I started out as a reporter and photographer at a small, bi-weekly newspaper on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Then I did the same for a larger daily newspaper in central Ohio. I loved the newspaper business. But then I had an opportunity to experience the corporate side of writing in Atlanta, so I made the move. For the past fifteen years as a freelancer, I've done a lot of marketing copywriting for colleges and corporations, as well as feature stories for magazines and all kinds of writing for various ministries around the country.

2) Why and when did you decide to try your hand at fiction?

It was in 1999. My regular freelance work just stopped for a window of time. The faucet turned off. That's when I started writing my first novel. I actually finished that work, shopped it on my own to publishers, made a bunch of great contacts, and had it seriously considered by several. But, ultimately, it did not get published.

The reason I wrote that first book was because I had a burning inside to use the ideas and writing ability God had given me to create Christian fiction. Plus, I wanted to be a testimony, to share the transforming power of Christ through the power of intriguing story. I know about the dark side of life, and I know about the Light. So, my goal is to write contemporary stories about modern day people who, somehow, are impacted by Jesus. I want the stories to resonate in the mainstream. My publisher has given me the chance to do that and I am both humbled and thrilled!

3) How did you come up with the idea for The Rock Star Chronicles - DARK STAR, FULL TILT - and the other books in that series, yet to come?

Back when I was trying to find a publisher for the first time, DARK STAR was a story I had started as kind of a futuristic novel. I only had about six chapters written. The main character was a former rock star, but the year was something like 2040, and Christianity was outlawed. What I did was, because there were a few scenes in that book that I really liked, I saved those, started over again, and put it in a modern day setting. That's how DARK STAR was born. And my publisher thought it would make a good series. Many people have said they like FULL TILT even better than DARK STAR, and that thrills me.

4) How did you hook up with your first publisher?

It's a neat story and one that only God could orchestrate. I was still shopping the fiction on my own, calling senior fiction editors, sending out sample chapters. I sent the book to a man who I thought still worked at a prominent publisher. That man, however, had gone out on his own as an agent with many years of experience and wisdom. He called me, said he liked DARK STAR, we teamed up, and he encouraged me to finish it. So I did. Then, with God's guidance, my agent helped me find Multnomah Publishers, now WaterBrook-Multnomah.

But the neat part of the story is, my editor who found the book told the president of the company about it. She said, "I think your son really needs to read this." So, they sent the manuscript to the president's son at college and he read it and liked it very much. Then they got it to the president's daughter, and she had a similar reaction. Next, the president and his wife read it, and everyone was on board. That's when I got my first book contract with Multnomah.

5) Give us a summary of The Rock Star Chronicles (that is, DARK STAR and FULL TILT).

Tell you what. One company recently ran a synopsis about the series. I'm going to go fetch that and paste it in here:

Even though millionaire rock star Everett Lester "had it all," he couldn't buy peace or contentment. After turning to alcohol, drugs, women, and material possessions, he turned to psychic Madam Endora Crystal for solace. But when she turned up murdered in his Miami high-rise, he was thrust center-stage, on trial for murder one. All the while, letters were coming from a teenage girl in Kansas who was praying for Everett's salvation, and for his millions of fans to embrace Christ.

Would Everett get the death sentence? Would he ever meet up with Karen? What if he dreamed of using his musical talent to glorify God? The problem is, sometimes a man can't escape his past. Would meth freaks and mobsters destroy the only hope Everett had ever found? Find out as you rip through the pages of The Rock Star Chronicles by riveting story-teller Creston Mapes.

6) You have been a freelance writer for a long time there in the Atlanta area. What are your plans for the future - as far as your writing goes?

I really love writing fiction. So, if God wants me to do that, the books will bear fruit and I will continue to do it on a full-time basis. However, it's not like that right off the bat. I have four children and a lovely wife who's at home with our kids, so, in order to make ends meet I will still do as much of my freelance work as I can - until a time when the demand would be so great in the fiction arena that I could stop the other all together. That doesn't happen for too many authors. It's all in God's hands and I will accept His plan, whatever it is. Lately, I've been praying that our books will glorify Him, draw people closer to Him, and bear much good fruit. However, I'm also trying to be sensitive to His will; trying to decipher what He wants and follow. That's now always easy.

7) What other types of writing do you do?

I've had the opportunity to do some truly fun feature stories for many different magazines. It's been neat to interview some of my favorite recordings artists - and to write their stories. Some of those interviews have included the rock group Third Day, the hot group Casting Crowns (Mark Hall), David Crowder of the David Crowder Band, Joy Williams, Building 429, and country star Randy Travis. I've also done some interesting pieces on other personalities, including author Philip Yancey, comedian Jeff Foxworthy, and a number of professional athletes. I still do a good bit of college marketing, where I go to a college campus, interview the president, students, academic dean, and so on - then help create and write all the new marketing materials for the school.

8) What kind of books do you like to read?

The Bible is my favorite book, simply because it has literally changed my life by bringing wisdom, peace, joy, understanding, and such. Besides that, I read a lot of books about how to write good fiction, and I read the classics when I can. I also read inspirational fiction as well as some secular fiction - mainly just to learn the craft. Ironically, it's not very often I'll stay with a novel from cover to cover. The writer has to really quarantine me in that first chapter and hang on to my attention for dear life, or he or she will lose me. So, that's how I've determined to try and write my books. Take out the boring parts. Keep it moving at a good clip. The reader should be saying, "I've GOT to know what happens next!"

9) Tell us about yourself.

I've been married for 23 years to the girl I first loved way back in fourth grade. We have three lovely girls and a boy. We are a very close-knit family, spending a lot of time together - watching old classic movies, going on outings, and taking in various school and community events and activities. Personally, I love to go for morning walks with my dog, read, paint watercolors, meet friends for coffee and Bible study, watch hockey, take my wife on dates, and spend time in God's Word.

10) What's the most difficult thing about writing fiction?

Figuring out what's going to happen next! Once I know where the next chapter or scene is going, I'm feeling good and going full-steam. However, when that scene ends and it's time to determine what happens next, that's when I start tossing the baseball in my hands, pacing around my office, and praying. Then God usually gives me an idea and we're off and running again. It's those in between times that prove most difficult. But I'm trying to learn and understand that God is faithful. He gave me everything necessary for DARK STAR and FULL TILT. And He's done the same in the new novel, NOBODY.

Sometimes, if I'm at a stand-still, and the challenge ahead seems monumental, I'll look at a scripture from when David was telling his son, Solomon, about how to proceed with the building of the temple - a monumental task. It goes like this: "Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don't be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you: He will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly" (1 Chronicles. 28:20). Whew . . . that's a relief!

11) Do you have any advice for aspiring fiction writers?

Yes. Read a lot of good fiction. Study the craft of writing fiction by reading books about how to do it well. One of the best books I've read, for those who want to write inspirational fiction, is The Complete Guide to Writing & Selling the Christian Novel by Penelope J. Stokes. Another helpful favorite is The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing by Meg Leder, Jack Heffron, and the editors of Writer's Digest. Authors James Scott Bell and Sol Stein have also written some excellent books on improving your writing. Lastly, I think it was Stephen King who said: "Writing . . . is just another job like laying pipe or driving long-haul trucks. Shut the door and get to it."

12) Is there anything else you would like to tell your readers?

Yes. A lot of people are asking if there will be any more books in The Rock Star Chronicles series. My hope is that there will be at least a third book in that series, which I've already started working on. We took a break from that series in order to broaden our readership with my third novel, NOBODY, which was published in 2007. I'm working on a forth novel now, another stand-alone. After that, if demand warrants it, we may go back to The Rock Star Chronicles...we'll see what happens.