Q&A: NOVELIST TOM BUFORD

Today, we check in with novelist Tom Buford, author of Fires of Darkness.

Fires of Darkness is a tale of spiritual warfare in the small town of Cory, Nebraska. When something strange happens to Douglas and Amy Canton's farm house and rocks the community, they lean on a memorable cast of characters for support and encounter another world in their search for the meaning of this tragedy.

Here is a Q&A with the author himself.

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Q: What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

Tom: I read one time that a writer should not try to write about dining in a French bistro if he or she has never eaten in a French bistro. I have since heard writers come down on both sides of that issue. But for me, it was good advice. Everything I write has at least some part of me or my life hidden in it somewhere.

Q: Are you an "entertainer" or a "minister"?

Tom: I really don't consider myself an entertainer, although I hope my writing entertains. My desire is that lives will be touched and changed by something I write. I suppose that makes me more a minister.

Q: Who are your literary influences?

Tom: The first novel I ever read as an adult was This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. It had a tremendous impact on me. There are other writers whose work I enjoy, but Peretti has had a greater influence on me. I've tried to not allow the writing style of any one author color my own writing, but I think it is obvious that Peretti's influence was inescapable for me, at least in Fires of Darkness.

Q: Who are your spiritual influences?

Tom: My wife has been my greatest spiritual influence. Her ability to forgive and put the past behind her is something that I only wish more wives had. I have also been influenced in other ways by people whom I have met or worked with, such as Johnny Cash and Billy Graham.

Q: Are you an "outline" writer or a "make it up as you go" writer?

Tom: No outlines for me! Fires of Darkness was a "make it up as you go" book. My current projects are based on stories that I have more insight into, but there still is no outline.

Q: What is the one aspect of God you most hope your readers will take away after reading one of your books?

Tom: His ability to love them unconditionally. More than anything, I want my readers to get the message that God is still the healer of hearts and minds. I want them to know that He will go as far as He has to go to bring freedom into the life of a person who is willing to do whatever it takes to become the man that God created him to be.

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Thanks to Mr. Buford for stopping by. Find him online at www.firesofdarkness.com or his blog, Thinking out loud ...