Birthday Bash: Interview with Faith Blum

It’s a birthday party! November 19th was the third birthday of Faith Blums debut novel, A Mighty Fortress. To celebrate, she has all sorts of fun going on. First, she’s released a newly revised version of A Mighty Fortress. Second, she has most of her published books on sale. Third, she’s releasing the box set of all five of her novels for a special discounted price. And fourth, but not least, she now has the audiobook of A Mighty Fortress! I’m not sure exactly when it will be available, but if you sign up for her New Releases newsletter, you will get an email with the announcement.

“Stay back!” Joshua ordered. He kept his eyes on the scene below while waving his arm in Ruth's direction. “Get deeper into the woods and stay down low to the ground.”Joshua hazarded a glance behind him. He could no longer see Ruth and breathed a sigh of relief. In one swift move, he grabbed his rifle and lay flat to the ground. Extending the rifle, he aimed at the shorter man whose gun was pointed at Bradshaw.

Joshua and Ruth Brookings are traveling by stagecoach to finally join their parents in Montana. Attacked by murderous outlaws, the teens barely escape with their lives and must survive in the barren Wyoming and Montana territories and escape the man who's hunting them.

Seven years ago, Jed Stuart ran away from home and joined Tom's gang. Jed is tired of the lawlessness and wants out. The only problem? He is the boss's right-hand man and will never be able to leave. And what's one more stagecoach robbery, anyway?

Can Joshua lean on God's strength to keep himself and his sister alive until they find a town? Will Jed be able to face his anger or will it consume him completely? All three are running--the hunter and hunted. What will happen when they meet?

About the Author 

Faith Blum started writing at an early age. She started even before she could read! She even thought she could write better than Dr. Seuss. (The picture doesn’t show it well, but there are scribblings on the page of Green Eggs and Ham). Now that she has grown up a little more, she knows she will probably never reach the success of Dr. Seuss, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.
When she isn’t writing, Faith enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, playing piano, and playing games with her family. One of her dreams is to visit Castle City, Montana, someday to see the ghost town she chose for her characters to live in. She currently lives on a hobby farm with her family in Wisconsin.

Faith can be found on parts of the internet. The best place to go is her website: http://FaithBlum.com There you can find links to her various social media sites and both of her blogs.

Interview

Hello Faith and welcome to my blog. As is customary, I'll dive straight into the question without any further introductions.
What made you decide to become a writer? And what drew you to writing westerns?

I loved writing, so it was an easy decision once I heard about self-publishing. Ever since finding Dad’s stash of Louis L’Amour books, I’ve been in love with Westerns. Before that, my favorite time period was the Civil War, so the jump to the Old West wasn’t hard. I also liked to read Janette Oke books, but hers were a bit too mushy and Louis L’Amour’s were too gritty, so I tried to even them out a little.

I can see that in them. Westerns aren't really my things, but I've always had the impression that Janette Oke's books were on the mushy side.
Is there any particular author or book that influenced you growing up?

The Bible was the biggest influence in my life growing up. Without the Bible and the teaching in it, I would not be the person I am today.

Great answer. That's the best book for certain.
Do you work with an outline, or just write?

That depends on the story. I usually have a little bit of an outline or at least an idea of where I want the story to go, but I don’t always have everything figured out before I write. My last project, a novella I wrote as part of my NaNoWriMo project, I did actually have the most full outline I’ve ever had. And I loved it! I’ll probably be doing it for my next book.

In between is about where I'm at. Sometimes I wish I had things more planned out, but it never happens.
What is your favorite part of the publishing / writing process?

I love writing the rough draft of the story. Well, with the novella I just finished, I think my favorite part was actually doing the character backstories, interviews, and then the outline.

Mmm, the stage where everything looks perfect in your head. Then you get to writing it down the execution doesn't always do your wonderful story justice.
Of all your books, which was the most fun to write?

Probably The Solid Rock (Hymns of the West #5). I wrote the whole novel in 32 days by hand. It was intense, but fun.

That is intense. Extremely rewarding too, I would think.
What fictional character is most like you?

Probably Ruth Brookings from my own books. She’s very similar in a lot of ways, but not all.

What is something big you want to accomplish in your life?

I want to get married, have kids, maybe adopt and/or foster some kids, and homeschool my children. I think those are pretty big things to accomplish. Now I just have to wait for Prince Charming to come around. :)
That sounds rather like me. And good on you for saying it straight out. Us young ladies often have a tendency to hedge around that question.
It was great to have you here, Faith.

Giveaway

Faith is offering three prizes!

Grand Prize:

·         Audiobook of A Mighty Fortress (MP3 download)—Could be a short delay

·         The Solid Rock Notebook

1^st Prize:

·         Feather Quill Necklace

2^nd Prize:

·         eBook set of Hymns of the West: The Complete Series

a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9912248015

Hymns of the West, the Complete Series

Faith also just released her first box set, the complete Hymns of the West series. It’s available for a special discounted pre-order price until November 26^th and will stay at that price until November 30^th.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQJ5V2F

About the Series

Two Families…

The Brookings family move from Illinois to Montana to start a horse ranch. Their journey to Montana has hazards of its own, as does their life in Castle City, affecting each of them in various ways.

The Stuarts have been living a secluded life in Tennessee since the matriarch of the family died. When Jed runs away, they seclude themselves even more until a letter arrives that changes their lives—one at a time—forever.

Two Worldviews…

One family has believes in God with their whole hearts, living out their lives to the glory of God. The other family believes in God in a general sense, but they have no commitment toward Him or His ways.

One Providential God.

A stagecoach robbery instigates their meeting. Two years later, they meet again. Another year and their lives cross paths again. What happens when God's providence brings two families with two different worldviews together in ways only He could have planned?

Mega-Sale

Every eBook in the Hymns of the West series is on sale. A Mighty Fortress is permafree, and the other eBooks in the series are $0.99. In addition, the spin-off novella series has a book on sale as well.

And they're good books. I haven't read the latest ones, but I've enjoyed what I have read. Not my favourite books, but I'm not into westerns very much.

Links:

A Mighty Fortress

Be Thou My Vision

Amazing Grace

Lily of the Valley

The Solid Rock

Hymns of the West: The Complete Series

Life and Salvation: Hymns of the West Novellas 1-3

Faith also has the paperbacks on sale if you buy them from Createspace with the discount codes.

A Mighty Fortress

$2.00 off (8.99) with code: MBJB3XSY

Be Thou My Vision

$2.00 off (6.99) with code: GQ3KTJYY

Amazing Grace

$1.50 off (9.49) with code:93LQLRJ8

Lily of the Valley

$2.00 off (11.99) with code: TJXAYXD2

The Solid Rock

$1.50 off (10.49) with code: 7626YZAK

Life and Salvation

$2.00 (6.99) with code: V4Y5K46D

Tour Schedule

November 19

Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Introduction

Author Franky A Brown-Book Spotlight

Rachel Rossano Rambles-Guest Post

November 21

Writing Dreams-Author Interview

God's Peculiar Treasure Rae-Character Spotlight-Joshua

Zerina Blossom's Books-Author Interview

November 22

Precious Moments-Giveaway

The Overactive Imagination-Review of Be Thou My Vision

Perpetual Indie Perspective-Book Spotlight

November 23

Frances Hoelsema- Book Spotlight

Thought of Anna S. Brie-Author Interview

November 25

With a Joyful Noise-Guest Post

Bookish Orchestrations-Candid Author Interview

Firethorn Blog-Author Spotlight

November 26

Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Character Interview with Ruth

Ladies in Defiance-Guest Post

November 28

Once Upon an Ordinary- Author Interview

Written Rest-Character Spotlight -Anna

November 29

The Overactive Imagination-Review of A Mighty Fortress

Jaye L. Knight- Character Spotlight-Caleb

November 30

Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Wrap-up and winner

MYSR: The Five Unnecessaries

Hi everyone, I have another book recommendation.

The Five Unnecessaries is book one of the 27th Protector series, by Laura Campbell. I found it simply amazing. It's a book that deseveres to be better known.

This book would appeal to those who like dystopian. It's not a traditional dystopian though. The main character doesn't live in that bad a place, and those that do... haven't realized it. But it is bad, scarily bad in that I can see our society slipping into this place. This is its blurb.

I am Aislyn. These are the sad facts of my world. Any child born in the Republic who is unscheduled, imperfect, or inconvenient is labeled an Unnecessary. Any pregnant woman, or Vessel, is targeted as an enemy of the state for harboring an Unnecessary. Their only hope is to be rescued by a Protector, one of 26 girls trained to infiltrate the Republic and get them safely back to the Territory. These girls are chosen because they are strong, smart, and heroic. They train for years in medicine, technology, physical agility, and espionage. They never choose girls like me. Except…they did. I am a threat and a risk because I don't comply with the rules and expectations. I am a target because the Republic is more determined than ever to destroy anyone who crosses the border. I think my trainer has a secret. I am the 27th Protector of the 188th generation, and I’m terrified I will fail.

So Aislyn trains, Eventually she passes her exams and it is time to go. Into the Republic, risking her life. She finds an Unnecessary to take back with her. She is caught. But the guard lets her go. And she doesn't know why.

This is not one of those books with a blatant Christian message, in fact there's not a single bible verse that I can remember. However what it does have is a powerful message about the sanctity of life, and about what we can do. Even if we feel powerless, God can use anyone to show his love. We just have to be alive enough to make a difference. To show the world that there are no unnecessaries.

It is a truly beautiful story, One that almost made me cry. (And that's not easy to do.) There are so many profound statements in it. And just the way things are described, it pulled me in and made me feel like I was really there. (Except for the occasionally editing mistake that distracted me.) The first line is one of those beautiful memorable ones. "Grey shouldn't be a color. It's a void."

It's realistic. Even gritty on occasion. The Republic is a decadent society and that does come into the story, but not to much. Just enough to show what it is like, but not enough that it would bother squeamish people. Though some of the medical stuff might, There's blood and people dying, Emergency c-sections and stuff like that.

Aislyn is a character I can relate to well. She isn't anyone special, despite having to do a very difficult job. And she has just as much trouble coping as anyone would. And the other characters, they vary a lot and there is great development. We don't get to know all 27 protectors, but the ones that do appear are wonderful.(Or not as is suitable) Brie is highly committed and caring with a tragic backstory, Tessa wants to be the best protector ever, Megan is the only person her father has left and Eva is so young and scatter brained. Then there is Eldrige, Commander Patterson, Collin and other trainers and the tech guys. And people in the republic.

A few of my favourite lines, just to give you an idea of  some of the characters and the writing.

Eva: "So 'yay' for incomprehensible circumstances that point out the incompetence of underdeveloped legislature. Candy?"

Patterson: "Never apologize for seeing beauty. In fact, you will need to, or you will likely go mad from everything else you have to deal with."

Eldridge: "My dear, I am slightly important or so I have been told. I'm technically running a county and an undercover operation to steal forsaken children, however unnecessary they are deemed to be. This does come with some competition for my time. But when you can track me down, Please do. Being in charge also gives one some clout to do things like choose 27th Protectors and talk to them when I want."

Cassidy: "I knew you were gonna be fun"

Brie: "Do you remember when I said that nothing could ever make me hate them more?" "I was wrong."

And I think that's enough. There's a sequel, The First Traitor. It's on my wishlist. Let me know what you think if you decide to check it out.

MYSR: Nobody, by Susan Warner

MYSR = Maybe You Should Read.
I'm starting a new series of posts. There are a lot of books out there that I think ought to be better known. So I'm going to give you recommendations and tell why I like them. I'm afraid I might not be able to completely avoid spoilers, but I'll try.

One of my favourite 19th century authors is Susan Warner. I don't like all of her books, but some of them are very good.

Nobody is the story of Lois Lothrop, a New England country girl, who catches the eye of a young man of good family, while visiting a cousin in New York. His family don't think she's good enough for him, that she has no style and beside she is religious. She, on the other hand doesn't perceive value in the same way and is not quite willing to marry an non-christian.

Things I love:

Lois and her sisters are hard workers. They do everything themselves and never sit around. She also had a strong sense of Christian duty. But she doesn't just blindly accept the beliefs of her community. She has a taste for higher things. She ponders the purpose of beauty.

There are other deep questions discussed in the book, but not too deeply. They just fit in nicely.

This book has one of my favourite heroes. A perfect gentleman who goes to great lengths to make it possible to marry the girl he admired even though he knew there was every chance she wouldn't marry him.

And Lois is rather like me in a lot of ways. It's true that I'm not as comfortable in social situations, nor as good a gardener, but we have similar traits and values.

Here's a quote from it:

"But it is matter of astonishment to me, how you have so soon acquired such keen discernment. Is it that you do not enjoy these occasions yourself?" (said Mr Dillwyn)

"O, I enjoy them intensely," said Lois, smiling. "Sometimes I think I am the only one of the company that does; but I enjoy them."

"By the power of what secret talisman?"

"I don't know;—being happy, I suppose," said Lois shyly.

"You are speaking seriously; and therefore you are touching the greatest question of human life. Can you say of yourself that you are truly happy?"

Lois met his eyes in a little wonderment at this questioning, and answered a plain "yes."

"But, to be happy, with me, means, to be independent of circumstances. I do not call him happy, whose happiness is gone if the east wind blow, or a party miscarry, or a bank break; even though it were the bank in which his property is involved."

"Nor do I," said Lois gravely.

"And—pray forgive me for asking!—but, are you happy in this exclusive sense?"

"I have no property in a bank," said Lois, smiling again; "I have not been tried that way; but I suppose it may do as well to have no property anywhere. Yes, Mr. Dillwyn."

And another:

Lois stayed for no more, but ran in. The interior room of the house, which was very large for a bathing-house, was divided in two by a partition. In the inner, smaller room, Lois began busily to change her dress. On the walls hung a number of bathing suits of heavy flannel, one of which she appropriated. Charity came in after her.
"You ain't a goin' for clams, Lois? Well, I wouldn't, if I was you."
"Why not?"
"I wouldn't make myself such a sight, for folks to see."
"I don't at all do it for folks to see, but that folks may eat. We have brought 'em here, and now we must give them something for supper."
"Are you goin' with bare feet?"
"Why not?" said Lois, laughing. "Do you think I am going to spoil my best pair of shoes for vanity's sake?" And she threw off shoes and stockings as she spoke, and showed a pair of pretty little white feet, which glanced coquettishly under the blue flannel. 

There may be some longer discussion that tend toward theology, but the same happens with gardening and clam digging. It's not too much.

As you may have seen, you can get the book as a free audio book from LibriVox. (it has me in it) Or you prefer text (the recording is a bit mixed in quality) it's on Gutenberg.
If you read this book or any others by Susan Warner, let me know what you think.

Thank you everyone who voted on my poll. I now know that there's at least 21 people (which may or may not include me and does include my mother) who read my blog. I think I'll stay with Girl of the Rumours for now.