Introducing New Author: Jeremiah Friedli

I had the pleasure of meeting Jeremiah several years ago at an ACFW conference in Dallas, Texas, and over the years, he’s occasionally reached out to keep in touch (I’m so thankful for people who email or call to check in on me!). So, when he told me about his up-coming release, CORE Deception, I was thrilled to be able showcase him in this book review. A YA dystopian novel with a biblical worldview, CORE Deception releases tomorrow, so if you or your teenager enjoy this genre, follow the link here to order your copy. 🎉

Jeremiah, when did you start writing and what led you into it?

One of my first stories was a one-of-a-kind picture book I wrote and illustrated myself as a kid. It was four pages long with a grand total of seven sentences (if you include “the end”), put together with construction paper, masking tape, and staples. The name was Twenty Door Bells. A real page-turner, huh? You can tell I was using cutting edge print-on-demand technology too. But my imagination was already at work.

At the beginning, I wrote creatively when it was required for school. But somewhere along the way, I found I liked crafting stories. Sometimes it was because my siblings were writing stories. Later, it’s more likely that I ran out of stories to read, and so I decided to write my own. I enjoyed it so much I kind of became an overachiever with writing assignments. Soon I was writing even when there wasn’t any assignment—short stories, poems, novellas, novels—and sharing them with my family and friends. Having siblings who wrote helped a lot, offering camaraderie and some friendly competition. I have terrific memories co-writing with my brothers and sisters. Also, it was huge that my mom (and homeschool teacher) fostered creativity.

As time went on, I felt God prompting me to do more with my creative writing. If I was going to spend time on it, I should use it for His glory and not just my personal enjoyment. Yes, I want to write engaging stories that whisk readers away into an amazing world of fiction, but I also sensed the call to use my stories to “lay up treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). That includes reflecting biblical worldview and weaving in themes that inspire courageous living for God.

The journey of writing purposefully for God hasn’t gone as I expected, but it’s rewarding when I keep my eyes on Him. Isn’t that the way it often is for His followers?

Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere, like a lot of writers say. I think my family has gotten used to me suddenly getting excited about the most random things, but unless you’re a writer, it might seem odd that a stranger passing by or an unrelated piece of conversation could trigger one’s imagination. It’s like I have my idea-radar constantly running in the background, and I never know when it’ll detect something.

The places I visit or the stories I consume (books, movies, etc.) can spark ideas. Like stories of the CIA and KGB during the cold war, as well as God’s Smuggler, one of the most influential books in my life. The commonality with these is Cold War Espionage, an era of spy history I find fascinating. The impersonations, false identities, secretly following others, tricking those following you, secret meetings, hiding in plain sight, and so much more … I love all that. Some of it made its way into CORE Deception, and I have more in store for future books.

Ideas are also likely to come from music and photos, like a specific photo of Skogafoss, Iceland did for CORE Deception. The picture inspired me, and on a whim, I started writing a scene with a similar setting. The words flowed quickly, two strong characters emerged, and even some hints at the plot. That scene remained largely unchanged throughout the novel’s editing and for the longest time was the opening scene (now it’s chapter 2).

What else inspired the CORE Series?

Aside from the photo mentioned above, the idea was largely birthed during 2020 when I faced fears I didn’t know I had. It was an odd, disruptive time for many, and somehow the unknowns of a strange illness and the changes that came to just about every aspect of life triggered fear in me. I’ve struggled with fear of acceptance, fear of failure, and fear of incompetence before, but this was something different. This fear dominated my thinking and tried to control my actions. (And really, doesn’t all fear do that?)

Something told me this wasn’t right—more like Someone. As a Christian, I shouldn’t fear like that, not if I believe the Bible. After all, our future is secure, no matter what happens to us physically. And as Christ-followers, we have more hope than anyone else.

So why was this fear so strong? It was a while later that I came across a quote by Max Lucado from his book Fearless. “Fear, at its center, is a perceived loss of control.”

Ouch, that was me. He nailed it. It felt like I had lost control of almost every aspect of normal life. Not that I had control in the first place. And that was the foundational deception of my fear. Life had been going fairly well, and I’d built my stability around that instead of the hope I have in Jesus. Experiencing this fear was painful because it forced me to face a reality—I wasn’t trusting God like I thought I was, like I wanted to think I was.

That’s the struggle for Seth in my book CORE Deception. But that’s not all. Throw in some espionage, a little hacking, a dystopian government, and another ice age and soon you have both an exciting and thought-provoking read.

I love the idea of Hawaii during an ice age. Tell us about that unique backdrop.

For the last few years, I’ve been intrigued with the idea of an arctic-like setting. Such extreme cold is vastly different than my home on the high plains of West Texas, and yet I get a little hint of it during winter. (Negative windchills, anyone? 🥶) So when the initial ideas of CORE Deception leaned dystopian, I got my chance to use that arctic-like setting idea.

Tyrannical governments like control—you don’t have to dig very deep into history to see what I mean—and extreme cold is one way to hold everyone within a city. It also creates obstacles for the main character, Seth. But he finds ways to leverage it, like he did with his sidekick Krystin when they [redacted]. Oops, I better not spoil that part of the story. You’ll have to read it to discover their work-around.

As to placing the story in Hawaii … In CORE Deception‘s early stages, Iceland was the closest real place to what I imagined. It captured much of the vibe I was looking for, so I let it serve as a placeholder until I knew more. I even played around with Scandinavian names for everyone, but eventually, that had to go (except for Krystin’s family). The story called for a setting that was part of America, inhabited by Americans. How could I do that? There’s Alaska, a setting I love, but quite a few fiction stories have already used Alaska.

While brainstorming with one of my editors, she suggested Hawaii. It’s American and has volcanic activity as a source or power. Add an ice age to make it arctic-like–problem solved!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

There are others who are more qualified to answer it than I am. After all, I’m just now publishing my first book! However, assuming we’re talking about writing genre fiction, I would say:

• Curate your desire for writing. Write the stories that capture your imagination and finish most of the stories you start. Explore different genres and styles.
• Learn how to write. Reading books and blogs about writing. If you can afford it, attend some writers conferences. But unless you want to write literary works, avoid college and university classes on writing. For example, while having a solid grasp of English is necessary to be a writer, the thrust of an English or MFA is very different from writing books to sell on the commercial market.
• Get feedback on your writing, but not on everything you write, and not from just anyone. Some people are very blunt when giving feedback, and they can dampen or even extinguish your desire to write. The most helpful feedback may come from people who are already experts in the field (like published writers) or people who love to read.
• Seek how God may have you to use your writing. Pursue Him, not writing. If He’s calling you to write, the best way to do that is doing it His way. Always keep Him at the center of your writing, filtering all that you write and any writing career moves through the word of God. As prolific writer Jerry Jenkins said in his book Writing for the Soul, “There are things more important in this world than your writing career. The Bible asks, what does it profit people who gain the whole world and lose their own soul?” If you exchange a piece of your relationship with God in order to accomplish something in writing, you haven’t profited where it really matters.

As Christians, how should living out our faith affect our intake of fiction, in whatever form—books, movies, social media?

I do have opinions about stories. What makes a good story is highly subjective, but if you’re a Bible-believing Christian, you have to acknowledge God has something to say about this. Here are a few quick thoughts:

• We know stories aren’t wrong. Jesus and others used them purposefully. Which leads me to my next point …
• Stories should have a purpose. Think about the times when stories are used in the Bible. It’s often for a good reason, like to illustrate a principle or make a point. You could call this guiding people closer to the Lord.
• We are responsible for our thoughts and should be intentional in what we allow to fill our minds. See Philippians 4:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:5. The areas covered by these verses include the stories we consume.

Think about King David’s reaction to the story told by Nathan the prophet (2 Samuel 12:1-15). David’s first reaction was anger (an unrighteous response) but soon after, repentance (a godly response). Or maybe you’ve seen the movie Courageous and were inspired to stand strong in the Lord and be a determined follower of His. Unfortunately, most of us have probably encountered a story that gave us spiritually unhealthy thoughts, stuff we struggled with or at least wished had never entered our minds.

Story is a powerful tool. And like any tool, it can be used for good or bad. As a storyteller who is also a Christ-follower, I sense the obligation to use this tool and calling to build others up. My commitment to readers is that my stories will honor God and strengthen them in the Lord. And as readers, we should consider our approach in story reading, listening, watching … and really any form of entertainment. Sure, it’s fine to snuggle up with a book to relax or to get a much-needed getaway, but we should also choose media that will encourage us to live for Christ and draw closer to Him. Those with worldviews that aren’t aligned with the Bible will tell you art (including stories) is fine as long as it’s art, but God calls His followers to a higher standard.

Jeremiah, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, a little of your heart, and some of the ideas that went into your debut novel! And thanks for letting us be a part in getting the word out. As you mentioned above, may God use your book to strengthen our faith in our own daily challenges.

Thanks so much for inviting me to the Storyteller Squad. It’s been fun!

Jeremiah Friedli (sounds like “freed lee”) writes young adult fiction with a thriller feel. Inspired by true stories of spies, chases, battles, and underdogs, he loves reading and writing tales of espionage, intrigue, and suspense. In fact, his incessant imagination can dream up danger in just about any part of real life…and then it finds its way into his stories, whether they’re set in modern times, a scientific future, or some imaginary place of yore.

He enjoys getting out in God’s creation, whether that’s hiking, camping, running, or just reading quietly on the porch. When he’s not browsing grocery stores for the latest deals on Blue Bell ice cream and frozen pizza, you might find him seated behind a large screen with one of his beloved spreadsheets or watching a movie with his family.

To learn more about Jeremiah, visit his website here. And if you sign up for his author newsletter, you’ll receive his free novella, Association, a CORE series prequel.