Why did you decide to take a break from writing Bug Man novels?

I love writing Nick Polchak, but it's nice to get away from bugs and death and decomposition from time to time. I've written three Bug Man stories in a row (Ends of the Earth, Less than Dead, First the Dead) and two more before that (Chop Shop and Shoofly Pie). It was just time to do something different. I've written two other non-Bug Man novels, by the way--Head Game and PlagueMaker--so this is really nothing new.

But this isn't even your usual genre--Mystery/Suspense.

That's true. I gave Wonders the pace and feel of a mystery, and there's a bit of a mystery involved in the story, but technically it falls more into the genres of romance and even comedy.

Wow--romance. Are you turning romantic on us?

My wife is laughing at your question.

What's the story about?

There are two basic threads to the story: a little girl who thinks she's seeing angels, and a nurse who decides to manufacture a near-death experience for one of his patients in order to make a fortune. I wanted to contrast legitimate spiritual experience with spiritual fakery, because both of them are out there.

Why angels?

I use angels in this story as a metaphor for faith. It isn't easy to have faith in a world like ours; a lot of people think you're crazy if you do. The Bible describes faith as a fight that has to be fought, and that's what I wanted to show in Wonders. The little six-year-old girl in my story is practically persecuted for believing she's seen an angel. But why? That's what I want readers to consider.

You have some really despicable characters in this story.

Thank you. Despicable characters are a lot of fun to write.

There are some really funny scenes in this story too--like when the three men gather in a hotel suite to produce their "message from above."

That was a LOT of fun to write. There always seems to be a "spiritual blockbuster" on the bestseller lists, and they seem to range in quality from the thoughtful to the completely absurd. I'll admit, I was poking fun at some of those books--which you can tell by the titles I gave them: Lattes with God and It's All About You.

What do you want the reader to walk away with?

My book--and hopefully you paid for it.

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