Part 3: Q & A with William Sirls, Author of The Reason

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Q & A with William Sirls – Part 3

Including a Kenneth character in the book made me uncomfortable at times, but by the end I felt it worked. Did you have any reservations about telling the story the way you did?

I have had readers tell me Kenneth is an angel, a prophet, Jesus, and even God himself. In rewriting the manuscript, transitioning this character from magical to spiritual was the most rewarding writing experience of my life. Kenneth was the ideal character to help me share personal lessons I learned in prison involving patience, forgiveness, grace, and most importantly faith.

I think many people are uncomfortable initiating conversations about their faith with non-believers. It is my desire that people who have read The Reason will pass their copy on to a friend that may be “on the fence” … and then ask them who Kenneth is. I think this will remove some of that awkwardness from the topic and then hopefully spark dialogue that could lead someone in God’s direction.

There are so many interesting characters in this book. And, unlike many books, there wasn't a main one. Did that make the book easier or harder to write? Did any of the characters try to take over as you wrote?

There are many characters in The Reason, and they come from different walks of life. Not having a main character made the book easier to write from the standpoint that I could split the focus on all of the characters and freely describe their different problems and unique needs for both love and healing. At the same time, it also made it more difficult, because it’s risky to write without a main character. Still, I decided to do it this way, hoping that readers would latch on to different characters … perhaps with the one that closely resembles the reader. With God’s help, I think I may have gotten away with it.

Did any of characters try to take over as I wrote? That’s a great question. Once the characters all made it to the church to work on the cross, they all started telling me what to do, particularly Zach Norman. He’s a recovering control freak, much like the guy that created him.

What was your favorite scene to write? Why?

The chapel scene at the end of the story. This was actually the part of the book that I had written first. Once I had a target to hit, I then went back to the beginning and the characters guided me to the end.

What was the most difficult scene to write? Why?

Forgiveness is something that I have received more of than I truly deserve. Forgiveness plays a huge role in all of our lives on earth, whether it be giving it to someone or receiving it from someone. With that said, the most difficult scenes for me to write were Zach Norman in the cemetery and Carla under the bridge. These scenes reminded me of the only real forgiveness any of us ever need, and I found myself wiping tears off my cheeks while writing both of these scenes.

How has publishing The Reason changed your life?

When I originally rewrote The Reason, my primary goal was to challenge readers to be open to the possibility that God manifests himself in front of each and every one of us every single day. If they look, they will recognize and see what can only be Him. When we first began transitioning the story from a self-published reader copy to a traditionally published book, one of my first conversations with Thomas Nelson was with Natalie Hanemann. I’ll never forget her telling me that our two primary goals were to entertain readers and help bring them closer to God. Something about that second goal flitted around in my head for quite a while. It almost seemed absurd to me that a convicted felon would even be considered for such a task. Now, a year later, I’m reading emails, reviews, and having conversations with people that are beyond anything I ever imagined, and there is no better feeling knowing that with God’s help, we just may be doing what we set out to do.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I love to hear from readers, and they can find me at WilliamSirls.com, on Facebook (William Sirls) and on Twitter @williamsirls.

Read part 1 of the interview here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2012/10/part-1-q-with-william-sirls-author-of.html
Read part 2 of the interview here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2012/10/part-2-q-with-william-sirls-author-of.html
Read review here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2012/10/book-review-reason-by-william-sirls.html