With
more than 12 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a
publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian
novelist.” The Oath (Word Publishing 1995), sold more than half a
million copies within the first six months of release. The Visitation
(Word Publishing 1999), was #1 on the CBA Fiction Bestseller list for four
months. Peretti is a natural storyteller who, as a youngster in Seattle,
regularly gathered the neighborhood children for animated storytelling
sessions. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with a
local bluegrass group. He and his wife were married in 1972, and Peretti
soon moved from touring with a pop band to launching a modest Christian
music ministry. Peretti later spent time studying English, screen writing
and film at UCLA and then assisted his father in pastoring a small
Assembly of God church. In 1983, he gave up his pastoring position and
began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a local
ski factory, he began writing This Present Darkness, the book that
would catapult him into the public eye. After numerous rejections from
publishers and a slow start in sales, word-of-mouth enthusiasm finally
lifted This Present Darkness onto a tidal wave of interest in
spiritual warfare. The book appeared on Bookstore Journal’s bestseller
list every month for more than eight years. Peretti’s two spiritual
warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1998) and Piercing the
Darkness (1989), captivated readers, together selling more than 3.5
million copies. The Oath was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award
for best fiction.
For kids, Peretti wrote The Cooper Kids Adventure Series (Crossways
and Tommy Nelson), which remains a best-selling series for children with
sales exceeding 1 million copies. In August 2000, Peretti released the
hilarious children’s audiocassette series titled Wild and Wacky Totally
True Bible Stories, reprising his role as Mr. Henry, the offbeat
substitute Sunday School teacher found in two Visual Bible for Kids
videos. Peretti released his first-ever non-fiction book, The Wounded
Spirit in 2000, which quickly became a best-seller. The book addresses
the pain of “wounded spirits” and was writted as a result of painful
childhood experiences. Frank Peretti and his wife, Barbara Jean, live in
the Western U.S. In spite of sudden fame and notoriety, Frank still lives
a simple, well-rounded life that includes carpentry, banjo making,
sculpturing, bicycling and hiking. He is also an avid pilot.
With
more than 12 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a
publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian
novelist.” The Oath (Word Publishing 1995), sold more than half a
million copies within the first six months of release. The Visitation
(Word Publishing 1999), was #1 on the CBA Fiction Bestseller list for four
months. Peretti is a natural storyteller who, as a youngster in Seattle,
regularly gathered the neighborhood children for animated storytelling
sessions. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with a
local bluegrass group. He and his wife were married in 1972, and Peretti
soon moved from touring with a pop band to launching a modest Christian
music ministry. Peretti later spent time studying English, screen writing
and film at UCLA and then assisted his father in pastoring a small
Assembly of God church. In 1983, he gave up his pastoring position and
began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a local
ski factory, he began writing This Present Darkness, the book that
would catapult him into the public eye. After numerous rejections from
publishers and a slow start in sales, word-of-mouth enthusiasm finally
lifted This Present Darkness onto a tidal wave of interest in
spiritual warfare. The book appeared on Bookstore Journal’s bestseller
list every month for more than eight years. Peretti’s two spiritual
warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1998) and Piercing the
Darkness (1989), captivated readers, together selling more than 3.5
million copies. The Oath was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award
for best fiction.