Mike Dellosso: Supernatural Suspense
Michael W. Dellosso is an author who writes a style of Christian fiction that might be called “edgy.†I read a sampling of Mike’s new novel, The Hunted, from his website, www.MikeDellosso.com. I strongly suggest, dear reader, that you check out the website for yourself. Also, Mike has blogged his journey to publication in Christian speculative fiction at www.MikeDellosso.blogspot.com. If you’ve ever wondered how a book gets from author to shelf, that’ll give you an idea.
Now, here’s Mike to tell us about Christian speculative fiction (books that ask, “What if reality were different than it seems?â€), who publishes it (people who know Mike), and who writes it (that would be Mike).
CAT: Mike, what’s your genre, and what’s unique about the way you do it?
MIKE: I write primarily supernatural suspense, stuff that lets the imagination run a little wild and keeps the reader turning pages. I try to keep the supernatural part toned down, though. No demons vs. angels or wrestlemanias in heaven. I start with a “What if . . .?” and go from there. I like to question reality and then tweak it a bit and see what happens.
CAT: I understand you’re working your way through the publication process with Realms, which is a little bit different than most other Christian imprints. What is different about them, and why do you fit there?
MIKE: Actually, I was recently offered a contract by Realms! A mucho blessing! Realms only publishes speculative fiction: fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural suspense, and spiritual warfare-themed stuff. Obviously, it’s a perfect fit for me and my style. They have two new books coming out in October: Vanished by Kathryn Mackel and Angel by Al Gansky. Both great writers in the speculative fiction genre.
CAT: You had a great review from Kathryn Mackel, whom I read to freshen up my brain when my muse flies away and my writing gets dry. So, since I’m a non-Frank Peretti fan, tell me why I’ll like The Hunted.
MIKE: I try to infuse a sound dose of spiritual meat in my stories, much the same as Kathy does. I want the reader to walk away from reading my book learning something about their relationship with God or seeing God and how He works in the lives of His children in a different light. I want to challenge them to use a different paradigm than maybe they’re used to when thinking about God. Too often we put God in a box and say what He can and can’t do based on our own limited understanding of how He chooses to work. One of my goals is to encourage the reader to let God out of that box.
CAT: Going from deep to shallow . . . why do you like hot dogs so much?
MIKE: Great question. How can anyone not like hot dogs? Really, though, I have no idea. I think it goes back to when I was a kid living in Baltimore. We only lived a couple of miles from Memorial Stadium and would watch the Orioles frequently. The highlight of the game was when my dad would buy me a hot dog. There’s just something special about a baseball stadium hot dog, is there not? I get kidded at work a lot because I’ll often use my lunch break to go to the gas station down the street to get a couple dogs. Anyone who knows me knows my love for hot dogs.
CAT: Well, there are no baseball stadiums out here in the backwoods, but I’ll take your word for it. Thanks, Mike! We’ll look forward to your book release. For anyone interested in speculative fiction, check out www.RealmsFiction.com (very goth), or Mike’s web links up at the start of this article.
