Recently Tim George sat down with Ace Collins to discuss his new novel, Swope’s Ridge, the transition from non-fiction to fiction, and what’s on the horizon for the author. A special thanks goes out to Ace Collins for his time and to Jessica Secord at Zondervan for setting up this interview.
More about Ace Collins:
Ace Collins is a master storyteller and an award-winning author with over sixty books to his credit. Collins released three new books in 2008, has four releasing in 2009 and two slated for 2010. The mystery and action-packed Farraday Road (Zondervan, Oct 2008) is Collins’ first novel, followed by Swope’s Ridge (Zondervan, Oct 2009), part 1 and 2 in the trilogy based on the exploits of Arkansas lawyer Lije Evans. 25 Days 26 Ways comes on the heels of his Stories Behind books, the newest being Stories Behind Men of Faith. Collins’ is also working on developing two additional fiction series for release in upcoming years.
Collins has made scores of television appearances, including Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, CNN, Fox and Friends, The NBC Nightly News, Entertainment Tonight, Court TV, E The Untold Story, At Home Live, The Early Show and Crook and Chase. Two of his books have been made into network TV specials, while he also hosted the ABC holiday offering “Lassie 280 Dog years On TV” on ABC. His book Father Does Know Best was made into a NBC movie of the week, while he averages more than 250 radio interviews.
In addition, Collins has also penned more than 2,000 magazine features for the likes of People, Us, Plus Magazine and Guideposts. For the past twenty years, he’s also been he editor and graphic designer for WME Magazine. He also hosts the nonprofit charity organization’s radio and television broadcasts. Collins has won numerous awards for his writing, including three Golden Quills, an America’s Writing Award and the Angel of Excellence Award. He has spoke to many groups and was a feature lecturer at the National Archives Author Series in Washington DC.
The Texas-based writer has been married for thirty-three years to Kathy Collins, the Associate Director for the Center for Learning and Development in Waco, Texas. The couple has two sons; Clint, a graduate of Baylor University who lives in Austin, and Rance, a student at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas.
Collins’ hobbies include restoring and driving classic cars. He currently owns a 1934 Auburn 652Y Sedan, a 1936 Cord 810 Westchester, a 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr Sedan, and a 1965 Mustang Fastback. He’s also a huge college basketball fan and a collector of movie memorabilia from the Golden Age of Hollywood and enjoying Art-Deco design.
On the non-fiction side, Collins recently released Stories Behind Women of Extraordinary Faith (Zondervan), followed by a companion book Stories Behind Men of Faith (Zondervan, 2009). Collins’ work with “The Stories Behind” series date back to 2001, with the bestseller The Stories Behind The Best-Loved Songs of Christmas and The Stories Behind The Great Traditions of Christmas, which topped the charts and has been translated and released in China, among others.
Also in 2009, Collins released Sticks & Stones: Using Your Words as a Power Force!, a book he has wanted to write for over a decade. The book shares stories of the incredible people Collins’ met over his illustrious career. His writing career began twenty-five years ago, and he has since penned more than sixty books, including bios of Evel Knievel and The Dixie Chicks, autobiographies with Lauren Chapin and The Cathedral Quartet, how to books, a book on the star players of the old Negro baseball league and two bestsellers with one of the biggest stars in entertainment history, the legendary Lassie.
This interview can also be downloaded from our iTunes page.
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