| Ted Dekker | |
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| Born | October 24, 1962 [1] Indonesia |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Genres | Fantasy, Thriller, Psychological thriller, Horror, Mystery |
| Notable work(s) | Thr3e, House, Adam, BoneMan's Daughters, The Bride Collector, The Priest's Graveyard |
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Influences
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www.teddekker.com |
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Ted Dekker (born October 24, 1962) is a New York Times best-selling Christian author best known for mystery and thriller novels, though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans. Early in his career he wrote a number of books that would best be categorized as Religious thrillers. His later works are a mix of mainstream novels such as Thr3e, Obsessed, Skin, Adam, and BoneMan’s Daughters; and fantasy thrillers that metaphorically explore redemptive history. Best known among these is his mega-series, the Books of History Chronicles, which comprises the Circle series (Black, Red, White, Green), The Lost Books series (Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, Chaos, Lunatic, Elyon), and the Paradise series (Showdown, Saint, and Sinner), as well as several other books, including House (with fellow Christian author, Frank Peretti).
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Dekker was born to missionaries who lived among the headhunter tribes of Indonesia. "Throw a pair of shorts on, no shoes, no shirt and take off into the jungle. That’s how I grew up. It was a completely different culture.” As a result his parents’ work often included extended periods of time away from their children.[1]
After leaving Indonesia, Dekker graduated from high school and took up permanent residence in the United States to study Philosophy and Religion. After obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in philosophy, he entered the corporate world. But his personal drive left him restless and he traded corporate life for a wide range of entrepreneurial pursuits.
In the early nineties while visiting a friend who had just written a book, Dekker decided to pursue a long held desire to be a novelist. Over the course of two years he wrote two full-length novels before scrapping both. He eventually sold his business, moved his family to the mountains of Western Colorado, and began writing full-time on his third novel.
According to Dekker's website, his core fanbase consists of readers under the age of 45, split nearly evenly between male and female, which skews young for a thriller market that is typically heavily weighted toward middle-aged females.
Because of Dekker's general distaste for organized American Christianity, he often finds himself at the heart of controversy in certain conservative circles. It is Dekker's dark subject matter that most irritates some traditionalists. His characters often descend into deep valleys of tremendous struggle and despair before finding hope. Dekker has rejected the labeling of his works as merely "religious" fiction - many of his books have little to do with religion. His refusal to be put in a traditional religious box draws some fire, and yet it is this very authenticity in his work that draws millions of readers. As such, he is an anomaly, often misunderstood[2] by those traditionalists who have not taken the ride with him on stories filled with serial killers, deeply conflicted characters, death, and ultimately resounding hope and love. None of his books look too kindly on mainstream Christianity, but rather focus on core Christian themes such as loving the unlovely, hope where there is none, not judging others, and redemption when all is lost.
The fact that his novels have sold over 5 million copies in the United States and over 1 million in 2010 alone is testament enough that he is not alone.
His first propositions to publishers were all rejected, possibly because of their dark content. These rejected offerings consisted of three incarnations of what would later be Black, along with To Kill with Reason. Dekker's first published work, Heaven’s Wager, is a supernatural thriller that was written just after his brother's death.
Dekker proceeded to write 6 more supernatural thrillers and quickly rose in popularity. These titles included: When Heaven Weeps, Thunder of Heaven, Blessed Child (with Bill Bright), A Man Called Blessed (with Bill Bright), and Blink (the title was later changed to "In the Blink of an Eye"). All explored themes of death and life within a supernatural/religious context.
In recent years, Dekker has released some of his earliest manuscripts as exclusive promotional material.[3][4]
Dekker then turned back to his roots and penned Thr3e, his first mainstream novel. The book won several awards and landed at the top of several bestseller lists. It was later made into a movie.
Since then Dekker has written in two primary genres, mainstream thrillers and fantasy. He has also co-authored books with other bestselling authors, including Bill Bright, Frank Peretti, Erin Healy, Carl Medearis, and Tosca Lee.
Beginning in June 2007, fans gathered in Nashville, TN of their own accord to discuss all things Dekker with a focus on the Circle Series. They dubbed the event "The Gathering", and it became an annual tradition. In 2008, over 200 people showed up. In 2009, over 500 bought tickets and congregated for the first professionally organized Gathering. In 2010, two smaller events were held in both Dallas, TX and Chicago, IL, nicknamed "The Gathering 2.0". Roughly 1,000 fans came out to hear Dekker speak for a three-hour session in each city.
Ted Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories packed with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil.
Dekker has frequently described his novels as pure escapism in which he often plumbs humanity’s ongoing struggle outside the context of religion. As many of his novels are set in the darkest of settings, common thematic elements that appear in his novels include:
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