Interview with Colleen Coble
about "Abomination"

Added July 18, 2007

In the Library Reviews welcomes Colleen Coble!

Joyce: Colleen, you know I'm a longtime fan of your books but Abomination may be your best work yet.

Colleen: Oh Joyce, you don't know how much I appreciate that. I took all the mental editors off in the writing of the book and tried to pull out all the stops!

Joyce: I always learn something new from reading your novels and this time it was geocaching. I had never heard of this sport but it sounds fascinating. How did you happen to incorporate geocaching into the story line?

Colleen: ascinating, isn't it? I read an article about it and about the same time I was reading the Bible through and ran across Proverbs 6:6. The two melded into the idea for the story. The setting just cried out for swans too, and as I researched swans, the whole ballerina thing evolved. It was like a onion that gradually revealed its layers to me in the writing. A very fun experience!

Joyce: Have you ever gone geocaching?

Colleen: Yes I have! And I'm heading to the big Midwest Geobash this coming weekend. I got my husband a GPS unit for Christmas and he loves it.

Joyce: The bad guy in Abomination was called a 'missionary' killer, using biblical texts to support his murderous rampage. This story sounds like it would make a great movie. Any plans along those lines? As I read the book, I thought some of the scenes would look great on the big screen.

Colleen: I think I subconsciously SAW it as a movie in my head as I read it. I think it would make a great movie too. There is some interest at the moment so we'll see what happens. Maybe nothing, maybe everything!

Joyce: I mentioned in my review that I was completely fooled as to the identity of the murderer. Is it hard to plot a mystery? Is there any secret to successfully hiding the 'face' of the killer?

Colleen: I layer in a lot of red herrings. I want the reader to focus on the other possible killers and for many of my characters to have a motive. Sometimes that takes several drafts. It's something I work very hard to improve with each book.

Joyce: You've created a deliciously diabolical atmosphere of suspense in Abomination. You know how to keep readers on the edge of their seats. But what makes you afraid?

Colleen: Being alone at night with the sound of floorboards creaking. Laying in the bed with my husband gone and wondering if I locked the doors. And spiders. Definitely spiders!

Joyce: I hear you've recently won awards for several of your books. Could you tell us about that?

Colleen: Awards are always fun because they get my work in front of new people. Distant Echoes won quite a few awards last year: the ACFW Suspense Book of the Year, the ACFW Overall Book of the Year, the Readers' Choice Award in inspirational fiction. Fire Dancer and Alaska Twilight have finaled in several awards this year but we'll see how they do in the end. I'm honored just to be a finalist though!

Joyce: What are you working on now? Do I need to stock up on some more nightlights? Abomination certainly gave me the chills!

Colleen: I'm working on an Amish thriller called Anathema. I'm really enjoying it! It's stretching me into new places too. I hope you'll like it!

Joyce: Thanks for answering my questions and for writing such a fantastic book!

Colleen: Thanks for your splendid review, Joyce! I'll always treasure it! CC

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