We’re thrilled to have here today Samuel, an angel, from Ray Sutherland’s new inspirational suspense novel Secret Agent Angel. Samuel is an angel who comes to earth disguised as a human.
It is a pleasure to have him with us today at Beyond the Books!
Thank you so for this interview, Samuel. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?
Since I’m the narrator, I have no complaint. I would like to point out how different it is to be here on the earth instead of in my natural home in Heaven. That’s one of the most interesting and fun parts of coming to earth disguised as a regular human.
Do you feel the author did a good job colorizing your personality? If not, how would you like to have been portrayed differently?
In narrating the book I tried hard to let my personality show. That’s one element of angels that’s the same on earth and on the other side. So the book shows my personality quite well, I think.
What do you believe is your strongest trait?
Persistence, or dedication, which might be a better label. That’s built into me. Sometimes I have to change plans in the middle of a job and now and then I even have to admit failure. But perseverance in the work I’m sent to do isn’t a choice I make. It’s a compulsion.
Worse trait?
I’m a junk food junkie. When I’m here on earth, I enjoy taking advantage of the physical process of gaining energy and mass which is to say eating. I have a sweet tooth when I’m in human form and I love all kinds of food.
If you could choose someone in the television or movie industry to play your part if your book was made into a movie, who would that be (and you can’t say yourself!)?
I have a very different appearance every time I come over to the earth so there’s no one actor to portray me in all of my jobs. In the stories in Secret Agent Angel, I’m here in the non-descript appearance of everyman so any character actor could do the job quite well. Ben Foster would be a good choice. Or Jakob Oftebro, the Norwegian actor. Possibly one of the Wahlbergs.
Do you have a love interest in the book?
I’m not made for romantic relationships. Our relationships with each other are of a very different sort, so while I have a strong interest in romance, my role is to enjoy watching humans who are in love. Seeing young people fall in love is wonderful. Old people, too.
At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?
When I come over in human form, I’m normally limited to human senses and knowledge-mostly. So usually I don’t know how it’s all going to turn out any more than do the people I’m with. As a result, I’m always nervous about the outcome. My being there doesn’t ensure that everything turns out right and sometimes it doesn’t. That makes things more interesting.
If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?
I think that Frankie the young criminal was the saddest part of the story. He had talent, skill, and opportunity, but he wasted it all on criminal pursuits. To have such opportunities and to do nothing with them is very sad.
How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?
The ending is uplifting and optimistic but with just a small undercurrent of pathos. It’s a mostly happy conclusion-with, of course, enough loose ends for a sequel.
What words of wisdom would you give your author if s/he decided to write another book with you in it?
If Professor Sutherland does a sequel, I hope he will continue to let me speak in my own voice. Narrating this story was a lot of fun.
Thank you for this interview, Samuel. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?
We angels are always around and working, even when you can’t see us. There are a lot more stories that could be told. I’ll be here, one way or another.
Ray Sutherland is a Kentucky native who grew up on a farm outside of Bowling Green. He served in the Army, spent two years in Germany, received his B.A. in religion from Western Kentucky University, and his PhD in the Bible from Vanderbilt University. Ray has served of Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke for over thirty years, pastored a small church for nine years, and is retired from the Army Reserve. He and his wife Regina live in North Carolina. They have two sons and four grandchildren. Visit him at www.raysutherland.com. Find out more about his book on Amazon.
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