Author: Jacqueline Randolph

ISBN: 1596820462

The following interview was contributed by: E.Dian Moore &  To read more about Dian Moore’s reviews click HERE 

To read Dian's Review of the Book Click here

BP: Tell us about your procedure of writing a book in so little time.

Randolph: My first novel, Deception's Guard, was written in four days. I literally woke up one morning with a pounding heading and images and words in my head that would only go away as I dumped it out on paper. There was no writer's block, plot outlining, or research. The entire story flowed out. The editors only added dialogue for the characters as I had written the story as if relating a movie I'd seen. I'd hoped God would do the same for the sequel--but He didn't.

The sequel was beginning to give me that pounding headache, coupled with my grief over so many of my friends divorcing/separating. As soon as I put pen to paper Deception's Fury was just there; but I was allowed only chapters at a time. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW IT WOULD END. I cried at the conclusion because of the overwhelming emotions of Skye and Rhys. For so long I was afraid they would divorce or something would happen in the story line where they could not reconcile stronger than before.

The conclusion/reconciliation was wrenching. So, it took two months for the story to unfold as each day I wrote a bit. As soon as I completed it--the story line for the third book in the series, Deception's Legacy, was already forming in my head. I'm hoping to wait until 2006 to pen it--I don't know if I'll be able to hold out (smile)

 BP: How were the characters of Rhys and Skye born.

Randolph: Skye is semi-biographical. I am a pilot, community theater thespian, military trained, Spain-born, business property owner with homes in Mississippi and Colorado, former college professor in the impoverished Mississippi Delta. I'm also strong-willed, independent, and a bit cynical about men. My fantasies are her strong marriage and career as a DEA agent. Rhys was born from my speculation of what kind of man could successfully partner with a "psychotic" woman like Skye? How strong, confident, adventuresome, fearless, successful, and Godly must he be to balance being a humanitarian CEO, husband to a DEA agent, father to biracial children in the deep south, and Christian in a DEA operative where biblical principals are definitely not used as guidelines.

 BP: The details of covert ops, a pilot's skills, and description of place are all vivid. Tell us how you are able to bring to life all these fascinating details.

Randolph: I've lived them. I've never had to do extensive research for my books, as I know the environment first hand from war zones in the Balkans and Middle East to Special Operations and NASA shuttle missions to Antarctic conditions in the Northwest Territories and the passion and culture of Latin American countries. I've ferried civil air patrol planes and did some aerobatic work as well as copiloted flights during mission trips in Johannesburg and Mozambique in Africa. My striving goal is always to make the reader see, feel, touch, and smell every scene as if they are living it. I want to share my life and experiences in an extreme way!

BP: The love story between Rhys and Skye is gripping and passionate. Where do you decide to draw the line when writing a love scene?

Randolph: I absolutely hate the explicit vulgar pornographic scenes of non-Christian romance novels. EVERYONE has their own imagination--allow people to use it. OF COURSE the characters had to be married before sharing any intimacies. In the lovemaking scenes, I strive to accentuate the spiritual/emotional connection between them, more so than the physical. I think that is the most sensual and gripping and desirable part of intimacy between "two who become one" in marriage.

Randolph: Premarital/casual sex is empty and useless shell of mere motion. Some people never attain the ultimate prize of sex, which I know God intended! The first novel, Deception's Guard, described how both characters came to the decision separately as singles--years before they even met--to give up premarital sex/casual dating. In so doing, they were better able to recognize the special chemistry/need that they fulfilled in one another.

BP: You are a Christian, and so are Rhys and Skye. You've done remarkably well at not being preachy, allowing Deception's Fury to appeal to a secular audience, as well. How do you keep a balance between going over the edge with violence, sex and other moral issues and your calling as a Christian to shine a light of example?

Randolph: I made a definite decision that I did not want to sign on with a Christian publisher--in so doing isolating my work from secular readers. Many Christian romance/suspense/adventure books I've read are so sugary sweet that they don't sound realistic. Christians do feel lust, anger, violence, as we ALL DO but how do Christians deal with it? This is what I want to convey to non-Christians--in the realities of life, where does God fit in?

There are drug, alcohol, child molestations, homosexuality, rapes in our world—where does God fit in? There are murders, assassins, miscommunications, secrets, divorce—where does God fit in? 

My pastor read Deception's Fury, and he commented that I went just to the edge of what he couldn't swallow, (such as Perez pretending to be Skye's lover and the death of Red) and I never crossed the line into unrealism or justifying adultery. He complimented me on taking it to the edge and remaining in bounds. He also commented that they [Rhys & Skye] have a pretty healthy passion for one another; but he would expect that from married people.

BP: Thank you, Jaqueline, for a great read and for taking the time to answer my questions

Author bio: Randolph is a US Air Force officer, pilot, author, business owner, and veteran of community theater, community service (group homes, hospice, domestic violence), and has taken missionary trips to Africa, Alaska, and Mexico.

She has traveled throughout the world as a C-130 aircrew member performing military special operations (famed 101^st and 82^nd Airborne), NASA shuttle-support missions, and delivered United Nations aid to countries ravaged by war and natural disasters.

She has served as a college professor in the Mississippi Delta and commanded the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation and ballistic missiles.

She is an adventurer who enjoys ballroom dancing, rafting, skiing, trips to the Arctic/Antarctic circles, and skydiving/ballooning/ gliders. An inductee in Marquis' 2003-2005 Who's Who in America, she aspires to be an Alaskan bush pilot, Peace Corp volunteer, and a third-world missionary pilot.