"Deeper Heaven," by Christiana Pinkall

Christiana Pinkall (formerly Hale) got her BA from NSA in 2015, her MA in 2017, and recently completed the MFA program in 2022. We reached out to learn more about her book Deeper Heaven: A Reader’s Guide to C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy.

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How did you first come up with the idea to write Deeper Heaven?

The idea for Deeper Heaven came to me when I was working on my undergraduate thesis at NSA. That thesis was exploring the parallels and connections between Dante's Divine Comedy and the Ransom Trilogy. This was a number of years ago, and at the time, there was little in the way of commentary or scholarly work done on the Trilogy. In the course of my work and research, I found myself again and again interacting with people who were befuddled and bewildered by the Trilogy (especially That Hideous Strength... I mean, Merlin? Really?). And I found myself wishing that there was something along the lines of a reader's guide that I could point people to. When it came time to decide on a thesis project for my graduate studies, it didn't take me long to decide to write the book I wish existed. And thus Deeper Heaven was born. 

How did your time at NSA help prepare you for writing and publishing?

NSA was fundamental in equipping me to write this book. From the Ransom Trilogy being assigned in freshman Lordship (my first time reading the Trilogy all the way through!) to honing my writing skills to drawing me into the "great conversation" -- the education and instruction that I received at NSA was an integral part in enabling me to trace out the myriad connections I discovered in Lewis's work. It's safe to say that Deeper Heaven wouldn't exist without NSA. 

Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like people to know about?

The most exciting thing at the moment is that my husband and I are expecting our first baby this summer. My daughter is the most important "new release" that I can imagine! That said, I have a couple writing projects in the queue -- a book on Lewis's Till We Have Faces and a middle grade novel that I completed for NSA's MFA program and would like to polish up for publication. 

What are you currently reading, or what was a book that you read recently and enjoyed?

I've been on a mystery kick lately and worked my way through a couple Agatha Christies (And Then There Were None and Death on the Nile). I do love a good Poirot. I'm also reading some Diana Wynne Jones, as I'm hoping to jump back into my middle grade fiction mode soon!

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Thank you for the interview, Christiana! Deeper Heaven is available at the Tyndale Library for checkout.