Interview Ed Koonce

by

Patricia Worley

1) Is Above The Storm your first book? If not, what other books have you written?

This is my first book, although I’ve written a few unpublished short stories and poems.

2) Why did you choose to have your protagonist, Josh Matthews, to be a Viet Nam vet? Is Josh framed after someone you know? Are you yourself a vet? If not, why is that era of history of interest to you?

Josh Matthews is a composite of vets I’ve known through my work at a military base. Some Vietnam vets returned with scars of war, but all returned to a turbulent nation of the 1970s---an era in which traditional patriotism, morality, and faith were being brutally challenged; an era in which I, too, faced some of the greatest challenges to my own faith.

3) When did you start writing? What started you on the road to being a writer?

I started writing in earnest about four years ago, hoping to show, through my characters, insights I’ve gained in my own struggles.

4) It seems as Josh is influenced by a woman. Does this mean the book is a romance? If not, how would you categorize it? A mainstream novel?

The genre is Inspirational Romance. It’s a love story with elements of adventure and mystery, in which four young adults embark on a quest to discover faith in a doubting world.

5) How long did it take you to finish the book? What was the most difficult part of the book to write?

About three years. The most difficult part was deleting volumes of material that didn’t seem to move the story along.

6) Are you currently working on another book?

I’m writing an inspirational novel about a girl who grows up in the Arkansas Ozarks during the 1930s’ Depression.