AN INTERVIEW WITH NIKKI ARANA

 

This month, I’m chatting with award-winning author, Nikki Arana, about her book, The Next Target.

Welcome, Nikki, it’s a pleasure to have you here!

Thank you so much for having me.

Did you grow up in the Pacific Northwest?

No, though we have lived here since 1992. I lived in California most of my life. Grew up in Santa Maria, California, started a career, at the age of 20, as a systems analyst in Los Angeles from 1969 until 1974, then moved to Northern California, where I met my husband, became a real estate broker and owned my own company in the Santa Rosa area until 1992, then we moved here. I began writing in 2003.

Nikki, you have a name for the type of fiction you write. Will you share what that is, and what it’s all about?

I write what is called Transformational Fiction. Hopefully God will use my novels to transform the readers lives in some small way. I mean by that that the story sparks something in the reader that makes them ponder the spiritual dilemma the character or characters are faced with. Sometimes I engage the reader directly, like I do with the tagline in my novel that released this summer, The Next Target . . . Would you share your faith if it would cost you your life?

All my books deal with social, political, and spiritual issues that Christian's face today. For example, my first book, The Winds of Sonoma, touched on illegal immigration. My second book, In the Shade of the Jacaranda, dealt with abortion. My third book, The Fragrance of Roses, dealt with the need to have more minorities donating to bone marrow registries. And my fourth novel, As I Have Loved You, was about a single mom whose college age son gets mixed up with the wrong girl. The situation is complicated because the son has Attention Deficit Disorder. When readers write me they almost always say they loved the book because of the issues raised in the story journey. I’ll admit it (blushes) I write my books to draw the reader in, get them to become emotionally invested in the hero and heroine’s lives, even pondering the decisions that the characters make – Why did they do that? – Would I have done that? -  Does it line up with what I believe the Bible says about that? -  They should have . . . –  You get the idea.

There are lots of writers who write these kinds of books and they are written in all genres. What sets this type of novel apart, I believe, is generally they tackle tough issues and there is more emphasis on the internal story and the character’s internal/faith journeys. Thrillers for example are typically plot driven, women’s fiction is about relationships. Both of these genres can be written to be transformational by adding layers to the story. Making it go deep into motivation and the spiritual influences that are in play. Those elements are purposely crafted in by the author. When done well, the story touches the reader in a way they can’t explain and they begin to think about it. All of you have read books that stayed with you long after the last page was read. Not every author chooses or is called to write that kind of a book. Not every reader wants to read one. It is just one type of writing among many. You can find out more about these books on the Transformational Fiction Fans page and the Transformational Fiction Authors page on Facebook.

Please tell us about The Next Target.

It’s the story of an ordinary woman who comes to the realization that the only way to stop jihad, to stop the killing, is to change the heart of man. And she knows there is only One who can do that. She begins teaching an English as a Second Language class to Muslim women in her city. She uses her time with them to show them Christ’s love, which draws them to Him. She knows this is a capital offense in the eyes of Islam, and she’s been careful not to get caught. But Islamic extremists find out and target her underground ministry. To protect the women she’s led to Christ, she must untangle a web of deceit before her jihadist executioners find her and kills them all.

Why did you choose this topic to write about?

The Next Target, which was released in June, was inspired by my ministry, A Voice for the Persecuted. I help persecuted Christians who are under the threat of death . . .  here in America! That is code for Muslims who convert to Christianity. Working with Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) has changed my life. You see, after talking and working with numerous Muslims who have come to know Christ, I realized that I hardly knew Him at all.

Muslims who convert to Christianity pay a huge price for their faith. Most I talk to live under persecution by their former friends and family. They have no jobs because they live in a Muslim community and are shunned. And of course there are those who have been deported and/or killed. As I heard their stories I realized that my Christianity has cost me nothing. That I can never know Jesus like they do. They have paid a great price to know Him. And they love Him as you would love someone who has saved you from certain death. Oh, I know He saved me from sin and death. But I don't know it experientially like they do. I know because I have read about it in the Bible. But I have never lived under the threat of eternal damnation like they have. Islam is an unforgiving religion and God is presented as cold and unpredictable, judging you every moment, noting your sins, waiting for your death to exact His judgment. And there is no way to escape Him. That is as real to them as the assurance of salvation is to us. When they meet Jesus, and often He comes to them personally to overcome their fear of Allah, they realize that He died in their place. That God exacted His judgment on Him, that Jesus suffered so they will never have to, and they fall on their knees and worship Him. They worship and love Him in a way I never can. I have never experienced what life and death would really be . . . without Him. Though I do understand better now, thanks to their testimonies.

That is how I came to write The Next Target. I feel a burden to tell their stories. To introduce American Christians who have a fear of Muslims to characters who are patterned after Muslims and MBBs I have met. They live and work among us. We can reach out to them, model the love of Christ, and then with the leading of the Holy Spirit, give them what Islam can never give!

Nikki, on your website, you state you are passionate about reaching out to Muslims who live and work among us. Can you tell us how someone might do that.

Reaching out to Muslims is a friendship ministry. Most American Christians have no idea how to begin a friendship with a Muslim. It is very easy . . .  if you do some homework first. You need to know something about their culture and traditions. And the most important thing is that you never share the gospel with them unless they initiate the discussion. Instead, you model the love of Christ to them, wait for the Holy Spirit to draw them to Him, and eventually the opportunity will come to be the vessel that changes their hearts. I co-authored a book, Through the Eyes of Christ: How to lead Muslims into the Kingdom of God. It gives basic information about what to do. It is available at Amazon.com. Are there Muslims living or working in your world? Would you be open to starting a friendship with them?

Please share with us all the places you can be found on the Internet.

www.nikkiarana.com
Amazon  http://ow.ly/dfiZX
www.avoiceforthepersecuted.com
www.facebook.com/nikkiaranaauthor
http://pinterest.com/nikkiarana/
Twitter: @nikkiarana

Any closing remarks?

If you’d like to try it before you buy it, the opening pages of The Next Target is available at www.thenexttarget.com . If you would like to continue to follow me on my journey, visit my blog on my website http://www.nikkiarana.com/blog/

Thank you so much for taking the time from your busy schedule to be here, Nikki. We wish you all the best with The Next Target, and all your books.

If you would like to win a copy of The Next Target, please use my "Contact" page, and type “drawing” in the comments box (U.S. residents only, please). The deadline to enter is September 24th.

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