“I live in Athens, Greece, and many of my sisters in Christ, here, are Filipina housekeepers for wealthy Greek families. The Lord moved me to write Skipping Mountains after hearing countless testimonies from these women about the abuses they suffer at the hands of the rich. Although treated worse than animals by their employers, these humble women continue to live godly for Christ Jesus.What cinched the plot for me was actually one instance where the tables turned–one housekeeper later saw her wealthy mistress end up destitute.” Thank you for stopping by, Lydia!
...
The Story Behind the Story: Deborah Raney
Deborah Raney – The “story” behind The Hanover Falls novels: “My husband is always clipping stories out of the newspaper that he thinks I’ll find interesting––that he thinks might hold the seed of an idea for a future novel. One day he placed the story of nine heroic firefighters who were killed in a fire in Charleston, SC. That story and the career of my firefighter nephew, got me thinking about the lives of the survivors and how they find the will to go on after such a tragedy. The Hanover Falls novels explore the questions I encountered that day. “The three-book series was contracted by Howard/Simon & Schuster and...
My “story” behind the story
In my childhood, my head was always filled with stories like the Chronicles of Narnia, the BFG, Call of the Wild and so many more. I gobbled up all the horse stories I could find. When I hit the sixth grade, I ran out of books that interested me, so I started reading Christian fiction and was hooked. Around that same time, I got my first horse and began training and honing my riding skills. My horse was a registered Arabian mare named LL Naseem. I found a book of legendary Arabian stallions and found my horse was a descendent of one of them. My very first novel was born...
Interview with Robert Elmer, day 2
We’re back with author Robert Elmer. What was the greatest challenge with “Wildflowers”? “The scenes where Hanne found herself in the worst trouble were the hardest for me to write. It was an emotional challenge, and I think readers will recognize those scenes.” What resources helped you the most in your research? “Books written during the forties, first person accounts… good thing I can read Danish!” Why do you think accuracy so important in historical fiction? “It’s fiction, but as writers of the genre we’re making the proposition to our readers that “this could have happened.” In order to stay true to that proposition, we need to do our homework,...
Interview with Robert Elmer
Welcome Robert Elmer, author of more than 50 books, including Wildflowers of Terezin, which I reviewed here. Here is a little about his books and writing journey. Who are your major influences? “Many of my fellow Christian writers have influenced my stories, people whose stories I’ve read and thought, “I’d like to write something like that!” Right offhand I think of Francine Rivers (Leota’s Garden), Lisa Bergren (The Bridge) and Bill Myers (Eli).” What is your favorite historical era? What draws you to that era? “I hate to use the word “favorite,” because it was an awful time, but World War 2 was a crucible of conflict and character that...