Dani Pettrey is a wife, home-schooling mom, and the author of the bestselling romantic suspense novels Stranded, Shattered, and Submerged, winner of the 2013 Holt Medallion for First Novel and the Colorado Romance Writers 2013 Award of Excellence. She and her husband have two daughters and reside in the D.C. Metro area. She can be found online at danipettrey.com.
Michelle Black recently had the opportunity to talk to Dani Pettrey about her newest romantic suspense novel, Silenced. See what Dani had to say.
TCM Interviewer, Michelle Black: Dani, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions about the craft of storytelling and what exciting kind of adventures lay in store for your characters and readers as you continue your Alaskan Courage series with Silenced this spring.
Without any further ado, to the queries!
If you are involved in any Christian writing group or book club, inevitably you will be pulled into a discussion of what is permissible and what is not permissible for a Christian to write. Sex, violence, and other dark topics like substance abuse or sexual abuse have for years been “off limits” to writers who happen to be Christian. Now, however, the hazard cones around those issues are being kicked, toppled over, and in some cases totally ignored by Christian writers.
Do you think that this is a good thing? How dark do you allow yourself to write?
Dani Pettrey: I do think it’s a good thing that real and current issues are being addressed in light of God’s Word and through Christian fiction. Sexual abuse, for example, isn’t going to go away just because Christian authors don’t tackle the subject. That leaves only secular fiction to address the heartbreaking issues rampant in our society. God is not shy. He does not cower at uncomfortable topics. His Word includes adultery, incest, betrayal, murder, etc. The key to me is never glorifying such behavior, never glorifying sin. On the contrary, we as Christian authors should shine God’s light and His truth on these dark subjects revealing them for the dark sin that they are and the pain and heartache they cause, and showing people through the power of story how only God can provide healing in the worst of circumstances, that He can make the broken whole, and that His love for us is everlasting.
I believe all authors and readers have their own comfort level. I could never read Frank Peretti at night or while alone. He’s a great writer, but he scares the dickens out of me. As a writer, the same applies, I have a natural build-in comfort level, and I know I can only go so dark. I may cover a dark subject, but I only bring it to light. I don’t delve too deep into the subject matter.
TCM: Recently, Alaska has become a bit of a celebrity state thanks to documentary shows like Coastguard Alaska and quazi-reality shows like The Deadliest Catch and Building Alaska. There is no doubt in my mind that it is a beautiful and brutal place to live.
What about Alaska in particular convinced you to set your series in that place, there are other beautiful and brutal locals you could have set it, like Australia. Why did you pick Alaska?
Dani: Once I knew I’d be writing as series about a family that owned an adventure outfitting company, I began researching locations. I wanted one that would provide a wide variety of landscapes and temperatures for adventure. I chose Alaska because it offered everything from cave diving to heli-skiing to glacier surfing. Alaska also provided an innate sense of danger. It’s a rugged land and if you aren’t properly prepared, any number of adventures can quickly turn deadly.
TCM: In your opinion, how can a Christian writer keep the command found in Philippians 4:8 “…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” while at the same, allow their minds to go places necessary to craft a tale that holds a readers interest with characters that are believable as well as plots that realistically crackle with betrayals, murders, kidnappings and other dark deeds?
Dani: Excellent and thought-provoking question! I think the key lies in the area of focus. I can write about murder and dark deeds, but I need to view them for what they are—sin. Every good story has some element of good versus evil, the underdog against Goliath, hope persevering in the worst of circumstances. To show this struggle, to see good win, you first need to have an opponent, someone or something to overcome. God’s Word shows this struggle in the first book of the Bible and never stops until Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, and even then a certain level of struggle remains until the final battle and Christ’s imminent return. To show good and to see truth, it’s helpful to contrast it against its opposite. I think it’s part of good storytelling and something that resonates within every human heart. As long as we are calling sin, sin, and glorifying God, we can tackle these darker issues and tell really powerful stories that overtly or subtly point to our Creator and His triumph over darkness, over Satan, and over the grave.
TCM: So far in your series, you’ve treated your readers to looks at deep sea diving, small plane piloting, snowboarding, the Canadian wilderness, and an Alaskan cruise. What tantalizing profession, unusual skill, or sport awaits them in Silenced?
Dani: Rock climbing! I love to rock climb so this was a particularly fun adventure to write about. However, Kayden McKenna doesn’t just stop at rock climbing. Of course not! She’s always up for a challenge and ready to push the limits, and she does so by free climbing. With free climbing, the climber uses no safety apparatus, nothing but their bare hands and some chalk. It’s amazing and slightly past the edge for me, but I loved getting to research free climbing athletes and was completely amazed by what they conquer with each and every climb. I’ll have a really fun climbing video up on the Fun page of my website in the coming weeks. Hope you’ll check it out. It’ll really give you a great feel for the sport.
TCM: Books are amazing things, and the very best kind of books are a partnership between the reader and the writer. The readers bring to the tale their time and their imagination, and the writers bring their skill with language and the desire to entertain as they communicate a point of view.
In your writing, how aware of your audience are you as you compose your story structure?
Have you ever felt limited by your audience or constrained by their expectations?
I’ve just set out with the mindset that I’m going to write the story God lays on my heart the way He puts it there. I’ll sometimes wonder how readers may take certain parts, and I’ll spend time in prayer and make sure what I’m writing is the story God intended–that I’m not just putting something in to please someone or for shock value. Every element has to serve the story. I try to take myself out of the world, sit back in silence and write from the heart. I don’t know any other way to write that would feel natural. Fortunately, I have the most amazing readers in the world, and they seem to love the McKennas’ adventures as much as I enjoy writing them.
TCM: Characters are usually a mosaic of people both real, and fictional. Dozens of books have been written on character archetypes and how they interact with one another but most authors have a more organic and less formal relationship with their unreal people.
Have any of your protagonists ever surprised you, by doing something you didn’t plan?
Dani: Absolutely! Piper McKenna’s story was originally supposed to be the last story in the McKenna saga, but she and Deputy Landon Grainger absolutely sprung to life in Submerged, and I knew their story couldn’t wait. It’s therefore told in Shattered, the second book in the series.
TCM: Have any of your antagonists shown vulnerability or compassion that you hadn’t expected?
Dani: Yes. In Stranded, one of the antagonists showed a weird level of compassion towards my heroine. At least as long as it served him. But in the end, his needs overpowered any sense of decency.
TCM: Thank you again Dani, for your time! Remind our readers when they can expect to see Silenced on store bookshelves and available on line, and I look forward to your next book.
Dani: Thank you so very much for having me. I thoroughly enjoyed the questions, and being here with you all. Silenced officially releases May 1st. I hope you all will enjoy Jake and Kayden’s adventure!