Interview with Author Angela Hunt!

We have with us today, author extraordinaire - Angela Hunt! Welcome, Angie!



Angela Hunt has written more than 100 books. Her brand is to "Expect the Unexpected" and her writing crosses genres, age groups, and from fiction to non-fiction lines. Angie's newest Biblical story is The Nativity Story based on the movie of the same name releasing this December. Before that she wrote Magdalene, which came out around the time of the "DaVinci Code" hoopla. (Be sure to post comments this week as Angie has offered to give away five copies of Magdalene!) Having recently read this book, I can tell you, it's terrific!

I caught Angie with a few spare minutes to answer questions as they pertain to her Biblical novels.

Jill: With so many genres to choose from, why did you choose to write biblical fiction? (Or why did you choose to write biblical fiction in addition to all of your other genres?)



Angie: I enjoy making the times and characters of Scripture come to life . . . and I don’t approach it as biblical fiction, I approach it as historical fiction. I treat it exactly as I do any other historical novel with one exception: usually, if I find two sources that disagree about a fact, I choose the one that makes the most sense to me. When writing biblical fiction, the Bible is my ultimate authority.

Jill: There is an element in Christendom that would say that any fictional version of a Bible story is wrong. How much criticism, if any, have you faced for fictionalizing biblical tales?

Angie: I’ve not really heard any criticism—probably because those who think the genre is “wrong” don’t read my books. I have had some Amazon reviews, however, where people accused me of not doing enough research. This makes me wonder why they would think so—is it because my heavily-researched book contradicts something they’ve heard in church? Something they’ve read in another book? I don’t know, but I have begun to list all my reference books in the end matter.

Jill: Along that same line, how do you answer people who might have a problem with biblical fiction, even more so than fiction in general?

Angie: I have always felt free to “expand the canvas” of a biblical story. I take great pains not to contradict Scripture or what we know of history. Everything else is just color on the canvas.

Jill: What Bible characters have you written about so far, and which ones do you hope/plan to write about in the future?

Angie: I have written three books about Joseph (Dreamers, Brothers, Journey), a book about Moses and the women in his life (The Shadow Women) Jill's comment - terrific book, by the way! The Shadow Women touched my heart, a book about Mary Magdalene (Magdalene), and the novelization of the new movie, The Nativity Story.



Jill: When you set out to write a biblical novel, what steps do you take to research the story?

Angie: First, I read the Bible story and try to “pick out” the golden nuggets that fall between the lines—for instance, in rereading the Joseph story, I learned that Potiphar’s jail was also in his house. What must that have been like for Joseph? He was imprisoned only a few yards from Potiphar’s wife, the woman who had him put in prison! After that, I gather other research books about the land, the time, the social customs of the people. I have to know what they ate, wore, and how they behaved socially. Every detail is important.

Jill: With Bible stories, we already have the plot all there—we know how the story ends. How do you weave the tale so that it doesn’t come across predictable?

Angie: The Bible is great on facts, but it doesn’t always give us the motivations of the characters involved. That’s where I love to imagine. What did Joseph feel when Pharaoh handed him a pagan priest’s bride? How did Simeon feel being left behind as a captive? What would drive Mary Magdalene to “open the door” to the influence of demons? This is where the story starts.

Join us tomorrow for part two of our interview with author Angela Hunt! And don't forget to post a comment - with five books in the contest I hope we'll have lots of entries!