In Tehran, while hiding out from the Iranian secret police, CIA officer, Titus Ray, finds shelter with a group of Iranian Christians. Compelled by their unwavering faith, the battle-hardened agent becomes a believer shortly before they smuggle him out of Iran to freedom in Turkey.
Returning to the States, he discovers his Iranian mission failed because of political infighting within the Agency. After delivering a scathing indictment against the Deputy Director of Operations, he’s forced to take a year’s medical leave in Oklahoma.
Before leaving Langley, however, he discovers a Hezbollah hit man has targeted him for assassination. Now, while trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ, he must decide if the Iranian couple he meets in Oklahoma has ties to the man who's trying to kill him, and if Nikki Saxon, a beautiful local detective, can be trusted with his secrets.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I was inspired to write my first book when I heard about the persecution of Christians in Iran about five years ago. Because I've always been an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, I knew my first book would be in this genre, and that's when I asked the questions that became the plotline of One Night in Tehran. I wondered what would happen if a veteran CIA intelligence operative in Tehran encountered a group of Iranian Christians and became a believer? How would his conversion affect his career? How would a man trained to lie and deceive others be able to follow the teachings of Christ in the real world?
Is there a message in your book for readers?
If there's an underlying message in the book it's that God is always at work in the lives of unbelievers to bring them to faith in Christ. Titus is a career intelligence officer, dedicated to carrying out deceptive, treacherous, sometimes violent, operations against both individuals and governments. He was raised in a dysfunctional family with no spiritual upbringing. Yet, while hiding out from Iran's secret police, he was confronted with the truth of the gospel. The message of One Night in Tehran is that a conversion experience often happens to the most improbable people in the most unlikely of circumstances.
What books have influenced you the most?
My favorite classic is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, but my favorite spy novelist is Daniel Silva. I’ve read his entire Gabriel Allon series. However, the most influential book on my life has been the Bible. I’ve read it through every year for the past forty years.
Is there anything in your book based on real life experiences?
The majority of the action of One Night in Tehran takes place in Norman, Oklahoma where I’ve lived for the past twenty years. As strange as it may seem, I didn't just choose this setting because it was familiar to me. I chose it because both Norman and Oklahoma City have been at the center of many terrorist events during the last twenty years. As an example, besides the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, many of the 9/11 hijackers attended the Airmen Flight School in Norman.
What has been your greatest challenge when writing?
The greatest challenge of writing One Night in Tehran was the difficulty of ending it. The story kept unfolding in front of me, and when I realized I needed to make a series out of this thriller, it was hard to decide where to end Book 1.
What are you working on right now?
Two Days in Caracas, will be published at the end of June 2015, and I'm proofing the book right now. This is Book 2 in the Titus Ray Thriller Series. In it, CIA intelligence officer, Titus Ray, travels from Costa Rica to Venezuela in an effort to stop Ahmed Al-Amin, a Hezbollah assassin, from murdering a high-profile government official. Along the way, a family crisis jeopardizes his mission, and an Agency division head threatens to destroy his career. As the danger mounts, he’s forced to partner with an untested operative to complete the mission and bring Ahmed to justice.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
The best advice I can give to anyone who wants to become a published author is to become disciplined in your writing. Set aside a time each day or several hours one day a week and write. You'll never become an author until you decide to make writing a priority in your life.
Have you had any funny experiences in your writing?
The funniest, or maybe I should say the strangest, experience in my writing was soon after One Night in Tehran was published. I had just picked up my grandson from high school, and, when he got in the car, he told me he had downloaded my new book on his Kindle. Then, he began reading the prologue out loud to me. That blew my mind! I never expected to hear my grandson reading my own book to me.
What is your favorite book quote?
My favorite book quote is one I heard my mother say numerous times, especially after she was confined to a wheelchair during the last years of her life. It's from Mason Cooley: "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are."
Genre: Christian thriller
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/One-Night-Tehran-Titus-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00MKK5HEM/
Luana picked up her first adult spy novel when she was eleven years old. Today, she continues to have a
Luana is a minister's wife and has lived in Norman, Oklahoma for the past two decades. Previously, she resided in several states in the South and Midwest. Along with her husband, she also served as a missionary in Costa Rica and Venezuela.
Occasionally, she reports on the experiences of newly converted Christians for Baptist Press, a national news service for Baptists. At one time, she wrote a weekly column for The Indiana Baptist, entitled "A Story To Tell," which told the stories of ordinary people who became followers of Christ. Luana is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers.
Author Links:
Website:
http://www.luanaehrlich.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LuanaEhrlichAuthor
Amazon:
http://amazon.com/author/luanaehrlich
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/LuanaEhrlich
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=558MD5S-dsg
Blog:
http://www.hisglorymyjoy.wordpress.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/luanasbooks
Google Plus:
https://plus.google.com/117406243187132893304/posts
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/Luanasbooks/
About A.E. Albert
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