Resources by Topic: Writing

In 1970, when I was sixteen and a new Christian, friends invited me to an evening class on the Gospel of John taught by John G. Mitchell, one of Multnomah School of the Bible’s founders. I became hooked on Bible study and knew my future was at Multnomah.

While God has been gracious to bless all of my books with spiritual impact on people, Safely Home is one of them that has had particularly deep effects.

Question from a reader: Some of your books have endorsements, but many don’t. Why is that? Also, I’ve heard that some writers endorse books without reading them. Is this true? And are some endorsements by well-known people actually written by someone else?

On our website and blog, and on social media, we usually capitalize pronouns referring to deity. I never would have stopped doing it in my books if my publishers hadn’t changed their policy. (EPM has chosen to capitalize the pronouns in our self-published books.)

Honestly, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. I had lots of 12 to 16 hour days, and although I knew it would only be for a season, it took its toll. 

I have chapters on Hell in my books Heaven and If God Is Good. And I have one hell scene in most of my novels, each a bit different than the others.

A September 2011 interview with Randy Alcorn by Randall Murphree for OneNewsNow.com. Car chases, shootouts, gang activity, corrupt cops, clear-cut villains and heroes, and the eternal confrontation between good and evil—they're all present in Courageous the movie, which goes to theaters next week. The same elements and more also fill the pages of Courageous the novel.

Question from a reader: Have some things happened in your own circle of friends and family in the past few years that prompted you to write We Shall See God, an upbeat book on the topic of heaven?

Last year I said yes to writing a novel based on the screenplay of the new movie Courageous, which is being released in theaters on September 30. The movie was done by the Kendrick brothers, Stephen and Alex, who produced Facing the Giants and Fireproof. As Fireproof centered on fire fighters and marriage, Courageous centers on police officers and fatherhood and, not surprisingly, COURAGE for men in their homes and personal lives.

When I wrote Deception, the spiritual themes are interwoven into the central plot, the murder mystery. Ollie’s recognition that everything is not as it appears applies not only to the murder, but to the larger issues of his life.

I like reading murder mysteries—particularly the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout. I love Sherlock Holmes. In fact, every chapter of Deception starts with a great quote from a Holmes story. It was fun matching those with the contents of particular chapters. Many people enjoy murder mysteries, so there’s potential for a wide audience.

I never create any mental pictures that could tempt, as I have strong convictions against that.

Question from a reader: You quote from C.S. Lewis in your books often. I like Lewis too, but now I'm hearing that he's not biblical. I recently watched an online video that said he was a universalist. What do you think?

Books in a series and stand-alones each have their advantage. I like the continuity of characters in a series, so you don't have to reinvent every one each time.