Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Interview with Kathi Macias: Special Delivery

 
Kathi Macias is an accomplished Christian writer who tackles some very tough social issues in her novels. Currently her focus is on the battle against human slavery and sex trafficking. I interviewed her on her first book in this Freedom Series on this blog. Please refer to that interview for links to organizations where you can take action and help in this fight! I hope you enjoy today's interview.(http://spiritualheartbeats.blogspot.com/2011/09/kmacias-interview-deliver-me-from-evil.html)

1) Your protagonist from your last book of the series (Deliver me from Evil) has survived and escaped captivity as a sex slave in Southern California. At the beginning of the book, she chooses to return to the same area to live. If it were me, I would want to live as far away as possible to avoid contact with anyone from my past. Can you explain her motives?

There is a law in the US that helps non-citizens who have been victims of a crime to get a sort of “fast track” to citizenship, but they need to have sponsors/connections who are citizens nearby. Mara’s only real friend is an older woman named Barbara, who lives in the San Diego area. Because the brothel where Mara had been held has been shut down and the men who were her captives put in jail, she was able to settle in the area without too much fear of repercussion.

2) Jonathan and Leah, the brother and sister, reappear in this novel. You manage to make their transition into more mature adults (college junior and high school graduate) so easily. Where did you learn this technique?

One of the biggest helps for me in developing believable characters was studying drama. Though I never aspired to a career onstage, it was a huge help to me to learn how to “climb in someone else’s skin.” I also did biblical counseling for several years on a large church staff, so that too was a great help in gathering insight into people and how to bring them to life.

3) The ties between two Asian sisters in this book who live continents apart and in such diametrically opposite circumstances seem like “a chord of three that cannot be easily broken”. Do you think this is typical of Asian siblings?

I don’t have a lot of personal experience in that area; but from talking to people who do, it seems to be the case. They take family ties very seriously, more than we do here in the West. It is not at all unusual to find several generations of a family living together in Asian cultures. I like that and think we could benefit from doing more of that here. Perhaps with our tight economy we may be forced to do so.

4) Leah promises to be an extraordinary good mother by her interaction and babysitting with Anna. Does this foreshadow her future in your next book of this series (The Deliverer)?

No, The Deliverer doesn’t go that far into the future. But you’re right that Leah’s responsible    personality lends itself to excellent parenting in the future.
 
5) Jonathan still has mixed feelings about Mara, the girl he helped free from sexual slavery in Deliver me from Evil. Do you think it is beyond practical and probable that they would have a future together and why?

I never want to discount the fact that God can do anything, though you’re correct. This is not a practical possibility for the two of them. However, book three, The Deliverer, will continue to develop the possibility—though I won’t tell you how it ends up. No spoilers!

6) Barbara is a staunch advocate for eliminating modern day slavery of children and your teens for sex trafficking. Can you give us a clue where you found your model for this character in your book?

Barbara is the lady we’d all love to have as an older friend and/or mother figure. I’ve known a couple of ladies through the years who had her qualities, and now that I’m in my “golden years,” I long to be that sort of role model to other young women.

7) Mara appears to be following in Barbara’s steps as she takes some chances in this novel to help another young girl. How wise do you think her character is in doing this and what do you think motivates her?

I’m not sure if Mara’s choices would be deemed “wise” for the plain and simple fact, they were dangerous. And yet there are times we must “throw caution to the wind” and step out in faith when someone’s life is on the line. Courage is about doing the right thing, even when we’re scared and our knees are knocking.

8) Klahan, an Asian middle-aged man, becomes a kind of hero in this book. Where do you think he gets his strength for this?

Klahan was indeed a “mixed bag” of personality traits. His initial motives weren’t exactly pure, and yet God used him to accomplish what otherwise seemed to be impossible. I believe his strength came from God, even if he didn’t realize it until later.
 
9) There’s a trap set for Mara in this book and it gets pretty frightening. What is the likelihood she could be found and helped by strangers in the middle of the night?

In real life, the chances are slim. In movies and novels, chances are much better. And, of course, figuring in the God factor, anything is possible!

10) Leah’s best friend, Sarah, gets a rude awakening in this book. Some of her long-time dreams are dashed. How do you think this will influence her behavior toward Mara?

This is a key element in the final book in the series, The Deliverer. Sarah will have to do some serious self-examination, not only of her own personal motives but of her lukewarm commitment to God.

11)   Give us a sneak preview of your final novel in this series. It’s due out in August of this year.

The Deliverer picks up just months after Special Delivery leaves off, continuing with the stories of Mara, freed from slavery but still struggling with scars and memories from the past; Jonathan, attending Bible college but strongly drawn to Mara, despite her past; and Lawan, having escaped the brothel in Thailand and miraculously reunited with her younger sister in the US and adopted by the same family. Will Mara be able to move past the pain and hatred that bind her, even if it means traveling back to the place where her parents betrayed her and sold her into sexual slavery? Will she allow The Deliverer to set her free—once and for all?


Thanks for the interview, Kathi! As usual, you have given us another well-knit novel in your Freedom Series. I can’t wait to read the final piece!
            For more about Kathi Macias, Christian Author and staunch believer in Jesus Christ and the transforming power of God, visit: www.kathimacias.com
           
To see Kathi’s book trailer for The Deliverer, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NobFUST7xlk
           
If you’d like to pre-order her next book in the Freedom Series, please visit:
            http://www.amazon.com/Deliverer-Freedom-Kathi-Macias/dp/1596693088/ref=sr_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341955699&sr=1-19&keywords=Kathi+Macias or go to

http://www.christianbook.com/3-the-deliverer-kathi-macias/9781596693081/pd/693081?product_redirect=1&Ntt=693081&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

Blessings and Agape,
Dr. Linda B. Greer

2 comments:

  1. I love Kathi's books and can't wait until The Deliverer is released. What do I love about Kathi's books? The fact that they are so powerful. I can't read a book of hers without tears rolling down my face. My heart aches for the characters. What a horror they live through. I am thankful that we have a Deliverer in our life; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you Kathi for portraying such strong characters in your books and also bringing out the fact that Jesus Christ is right there and waiting to take them through each and every ordeal. As in Kathi's books, He doesn't always Deliver us on the face of the Earth but sometimes takes us to our eternal "Home." Praise God!

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  2. Thanks for your comment, Judy. You're right about the real feel of her characters. After I immersed myself into 2/3 of this book, I told Kathi I was "scared for Mara". She just smiled back at me since Mara had become so real for me.

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