Author Interview with Jim Baton
Lorilyn: How did you get into writing books, and did you know you wanted to be an author?
Jim: My two children loved my goodnight stories, even into junior high. I let each of them pick a character, so one night I’d tell how Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty solved a mystery, the next night Winnie the Pooh and Scooby-Doo learned about forgiveness. I even tried to imitate all their voices.
One day in the House of Prayer, the Lord told me, “I gave your father a writing gift, but he passed away before it could bear fruit. It’s part of your inheritance if you want it.”
“I want it!” I replied.
“Will you submit it to me?”
“Yes.” And that began my writing journey. The partnership I feel with God when I write, sometimes feeling His revelation flowing through me, is one of the great pleasures of my life.
Lorilyn: Do you have any favorite authors that have influenced your writing?
Jim: Some readers will notice shades of Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker in my books. I love reading the novels of David Baldacci and Gregg Hurwitz for their adrenaline-rush plots, and Dick Francis and Jonathan Kellerman for their brilliant characters.
Lorilyn: Do you draw on personal experiences in your books, or is your imagination what drives your plots?
Jim: It’s really a combination of personal experiences, research, and imagination. Most of my characters are loosely based on real people.
CLICK TO TWEET: Many of the supernatural phenomena I write about are also based on real experiences—whether angelic or demonic, miracles or dreams. In fact, several of the supernatural dreams my characters experience are based on real dreams that my wife, my friends, or myself have had. And we’ve been blessed to see God do many, many extraordinary miracles, far more than we could ever include in my books.
Some of them have been so extraordinary that the phrase “truth is stranger than fiction” applies.
All that to say, writing about terrorists or angels or dreams or revival has required very little of my imagination. Because of this, I think my readers catch the authenticity of the stories.
Lorilyn: Your books have won several awards. Can you tell us about those?
Jim: It’s encouraging when others recognize the quality of my craft, but honestly, the most rewarding aspect of writing to me is when my readers share that my novel completely changed their perspective on _____. Every book I write begins with a message I feel God has given me for this moment. I fully embrace the power of the storyteller to change paradigms.
Lorilyn: You have lived in some very faraway places. Where is your favorite “home away from home”?
Jim: We’ve been blessed to live over 20 years in the Muslim world and blessed to travel and share about our work in many different nations. As a result, the concept of “home” is somewhat fluid for me. I guess I feel most at home wherever my family is gathered, or on a soccer field, or in a House of Prayer.✙✙✙✙✙
Lorilyn: Where can readers find your books?
