincing. What kind of comments have there been from friends, church members, or family about some of the psychopaths who dot your literary landscape? What do you say when people ask, “How long has that person been living inside you?” What is your process for developing convincing baddies for your books? My mother always wondered where she went wrong. She also read all my books and loved them.

First, bad guys never think of themselves as bad guys. They have to do their bad thing, whatever it is, because of their own justification. Second, no character is all bad or all good. So I try to create a character with some good qualities, but who wants something VERY BADLY, and the only way to get that something is to do something VERY BAD. But it’s all okay, you see, because that person, in his mind, deserves to have whatever he wants.

Brandilyn meeting fans

Discuss how the publishing industry has changed in the years since you started writing. How has it altered the way you market and sell your books? After twenty-five books sold to publishers, I have now chosen to go completely indie (independent author), keeping the rights to my books and publishing them myself. This way I don’t sell my intellectual property, and I have full control over the release and content. For someone who’s as independent as I, this is way cool. (By the way, I have just gotten back the rights to my first two suspense novels—the Chelsea Adams Series: Eyes of Elisha and Dread Champion. I’m in the middle of doing a fresh edit for these books, so they’re currently not available online except for used paper copies. They’ll be up again soon.)

I know authors love all their “children,” but are there certain books you've written that have become your pets over the years? That’s always a hard question to answer. But I’d say Color the Sidewalk for Me remains probably my favorite book that I’ve written. Which is rather annoying, since it was only my second novel. (What is it—all downhill from there?) I got back the rights to the Bradleyville Series recently. All three novels have now been re-released. Before republishing them, I did a fresh edit. Reading Sidewalk fourteen years after it was first published, I am still greatly moved by that book. And reader letters about the story are terrific. (I have two fat files of letters and emails for Sidewalk alone.) Well, reader letters about all my books tend to be really positive. But when you get a letter from a man in his fifties who admits to reading a women’s fiction novel and bawling at the end—that’s a letter to remember. Of course he also added that if I ever attached his name to that statement he’d deny it.

That’s surprising you should say your favorite is Sidewalk, since it’s not a Seatbelt Suspense®, for which you’re best known. Yeah, I know. I’ve written a lot of high tension suspense novels, all of which I do really like. Now that they’re published, that is. When I’m in the midst of writing a book I always think it’s horrible and will be the one that will ruin my career forever. Over The Edge stands out to me, because the story line focuses on Lyme disease and the difficult issues of diagnosis and treatment. It’s another very suspenseful story. At the same time it contains a lot of information about Lyme. I've received incredible letters from readers about that book—how it’s helped save their lives.

Sidetracked is my latest suspense and has proven very popular (over two hundred 5-star reviews on Amazon). Gone to Ground stands out to me because of the Southern characters and the eyebrow-raising premise. Dark Justice is about terrorism against the electrical grid—something that’s, unfortunately, all too feasible in today’s world. A lot of my books are finalists/winners in various awards, but that book holds the record at six. And you mentioned Kanner Lake. I do love the characters in that series also. The Hidden Faces series, featuring a forensic artist, are four of the scariest books I’ve written. I could go on, but then I’d be mentioning all my suspense novels.

Your book about the writing process stresses character development as being of supreme importance. Do you develop your characters first and then place them in a story or do you develop the plot line and then create characters to fit the necessities of the action? It HAS to be the former. That’s why the second point of my four-point brand promise says “character-driven.” Suspense is considered to be a plot-driven genre. But if you plot out a story and stick characters into it, they’ll be wooden. Character motivation drives choices. Those choices in turn drive further conflict. That’s why, when I begin to write a Seatbelt Suspense®, I know the beginning and ending, but not quite how I’ll get there. The characters grow as I write. They tell me how we’ll get there together. And if my planned ending doesn’t work for that character, I’ll learn that, too.

You mention on your website that in heaven, you shall spend all your time going from concert to concert. As a fellow music aficionado, share with me some of your favorite performers on this earthly realm. Rock bands. I’m a rocker from the 70s. Always have been, always will be. Well, since the 70s, anyway. Kansas. Boston. Journey. Foreigner. Styx. Little River Band, etc. Also I love gospel music. So yes, I shall run from gospel concert to rock concert. But the rock songs will have lyrics about God. Best combination ever.

Authors Frank Peretti and Randy Alcorn hamming it up at
Brandilyn's lakeside home in Idaho.

Speaking of musicians, Frank Peretti’s career moved into a whole different zip code when Amy Grant began talking about This Present Darkness a few years ago. Fantasize for a moment: Which performer would you like to see climb on the Brandilyn Collins bandwagon and which book would it be? Frank happens to live in my neck of the woods. It’s interesting to hear him tell that story. I don’t think I’d want a performer. I’d want someone in the news industry that’s highly watched. You wanna tip one or two of them off about me-that would be great.

Note: Read the first chapters of all Brandilyn’s books at her website. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Author John C. Dalglish shares more than a name with P.D. James's famous detective

It's funny what draws us to a particular author or book. I was drawn to mystery/suspense author John C. Dalglish because his surname reminded me of P.D. James's great detective, Adam Dalgliesh. Yes, they're spelled differently. Like I said, these connections are funny.

What I found in Dalglish is a kindred spirit; a man who believes riveting suspense and killer action isn't defined by the amount of sex, gore, or profanity laced within its pages. Rather, it's the intricacy of the plot, attraction to the characters, and the amount of adrenaline pulsing through your veins as you turn the pages. 

Book ten of the Det. Strong series is now in print, proving he's found a winning formula that keeps bringing readers back for more. He also has a new "Chaser" series. Both are available through a variety of outlets, including Amazon and Kindle.

John C. Dalglish and friend

Tell us about Det. Jason Strong. The name is very evocative. What do readers need to know about this character?

The name for the character Jason came about as most of my names do; made up on the spot. What I think is interesting is that Jason was just a character to fill a roll, and was never meant to be a series. I tell people that I met Jason at the same time they did, when he walked onto the page. It wasn't until I was near the end of the book that I mentioned to some co-workers how much I liked the character. I decided to make a series out of him if the first book was well received.

We've heard other authors say they spent their entire lives writing their first book, but only got a few months to write all the ones after that. How has writing gotten easier or harder over the years?

I was discussing this with my wife this morning. I feel very fortunate that the stories come out of my head and onto the page in a fashion that I'm happy with. I rarely scrap large sections of a book. Obviously, there is much editing and tweaking, but the basics come out fairly organized. As far as easier-versus-harder, I can only speak for myself; it becomes harder to put out a good book, simply because you learn more about what a well-written book is, and how to do it. To write properly is hard, but more satisfying as you hopefully see yourself improve.

Take us behind the scenes regarding your writing process. Do you create an outline, start with characters and let the book write itself, or...?

I am very much an outline guy. I will begin with my basic premise, and write a series of scenes as bullet points. Things like- 'Jason goes to victims house', Vanessa goes to crime lab'- then start at the top. New ideas and scenes are added or subtracted by the story as it develops, but I continue to write in order. The most fun in the writing experience for me is watching what happens as I write the scenes. Details, conversations, action; they all come as I write and it's very exciting for me. (Hopefully, for the reader, too.)

You were born in Canada, but became an American citizen in 1991. How do you think your cross-cultural experiences have affected your writing?

I'm not sure the cultural differences have made much difference. Having said that, the fact that I have traveled in both countries, has given me a wider array of description possibilities.  My own feeling is that the life experiences, which give a writer something to draw on when he looks at emotions and reactions, are more important.

When people look you up on Amazon, they will see that you identify your books as "clean suspense." Tell me what you mean by that and why that's important to you.

Well, let's see; that's kind of a long story, but let me shorten it some. The first published draft of "Where's My Son?" had two or three swear words, and a little more descriptive violence than I would have preferred. I felt I needed them for realism. However, when I wrote "Bloodstain", I found I just preferred to leave it out. Following the publishing of the first two books, I received many letters thanking me for not using excessive language and sex. I discussed it with my wife, and made the decision to write 'clean' books. We reasoned that some of the top selling movies and books in the world were done by Disney, and there had to be a group of people that felt like we did. As a result, I went back and edited the first book and have been writing in that fashion ever since.

 How do you think the decision to not include gratuitous violence or sex has either helped or hurt your sales?

Without question, it has been a good decision. I have a police officer friend who I spoke to about this. I asked him if every third word from a cop was a cuss word. He laughed. "Hardly, that they were normal folks with normal feelings". He didn't say they don't swear, just that it doesn't occur at the level portrayed in movies. I still, ten books in, get letters thanking me for books that are 'clean'. They are the type I would read and I'm glad others do, too.

 You share surnames with one of my favorite characters of all time, Inspector Dalgliesh from the P.D. James novels. Ms. James has had a huge influence on my writing, as have Brandilyn Collins, Frank Peretti, and Sue Henry. Who are some of the writers who have most influenced your work?

Peretti is a good one, I enjoy his books a lot. Tom Clancy, and of all people, Erma Bombeck.  She taught me how to be funny in a book.

I asked you about Det. Jason Strong earlier, but you have another series that could probably be best described as "science (and faith) fiction." What is the Chaser Series?

I had a desire to do a pure Christian series, and the concept came to me as a takeoff on Touched By An Angel. What events could I create in a life after death scenario? I pitched the idea to my son, who is a fantasy author, and he liked it.

One of your books that has grabbed my attention and never let go deals with brothers Donnie and Billy Jarvis. Tell us about those characters and how you came up with the book "For My Brother" in which they appear.

You know, I'm not sure where the exact idea came from. My wife and I love the real life crime shows, and a lot of my basic ideas come from what bubbles up while watching them. The relationships in that book stem from events in my own life, and how events impact people's futures.

 Finally, do you consider yourself a Christian author or an author of books who is a Christian, if you catch the distinction. What do you think the secular market is like for those who refuse to play to the "Fifty Shades of Gray" and "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" crowd?

First, as I think most believer's would say, I am a Christian. Everything I write, say, and do is shaped by that fact. So, I guess the latter statement would be true. As far as the "Fifty Shades" thing, I believe that Hollywood, Amazon, and anyone else in publishing, is willing to profit from a selling entity. I think the "Left Behind" series is a perfect example of that. Perhaps I'm naive, but I believe people want a good book, a story they get lost in, one that they feel sorry when it's over. I'm not sure the amount of sex or language determines that.

John C Dalglish's website is http://jcdalglish.webs.com/. You can find his author page at http://www.amazon.com/John-C.-Dalglish/e/B007LS4SV6