Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Paul McCusker, Catholic author, via email in May, 2026. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
You had a well-established career before entering the Catholic Church in 2007. What drew you to the faith, and how did that conversion reshape your approach to storytelling?
The shortest version of my rather long journey into the Catholic Church might be simply placed on an often-asked question: Who has the authority to interpret Scripture and establish doctrine? Having grown up Baptist, Scripture was the center point of my faith. But, later, as an Anglican, I realized that decisions within any church about the faith had to do with the answer to that question. Over time, it became clear from the Bible and History that the answer was Apostolic Authority. So the next question was: where do I find Apostolic Authority today? That was the Roman Catholic Church. After coming to that conclusion, I was duty-bound to act on it and was received into the Church.
My writing life has been integrally bound up with my spiritual life. I can’t seem to separate them. So, becoming Catholic – and engaging in the Catholic Imagination (which is quite different from other Christian approaches) has been wonderfully freeing and creative for me.
Many people know your work through Adventures in Odyssey. How did that experience prepare you to create a new world like Welcome to Hope Springs?
Having worked on Adventures in Odyssey for almost 30 years – writing a lot of the episodes and novels – it’s safe to say that my entire writing life was informed by that experience. Writing for “kids” without writing down to them, finding the balance between what kinds really want from a drama and what parents expect, developing characters, writing compelling dialog for audio, creating pictures in the mind… all of that came from my experience with Odyssey and feeds into the work I’m doing now.
Audio drama is making something of a comeback in recent years. What is it about storytelling through sound that you think uniquely captures the imagination, especially for children?
The power of audio drama is how it directly engages the imagination, making us work a little harder to create the pictures, which means we embrace them even more. Audio is so personal, in that respect. It draws us in and holds us there. That’s why a young boy said years ago that he liked audio dramas better than movies because “the pictures are better.”
In Welcome to Hope Springs, themes of friendship, mystery, and virtue are woven into everyday life. Why is it important to tell stories where moral formation happens through ordinary experiences rather than overt lessons?
I suppose the obvious answer is that Jesus did it. He preached and He told stories. And there’s no doubt He did that because story telling engages us is a different way than, say, a proclamation, in which something is asserted and we either accept or reject it, sometimes on the spot. When you start with a “Once upon a time, a man had two sons…” and we hear the story of a prodigal and what happened to him, we take it in a completely different way. Or, for example, rather than summarize an academic answer to the question “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells the story of man on the road who gets beaten and robbed and how passers-by treat him.
Through stories, we think and ruminate and identify with characters and learn from their virtues and vices, their successes and failures. We’re not reacting to a proposition, but to something real and human. That’s how story forms us.
As a Catholic creative working with the Augustine Institute, how do you balance artistic excellence with faithfulness to the Church’s mission?
Fortunately, I haven’t found that a faithfulness to the Church’s mission conflicts with artistic excellence. In fact, because we’re being faithful to the Church, we should be striving for excellence in everything we do. The balance is already there, I think. And if we’re tempted to go a little crazy pushing towards the edges, as many artists are inclined to do, we have the Church to help keep us in check. For me, artistry is not singularly about serving the passion or vision of the artist but presenting that passion or vision in a meaningful way to an audience – real people who have real needs and expectations.
Many families today are trying to reduce screen time and find meaningful alternatives. What role do you see projects like Hope Springs playing in shaping the imagination and spiritual lives of young listeners?
The good news is that an audio drama doesn’t have a screen. But I think what people are feeling is how much time we waste with our devices with or without screens. And we worry about the unhealthy influences that come from outside agents, but also from the lack of discipline that goes with sitting back and being spoon fed everything. Audio requires a different level of engagement, just like reading, which won’t let the mind simply wander off and absorb everything like a sponge. And, for me, the exciting thing about something like Hope Springs is that it’s inspiring entertainment written from a Catholic perspective.
There is an assumed Catholic reality to all aspects, even when it isn’t overtly Catholic. We explore situations and ideas well within the Catholic Imagination.
A program like Hope Springs also allows parents to have discussions with their kids about what the characters do and say – right choices, wrong decisions, what they liked and didn’t like. The parents get the last word about what they believe. And I’ve found that audio stories will often get kids to open up about what they’re thinking and feeling in a way that they won’t otherwise.
You’ve spent years developing the world of Hope Springs. What keeps you inspired to return to these characters and stories over time?
A big part, I suppose, is that I like the town. Setting it in Colorado – with so much of the vibrancy of Western History – allows me to explore a lot of ideas and situations. And I like being with the characters. I enjoy finding out what they’re going to do and say next. I don’t often know.
For Catholic writers and creators who feel called to tell stories but aren’t sure where to begin, what advice would you offer?
I know it’s a bit cliché, but the quick answer is to simply do it. If you want to write, then write. Don’t wait for a better or optimal time. Frankly, most real writers I know aren’t able to stop. So, if you’re called – especially if you’re called – then you have to take that God given talent (which is a gift) and attach it to skill and craft (which is earned). And, depending on the kind of writing you want to do, study those who are already doing it. Movies? Novels? Plays? Sculpting?
Look at what’s come before you – what was done well, what wasn’t. Be inspired and educated. It doesn’t matter what age you are. I started writing as soon as I could put a pencil to paper. I couldn’t not write. And, thankfully, God has allowed me to write for my entire career. And I’m painfully aware that it doesn’t happen that way for more-deserving people than I am.
About Paul
Paul McCusker is a writer and dramatist best known for his work on the long–running children’s audio program Adventures in Odyssey. He has written award–winning Radio Theatre productions for the Augustine Institute and Focus on the Family, as well as numerous novels for readers of all ages, including Into the Catacombs, Last Things, The Adventures of Nick & Sam, and The Virtue Chronicles.
He currently serves as Senior Director of Creative Content for the Augustine Institute, collaborating with the organization on his latest audio drama project, Welcome to Hope Springs. Paul resides in Missouri with his wife.
