The Character I Nearly Cut

In my first two Visions of Murder novels, I steered easily away from the subject of religion. Unless a reporter is covering an event that centers on faith, such as Rosh Hashanah or Christmas Eve services, discussing a belief system among coworkers doesn't typically come up. Why? Because human resource executives have drilled into managers to never allow a person's faith to open them up for unique treatment in the workplace. In my early years in management, I joined in for a prospective job candidate's dinner and, in my attempt to make our city seem attractive, I said, "If you are a person of faith, you'll find Springfield has a lot of options." Across the table, my news director shot me a concerned look, nervously laughed, and said, "We don't bring up religion in job interviews, Lissa." She was afraid I had crossed a line, and perhaps I did, although my intentions were benign.

In "Wrecked," I introduce a teenage character, Brendon. He's part of a church mission group whose flight home encounters extreme turbulence. As the pilot radioes for an emergency landing, overhead bins open, spilling heavy suitcases, passengers are flung into the aisle and personal items fly off tray tables. Everything turns out okay but several students have injuries that require a hospital visit.

Bekka meets Brendon in the ER waiting room. His mother has yet to arrive and Bekka gives the 15-year-old a bottle of water and makes conversation while he waits for her. Brendon describes the harrowing event and how it scared the young people--many to tears--but he was confident God would guide them all to a safe landing. Then, he asked a question.

"Do you believe in God, Bekka?" It was jarring for the reporter who wasn't raised in the church. How could she look at this confident young man, still wearing his church camp t-shirt with the cross around his neck and tell him she has no answer? I wanted to insert a faith-oriented subplot at some point in the books and this seemed like a good way to do it, but man, where do I take it after Brendon's very profound question? I struggled for days on how to address it--almost to the point of cutting the character entirely. Whichever direction I went, a section of readers could be offended.

Bekka's answer in the ER waiting room was, "I know something wonderful was at work, helping all of you endure a terrifying experience." Cop out? Maybe but, as a journalist in the throes of her job, it was the safest answer. Faith is so personal, any answer is appropriate because a person's belief system is bigger than any job. As you read "Wrecked," you'll see this is not the only time Brendon challenges Bekka on her religious views and he starts to get in her head. Only she can decide if that's a good or bad thing.

Have you been at work and had a person ask about your faith? How did you handle it? Send me an email because I might need that scene in a future book.