Category Archives: Author Interview

Review and Author Q&A: Music From Another World by Robin Talley

Author Interview, Book Review and Content, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,
Music from Another World by Robin Talley

Music From Another World
Robin Talley
Inkyard Press
Published March 31, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Music From Another World

It’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk…until she’s matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything.

Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others–like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom–and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they’ll stand for…and who they’ll rise against.

A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley once again brings to life with heart and vivid detail an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery.



My Review

So by now you probably know I LOVE books about music, and I have a particular soft spot for punk. I also found myself drawn to the historical aspect of MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD, too, as I’m not familiar with very much of what happened in the 1970s.

The story is told entirely in diary entries and letters that Tammy and Sharon write to each other. In the diary entries, they often report things they aren’t ready to tell each other, or things that happen to both of them together. I liked the format and felt like it made things really personal. I felt like I could watch their friendship grow and its affect on their diary entries and feelings of isolation.

Both Tammy and Sharon belong to conservative Christian schools and communities and wrestle with feeling like they don’t belong. Tammy believes if she ever tells the truth about who she is (that she’s gay), she’ll be cast out of her family and community. Sharon worries for the same about her brother, who’s also gay.

This story hit me pretty hard. I grew up in a conservative Christian community (and still live in the town where I grew up), and I’ve wondered before about what it would be like to come out to that group of people. I think there would have been talk of conversion therapy, not by my parents, but by some of their friends and church members. My parents wouldn’t have stopped speaking to me or kicked me out. That’s just not how they operate. But it would have cost me most (if not all) of the contact I had with my faith community, and that would have been really painful and difficult.

I grew up with a girl who came out to her parents and lost her relationships with them. They haven’t spoken to her in years. They didn’t even try to contact her after the Pulse shooting to see if she was okay, and I can’t even imagine how hurtful that is.

Anyway, I guess reading this book, not only did I connect with Tammy and Sharon and everything they went through, I guess I pictured the faces of my friends, and it made me think about what it was like– even decades later than this book takes place– to grow up in a conservative church and be gay.

I really enjoyed the book, both for the emotional journeys that it brought me on and for the really fun punk scene (Midge Spelling is my favorite!).

I think fans of THE SCAR BOYS by Len Vlahos or I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE by Stephanie Kuehnert would really enjoy the music scene in this book and its effect on the characters.

Check out the Q&A with Robin Talley after the content notes!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Multiple characters are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl, references to making out. Reference to oral sex. Kissing between same sex couples.

Spiritual Content
Both Tammy and Sharon are part of conservative Christian churches which believe that being gay is a sin. They come across as dogmatic, angry, and manipulative. One church leader gets caught in an affair and embezzling money from a charity.

Violent Content
Some references to fights during punk shows.

Drug Content
Teens drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD in exchange for my honest review.

Q&A with Author Robin Talley

Q: What is your favorite thing about Tammy or Sharon?

A: I love the close connection between Sharon and her brother, Peter. That was another element of the story that came to me very early and was crucial in how I envisioned the characters’ lives. They’re siblings and best friends who know exactly how to get on each other’s nerves when they want to, but when it comes down to it, they’ll do absolutely anything for each other.

Q: Are there any parts of Tammy and Sharon’s lives that reflect your own?

A: Their lives are pretty different from mine — for one thing, I wasn’t born yet when their story takes place, and I’ve always lived on the East Coast. I did grow up in a more right-wing community than I live in now, though, and I was part of a pretty conservative church community there. Though my church wasn’t politically active, thank goodness.

Q: How did you come up with the letters to Harvey?

A: From the beginning, my very first kernel of the idea that led to this book was the image of Tammy in her church basement, writing a secret letter to Harvey Milk while around her, everyone she knew was celebrating the victory of Christian singer and TV commercial star Anita Bryant’s campaign to overturn a gay rights law in Miami. I imagined Tammy surrounded by people, but still completely isolated, and reaching out to the only person she’d ever heard of who she thought might be able to understand how she felt. At that time, Harvey was getting a lot of media attention nationwide as one of the most outspoken gay rights activists (he also served as a convenient bogeyman for anti-gay right-wing activists).

Q: What inspired you to write in the Harvey Milk era?

A: The history of activism for LGBTQ equality has always been a big interest of mine. Before Music From Another World I’d written two books that both focused on queer characters living in the 1950s, when being a member of that community meant, almost by default, being closeted. I wanted to explore a later era when, for the first time, some LGBTQ people began to see coming out as a real option — but an option with consequences that could be catastrophic. The late 1970s was also when the anti-gay community first started to emerge as a major political player, so that was interesting to explore as well.

Q: What was the most difficult part of the story to write, and why did you feel it was important to include that part?

A: I had a lot of trouble writing some of the things that happen to Tammy near the story’s midpoint (trying to be vague here to avoid spoilers). I hate to ever write about the characters that I care about experiencing anything negative, but the reality of the situation required it. The stakes Tammy faced were simply too high.

Q: How do you balance the intensity of the time period and subject with the love story?

A: That’s just the thing — we’re all living our lives against the backdrop of history, one way or another. We’re living through an incredibly turbulent time in the world right now, just like Sharon and Tammy were in the late 1970s, but people are still going to school, fighting with their parents, getting their first jobs, etc. And, yes, falling in love. For all of us, just like for these characters, we have to figure out how the minutiae of day to day life (and sometimes the drama of it) fits in with the bigger picture, and not lose sight of the contributions we make to the larger world, too.

Q: What is one thing you hope readers take away from MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD?

A: I hope they’ll go on to read more on their own about the events that followed the end of this story. There were a ton of both highs and lows in the movement for LGBTQ rights, and although this story focuses largely on 1978’s Proposition 6 in California, also known as the Briggs Initiative, that was just one campaign out of a much larger movement, and it was the larger movement that laid the foundation for events that we’re still seeing play out today.

Blog Tour and Q&A with Lucia DiStefano

Author Interview, New Adult 18up, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Once in a while a book comes along that really piques my curiosity, and BORROWED by Lucia DiStefano is definitely one of those! Today, I’ve got the pleasure of sharing an interview with the author where she answers some of my questions about her super intriguing book! First, though, let’s talk about the book.

Borrowed
by Lucia DiStefano
Elephant Rock Books
Published November 1, 2018
264 pages

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Borrowed
Love, mystery, and danger collide in this new literary thriller with the dark heart of a Gillian Flynn novel and the lyrical prose of Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun.

A triumph of authenticity, grace, and nail-biting suspense, Lucia DiStefano’s ingenious debut is an unflinching, genre-bending page-turner.

As seventeen-year-old Linnea celebrates the first anniversary of her heart transplant, she can’t escape the feeling that the wires have been crossed. After a series of unsettling dreams, inked messages mysteriously appear on her body, and she starts to wonder if this new heart belongs to her at all.

In another Austin neighborhood, Maxine braces for a heartbreaking anniversary: her sister Harper’s death. Between raising her brothers and parenting her grief-stricken mother, Max is unable to ignore her guilty crush on Harper’s old flame or shake her lingering suspicion that her sister’s drowning wasn’t really an accident. With Harper as the sole connection, Linnea and Maxine are soon brought together in fantastic and terrifying ways as the shocking truth behind Harper’s death comes to light.

Q&A with Lucia DiStefano

I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write BORROWED?

Absolutely! Many years ago, after standing in a post-office queue and watching a woman scribble a note on the palm of her hand, I asked myself, “What would it be like to find a message on your hand and have no memory of putting it there?”

Were there things about your favorite character which couldn’t be included in BORROWED?

I think my favorite character may be Leo, the wildly talented chef whose personal life is a hot mess (and that’s an understatement). I find him so brash and unpredictable and entertaining, and maybe he’s my favorite because he’s so unlike me in many ways. Regarding things about Leo that couldn’t be included: the full details of his many arrests, what his apartment looks like, who he hangs out with, and what he’s doing when he’s not in the restaurant kitchen. Some of those things may be hinted at in the book, but they couldn’t be included because Leo is a minor character, after all, and all that backstory wouldn’t serve the story at large. (But can you tell I think about them?)

Can you tell us a little bit about something you know about the story that the reader may not know? Kind of a behind-the-scenes look at a character’s backstory or something interesting about the setting that didn’t make it to the final version of BORROWED?

Linnea’s mother wanted a child but not a partner (she’d had several disastrous relationships in the past, including one with a man who hated kids), which is why she availed herself of IVF when she wanted to conceive. Although that fact of Linnea’s parentage is mentioned once in the final draft, I’d had much more about it in earlier drafts, including an unsuccessful attempt by Linnea to find the person who she believes passed on a faulty heart to her. Because those details felt interesting to me but did not move the story forward, I had to cut them.

Is there a scene or moment in BORROWED that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

I’m thinking about the scene that I hadn’t wanted to write because I knew it would be so excruciating to write. In the draft I sent in to Elephant Rock Books’s Helen Sheehan YA Contest, I had only implied that this major event occurred; I hadn’t written any of it. But my brilliant, thoughtful editor Jotham Burrello asked me to consider writing it, and gave very compelling reasons for doing so. Once he laid out his logic, I knew the story would be stronger with that very difficult scene in there, and I knew I had to muster up my courage to write it. I was right: it was excruciating to write, but I am glad Jotham saw the need for it, and I am glad I worked myself up to writing it.

Where did your ideas for your antagonist come from?

Sometimes writing feels mysterious to me. Often I can track the origin of my ideas (as in the question that triggered one major idea behind the novel), but when it comes to the antagonist this time around, the line is blurry at best. I think the reason for this is that I wanted the girls to drive the story first and foremost, and so writing them felt like conscious work on my part. But what the antagonist said/did felt like “gifts” from the antagonist himself, clues and motivations he lobbed my way when I was trying to focus on the two main characters. I can’t describe the process where he’s involved more accurately than saying those ideas all came from him; I just accepted them gratefully.

What do you most hope that readers take away from BORROWED?

The thing I most hope readers take away from BORROWED is hope itself. Both of the protagonists have been through hell and back, and in each of those scenarios, many people might not get up again afterwards. And yet, both of these strong young women go on to engage with life, and to me, that’s the epitome of hope: accepting the reality of the darkest of situations, and yet believing the sun will shine again and therefore turning one’s face toward the sun.

What is one question about BORROWED you are often asked by readers?

Questions along the line of: “Are you a baker? The desserts you described sound delicious. Did you make them before you put them in the book?” And my answer: I’m an amateur baker at best (and I consistently fail at making my desserts pretty, so I doubt I’d make a good pastry chef). I may not have made everything Linnea makes in the novel, but I can (proudly) say that I’ve eaten it all. (Which is why I hear the treadmill calling…)

About Lucia DiStefano

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

A former high school English teacher, Lucia DiStefano currently works as an editor, ghostwriter, and writing coach. First-generation Sicilian-American and daughter of an olive farmer, she admits to having recurring pasta dreams. Hailing from central Connecticut, Lucia lives near Austin, Texas with her husband and an old bloodhound named Waffle.

Follow the Blog Tour for More

August 1: Cover reveal at YA Interrobang

September 4: Review at Alice Reeds

September 10: Author interview at Alice Reeds

September 24: Cover reveal at BubblersRead

October 8: Review at Liz Loves Books  

October 9-15: Giveaway at Miss Print

October 15: Review at BubblersRead

October 17: Guest post at Liz Loves Books

October 22: Excerpt at YA Interrobang

October 25: Author interview at YA Outside the Lines  

October 31: Author interview at Katya de Becerra: The Last Day of Normal

November 1: Giveaway and guest post at Carina’s Books

November 5: Author interview at BubblersRead

November 12: Author guest post at BubblersRead

November 14: Author interview at Cynsations

November 19: First impressions video with YouTuber BookRatMisty

November 20: First impressions on The Book Rat

November 20: Author interview at The Story Sanctuary – You are here!

December 5: Podcast Interview at The Writing Barn

Like Elephant Rock on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @ElephantRockBks for book and blog tour news and updates!

Q&A with Author Laurie Lucking

Author Interview, News and Fun, , , , ,

If you’re a fan of The Selection by Kiera Cass or Everless by Sara Holland like I am, you’ll really enjoy the servant-girl-must-save-the-kingdom story of Common by Laurie Lucking. Today I’m sharing the questions and answers session I had with Laurie where she talks more about what inspired her to write her book.

Q&A with Author Laurie Lucking

I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write Common?

It was more like a series of questions 🙂 I wanted to write a friendship that turns into romance, but because I love fairy tales, I started thinking things like “What if he was a prince and she was a maid?” “What if his parents arranged his engagement to someone else?” “What if the maid uncovered a plot against the royal family and had to save the day?” From there, my story was off and running!

Who is your favorite character? Were there things about him/her which couldn’t be included in the novel?

I think my favorite character has to be the protagonist, Leah, because there are so many aspects of her that remind me of my own teenage self and I love that she’s a quiet, understated heroine. In my original draft, the opening chapters took place during Leah’s childhood as she meets and becomes friends with the prince. Sadly, those chapters had to be cut. The opening is much stronger for it, but I do think those scenes were a fun look at Leah as a young girl, working hard at the palace and in search of a quiet refuge from her boisterous fellow servants.

Is there a scene or moment in your novel that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

One scene that comes to mind is when Leah has retreated to her broom closet hideout and is crying after being teased by the stable hands. Prince Raphael finds her there and comforts her.

This scene stands out to me first because it’s a rare moment of vulnerability for Leah. She tries so hard to be strong and logical, and this is one occasion where she lets her guard down. I also love this scene because it’s one of the first times where hints of romance creep into Leah’s friendship with the prince. One of my favorite aspects of friendship-turned-romance relationships are those key moments where the characters start to view each other in a different light, and the hug they share in this scene is definitely one of those turning points.

Where did your ideas for your antagonist come from?

My antagonist started out as a very murky concept because he stays behind-the-scenes for the majority of the book. But once he finally made an appearance, I drew a lot of inspiration from Rasputin in the 1997 film Anastasia and Jafar from Disney’s Aladdin. He’s a power-hungry, somewhat deranged yet oddly charismatic man who has been waiting a long time for revenge and has a twisted concept of justice.

What do you most hope that readers take away from your novel?

I hope readers first of all realize that no one, no matter how ordinary they may seem, is “common.” We are all UNcommon and capable of extraordinary things! I also hope readers take away the reminder that often the darkest, most challenging parts of our journey are preparing us for something much greater.

What is one question about your novel you are often asked by readers?

I’m often asked about my inspiration for the mystics, the group of unusual nuns my protagonist encounters in the second half of Common. The concept derived from the mystics of the early Christian church—holy men and women who lived in seclusion to achieve a greater union with God and would occasionally receive visions from God. I used my license as a fantasy writer to expand on that idea and ended up with a group of ladies who are in equal parts devout and powerful.

What have you read recently that you loved, or what’s one book on your reading list that you’re super excited about finally getting to read?

I’m in the middle of my advance review copy of A Dance of Shadows by Erica Marie Hogan, and it’s fantastic! I loved the first book in the series, Winter Queen, so I couldn’t wait to get started with this one! Her writing style is so lyrical, and her characters and fantasy world are increasingly deep and complex. I would highly recommend it for fans of Christian fantasy!

About Laurie Lucking

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

An avid reader practically since birth, Laurie Lucking discovered her passion for writing after leaving her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom. When she gets a break from playing superheroes and driving windup cars, she writes young adult fantasy with a strong thread of fairy tale romance. Her debut novel, Common, released in February from Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, and her short story, “Threshold,” was published in a Fellowship of Fantasy anthology titled Mythical Doorways. Laurie is the Secretary of her local ACFW chapter and a co-founder of Lands Uncharted, a blog for fans of clean young adult speculative fiction. A Midwestern girl through and through, she currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young sons. Find out more by visiting www.laurielucking.com.

 

About Common by Laurie Lucking

Amazon |  Goodreads

Only one person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished.

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.

But Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Rafe’s parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess, and she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. When she reports it without proof, her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason.

Harbored by an unusual group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe’s safety before it’s too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne.

Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?

 

 

 

Q&A with Snow Witch Author Rosie Boyes

Author Interview, Magical Realism, News and Fun, , , ,

Rosie Boyes’ novel Snow Witch came out last week, and it’s another book I can’t wait to read. The story looks like a lot of fun, especially as we head into the holidays. I’m really excited to find out more about the Christmas curse and the mysterious St. Flurries. Read on to learn more about what inspired this unusual holiday story.

Q&A with Rosie Boyes

I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write The Snow Witch?

I often imagine the thick snow-covered streets that Charles Dickens wrote about in A Christmas Carol, and the sense of wonder that Lucy Pevensie felt when she stepped through the wardrobe into Narnia – her small feet crunching through the fresh white snow – a puff of breath visible in the crisp, cold air. But due to climate change, a blanket of snow on Christmas day is rare, especially where I live in the south of England. Yet, every year, regardless, I ask myself… will it snow this Christmas? And that was the question that inspired me to write The Snow Witch.

Were there things about your favorite character or an awesome scene which you didn’t end up being able to include in Snow Witch?

Luckily, no, in fact, quite the opposite. After completing several edit checks, I sent my manuscript to a twelve-year-old boy who read the story and gave me his feedback. In his own words, he loved all of the characters apart from a snow creature called Pipit who he described as not very fun and needed more cheer. So, I wrote a new chapter, short and sweet, and in doing so, turned Pipit into an accidental hero. And strangely enough, the new chapter changed the whole dynamics at the end of the book.

Is there a scene or moment in your novel that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

A chapter I found intense to write was when my main protagonist was cursed, and due to the curse, her family abandoned her when they believed she was dead. ‘Papa! Mama!’ she whimpered. ‘Don’t… leave… me…’ I hate sad scenes, I hate them with a vengeance. Yet, no matter how much the scene pulled on my heartstrings, I knew I had to leave it alone because it was a key element to the story.

I think it’s really cool and unusual to see a story about a curse (usually more of a Halloween theme) taking place around Christmas. What inspired this holiday mash-up?

I love snow! Love it! And I love the festive season mixed together with spicy yumminess and family hugs. So when I came up with the idea for The Snow Witch, I simply had to write a story set around Christmas-time. And into the mixture of the curse, I added three white mistletoe berries, a teaspoon of snow, two cat hairs, and…. well, I’ll let you read the story to find out what happens next.

What do you most hope that readers take away from your story?

Personally speaking, I enjoy reading books which blend an element of everything – fantasy, adventure, suspense, mystery, comedy, and maybe a little romance, all mixed up to make an unforgettable story. And so when it came to The Snow Witch, I wanted to evoke feelings, pure and simple. As an author, I want my readers to turn over a new page and not know quite what to expect. I want them to experience a rollercoaster journey until they finish the book, look around, perhaps a little disorientated because they don’t want the story to end. I want them to feel happy.

What is one question about The Snow Witch you are often asked by readers?

The question I often get asked is from my sister. Have you finished the story yet? When can I read it? In real life, she is an occupational therapist. She is warm-hearted and caring, funny, strong, empathetic and compassionate – in truth, she has all the characteristics needed to be a healthcare professional (but then I am a little biased!). Little does she know that I have loosely based her on a character in my book. Nurse Pamela Pintail, to be precise. It makes me wonder whether, subconsciously, I have based other characters on real-life people? Could it be you?

About Rosie Boyes

Website | Twitter

Rosie Boyes is a children’s author from the UK. She has been passionate about middle-grade books ever since she can remember. Her love of reading came at an early age when she escaped into classic stories, living out the lives of the characters she met. During her spare time, she dreams about dipping her toes in the sea, splashing through puddles, kicking up leaves in the autumn…

About The Snow Witch

Amazon | Goodreads

A GRANDFATHER CLOCK. A GLASS LOCKET. A POWERFUL CURSE UNLEASHED ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

Twelve-year-old Kitty Wigeon can’t wait for Christmas at St Flurries, a grand old manor house in the countryside, until one chilly night she vanishes without a trace.

One hundred years later… Still grieving over the death of their mother, Kes Bunting and his younger sister Star, are sent to live at St Flurries. They find a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets.

Who, or what, is making footprints in the snow?

And what evil force is taking a cold grip on Star?

Wrap up warm as you join Kes, and a cast of eccentric snow creatures, in a race against time to solve a hundred-year-old curse. Will he succeed? Or will the fate of his sister be decided by a shivery kiss from… the Snow Witch?

Q&A with Martin Hospitality Author Abigayle Claire

Author Interview, Coming of Age, Contemporary, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

One of the books that caught my attention lately is Martin Hospitality by Abigayle Claire. It’s about a pregnant teenage girl who finds refuge with the Martin family. I love the sweet premise and couldn’t resist learning more about what inspired the story. Abigayle has graciously taken time to answer my questions, and I’m sharing her answers here. First, let me tell you a little more about the book.

About Martin Hospitality

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Gemma Ebworthy is eighteen, pregnant, and alone. Now that she’s been evicted, she finds herself sleeping in a barn, never dreaming that tomorrow could bring kindness of a life-changing magnitude.

The Martins aren’t a typical family—even for rural Kansas. With more kids than can be counted on one hand and a full-time farm, Gemma must make a lot of adjustments to fit in. But despite their many differences, Gemma finds herself drawn to this family and their radical Christian faith.

When Gemma’s past collides with her yet again, she must begin revealing her colorful history. With every detail Gemma concedes, she fears she will lose the Martins’ trust and the stable environment she desires for herself and her unborn child. Just how far can the Martins’ love and God’s forgiveness go?

Q&A with Abigayle Claire

I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write Martin Hospitality?

A crazy dream I had inspired Martin Hospitality, so I’ve never really thought about it from the question standpoint! But I suppose one of the questions I sought to answer was what would  a family similar to mine look like to someone completely foreign to the faith and how might they be influenced.

Who is your favorite character? Were there things about him which couldn’t be included in the novel?

My favorite character in book 1 is actually Mr. Martin, a controversial character. (Although Gemma and Josiah are of course close seconds as the MCs.) I think about his past and future in relation to book 1 all the time, so yes! Lots not included that still shaped him as a character.

Is there a scene or moment in your novel that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Chapter 12 was actually the first chapter I wrote and takes place during a fall festival which makes me very happy. I also really love Gemma’s strength and all the tiny developments in that chapter with the drama.

In Martin Hospitality, Gemma wrestles with judgment and forgiveness. What made you want to write about these themes?

I think the themes came along easily with Gemma being a lost, pregnant teen. I wanted her to glimpse God through unexpected kindness long enough for her to stand up for herself and seek the God behind it in her own right. Plus, I think both judgment and forgiveness are things that both nonbelievers and believers alike deal with during their lifetime.

What do you most hope that readers take away from Martin Hospitality?

Tough question! One of the big things is God’s sufficiency. It sounds simple, but it’s so easy to forget. Gemma has to reach her own end over and over again and decide whether or not to trust God each time. But He is worth trusting, He is always there, and He is always capable. And often He’s just waiting to be asked.

What is one question about your novel you are often asked by readers?

“How did you write it?” The answer is that it wasn’t me. It came through a dream and developed a depth and intricacy that no amount of planning or editing on my part could have produced. Soli Deo Gloria.

I also get “Mr. and Mrs. Martin are your mom and dad, right?” from people who know me. While there are general similarities, I don’t consider them the same people by any means.

What have you read recently that you loved, or what’s one book on your reading list that you’re super excited about finally getting to read?

I just finished reading Fawkes by Nadine Brandes in September. I loved her other books, so I expected to like it, but the expansive themes and intense reality of the internal turmoil (with plenty of outside turmoil to make a great story of course!) really blew my mind. I’m already hoping to reread it soon which I don’t do often. Talk about changing people with your fiction! It’s wonderful to see characters grapple with their idea of God in a way that deepens your own faith.

About Abigayle Claire

Website | Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Abigayle has been a writer ever since her mother taught her how to hold a pencil. However, she devoted more time to reading words with her green eyes than penning them with her left hand. Inspired by a crazy dream at the age of sixteen, she set off on a journey to self-publish her first novel, Martin Hospitality. Since then, Abigayle has devoted herself to sharing what she has learned through the mediums of freelance editing and her blog theleft-handedytpist.blogspot.com … when period drama films are not calling more loudly. None of her successes, including winning a 2017 Readers’ Favorite Award, would be possible without the support of her Savior, large family, and online community.

Q&A with Be Affected Author Riley Choquette

Author Interview, Book Review and Content, News and Fun, , , , , , ,

One of the few nonfiction titles I selected this year is a short book called Be Affected, which challenges and encourages young Christian men as they enter early stages of dating. It’s kind of a quick tips guide to successfully navigating those first relationships and build great boundaries and habits for dating relationships in general. It was a fun read, so I’m super excited to be able to talk a little more with author Riley Choquette.

Q&A with Riley Choquette

What inspired you to write BE AFFECTED?

In my residential college, I got to share a couple of songs at a coffee shop night, and I realized that both of the songs I had chosen were about dating relationships not working out. In between the songs, I took a moment to explain that people don’t have to feel crazy when they are deeply affected by their desires to be in relationship, that it’s even a good thing from the perspective of Divine image-bearing. After I had finished, a young guy came up and thanked me for sharing that perspective.

A few weeks later, we had a dating and relationships panel discussion, and I had the pleasure of representing single men. Experienced couples offered great wisdom that I wanted everyone to hear, but at the end of our time I found myself longing to communicate very practical dating advice to the young guys in my community. After a few days of being unable to fall asleep easily because I was dwelling on the advice I wanted to share, I decided to write it down.

If you could pass on only one bit of wisdom to teens and young adults who are looking for dating relationships today, what would it be?

Men, ask her out! Women, give a clear answer!

A frustrating amount of drama and pain results from the fear of plainly expressing the desire to learn about someone on a simple date. If more men would ask women on dates, we would have less pressure in dating, more freedom, and more joy. That’s the big-picture view.

On an individual level, asking a person out provides relief through clarity. The best way to know if someone wants to go on a date with you is to ask! There’s little good to over-analyzing whether someone is interested in you when you can simply ask the person who knows the answer. Clear asking and clear answering are good gifts in a realm full of ambiguity (and the insecurity that comes along with it).

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing Christian singles today?

In my opinion, the greatest hindrance to healthy dating is sexual impurity. Our culture defines dating in terms of sex and not in terms of marriage, which places ruinous expectations on Christian singles. That said, left in a vacuum, Christians would still struggle with purity because of the desires of our own flesh.

In light of that sad reality, Christians falter in two ways. The more common trap we fall into is compromising with the world on what good dating looks like, allowing sexual contact to cause unnecessary confusion, heartbreak, and pain in our relationships. Sometimes shame from stumbling in the area of purity hinders Christians from dating confidently, instead of pressing into a gracious God who forgives and heals.

But we also err in reaction to the world, by thinking that everything related to dating is worldly and wrong. God invented marriage, relationships, and love, and He owns them all. Christians should not fear romance; rather, we should embrace healthy dating as a witness to the world of our relational God.

What did you learn as you wrote BE AFFECTED?

I learned how awesome my parents are. I distinctly remember receiving the basis for the practical parts of dating, and even ending dating relationships, from my mom and dad. The bottom of good dating is consideration for other people, which my mom instilled in me in part through countless briefings before school dances: “When you pick her up, shake her dad’s hand. Look him in the eye. Tell her she looks pretty. Open the car door for her…” But beyond telling me what to do, they told me who I am. “Be your sweet, thoughtful self.”

When I was in my teens, the popular Christian dating guide was I KISSED DATING GOODBYE by Joshua Harris, which encourages Christians to pursue courtship as a relationship model rather than dating. What do you think about courtship versus dating?

Courtship is pursuing an exclusive relationship with a mind toward ending it in marriage. I think the model was developed out of a genuine desire for purity and a desire to avoid unnecessary heartache. Healthy Christian dating shares some goals and attributes with courtship, namely that its end is marriage and it desires to pursue that end in purity. The method is what differs.

Courtship is exclusive. While as a pursuer I ask only one woman at a time on dates, I think it’s healthy for both parties to be free from commitment in the early stages of dating. This protects both men and women. Why would I give part of my heart or my body away to someone that I may not be dating a month or even a week from now? Dating opens up space to get know someone’s personality without the pressure of starting a formalized relationship. In general, I think more pursuit of marriage among Christians would be a good thing, but the courtship model raises the start-up cost too high. In the earliest stages of romantic relationships, sometimes my friends will say, “I really just don’t know if I like him/her.” to which I can happily reply, “the point of dating is to find out!”

In terms of avoiding heartache, the courtship model definitely wins in the short term. Healthy dating, on the other hand, makes little attempt to hide from rejection or pain; it allows itself to be affected by the desire for relationship. Dating is for the bold, and when done well, it’s an opportunity to show off the image of God. I don’t read an explicit command in scripture to find marriage in one way or another, whether by arrangement or by courtship or by dating. Two things are certain: that we are to pursue relationships for God’s glory, and that neither marriage nor human attempts at purity can save souls—only Jesus does that.

Are there additional resources you recommend for teens or young adults who are beginning to explore dating relationships?

While there are a number of helpful articles online and countless books on dating, I believe the best resource for young people who are looking to date is community. Young people should talk through dating plans and ideas and struggles with family and friends who know and love them.

In the book, I talk about both preparing for a date and debriefing from a date through community. Once, when I was hoping to finish a canoe I had been building so that I could use it for a date, an amazingly wide circle of friends came around me to help finish the work and to cheer me on. And on multiple occasions, I’ve called my mom or my friends not only to tell them about a date, but also to find out how I feel about it. My community knows me well enough to speak into my decision making: “She sounds awesome! You should go on another date to be sure.” “I don’t know, man, you don’t seem that excited.” My community is still there and still loving me, even as the potential for romantic relationship comes and goes. It gives me the confidence to keep going.

Parents, be aware that it can be tricky to get these conversations started, especially with young guys. It takes time and patience and it can’t be forced. “Any cute girls on your radar?” is a good place to start.

 

About Riley Choquette

Riley Choquette is a young, Christian man who is passionate about good dating. He is from Edmond, OK and currently lives in Waco, TX where he recently graduated from Baylor University.

About Be Affected

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Be Affected charges young men, especially in the Church, to embrace the value of dating as an aspect of divine image-bearing and offers practical advice on how to do it well. Written from the perspective of a young, single Christian man, this books offers a theological explanation of the importance and goodness of dating, highly-practical advice on asking for and planning effective dates, and honest encouragement for when things don’t go as planned.

From the Introduction:
Books about dating all face one of two problems: either the author is married, or the author is single. In the first case, it’s too easy to think ‘Well sure, that approach worked for you, but that’s just one story.’ What if the married author has fallen out of touch, and he or she doesn’t understand how things are these days? In the case of a single author, even more doubts arise: ‘How can I be sure whether any of this works, if it hasn’t worked out for you?’

That kind of thinking assumes that the goal of dating is finding a spouse, which is true. However, even though the ultimate indicator of success in dating is marriage, there are plenty of ways to be successful without yet having found a spouse. This book will detail some of those ways.


This very small book is meant as a practical guide to the early stages of dating. To maintain its usefulness, I will try to keep explanations brief and advice blunt. I write from my own experience and perspective—that of a young, single, Christian male—so this book is written primarily to young, Christian men. (That said, I feel non-Christians and females may still benefit from reading sections of this book.)

I write as one who is still trying. Nobody wants to be good at first dates, because that means the dates aren’t working! It’s much better to get in the game, find who you’re looking for, and get out, without having a lot of practice. But in terms of exploring compatibility with a number of women for whom I have much admiration and respect, I’d say I’m doing okay. I rarely avoid anyone out of embarrassment, and I have gained friendship with several awesome ladies. I can be honest, though, in saying I’d still prefer a wife over a number of new friends.

With this being a book of mostly practical advice (with some theology thrown in to back it all up), I think of it as an “80%” book: it will work for about 80% of the intended audience about 80% of the time. “But,” you say, “I don’t want an ‘80%’ relationship! I want something special!” My expectation is that what makes a relationship special is how it sneaks up and surprises you, and how it changes what makes sense to you and what doesn’t. Even walking intentionally toward a dating relationship, I fully expect to be surprised by love. This book will attempt to cover part of the walking.

There can be no pride in writing from a place where I’m still walking. I’m merely trying to make more peace for people like me. I see a lot of trouble and conflict in my generation from avoidable mistakes in dating. I see just as much trouble and conflict, if not more, from a fear of dating, especially among young people in the Church. I have hope that sharing my little experience may add to someone’s peace and make life simpler for my young friends and for me.

In truth, you have probably already heard much of the wisdom contained in this book. It’s a lot of common sense. The advice contained in this book is mostly simple, but I’m not foolish enough to call it easily-executed. Dating is hard! It takes guts, and work, and planning. It takes vulnerability and effort, and even effort to be vulnerable. But we don’t want dating to be easy, we want dating to be worth it.