Interview with Randy Singer, Author of Fatal Convictions, Part 1

In an e-mail interview with Randy Singer, I asked about the characters and research that formed the heart of his new novel, Fatal Convictions.

No-Spoilers: You chose to write sections of this book from the point of view of Muslims, from nominal to reformist to radical. How difficult was it to get inside the skin of these characters?

Randy: The hardest character to portray in a three-dimensional way was the radical Muslim character. To get inside his skin, I spent some time with Kamal Saleem, a former Islamic terrorist who later came to Christ. Kamal is one of the most intense people I’ve ever met. He tells his story in his autobiography The Blood of Lambs. I basically modeled my terrorist after Kamal—they have similar childhoods, similar Islamic training, and very similar intensity. I really believe this helped me create a realistic antagonist with motivation that did not feel contrived. The reform-minded imam in the book was more a creature of research, particularly from Joel Rosenberg’s excellent book Inside the Revolution. Also, my daughter spent some time in Beirut working with a ministry organization, and I visited her a few times, so that helped me understand the various mindsets you referenced.

No-Spoilers: If a Christian reader wanted to learn more about Islam, what resources would you recommend? What was the most important resource you used in researching Fatal Convictions?

Randy: I would ask a Christian to read the two books referenced above: Inside the Revolution and The Blood of Lambs. My most important resource was my time with Kamal.

No-Spoilers: I imagine some Christian readers will have a problem with the fact that a pastor develops romantic feelings for a Muslim woman. How realistic do you think it is for a Christian pastor and a Muslim woman to feel they could have a romantic relationship? And what would you say to someone who criticized this element of your novel?

Randy: Great question. I tried to portray Alex (the Christian pastor who doubles as a lawyer) as a young man on a journey. He is still trying to figure out where he stands on a number of things (like what his calling is), and he is struggling with his doubts. He never really “feels like he could have a romantic relationship” with Nara, but it just starts happening. He knows that it’s wrong for many reasons—he’s a Christian and she’s not. Plus, he is a lawyer and she’s the daughter of his client. But he finds himself falling for her anyway, and as you know, one of the tensions in the story is how he deals with this.

As for how realistic it is—these two people come together in the pressure cooker of a murder case. Nara’s father is facing life in prison, and Alex is defending him. The rules of legal ethics prohibit a lawyer from having romantic relationships with a client precisely because the pressure of the case may draw two people together even if they wouldn’t normally be drawn to each other. The lawyer might be seen by the client (or the client’s daughter) as the one person who is standing up for them. Because the lawyer tends to have the greater influence in the relationship, the lawyer has a fiduciary duty to adhere to proper boundaries and not let the legal relationship bleed over into a romantic one. Alex understands this. Following through is infinitely harder.

People who criticize this element of the novel certainly have a right to do so. I try to learn from all constructive criticism. My writing is always a work in process. But I would also say that I don’t write about Christian characters who are perfect because it can give the impression that we earn our salvation by our works. Also, it’s not realistic. So please remember that even my Christian characters make some pretty big mistakes. God loves them anyway and picks them up when they fall. Isn’t that the theme of the story of redemption?