Today I am pleased to welcome author Fayla Ott to Interviews & Reivews. Fayla crafts faith-filled historical fiction and suspenseful southern tales. With a voice that doesn’t shy away from the hard things, she brings to life characters who wrestle with the broken and the haunted, always leaving room for hope and grace to shine through. Today she is here to talk about her latest book A Bridge to Die On and she is giving away one print copy to a lucky winner in the U.S.!

Fayla, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

Can you please provide a brief summary of your book.

A Bridge to Die On is a dual-timeline supernatural suspense novel centered around a “haunted” bridge in Mississippi that holds more than just local legend. In the present, Reese Hayden inherits her uncle’s home and despite the need for renovations, she hopes for a fresh start, only to discover something dark still lingers at the bridge. In 1858, Catherine Porter faces isolation and unrest as strange events begin to unfold in her own time. As both women are drawn into the same spiritual battle across generations, the story explores how faith is often forged in the darkest places, and how even in those places, hope is there for those who reach for it.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading your book?

I hope readers walk away feeling both unsettled and encouraged.
Unsettled, because the story does not shy away from the reality of evil, and encouraged because it reminds us that darkness does not have the final word. Even when something feels overwhelming or unseen, there is still a greater power at work through Jesus. 

The story also explores the danger of isolation and how easily we can become vulnerable when we try to carry things on our own. We were not meant to walk through life or faith alone. We need spiritual community, even when it is difficult or imperfect. More than anything, I want readers to feel that faith is not fragile. It can stand even in the middle of fear (and maybe sleep with the lights on).

Do you travel to the places you write about?

Yes, whenever possible. I visited Stuckey’s Bridge in Meridian, Mississippi while researching this novel, and standing there in person added a layer of atmosphere that is difficult to replicate otherwise. For my earlier novel Afflicted, which is set during the
Salem witch trials, I also traveled to Salem, Massachusetts. Walking those streets and experiencing the setting firsthand helped me capture the tone and historical weight of the story in a more authentic way.

What do you do when you aren't writing?

When I am not writing, I teach full time as an associate professor of English. I work with students in composition and writing, which keeps me constantly engaged with language and storytelling in a different way. Outside of that, I enjoy reading, spending time with
my family, traveling, church activities, hiking, and just everyday life experiences, which often end up inspiring my stories more than I expected. And when my characters act up, it is usually because they are taking notes from me.

What is your favourite Scripture verse and why?

My favorite Scripture is Isaiah 41:10. It has been my life verse since childhood and has carried me through many dark and uncertain seasons. It’s a reminder that I’m not alone, even when life feels overwhelming. The promise that God strengthens, helps, and upholds us has been something I have returned to again and again, both in my personal life and in the themes I write.

When is your next book due out, and can you tell us about it?

My next release is a WWII-era novel titled To Fly on Broken Wings, which will release early summer. It follows a young woman who believes her husband has been lost in the war, only to rebuild her life and face an impossible situation when he returns. It is a deeply emotional story about love, loss, and the kind of choices that do not have easy answers.

How can readers connect with you?

Readers can find me at my website, www.faylaott.com, where I share updates, books, and behind-the-scenes content. I am also active on TikTok and Facebook, where I talk about faith, fiction, and the deeper themes behind my stories. I love connecting with readers on those platforms. It feels more like a conversation than just promotion. I have not started dancing on TikTok yet, but I suppose there is still time.

Thank you for sharing with us Fayla! And now Dear Readers, if you would like to win a copy of A Bridge to Die On, and you are a resident of the United States, simply fill out the form below! This giveaway will end April 16, 2026 and winners will be notified via email and the announcement will be posted here and on Facebook.

Two timelines. One haunted bridge. And a chilling reminder that some evils refuse to stay buried.

When Reese Hayden inherits her late uncle’s home on the banks of the Chunky River, she’s hoping for a fresh start. But the eerie rope hanging from the beams of Stuckey’s Bridge and the strange figure haunting its banks suggest that some histories refuse to stay hidden. As Reese navigates the pain of betrayal and isolation, she discovers the bridge holds more than local legend—it holds power.

In 1878, Catherine Porter struggles to find acceptance in a town where her past and present seem to make her invisible. Yet, as unsettling whispers and unexplained disappearances begin to surround Stuckey's Bridge, Catherine is drawn into a confrontation with darkness she never anticipated.

Across two timelines, Reese and Catherine face the same chilling evil, one that feeds on isolation and fear. With spiritual battles waging unseen and the bridge at the center of it all, both women must confront the terrifying truth—that some evil is ancient, persistent, and closer than they think.

Today I am pleased to welcome author Crystal Caudill to I & R. Crystal Caudill is the Christy Award–winning author of “dangerously good romance,” including the Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver near Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Today, Crystal is going to talk to us about her latest book Sung in the Shadows and she is giving away one print copy to a lucky winner in the U.S.!

Crystal, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

Can you tell us how the idea for Sung in the Shadows came about? The acknowledgments mention a "last-minute pivot" from your original proposal—what changed, and how did that shift shape the story we have now?

Originally, I planned the story to be about Nora exposing a killer and preventing a woman from being wrongfully forced into an asylum—just as her mother had been. I inserted this small plot line where her mother’s secrets and mental illness play a part in Nora not knowing who the real enemy is. Not a bad story, if I say so myself, but my
editor saw the real story God was calling me to write. Mental illness wasn’t meant to just be a thread, it was supposed to be the backbone.

I surrendered my storyline and leaned into what I wanted to ignore—my own family’s struggle with mental illness and supporting those with mental illness. From there, the story grew into one where a young woman wrestles with her faith and the potential she may be going insane like her mother—either that or the danger is real—while forming a relationship with a man who challenges her and supports her despite her struggles.

The book deals with mental health in a historical context—paranoia, depression, and the treatment of mental illness in 1881 asylums. What was your research process like for portraying Longview Asylum authentically?

Finding information on Longview Asylum was actually incredibly difficult. I was able to locate a few of the annual reports and newspaper announcements, but treatments were largely taken from other asylums and doctors of the time who published their plans and rationales. I am lucky to live right across the river from Cincinnati, and there is a giant bookstore with rare and local books. They happened to have a single poster-sized page from an 1868 atlas about Longview Asylum. It had details I couldn’t find anywhere else, so I coughed up the $30, and it because a critical resource for providing descriptions of the building.

Mental illness is a very difficult topic. What research did you do to portray it accurately and with hope?

With a strong family history of mental illness, the years of medical trauma I’d endured as a caregiver, and my own hurdling toward mental breakdown as I wrote the book, I had more personal experience with the topic than I’d wish on anyone. However, everyone’s experiences are different, so I interviewed multiple Christians who struggle with mental illness or have supported those with mental illness. They were kind enough to be raw and open with me, all while sharing how hope can still for them, even in the darkest
seasons. Almost all of what you see in Sung in the Shadows is derived from those interviews with some sprinkling in of my own experiences and feelings. I wanted the people who struggle with mental illness and those who support them to feel seen and
encouraged. I also wanted those who are blessed to not have experience with either to gain empathy and understanding of what it’s really like for a Christian to walk that journey.

The book tackles difficult questions about faith and mental illness—characters who do "everything right" spiritually but still struggle, and the harmful advice Ezekiel's mother received about just "praying harder". What message did you want to convey to readers who might be wrestling with similar struggles?

Struggling with mental illness does not make you any less of a Christian. You’re not being punished by God. You’re not being abandoned by Him. You’re not a failure just because you cannot escape the struggle. We all have our crosses to carry, but we do not carry them alone. Not only is Christ with you, but He has brought people in your life who can help you bear it, like two oxen yoked together. Lean into those God has given you.

My favorite scene is where Ezekiel talks to Nora about Matthew 11:30, “For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Nora pushes back against her burden of mental illness being easy or light. Ezekiel acknowledges it is hard, but he also describes the purpose of Christ’s yoke. It doesn’t make the burden go away. It becomes easier to bear when you’re not bearing that alone. Turn to Christ, but also be honest about your struggles with those He has placed in your life whom you can trust. There is a whole lot more there in that scene, but that’s the bottom line. You were never meant to bear the burden
of mental illness alone.

The cat, Tristan, steals so many scenes! The acknowledgments mention he was suggested as a joke. How did this cantankerous, one-eyed cat become such an integral part of the story, and did you draw inspiration from any real cats in your life?

Mental illness is a heavy topic, and every story with heavy themes needs to have some levity to break things up. Tristan became that levity. I’ve only had one cat in my life. Simba was a smart, ornery thing. You couldn’t say or spell shrimp without him coming and clawing you until you gave some. He had no problem climbing up your body to snatch a shrimp from your hand if you tried to be more stubborn than him. And those poor mockingbirds . . . Simba would come and go outside as he pleased, and those mockingbirds would divebomb him every chance they got. He would backflip, catch them, and leave nothing but the beak and feet behind. He got along great with my dog, but it was always obvious who was the dominant one in the relationship. I’d say Tristan has a lot of Simba in him.

Nora carries knitting needles as weapons, sets booby traps in her home, and has learned to mask her emotions since childhood. She's both strong and deeply afraid. What do you hope readers take away from her journey from "singing in the shadows" to stepping into the light?

Fear is a trap that can’t hold you when you share those fears with others. You’re no longer fighting alone, but amassing an army of those who love you, will fight for you—whether literally or on their knees in prayer—and who will remind you of the truths you need when you need them.

How can readers connect with you?

If you want to learn more about me, participate in my monthly reading challenge, read my blog, or find bonus content for my books, visit my website, crystalcaudill.com. I also have Facebook and Instagram under then handle @CrystalCaudillAuthor, but the best way to connect with me is through my newsletter. Not only do subscribers get a free e-book of Counterfeit Truth, I pray for my subscribers by name every month, share bits of life, story fun, and of course you get all the news about books, covers, and launch teams there first. I also love emailing back and forth with my readers. You can sign up at CrystalCaudill.com/Newsletter.

Thank you, Crystal. And now dear readers, if you would like to win a copy of Sung in the Shadows and live in the U.S.A. just fill out the form below! This giveaway will run until March 5, 2026 and winners will be notified by email and announced on this website and Facebook.

When past darkness prowls, will stepping into the light lead to a brighter future?

In nineteenth-century Cincinnati, fear keeps Nora Davis caged with secrets and lies. Her true identity as the daughter of a famous opera singer is too dangerous to reveal, with her former captors still on the loose. But weekly singing lessons at Longview Asylum—her paranoid mother's permanent residence—light a flame in Nora, and it's one she can avoid fanning for only so long.

With his suicidal ma in the asylum, Ezekiel Beaumont's soul is weary, but Nora's presence at the asylum intrigues him. As a Pike's Opera House employee, Ezekiel thinks Nora might be cut out for the stage. He also begins to wonder if Nora's ma is really the famed Constanza Brisbane, who went missing mid-performance. He's determined to find out.

Though Ezekiel brings the performance world a little too close for comfort, Nora is drawn to his warm personality all the same. The two of them steadily grow closer, but then Nora begins to fear she's being watched, and her own paranoia blooms.

As the line between what's real and false grows fainter, will Ezekiel's and Nora's faith and love overcome?

We are pleased to welcome author Roseanna M. White once again, to I & R. Roseanna is a bestselling, Christy Award–winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books . . . to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. Roseanna's latest book, The Collector of Burned Books was voted our July Book of the Month. We are going to discuss that  and Tyndale House Publishers is offering a printed copy to a lucky U.S. resident!

Roseanna, welcome, once again, to Interviews & Reviews! 

What inspired this incredible story?

A couple years ago, I read a nonfiction book called When Books Went to War, all about the role of books and the publishing industry during World War II. In that book was this brief, passing mention of a place in Paris called the Library of Burned Books—it was started by German expat writers who were forced from their homeland in 1933 because of their heritage or political ideas, but it was also sponsored by writers from around the world similarly censored and banned in Germany, like H.G. Wells.

As soon as I read about this place, I was intrigued. An institution by the same name soon followed in New York, but it was the Paris one that really intrigued me . . . because it was the Paris one, the original, that was presented to the Nazis on a metaphorical golden platter the very day they took Paris in 1940. What happened to it? That’s still a mystery. The author of When Books Went to War said the Germans kept it “under lock and key” for the duration of the war. And that got me thinking.

Why would they simply protect it instead of immediately dismantling it? What sort of person would have been put in charge of it? How would they have been impacted by the verboten books on those shelves? And, of course . . . what if that “library protector” had secrets of his own?

It took me a while to figure out which story I wanted to tell, but once I realized that I wanted my focus to be, not on what the library was before the occupation, but what happened to it during, the pieces all came together.

Wow! What messages or themes do you focus on in this book?

As one might expect from the title and location, censorship and book banning is a big subject in the book . . . but I try to dig a little deeper into it and explore why our human instinct is to snuff out what we disagree with. Why we go from I don’t like that idea to That idea is dangerous to That idea must be eliminated.

Freedom, however, is irrevocably linked to ideas and the people who put them down on paper. A people that reject the responsibility of sifting through ideas on their own is a people who will soon only think what they’re told to think. But the real kicker here is that it wasn’t the Nazi party that decided to dictate to the people what they could read or not. It was the people, the university students, who demanded “dangerous” or “unfitting” or “disgraceful books be removed that led to the book burnings now decried as one of the worst offenses to freedom.

Yet if we truly take a look at ourselves, our communities, our culture . . . are we so different? Are we willing to accept the challenge given in this story to read, not just what we like, but what we don’t? To read things we don’t agree with, not for the sake of arguing, but for the sake of understanding? To read not to condemn but to grow? I don’t know about you, but that’s something I need to work on!

How does faith play a role in this story?

While Paris in the 1940s was known for its rather lax morals, my heroine, Corinne, is a woman of faith clinging to God, not just to protect her from the evil surrounding her, but to strengthen her for whatever the fight for freedom looks like.

My hero, Christian, is forced into a Nazi uniform, but as he puts it, “He called the Nazi party an enemy before the rest of the world knew to fear them.” At the start of the book, he’s coming out of a place of extreme hardship that has left him too hollow to approach God . . .but he quickly remembers that the only way to be filled again is to invite the Lord to close that distance.

What do you hope readers will learn from The Collector of Burned Books?

My deepest prayer is that as readers get to know Corinne and Christian, they’ll not just get swept up in romance or espionage or the tension of living a double life under an oppressive regime, but that we’ll all pause to remember that words, spoken but especially written, are so, so powerful. The words we consume become our thoughts, our thoughts become our actions, and our actions become our legacy. Are we giving those words the care they deserve?

Wise words. Who is your favourite character in the book and why?

Ack, this is always such a hard question! I love Corinne for her boldness and fearlessness, Christian for his gentle spirit . . . but I think my favorite might be Corinne’s adopted uncle, Georges, because he’s in fact a grown-up version of a beloved minor character from my previous books set in the First World War. Georgie was always my on-the-ground, behind-enemy-lines contact . . . and I had so much fun imagining who he’d be in this next war!

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the writing process? What advice would you offer young writers?

I’m one of those people who love the entire process of book creation, from the first spark of idea to editing. The challenge, I think, is always going to be finding the time for creativity amidst the demands of life. But to those interested in becoming authors, my best advice is always “Respect the dream.” Give the learning process the time it deserves. Most of us are in a rush to publication, but would we want someone performing surgery after two whole months of study? Of course not. Chasing the dream of writing is no different than chasing the dream of healing or being a missionary or building bridges. It deserves the same respect . . . and demands the same investment of time. And especially if you feel this is something the Lord has called you to, treat that time spent chasing it as something sacred . . . because your words can change the world!

Which books and authors have shaped you must as a writer? 

So many! If I look back to childhood, my first influences were C.S. Lewis and L.M. Montgomery . . . then came Lori Wick, Francine Rivers, and Frank Perretti. There have been many, many more, of course, but those are definitely the ones that I reread now and think, Oh, THAT’S where I got that!

Do you have any future writing projects planned?

Always! Right now I’m working on another book set in France during the occupation, this one focusing on a fictionalized version of the amazing woman who led France’s first and biggest spy network during the war, Alliance. The Face of Deception will release in summer 2026 and has my mind abuzz with adventure and intrigue!

We look forward to it! Thank you for sharing with us today!

If you would like to win a copy of The Collector of Burned Books and you are a U.S. resident, simply fill out the form below! This giveaway will run from July 30 to August 6. The winner will be announced here and via email.

​Today, I am so excited to welcome Gabrielle Meyer to Interviews & Reviews. Gabrielle is a Christy Award winner and ECPA bestselling author. She has worked for state and local historical societies and loves writing fiction inspired by real people, places, and events. She currently resides along the banks of the Mississippi River in central Minnesota with her husband and four children. By day, she’s a busy homeschool mom, and by night she pens fiction and nonfiction filled with hope. 

Today, she’ll discuss her new book, Every Hour Until Then, which is our May book of the month winner, and Bethany House will give a free copy to a lucky US resident!

Gabrielle, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

Can you please provide a brief summary of Every Hour until Then?

Born with the time-crossing gift, Kathryn lives in 1938 on the brink of WWII and 1888 in Victorian London. Each night, when she falls asleep in one path, she wakes up in the other, with no time passing while she’s gone. On her 25th birthday, she must choose one life to keep and one to forfeit. In 1938, she works for the Smithsonian and is invited to the London Museum as a guest curator to assemble an exhibit about Jack the Ripper. While there, she discovers that her missing sister from 1888 will be Jack’s last victim. In a race against time, and time-crossing rules, Kathryn will need to unmask the man history has chosen to keep secret to save her sister. But in the process, she might lose the one man she’s always loved.

Your TIMELESS series spans many different time periods. What inspired you to blend World War II and the Victorian era timelines for Every Hour until Then?

In each of my other stories, the heroines lived in eras that were much farther apart. For Every Hour until Then, I wanted our heroine to only have fifty years between her paths, knowing it would present different challenges and opportunities than the other books. Since Kathryn is the daughter of a previous time-crosser who stayed in 1912, it worked that her daughter was living in Washington, DC, in 1938. When the story started to come together, I had so much fun with these years. Even though they are only fifty years apart, a lot of drastic changes took place.

How did you balance the dual time lines while keeping both time periods distinct?

It usually isn’t hard to keep the time periods distinct because they are often so different, however Every Hour Until Then posed a unique problem because the bulk of both timelines takes place in London and only fifty years separates them. Thankfully, a lot changed in those fifty years, and I was able to use the culture around Kathryn to keep the timelines unique. Whether it was her clothing, the mode of transportation, the use of technology, or simply Victorian rules and etiquette, it was easy to differentiate them. And because we have one heroine, with one conscious mind, it’s easy to blend the two paths together to feel like one seamless life.

What surprised you most during your research about Jack the Ripper?

Just like many other topics I’ve researched, I thought I had a good grasp of Jack the Ripper’s history—but I was so unprepared for what I learned! I started by researching the five victims and learned they had a lot in common but had all come to the Whitechapel District (where they were killed) from very different backgrounds. I was shocked that so much of the evidence was destroyed or covered up and that almost everyone involved in the proceedings were Freemasons. There is a lot we still don’t know, but that is surprising, too. Almost 150 years have passed, and forensic science still can’t unmask Jack. It’s clear that some powerful people wanted to keep his identity a secret.

Our protagonist, Kathryn, can time-cross between two eras. What challenges did this present while writing?

It’s always challenging to have a heroine in two eras because she needs to be influenced by both, and her words, behaviors, and thoughts need to reflect the culture of both, but she can’t stand out in either one. 

She needs to remember how to speak and behave like a Victorian in 1888, but she can’t speak and behave that way in 1938. It’s a challenge, but also fun, too. I love including all the details that make each period stand out and have her reflect on what she likes or dislikes about them. For instance, she hates corsets in 1888 but loves the femininity of the Victorian styles.

Kathryn faces a major threat of tracking down the Ripper. How does this affect her character development?

I loved creating Kathryn’s character. She knows exactly what she wants in life and doesn’t want her plans to be interrupted. However, when she learns that her sister will become Jack’s last victim, she has a lot of new choices to make, and none of her well-laid plans make sense anymore. She must learn how to adjust and pivot and look at life through new challenges and opportunities. It isn’t an easy journey for her, but she grows and changes throughout the story and has a new perspective about her plans at the end. 

What role does Kathryn’s childhood friend play in her journey?

Kathyrn’s best friend from her 1888 path is her next-door neighbor, Austen Baird. They were inseparable as children, but a series of events transpired to drive a wedge between them before the story begins, and those events still haunt both of them, casting a new light on the Jack the Ripper mystery. Not only do they need to overcome the past, but they need to find a way to move forward into an unknown future, uncertain if it will be together or not.

How did you balance writing the romantic elements with the darker historical aspects of the story?

All my TIMELESS novels deal with difficult, sometimes dark, events. And, like any time in history, people were still falling in love. It’s often through the most challenging times in life that we bond with people the most, and if we allow them, hardships can draw us together. The love that Kathryn has for her hero is strengthened during the difficult events they experience, and those events reaffirm their feelings for each other. 

Faith plays a role throughout your novels. How does this affect Kathryn’s decision making? What message do you hope readers take away from this story? 

As a person of faith, every decision Kathryn makes is run through the lens of her beliefs. Whether it’s what she says, how she uses her time, how she spends her money, etc., she will take her faith into consideration. On a larger scale, the choices she makes, and the way she processes events, are also influenced by her faith. Whether or not she should change history isn’t just about impacting the world; she also considers how it might impact God’s will and plan for her life. I hope readers will walk away with the message that God’s plans are often better than ours, and that even when life doesn’t work out the way we expect, it will work out the way it should. 

Can you share what you’re working on next?

I am currently working on book six in my TIMELESS series called Through Each Tomorrow. It’s a story about time-crossing siblings Charles Pembrooke, the second Earl of Norfolk, and his sister, Lady Cecily. 

In 1563 they are courtiers to Queen Elizabeth. In Charles’s other path in 1883, he is a poor Virginia farmer but agrees to disguise himself as Lord Norfolk for a Gilded Age summer in Newport, Rhode 
Island. 

Where can readers connect with you?

Readers can find all my information at www.GabrielleMeyer.com, with links to my Instagram and Facebook pages, as well as my newsletter sign up!

Thank you for sharing with us today, Gabrielle. We love the Timeless Series here at I & R and can't wait for your next book! 

If you would like to win a copy of Every Hour Until Then, and are a U.S. resident, fill out the form below! One winner will be chosen. The winner will be contacted via email and announced here. Failure to respond to your win after one week, will result in a new winner being chosen. This giveaway ends June 6, 2025.

Today I am excited to welcome author Jamie Ogle to Interviews & Reviews. Jamie is a predawn writer, homeschool mom by day, and a reader by night. Inspired by her fascination with the storied history of faith, she writes historical fiction infused with hope, adventure, and courageous rebels. A Minnesota native, she now lives in Iowa with her husband and their three children, and she can usually be found gardening, beekeeping, and tromping through the woods.

Jamie is our Book of the Month winner for her book As Sure as the Sea. She is going to talk to us about this fantastic book and Tyndale House Publishers are giving away a print copy to one lucky person in the U.S.!

Jamie, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

Jamie, how did you decide on the title, As Sure as the Sea?

This book was originally called A Determined Hope, which sort of fit, but I didn’t totally love. After I’d finished the book, my editors and I discussed some ideas and landed on As Sure as the Sea. We loved how in the beginning of the book, Demi finds her peace in the sea—a place a lot of us might think of as changing and dangerous—but toward the end, she finds her peace firmly anchored in the Maker of the seas.

This is your second book. What have you learned about the writing and/or publishing process over the last two book launches?

This book was the most difficult thing I’ve ever written. It was the first time I had to write a full novel under a deadline and that was a lot of new pressure in itself, but I wasn’t expecting all the other fears and pressures that came along with it. Of Love and Treason had been pretty well received up to that point, so as I was trying to write, I was struggling with the fear and worry that this new story wouldn’t be nearly as good and I would let everyone down.

I’m learning both to do my best, but also to rest in the knowledge that God has called me to do this and He will guide and equip me for it. It’s a daily journey of trust and surrender.

While you typically consider yourself a plotter, this story caught you by surprise. What was the writing process like for this book?

I started this story with a pretty firm idea of what I thought it was going to be about, who the characters were, and where the story would end, but as soon as I started writing, the story grew legs of its own and started racing in a direction that terrified me. It felt too big and too dark, and I didn’t want to go there. I tried so hard to wrestle it back into a place where I felt more comfortable, and that resulted in a very messy story (and then add in all those fears and pressures I mentioned before), and I wasn’t sure I knew how to write anymore. That this story is here, in its current state, is a testament to God taking me by the hand and drawing me into the dark, scary places of this story to illuminate them with hope and truth. I could not have done this on my own.

How might the depiction of Saint Nikolas in this novel, subvert readers expections?

When we hear Saint Nikolas, a lot of us probably picture a jolly man in red, surrounded by reindeer and mounds of snow. The fact that he lived on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world during the worst persecution in Christian history doesn’t sound quite so jolly. But it was such a fascinating and powerful story to research, especially when his famous generosity is placed against the backdrop of such violence and danger. All of a sudden, he’s not just some nice guy, giving out of his excess, he’s a man of insane courage and faith, doing everything he can to protect and provide for the people around him—both inside the church and out—and putting his own life at risk to do so.

What was your research process like for this story?

As I did in my last book, I started with the legends of Saint Nikolas of Myra. I had to untangle his story from that of another Saint Nicholas of Sion who lived some 200 years later. Their stories were melded together over time, creating a sort of “super” Saint Nicholas. Once I knew which stories I was working with, I researched what was happening in the world around him, and wove the two together with fiction. This makes the process sound a lot easier and smoother than it was—there was a lot of rewriting involved.

Who was your favorite character to explore?

Nikolas was fascinating. Before researching, I used to think of him as a boisterous, larger-than-life character, but looking at his stories, I found a rather quiet man who seemed more concerned with living the gospel and "doing" rather than talking about it or leaving any written records. (The fact that he got in trouble as an 80 year old man for dealing with heresy with his fists rather than words, really seems to confirm this for me.) I loved digging into and imagining the possible backstories that motivated his dangerous and courageous generosity.

How can stories of the early church encourage and challenge modern-day believers and readers of this story?

It's easy to look back on the people of the early church and place them on pedestals, thinking they had super strong faith and had it all together, when they were just as human as we are, with the same fears and failings. The good news running through all of history is that no matter the historical era or circumstances, we Christians serve the same God who is faithful to forgive and guide us into a right relationship with Him. I was particularly convicted about how easy it is to get caught up in the "rules" and to think that following the rules = relationship with God, when in fact, it's our relationship with God that brings us to the place where we want to follow and obey. It's an important distinction, and one my characters wrestle with in the book.

What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?

It’s so important to establish early on why you’re writing in the first place, and to know for certain that God wants you to do it. Because writing doesn’t get easier once you have an agent, or contract, or book in the world (I mistakenly thought it would). The process of obedience, trust, and surrender is ongoing—as are the fears and pressures. We can’t do this alone, and I’m so grateful for the encouraging friendships and community of other Christian writers.

How do you hope the themes of this story will resonate with readers beyond the page?

I never set out trying to write about a certain theme. As I write and explore each story, God brings a specific theme to the forefront—and every time it’s been something I’ve needed to hear and be reminded of. This time, the theme that stood out is that no sin is too great for God to forgive. That if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. We don’t have to continue living with the guilt and shame of our mistakes hanging over our heads, or feel as though we have to do a certain number of good things to earn our way back into God’s love or favor. There is no possible way we could. His grace is free, and that’s really difficult to fathom, but so, so important. I’m not saying we should do whatever we want because God is gracious and loving, but that we should obey Him from a place of love, not out of guilt and shame.

You’ve written about Saint Valentine and now Saint Nikolas. Are there any other historical figures whose stories you’re drawn to?

I'm keeping an ever-growing list of story  possibilities. My favorite thing is when people come up to me and say, "Have you heard the story of...." and then go on to tell me about some historical figure in Church History. That's actually how I got the idea for the story I'm working on now, which is about a female gladiator who is forced to fight in the last gladiator games in Rome.

Sounds exciting! I look forward to reading it. Thank you for visiting with us today Jamie. 

And now, Dear Readers, if you would like to win a copy of As Sure as the Sea and you live in the U.S., simply fill out the form below! One winner will be chosen. The winner will be contacted via email and announced here. Failure to respond to your win after one week, will result in a new winner being chosen. This giveaway ends March 5, 2025.

Today, I'm very pleased to welcome author Heather Kaufman to Interviews & Reviews.

Heather is the author of multiple books and devotions,praised by Kirkus Reviews for writing “a charming and well-crafted tale.” She delights in highlighting the goodness of God through storytelling. When not reading, writing, or accumulating mounds of books, Heather can be found exploring new parks with her husband and three children near their home in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Today, Heather is going to talk to us about her latest book Before the King. It is our January Book of the Month and Bethany House Publishers is giving away one print copy to a lucky reader in the U.S.!

Heather, can you please provide a brief summary of Before the King?

Before the King immerses readers in the aristocratic world of first-century Judea. Elaborate banquets, social outings to the theater, and luxurious lifestyles are on full display as the nobility pattern their lives after the Hellenized Herodian court. It is from this privileged social circle that Joanna comes. A “daughter of the Sadducees,” she’s learned the hard way that people with power and position must do everything possible to maintain what they have—even if it means breaking their own hearts in the process. After a tragic attack jars Joanna’s previously held beliefs, she’s confronted with a new future that places her even closer to the throne. Will she live forward from this moment authentically? Or will she choose to default to the life of pretense she’s always known?

When Joanna encounters the teaching and miraculous healing of Jesus of Nazareth, the cracks that have been forming in her ideology split wide open as the truth He brings pours in. As Joanna embraces the new Kingdom of the Christ and helps fund his mission, she finds herself straddling a divide between a court that mocks Jesus and a discipleship group that views her with suspicion. Joanna must bravely stand for the truth even as she lives with a husband who is reluctant to do the same within their own marriage.

What inspired you to write a story set in King Herod’s court?

Joanna herself inspired this story. She’s named only twice in Scripture, but both times are illuminating and exciting. First, we see her as financial supporter of Jesus’ ministry in Luke 8:3 and then again as eyewitness to the empty tomb in Luke 24:10. I’ve always found it intriguing that a woman who walked in such close circles to Herod Antipas was an active supporter of Jesus’ ministry. How did she manage it, and was her husband supportive? How was she received by the discipleship group? Joanna crossed every line one could cross in her support of Jesus as she left the court for the dusty road to throw her influence at his feet. And yet we barely even remember her name. What an honor to enter into her story!

How did you research the historical context for Before the King?

The research for this book was intense. I laughingly told my husband that surely I’ve earned some sort of degree after this experience! I was committed to the hard work, however, because I wanted to understand, to the best of my ability, the historical Joanna. It was an intimidating venture seeing as there’s so little about her in the biblical text. Thankfully, there are years of faithful scholarship from which to pull, and God was so good to direct me to many helpful resources. I’m indebted to Richard Bauckham’s Gospel Women, in which he dedicates a ninety-page chapter to Joanna. His careful scholarship became the bedrock for this book.

Likewise, Lynn H. Cohick’s Women in the World of the Earliest Christians was invaluable for fleshing out daily life for women across a variety of socioeconomic spheres and illuminating Joanna as a patroness. And then there was the political background. I read every single word (including the footnotes!) of Harold W. Hoehner’s Herod Antipas: A Contemporary of Jesus Christ. I now know more about Herod Antipas than I ever thought I would know (or care to know!). It was important for me to understand the political waters in which Joanna was swimming so that I might better portray the magnitude of her devotion to Christ. The more I discovered, the more my admiration for this strong woman grew. Truly, we don’t talk about her nearly enough!

Your novel touches on themes of family loyalty, arranged marriage, and personal desire. How do these conflicts shape Joanna’s character?

Joanna has learned to suppress not only her personal desire but also her sense of justice for the sake of her family’s honor. She comes from a world that frames life in terms of honor and shame, the family over the individual. But what is an individual to do when family values and beliefs go against one’s own convictions? We see this dividing line in Matthew 10:34–36, when Jesus states, “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother” (ESV). A follower of Jesus must choose him even above family. This is a hard teaching, especially in a collectivist culture.

Because Joanna has spent a good portion of her life suppressing her own desires for the sake of appearances, she becomes earnest for the truth. Part of her journey is learning to live authentically with herself and with others, to cling to what is right and true above all else.

Can you tell us more about the “dark secret” Joanna’s family harbors?

Without giving anything away, I’ll say the secret revolves around Joanna’s sister and raises important issues about sacrificially loving others. Joanna has been taught to seek relationship with those who are “profitable” for one’s own advancement. But what happens when a relationship is seen as a liability rather than an asset? The secret Joanna’s family holds stems from a fear of loss of power and plants the first seeds of disillusionment within Joanna.

How does Joanna’s encounter with Herod’s financial minister change her life trajectory?

Chuza is a man of “hidden sorrows.” As a Nabatean in Herod’s Jewish court, he straddles a divide that will eventually become precarious after Herod’s divorce from his first wife. Joanna is drawn to his integrity even as she is confused by the strange stipulation of his marriage proposal. Ultimately, it is their union that sets Joanna up to have the financial freedom to support Jesus’ ministry. She will have power and position, but how will she leverage both? Will she hold on tightly to what she has at all cost? Or will she steward her wealth in more honorable ways?

How does Joanna’s faith journey evolve throughout the novel?

The story opens with a hopeful Joanna who is confident that if she just prays hard and long enough, then God will answer her prayers in the way she wants. As years pass with no answers, however, the faith within Joanna dries up and cracks open “like a stretch of thirsty ground.” She’s come to believe that God is too big and powerful to bother with her. Perhaps He hears the prayers of important men upon whom He chooses to build and lead the nation of Israel, but His care certainly doesn’t extend to one woman. Joanna’s sister, however, clings to belief in a present and loving God despite her own difficult situation. In watching her sister’s staunch faith, Joanna’s own is challenged, and after tragedy strikes and Joanna experiences the miraculous protection of God, she must decide if she will give herself over to Him or remain closed off in disbelief.

Joanna’s faith will be further challenged as she encounters the followers of Jesus and longs to emulate the authentic and committed life they represent. She comes to realize that faith is not dependent upon receiving specific answers at a certain time. No, faith is founded upon a Person. The story closes with a Joanna who has learned this startling truth—that God is not far off. Rather, He is as near and real as our own breath.

The story explores the tension between aristocratic life and religious belief. How do you balance these elements in your narrative?

I depict Joanna as coming from a Sadducean family. The lay nobility of Jesus’ day consisted mainly of Sadducees, people of wealth and influence, many of whom were aristocratic priests. In general, the Sadducees were compliant with Rome and its representatives, for this allowed them to retain their economic and religious power. Their cooperation with Rome set them starkly apart from other sects, as did their theology. Unlike the Pharisees, Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife or in a spiritual realm. They represent a small, elite segment of the population—but they’re also the ones who hold the most power and authority.

In depicting this aristocratic family, I chose to place them in situations where they are repeatedly confronted with potential holes in their ideology. In teasing out their responses to such events, we see the doubt lying just beneath the surface. Perhaps unwavering commitment to the Herodian dynasty comes with moral compromises that, in the end, are not worth making.

Can you elaborate on the “perilous path” Joanna treads between the court, the believers, and her husband?

From some of the disciples’ perspective, specifically Simon the Zealot, Joanna represents everything wrong in Jewish society: exploitation of the poor, who are overtaxed to support lavish court life; a traitorous compliance with Rome; and a flagrant disregard for Jewish customs. From the Herodian court’s perspective, Joanna could be seen as both traitorous and dangerous as she follows a teacher preaching a new kingdom. Such language could potentially incite the interest of Rome, and the last thing the court wants is the delicate balance of power to be shaken. For her husband, Joanna could represent a liability. Chuza himself is caught between the Nabatean and Herodian courts, and the last thing he needs is for his loyalty to be questioned. Dare Joanna hold fast to the truth in the epicenter of such tension?

What do you hope readers will take away from Joanna’s story?

We are always living coram Deo, before the face of God, which means that we never experience one moment apart from His presence. Wherever we go, God goes first. Through fire, storm, and valley, God goes first. There is nowhere we can go and nothing we can walk through where God has not already been and where His presence is not sustaining us. Because He is present, we can be brave, standing firm—not in our own strength, but in His.

How do you approach the task of “highlighting the goodness of God through storytelling”?

When I write, I aim to authentically portray two foundational elements: the difficulty of life and the faithfulness of God. I tend to throw my characters into the emotional deep end because I think this honors the human experience. We all shoulder external and internal pressures that leave us dog-paddling in the deep, whole seasons where we question our stamina to endure one more moment. I hope to do justice to those struggles we all face—the secret doubts, hidden hurts, bitter thoughts. But then I seek to gently tip the reader’s chin up. Like a whisper in the ear that says, “You’re not alone. God sees you there in the struggle and does not condemn you. He is in the deep end with you.” God is the buoying presence that turns despair into hope, weakness into strength, and chaos into calm. This isn’t a sermon tied up with a storytelling bow. This is real life. When challenges come, where will we run to for stability? May the answer always be to the goodness of God, who is with us in the deep.

What are you working on next?

Currently, I’m working on Book 3 in the WOMEN OF THE WAY series. This one has a special place in my heart because I don’t believe anyone has written a story on this woman before. When we think of her, it’s usually in a cursory manner. In slowing down to consider what she must have gone through, I’m overwhelmed! Be prepared to leave Herod’s court far behind and ramble along the shores of Lake Gennesaret. This woman received a profound privilege and offered a great sacrifice. I can’t wait for readers to experience her story!

Well, now I'm really curious! ​How can readers connect with you?

Readers can connect with me online at HMKStories.com and sign up for my newsletter, which I’ve dubbed the Stories & Sundries MiniMag. When they sign up, they’ll receive a free devotional entitled Bottled Tears: 5 Times God Heard the Heart-Cry of a Woman. I’m also on socials as @HMKstories and love engaging with readers, especially on Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you, Heather! And now, Dear Readers, if you would like to win a copy of Before the King and you live in the U.S., simply fill out the form below! The winner will be contacted via email and announced here. Failure to respond to your win after one week, will result in a new winner being chosen. This giveaway ends January 30, 2025.

Today, I am pleased to welcome author Tessa Afshar to I & R. Tessa is a Publishers Weekly, ECPA, and CBA bestselling and award-winning author. She is beloved around the world for her stories that touch the heart and captivate the imagination.

Possessing a unique authenticity, Afshar’s novels draw on her Middle Eastern heritage to bring the world of the Bible to life. Now embarking on a compelling new series, QUEEN ESTHER’S COURT, Afshar takes readers deep into the heart of the Persian Empire, immersing them in all aspects of ancient palace life—starting with kitchens whipping up the finest of Persian cuisine in book one, The Queen’s Cook.

Tessa is going to talk to us about this book, which is our book of the month winner for November, and Bethany House Publishers are giving away one print copy to a lucky winner in the U.S.!

Tessa, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

Your book, The Queen’s Cook, kicks off your new series titled QUEEN ESTHER’S COURT. Can you tell us a little bit about where this series will take readers?

The Persian court is a place of opulence and beauty. It is also rife with intrigue. Queen Esther has been married to the king for five years when her world is shaken by an incomprehensible edict against her people. As Esther navigates through heartache and danger, she finds friends in unexpected places. The QUEEN ESTHER’S COURT series recounts the story of three of Esther’s friends. Through the series, we occasionally hear from Esther herself as we read entries from her secret scrolls.

Esther is a familiar touchpoint for those of Jewish heritage and Christians alike. What led you to center the series around her reign in Persia?

I grew up in Persia, where Esther lived and reigned as queen, and where her simple tomb still survives to commemorate the life of an extraordinary woman. Esther’s life, the people who surrounded her, and the world they occupied together present an irresistible fascination that I could not resist!

Other authors have written novels on the life of Esther—after all, her story is intriguing and has so much to teach us. What sets The Queen’s Cook and the rest of the series apart from these other novels?

Although we hear from Esther through her secret scrolls, this series actually focuses on three of Esther’s fictional friends. Each book introduces us to a woman with a unique profession whose life is changed by Esther.

Your main character in The Queen’s Cook, Roxannah, is the daughter of a highborn Persian lord, but hard times lead her to pursue a job working in the queen’s kitchens. Can you elaborate on where readers find Roxannah at the opening of the book?

When Roxannah’s impoverished father, Lord Fravartish, suffers a head injury, Roxannah asks the Jewish physician, Adin, for help. There is an instant attraction between the two—an attraction that Adin, a committed Jew, cannot allow. When a terrible edict gives Persian citizens the right to attack the Jews and seize their property, Lord Fravartish decides Adin would be the perfect target. Now Roxannah must decide between the loyalty she owes her father and her desire to protect Adin.

Your previous novels have been praised for impeccable research and vivid storytelling that allow the reader to really put themselves right into the story as they read. Can you set the historical scene for this first book? What might readers need to know about this historical time period in the Persian kingdom and how it affects the story?

Thank you! It’s a privilege to write these stories for my readers. Let me try to set the scene of The Queen’s Cook for you.

Picture yourself in a sprawling palace complex surrounded by breathtaking gardens. The bricks are glazed in a hundred shades of blue, and when the sun shines on the walls, you feel as if you are surrounded by endless waterfalls. Rulers and officials from 127 provinces and nations visit the palace at Susa to present the king with gifts and tribute, and to seek his favor. The Achaemenid dynasty was the largest empire the world had ever seen at that point in history, spanning 2.1 million square miles.

King Xerxes was the grandson of Cyrus the Great, and the son of the famed Darius, who had managed to expand the borders of an already extensive land. To everyone’s surprise, Xerxes had chosen an unknown woman of little influence named Esther as his queen.

Far from all that opulence, in a hot, plain kitchen, you will find our heroine, Roxannah, who is trying to survive the malicious ploys of the other cooks. To Roxannah’s amazement, she earns the trust and friendship of Queen Esther.

Roxannah is Persian born while the Jewish physician, Adin, is not. The two couldn’t be more different, yet they initially connect over shared meals, thanks to Roxannah’s hospitality. What is it about food that brings people together, like it did for Roxannah and Adin?

Food is one of the basic common denominators of life. We all need food to survive. At the same time, food can be a delight to our senses. When someone goes to the trouble of providing for us not only what we need but also what we enjoy, and adds to that the pleasures of companionship, something touches our hearts and binds us together. There are few things in life as sweet as sharing a meal with a dear friend.

Like Roxannah, you certainly know your way around a kitchen. What inspired you to write about a daughter of Persia who has a talent for making delicious foods?

I love puttering around the kitchen, and my Middle Eastern background gives me a special affinity for Persian food. Making one of my heroines a Persian cook seemed like a no-brainer.

What are the defining characteristics of Persian cuisine? How is this incorporated into the story?

Persian cuisine uses exotic spices like saffron and cardamom and fresh herbs like mint, tarragon, and parsley to intensify flavors. Dishes use delicious ingredients like pistachios, pomegranate, honey, and rosewater. Lamb and beef braises, along with vegetarian stews and legume-enriched cutlets, are often elevated in flavor by the use of caramelized onions, verjus, or pomegranate paste.

Roxannah’s cooking talent and creativity open the doors of the royal kitchens to her. Here, she finds the friendship of a queen, the joys of love, and the power of faith. You might say food is the bridge to fulfilling her destiny.

What do you hope readers gain from reading The Queen’s Cook and the rest of this series?

The Queen’s Cook is the story of a woman who has never learned what it means to feel truly safe. As the novel unfolds, Roxannah discovers that while she can’t forge her own security in this broken world, she can find the inner peace she has always longed for. God himself is able to give her the sense of safety that childhood wounds have robbed.

I hope readers will enjoy the adventure and romance in Roxannah’s story. But I also hope that they will find a more profound sense of safety in God, even when the world around them is shaken. Each of the heroines in the series will fight their own battle with something hard that I pray will encourage my readers as they face personal challenges.

Can you share with us what you’re working on next?

I am working on the second book in the QUEEN ESTHER’S COURT series. Sazana is an artisan whose exquisite pottery graces Susa’s households. But her master, Lord Haman, does not know her secret: Sazana is really Shoshana—one of the Jews he loathes so much. Only Arta, Sazana’s guardian since childhood, knows her secret identity. All seems lost, however, when Haman discovers Shoshana’s true identity and threatens her life.

When the king condemns Lord Haman to death and transfers the ownership of the pottery workshop to Queen Esther, Arta and Sazana assume their troubles are over. But tragedy strikes when Arta is murdered. In desperation, Sazana asks for the queen’s help. The following day, Jadon, a former member of the king’s elite guard, arrives at the workshop. Jadon, who works for Esther, is the man who broke Sazana’s heart years ago. Now Sazana and Jadon must set aside their personal heartaches and unite to discover the mystery surrounding Arta’s death.

Together, they uncover an astonishing secret: the object that Arta has been hiding for a generation can help Queen Esther protect the lives of the Jewish people as dark battle approaches.

Looking forward to that! And finally, where can readers go to connect with you and purchase their copy of The Queen’s Cook?

Please visit me at TessaAfshar.com. To receive a free short story as well as monthly devotionals and book news, please sign up for my newsletter. You can purchase a copy of The Queen’s Cook at your favorite book retailer.

Thank you, Tessa! And now for those who would like a chance to win a copy of The Queen's Cook, simply fill out the form below! This giveaway ends December 4, 2024 and is open to residents of the U.S.A. The winner will be notified via email and their name will be posted on this site and on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/interviewsandreviews.

Today, we welcome author Lynn Byk to Interviews & Reviews. Lynn enjoys being a wallflower journalist circulating through the corners of a room allowing a story to unfold at will. She doesn't flinch in setting forth the details though they might conflict with a given setting. In her way of presenting the angles, she is a nonconformist of Christian authors and literary writers alike.

Finding her writing rhythm between nerdy details and amazing observations about life, Lynn Byk earned her Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Composition from Colorado Christian University, and she chose a paralegal career in Denver, Colorado after managing a bookstore. She is passionate about being honest in cross-generational, multi-cultural situations from which she takes her stories.

Today, Lynn is talking to us about her book The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch and she is giving away one print copy, one PDF and an audio book! 

Welcome, Lynn, to Interviews & Reviews!

Can you please provide a brief summary of your book?

Elsie Finch is a novel based on real-life Christian families. It presents an honest look at the way family members sometimes psychologically sabotage themselves and their family members because they downplay their own sins as justified or as being not-so-bad.

What an interesting concept! What do you hope readers will gain from reading your book?

Wisdom and self-examination. I’m hoping there are other Elsie Finches out there who are willing to turn the other cheek, keep hoping, and keep choosing honor and righteousness, though it may cost them dearly.

What inspired you to write this book?

My own family was so “dysfunctional” and yet so “Christian," that I was confused for years. Several people I know also struggled endlessly with how to live honorably in their own family and how to find the love they longed for. Because of this, I felt that there was a “hole” or perhaps many holes, in the gospel as it is spoon-fed to us, in that many of us feel we have a lucky charm of a believer’s prayer to get into heaven but never make Christ Lord of our lives. Unwittingly, we keep an abundant life the Lord promises to us at bay, and whole relationships fail to thrive and become shipwrecked. We can do better.

Which do you enjoy more: research or writing?

For me, research and writing go hand-in-glove because when I discover something understated in Christian literature, I go to task to flesh it out.

Do you have a favourite character in Elsie Finch?

Although several characters were really fun and interesting to write, especially in the way they talk, I adore the character of Beryl, who features as the primary character for at least a third of the book.

What is your favourite Scripture verse and why?

Galatians 6:9: And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

How can readers connect with you?

It would be great for readers to “follow” me on Amazon so that
when I do come out with my third book, or have discounts, you’ll know about it instantly. Also, I have a Lynn Byk page on Facebook, or my email is: LynnByk.CaptureBooks@gmail.com

Thank you, Lynn! If you would like to win a copy of The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch, fill out the form below! You may win a print copy or audio copy if you are in the U.S. or a PDF if you live outside the U.S. This giveaway ends July 18, 2024. Winners will be notified by email and through this website.

For every family secret, Elsie Finch covets the truth.
​
Consequences certainly come with being an heir of the Finch family estate, psychological consequences that neither parent comprehends will circle back to them.

In their personal chaos, Richard and Gail Finch design their estate to carry ramifications for misplaced loyalties, but when a third generation aims for the cache, someone is expendable. Who wins this long game?

Untying the family saga with blistering retaliations, someone will pay for the past.

Richard and Gail's unscrupulous schemes spill across the geography of San Francisco Bay, Phoenix Arizona, Oklahoma City, finally slipping into the shadow of the Rockies. Religious families can hide a host of carnal demons behind the veil.

Certain poetry transforms Elsie's grief when the family honor is offered to her siblings and finally to her.

Today I am pleased to welcome once again to Interviews & Reviews Ann H. Gabhart. Ann is the bestselling author of many novels, including In the Shadow of the River, When the Meadow Blooms, Along a Storied Trail, An Appalachian Summer, River to Redemption, and These Healing Hills. Today Ann is talking a about her latest book The Song of Sourwood Mountain (our May Book of the Month winner) and both Revell and I & R are giving away one print copy to a lucky winner in the States and one in Canada! Special thanks Revell for sharing this interview!
​​
Ann, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

​Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel The Song of Sourwood Mountain?

Mira Dean’s dreams of marriage and motherhood seemed lost after the man she loved and planned to marry died of tuberculosis. Five years later, Mira is resigned to her life as a spinster schoolteacher until Gordon Covington shows up in town with an audacious marriage proposal. Following him to the mountains takes courage, but an even bigger challenge is being a proper wife to Gordon. The two take tentative steps toward learning about each other and sharing the mission of helping the people in Sourwood. Mira will see that doors she thought closed forever may be opening after all.

Your novels take place largely in Kentucky. Can you tell us why that setting resonates so much with you as a writer?

I was born in Kentucky and have always lived in Kentucky. I feel as though I know the people here, especially those who live in rural areas and small towns. Most of my stories have that kind of setting. I also have access to historical sites and a wealth of research materials that offer inspiration to my stories. I understand the love of one’s homeplace and its land, which helps me as I follow my characters on their journeys. I understand how roots can go deep. I have the same kind of roots and feeling for the land here on my country farm. I truly love Kentucky and Kentucky people, both past and present.

The people of Appalachia have often been seen as backward or even immoral. How do you portray them in this novel?

Appalachian people are independent, proud, and strong. They are very family oriented and can be clannish if they feel they or their family have been wronged. Due to their isolation, they lacked the opportunities for formal education, good medical care, and ways to make a living other than subsistence farming or coal mining. I try to portray my characters in ways that readers can relate to. They may not always be book smart, but they are often very wise about nature and life. I like seeing my characters in The Song of Sourwood Mountain as a community and showing how they relate to one
another.

The early twentieth century was such a hopeful time. What makes it the perfect time frame in which to tell this story?

The early twentieth century was called the age of hope. Things were changing for many people as trains and automobiles gave new ways to travel. Commerce boomed as the nation turned from a rural-based economy to an industrial one. But while the rich lived privileged lives, many others remained in poverty. Churches began to sponsor missionaries to go into isolated areas to spread the gospel.

At the same time, a number of dedicated teachers established mission schools in the Appalachian Mountains. That made 1910 an ideal time for my preacher to start his mission and recruit a teacher for a mission school. While any year is right for sharing the good news of the Bible, the first decades in the twentieth century seemed a time when Christians became aware of the need to devote time, resources, and energy to improving the lives of mountain people.

Mira Dean and Gordon Covington seem passionate about their professions—a schoolteacher and a preacher, respectively. What gives them such devotion, even when the people they work with are difficult or challenging?

Both preaching and teaching can be callings, and the ability to do either well is a gift. Gordon felt some trepidation when he was called to be a missionary to the mountain people. But he developed a love for them and wanted to share the gospel. A mission-minded preacher needs passion and courage to go wherever the Lord leads them.

Mira has a different kind of calling. She enjoys opening the minds of young people and helping them learn. She has always loved learning and reading, and the thought of children with no way to learn tugged at her heart. She, too, needed courage to surrender to the Lord’s push to go to the mountains to teach.

In many ways, this story is about the plans we make for ourselves and the plans God has for us, which don’t always align perfectly. How do your characters walk that line?

Gordon embraced his call to preach, but he hadn’t realized that his call would lead him to becoming a mission worker in the Appalachian regions of Kentucky. But he has come to love the people and realizes the need for churches and schools. For him, the unexpected call into the mission field was surprising but one he was eager to follow. 

Mira had a harder time believing that going to the mountains to teach in a one-room school was the Lord’s plan for her. After the death of her intended husband, she resigned herself to being a spinster schoolteacher. She wasn’t ready to step out in faith to do something so completely different and unexpected. Only after the Lord has closed off all other paths does she take this new path seriously. Once she does, she is ready to embrace it, body and soul.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading The Song of Sourwood Mountain?

I always want readers to be glad they picked up one of my books and took a journey with my characters. With The Song of Sourwood Mountain, I hope they will invite my characters into their hearts as I did. I hope they will identify with the spiritual challenges Gordon faces and cheer on Mira as she steps out in faith to find a new future. I hope they will love my young character Ada June as much as I did while I shared her story. Last of all, I hope that something in my characters’ faith journeys will resonate with them and make their own faith stronger.

Thank you, Ann!

And now for those who would like a chance to win a copy of The Song of Sourwood Mountain, simply fill out the form below! This giveaway ends June 11, 2024 and is open to residents of Canada and the U.S.A.

Today,  we are pleased to welcome Suzanne Murray to I & R. Suzanne is a retired business owner and survivor of cancer and loss. She embodies resilience and positivity. Founding Vinatronics Inc. and overcoming personal adversities, she’s a beacon of hope, teaching others to stay positive in tough times. With a degree in business management and leadership roles in community organizations, Suzanne now enjoys family life in Chandler, Arizona. Her journey inspires Christian women facing life’s challenges. Today, she is going to talk to us about her latest book, Skidding Into Heaven. 

What do you hope readers will gain from reading your book?

My readers should gain several ways to navigate their own crises using self-care, positive actions, and ways to get involved in their communities. When my husband suddenly died, I realized I could either be overwhelmed or I could move forward with hope. I had no idea how hard losing a spouse would be. I had five kids and two businesses to handle so I needed to use self-care, prayer, and my community to help where it was needed. My experience allowed me
to help others who were going through the same thing.

What inspired you to write this book?

My story is full of major crises, from my husband dying suddenly to having stage IV cancer. I believe helping others with my various experiences has helped me get through the tough times. Many people have told me I should write a book. I also realized that I potentially wouldn’t have enough time left in my life to finish. Challenges give me motivation, so I was able to complete my book which came out on March 28th.

What is the central theme of your book?

Hope, inspiration, and tools. Hope in the future and more adventures were important to me because I am a type A and I don’t stay still easily. My inspiration came from people I met who were facing challenges before I had my own crises. The story of my life has been to look at the hard times and use them to speak to others with confidence in an empathetic way. People can make themselves feel better by practicing positivity and using self-care. For example, self-care can be watching a funny movie, taking a hot bath, reading a good book, volunteering in your community, or spending time with a friend.

Do you have any other books in the works?

Yes. My next book will focus on Living with a Narcissistic Sociopath. Following will be a children’s book.

Wow! I'm sure there is a compelling story behind that. What do you do when you aren’t writing?

My hobbies are gardening, golfing, and boating.

How were you saved?

I was brought up going to church as a Christian, but it took a near-death experience for me to have a personal relationship with Christ.
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What is your favorite Scripture verse and why?
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Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
How can readers get in touch with you? You can reach me and order my book Skidding Into Heaven on my website: suzannemurrayauthor.com