Q. Why did you write Vanished?  For entertainment only?  What other messages are you trying to get across?
 
A. The isolation and displacement in Vanished gives me the opportunity to explore the human spirit stripped of its support systems. My characters range from working-class adults to gangbangers to moms-with-toddlers to the rich barricaded in their gated community. Mercy is cheap at first but survival becomes paramount as the story goes on. How some-regardless of age or social status-either rise or fall fascinates me.
 
Q. You've written books for children like Can of Warms and MadCat.  How have they influenced how you wrote Vanished?
 
A. I find it impossible to write any book without kids in it. A key character in Vanished is Kaya's son Ben. He's on the run from a lynch mob after he inadvertently transported the knapsack that contained a bomb.
 
Q. How do you want a reader who has just finished Vanished to feel?
 
A. I want them to think, "How would I react? Would I be selfless and brave, or would I hide and hoard? Would I be faithful?"
 
Q. Do you think Vanished is a niche book or will it have broader appeal?
 
A. My first Christian chiller, The Surrogate, was recently optioned by Fox Atomic (a division of 20th Century Fox) to be made into a mainstream film. All my chillers have the elements that make a supernatural thriller intriguing to any reader who enjoys the genre.
 
Q. You've written screenplays for Can of Worms and Hangman's Curse among others.  How did you end up in Hollywood ?
 
A. I love movies, love writing screenplays, and had a big, unagented sale that defied all the odds. I have no other explanation other than God had a nice laugh, sending a middle-aged mom to Hollywood. When Fox flew me out first-class after my big sale, I had never even been on a plane!
 
Q. Any hopes or plans for Vanished in Hollywood ?
 
It's a natural for television. As we speak, I'm on strike with Writers' Guild of America so we're not conducting any film business but I hope when the dust settles, we can get it out there.
 
Q. What book do you wish you'd written? 
 
A. The Stand, by Stephen King. It is an epic thriller, with a deep spiritual center. And his book The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a huge favorite of mine because it involves my three favorite interests-kids, the deep woods, and the Boston Red Sox.
 
Q. What's next?
 
A. Screenplays and supernatural thrillers pay my bills but my kids' and YA books are my passion. I just finished a YA book for Dial called Boost. It involves a 14-year-old female basketball phenom who is challenged by her coach to up her performance. There's plenty of pharmaceutical short-cuts available these days-even for girls-and we wanted to explore those pressures.
 

Across many markets Kathryn Mackel is known as a creative wordsmith who can write fast-paced action with well-developed characters and imaginative plots. She pioneered the sub-genre known as “Christian Chillers." She is known among middle-schoolers for her Can of Worms series and her screenwriting career has included work for Disney, Fox, and Showtime.

Keith Raffel wrote Dot Dead, "without question the most impressive mystery debut of the year" according to Bookreporter.com.  Former counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, he is currently finishing up Two Graves, a political thriller set – where else? – in Washington, D.C.