Interview with Brooke Barenfanger

Brooke, Welcome to Homeschool Authors! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

The first thing to know about me is that I love Jesus. I hope and pray that always reflects itself in whatever I write. I have been writing since I was ten years old. I would often write random scenes on the back of my homework just for fun. I am the oldest of six—five girls, one boy. I have moved three times in the past year with my family and am planning attending college this fall. As far as I can see, I’m the only bookworm in the family. My other siblings enjoy it, but aren’t as book-crazy as I am.  I really enjoy reading and reviewing books on my blog. I also have recently started posting installments of a story called The Unimaginations of Meredith Windsor once a week on my blog. Here is the link for anybody who wants to explore: http://brookesbookblog.weebly.com/index.html.

Everyone’s homeschooling experience is different. What do you think made yours unique?

When I was really young, my education was based on mostly reading. My mom really worked with me on teaching me how to read. I remember her reading books to me out of The Chronicles of Narnia and other such classics as that.  Since my mom had never homeschooled in her life before she had me, I was kind of the guinea pig :). We tried out a lot of different curriculums before we finally settled with Abeka. It’s a biblically-based curriculum that works wonderfully for us. Now myself and my five other siblings all use Abeka!

How did being homeschooled prepare you to write?

Homeschooling has taught me discipline. I still have tests and quizzes and papers to turn in just like a secular or private school might. And it is my responsibility to prepare for them. Discipline is necessary for anybody who has a desire to be an author. It’s easy to write a book, but it’s the editing process that will determine the caliber of your desire to write. 

What caused you to start writing?

A big reason is reading. Reading caused me to start writing. Many times I would read a book and be annoyed with it because I saw how it could be better. Once I read a quote that said, “Write the book that you’ve always wanted to read but can’t find on the shelf.” While I was writing The Blacksmith King that quote was forever in the back of my mind.

Also, when I was a little girl, my brother and sister and I would make up whole imaginary worlds and play for hours at a time. I do believe that is partly where Riana and Gabriel sprang from (to learn who they are you’ll have to read my book). 

What inspired The Blacksmith King?

Dozens upon dozens of Christian/historical romance novels, my siblings, and my frustration with not being able to find many books more original than a governess falling in love with her employer. Though not necessarily in that order. Also, my childhood greatly influenced The Blacksmith King. I loved reading fairytales when I was younger. I would often sit and read picture books like Rose Red and Snow White or Sleeping Beauty over and over, staring at pictures, touching the pages, and breathing in the words. If you read The Blacksmith King I think you can definitely see how the fairytales had an influence over my imagination!

Would you give us a synopsis?

Having lost her parents as a young girl, Lila Starwok grew up helping her grandparents run their boarding house and raise her twin younger siblings. When she advertises for help with repairs around the boarding house, she’s not expecting the man who shows up to take the job. His secrets go soul-deep. Lila can see them in his eyes. 

For years Asher Frost has made certain that he trusted no one. But when he meets Lila and her God, he finds he cannot but help giving away his secrets one by one until finally he has nothing more to hide. But his past has been running toward him as fast as he has been running away from it. 

His past mistakes could ruin his future. 

His secrets could mean Lila’s life.

Will Asher and Lila’s love break beneath the weight of Asher’s past? 

Can they learn to trust in God for their future? 

When Lila’s life is jeopardized, and a man from Asher’s past shows up, Asher makes his decision. The decision to be selfless. The decision to be what he never thought he could be. 

 Not a humble blacksmith as he had always thought he would be but a man of absolute power. 

Who will enjoy The Blacksmith King?

I have had both thirteen year old girls as well as women in their seventies read my book. Both age groups enjoyed it immensely. Once I had a girl say that she had read my book for the third time. That was very encouraging! 

Do you plan to write more books?

Absolutely! I actually have just finished another manuscript entitled When Dreams Fail.  It is a sequel to The Blacksmith King but the two don’t necessarily need to be read in order. I also have a plethora of ideas about how to continue this series as well as ideas for a few standalone books. I even have plans for a fantasy series! 

Do you have any final thoughts?

My prayer is that God will touch your hearts through my humble writings. I pray that you will be changed for reading not only The Blacksmith King, but also—God willing—other works that I write as well. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be hosted on this blog! It’s a great honor! Until next time we meet “the Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Num6:24-26).

Brooke is giving away a Paperback copy of The Blacksmith King

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Announcement Saturday: New groups!

News

From Perry Elizabeth:

Calling all Homeschooled Authors from our region to join the "Homeschool Authors NW" Facebook group!

Description: "Hey, homeschooled authors of the Pacific Northwest! We need to organize a meet-up and connect! We should also talk about getting our books into the local homeschool conventions! That's something I've been noodling on, and I'd like to know if there's any interest."

From Sarah Holman:
Calling Homeschool Authors in Texas! We have started a Facebook group and plan to have several
 meet-ups in the near future. Please join to keep in touch.

Winner of One Thing I Desire
Bri!

Interview with Sarah Bryant

Sarah, Welcome to Homeschool Authors. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Thank you for this opportunity to share! My name is Sarah Bryant, and I live with my family in rural Kansas, where we operate a family farm. I was homeschooled by my dedicated parents, and am so thankful for the godly upbringing they have given my siblings and I. I am eternally grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior, for redeeming my soul and giving me eternal life (John 17:3)! I love family conversations, making and preserving memories, photography and graphic design, playing piano and harp, homemaking, and memorizing God's Word.

What made your homeschooling experience unique?

My parents have tailored the educational curriculum that my siblings and I have used in our homeschooling, according to our individual interests and talents. They have also been very flexible in our “formal” schooling, incorporating real-life learning experiences in our education.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

The diversity of creation, unique cultures, and beautiful landscapes that the Lord created are fascinating to me. There are so many places that I would find interesting to visit, but Holland is of particular interest.

What caused you to start writing?

At the age of 13, I began a magazine for Christian young ladies, which gave me many opportunities to write. Through the years, both of my parents have encouraged me to develop my writing skills, and my father, being an excellent writer and editor, has given me many tips as he has edited my writings through the years. My motivation for writing springs from a desire to share the Lord with others, and to encourage young ladies to seek Him faithfully.

On top of being an author, you run The King's Blooming Rose Ministry. How do you balance all your obligations?

Priority and time management is certainly a very important lesson to learn, and can be a challenge. My highest priority, besides my relationship with my Lord and Savior, is my family. Other responsibilities can only be carried as I am diligently supporting my parents, serving my family, and investing in my siblings. Under my parents' authority and with their support, the Lord has allowed me to seek to encourage young ladies in their walk with Christ through KBR Ministries. We publish a quarterly magazine and provide various other resources that challenge girls to embrace their God-given roles as daughters.

Did your magazine, The King's Blooming Rose, effect your books in any way?

The writing opportunities that the magazine presented to me at a young age, certainly helped prepare me for writing my first book, The Family Daughter, when I was 16.

What is One Thing I Desire about?

As the Lord was teaching me beautiful things from His Word, I began to realize how “stale” we often become as Christians—especially those of us who are homeschoolers, who have been raised in Christian homes, and take for granted the godly truths our parents have instilled in our lives. We know how to fit into the “right Christian circles” and say the “right things”—but often, we do not personally know the Author of our salvation. As a result, we tend to lose sight of what really matters in this earthly life—because how do we passionately love a God we do not really know and adore?

One Thing I Desire is penned to encourage young ladies to seek and know our Redeemer through His Word, that they would be enraptured by Christ's great work accomplished in the Gospel. For the grandeur of this One Thing will spur us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind.

Who will enjoy this book?

Although it was written for girls and young ladies, it is applicable to any age group because it deals with the topic of our relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Do you have any final thoughts?

I would encourage you to embrace the potential of your youth, and live for the glory of your Creator. Regardless of what skills He has bequeathed to you—whether it be writing or something else—live to bring honor to Christ. This earthly life is so brief in light of eternity. “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). Serve the Lord right where He has placed you today. “Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). God bless you!

Sarah is giving away a copy of One Thing I Desire enter below.

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Announcement Saturday:

Winner of A Mighty Fortress is....

Sarah S.

Books Added

Silent Night (Supervillain of the Day 6.5) by Katie Lynn Daniels

The Universe, Science, and God  by Katie Lynn Daniels
The Father Christmas Profession by Emily Ann Benedict 

Book Review: A Mighty Fortress

Buy it Here

Age Appropriate For: 13 and up for mild violence, and criminal activity

Best for Ages: 13 and up

Description: 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?

I must admit, I didn’t think I was going to like this story or rate it very high after the first few chapters. After all, it was obvious the author has lots of room for improvement. However, in the end, I ended up giving this book four stars. Why? The story touched my heart.

It is true that sometimes this story seems to ramble. Occasionally, I felt a bit lost as to what was going on. Sometimes, the author told instead of showed. Yet, despite the imperfections in this story, the last few chapters made up for all its short comings.

The western setting felt like old Roy Rogers or Lone Ranger movies. It was fun and familiar, nothing jarring or out of the ordinary.

Joshua and Ruth start out feeling a little fake to me, but their characters strengthen as the story goes on. Joshua especially becomes a hero I admire. He protects his sister from harm and does what is right even when it was hard. The faith of the two siblings was very evident. They quote scripture often (toward the beginning it was a little over done, but it got much better) and are not ashamed to talk of their standards or beliefs with others.

My heart went out to Jed. Because of his rough childhood, he feels forced to fall into the wrong crowd. You can feel the tension within him sometimes of wanting to do what is right, but feeling trapped by his past. Jed ended up making the book work very well. Although sometimes, I didn’t understand why he was doing what he was doing.

There were some characters and scenes I didn’t think added to the book. Annabelle seemed to be thrown in for no reason other than to state the wrong kind of attention low cut dresses could make. Also, sometimes showing time passing didn’t work very well.

The ending, as I said, made up for all the short comings. Although not what I was expecting, it was so much more satisfying than anything I could have imagined. I even jot a little teary. I wish I could explain more, but I don’t want to give anything away.

I recommend this books to those who like surprise endings, strong faith, and western stories.

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Interview with Faith Blum

Faith, welcome to Homeschool Authors. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Thank you letting me join you!  I am a 23 year old homeschool graduate.  I love playing piano, singing, crafting, and spending time with my family.  I live with my family on a small hobby farm in Wisconsin.  I also enjoy serving my church.  This year my sister and I are directing the Christmas play.  And obviously, I love reading and writing.

Have you always loved hymns?
Yes, I have.  I love the beauty of the hymns in both the music and the words.  There is simply nothing better than listening to or singing a hymn.

Who are some of your favorite music artists?
For Christian music, I like Steve Green, Sandi Patti, and Keith and Kristyn Getty.  For movie soundtracks, I like John Williams (Star Wars), Howard Shore (LOTR and Hobbit), and Michael Giacchino (Star Trek).  For Classical, I like Frederic Chopin, Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, J.S. Bach, and David Lanz.  And yes, I do like music.  :D

What caused you to start writing?
I don’t honestly remember.  I think I just started coming up with some story ideas and wrote them down.  Mom encouraged me to write by giving me school assignments.  As I approached high school, I knew that I really liked writing and Mom tailored many of my school assignments to accommodate my passion for writing.

What inspired A Mighty Fortress?
Four or five years ago, Vision Forum had a writing contest based on the picture on their magazine.  I was too old to enter the contest, but I wrote a story about the picture anyway.  It also ended up being too long for the contest since it was about 25,000 words when I finished the rough draft.  The story also changed from the picture in subsequent drafts.  The picture was of a brother and sister dangling from a rope off a cliff with a cougar staring at them and the sister is aiming a small pistol at the cougar.  The cougar changed to a timber wolf and the pistol changed to a rifle.

What is it about?

“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?

Who will enjoy A Mighty Fortress?
Anyone who likes Westerns, Christian Historical Fiction, or adventure.  I aimed my book mostly for teens and young adults, but parents and other adults would also enjoy A Mighty Fortress.

Do you have any final thoughts?
If you would like to read an inspiring, adventurous Christian Western you can find it on Amazon on Kindle or Paperback.  I would also like to thank Sarah for hosting me today.  It has been fun answering these questions.

Faith is giving away one e-copy of her book! Enter to win below.

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Announcement Saturday: The beginning of a New Year

The Winner of Family Reunion is....

Perry!

Authors Added

 Jessiqua Wittman

Rebekah A. Morris

Jesse Rice

Books Added

A Memoir of Mercy by  Jessiqua Wittman

A Memoir of Love by  Jessiqua Wittman

The Swaddling Clothes by Amber Schamel

Triple Creek Ranch by Rebekah A. Morris

The Unexpected Request by Rebekah A. Morris

Home Fires of the Great War  by Rebekah A. Morris

Pirates of Rocky Crag Bay and Other Stories by Rebekah A. Morris

An Everyday Photo Alphabet by Rebekah A. Morris

The Lower Lights and Other Stories by Rebekah A. Morris

The Missing Kitten  by Jesse Rice

(Now Available) Captive of Raven Castle  by  Jessica Greyson

(Now Available) Shadow Hand by  Anne Elisabeth Stengl 

Rancid by  Vicki V. Lucas

Book Review: Family Reunion

Buy it Here

Age Appropriate For: All Ages

Best for Ages: 13 and up (reading level)

Description: Welcome to the Austin Family Reunion! 14-year-old Marielle Austin’s parents and grandparents are hosting family for a week in the Texas hill country, and Marielle’s five girl cousins are staying at her house. Emma and Caroline are her best friends – like her, they’re homeschooled and passionate about the Lord, the past, and books. Abby, Kailey, and Reanna are from Wisconsin and just as far away in background and interests – what’s hot in the world now is what matters to them. Grandpa Will Austin has devised a series of projects for the six of them to complete. There’s a shed to fix up, a missionary to interview, and a trail of clues to solve, leading to a treasure. If they finish by the end of the week and work together with love and understanding, they’ll earn a prize beyond anything they could imagine! But difficulties surface right away. Bad attitudes and work ethics seem all Abby, Kailey, and Reanna can offer. Marielle, Emma, and Caroline are at a loss – what can they do to push the projects through? And more importantly, what can they do about their cousins, who won’t welcome their friendship? How can they show love when it’s hard even to feel it? Will the mysterious prize slip away, and with it any chance of relationship?

All homeschoolers know how tough family relations can be at times. Many of us have at least one relative that thinks we are really weird for having been schooled at home. All of us have had to hang out with people who don’t share our values and struggle to think of good topics of conversation. This book is about all of that and so much more.

From the very beginning, I could identify with Marielle and I think most homeschool girls can. She is mature for her fourteen years, but neither does she act too old for her age. She struggles to do what is right, especially concerning her of her three cousins. Sometimes she succeeds, sometimes she fails. She is so relatable and likable you are sure to love her.

I loved the plot of the story. At first, I didn’t think that Kelsey was going to be able to stretch the story of the six cousins working together to complete three task over a week into a book lasted just over three-hundred pages. However, I wasn’t bored. I enjoyed the story and it never felt too long.

I highly recommend Family Reunion to everyone who enjoys story that are true to life, faith-building, and stories about homeschoolers.

Was this helpful? Please vote it up on Amazon.

I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Deal!

During this week, while we explore Kelsey Bryant, you can pick up a Kindle copy of her book for only 99 cents!

Interview with Kelsey Bryant

Kelsey, welcome to Homeschool Authors! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m 22-almost-23-years-old, which is rather frightening, and a homeschool graduate who loves the Lord, lives at home, writes, works part-time, teaches martial arts, and is interested in many different kinds of things, like studying the Bible, studying history and classic literature, and playing piano, to name a few. But really, there are so many things to learn and to do, and my experiences are limited yet! I live in Texas but I adore seeing new places. The Lord has given me the opportunity to work with two online youth magazines as well – Imagine Mag and HarvestMag. 

Tell us how you learned about Homeschool Authors.

When I first became interested in self-publishing, my friend Sarah Scheele, who is also a writer and homeschool graduate (she’s even been featured on here), told me that Homeschool Authors might be encouraging and helpful to me.

Everyone’s homeshooling experience is different. What do you think made yours unique?

I think what made it special was that my mom herself loves learning so much that she worked very closely with my brother and me on every subject. We didn’t use many textbooks (mainly just with the more regular subjects, like math and high school science) but instead learned from what she assembled from various sources. We got to make notebooks of history and science, draw pictures, do crafts, read books, write creative essays, and dress up. She had a lot of great ideas; she’s a tutor now, so you can see how much she loves teaching!

How did being homeschooled prepare you to write?

My parents read a lot of books aloud, made sure we were well-stocked with our own reading material, and took us to libraries, bookstores, and special book sales, so I was exposed to a great amount of good literature. They encouraged us to be creative, too, so when I was very little I made my own books and wrote and illustrated them. My favorite assignments were creative writing, including the sentences I got to make up in my grammar books. Blessedly, it all came naturally to me – even grammar and spelling.

What caused you to start writing?

I suppose it was all that exposure to literature, but I don’t remember that first thought of “I’m going to write my own story!” I just always loved the written word. My first pieces didn’t have a plot. But I would act out stories with toys, and so one day the idea of plot must have hit me and I realized I could write down stories similar to what my dolls and animal toys acted – and they could be just as exciting, even if they weren’t physically acted out, because it all happened in the imagination! From then on I would write – or at least attempt – stories every so often until I was a teenager and knew writing fiction was something I wanted to make a lifetime pursuit.

What inspired Family Reunion?

I wanted to write a real story, the kind that I could finish and try to publish. My historical fiction and fantasy stories at the time seemed insurmountable, so I grabbed hold of the advice to “write what you know” and began Family Reunion, which I was calling Six Cousins until I published it. As I wrote, my excitement grew … I could enter fully into this story because I knew or could easily imagine many of Marielle’s (the protagonist) thoughts or experiences. At times it was like journaling, or journaling as my fourteen-year-old self.

My inspiration was multi-layered; I brought together a number of things that had always been in my well of fiction-ideas. I love everyday life – it has a lot of wonder, beauty, and potential if we get to searching – so I didn’t want my story to stray too far from that view of the world. I started this story in spring, and ever since then the homey, brilliantly-colored central Texas spring was in the background, inspiring me. I’ve always been intrigued with treasure hunts, mysteries, and the rich, character-driven atmosphere of family reunions. And then there had to be conflict, so I hiked up the contrasts among the six girl cousins and let them loose into the world I’d created.

I really wanted my main characters to be homeschooled because, having been there myself, I know that homeschoolers’ lives are often a wealth of imagination, literacy, thoughtfulness, and interesting experiences that make them well-suited as fictional characters.

What is it about?

The family of fourteen-year-old Marielle Austin is hosting a week-long reunion at their home. She has five girl cousins – Emma, Caroline, Abby, Kailey, and Reanna – and their grandfather creates three projects for them to accomplish together to win a secret prize: a treasure hunt which has clues all the girls must solve; the cleanup of an old shed; and an inspiring biography of a retired missionary living in town. They must do it with love and understanding, but Abby, Kailey, and Reanna make every task difficult! Marielle and the others have to learn the meaning of friendship and practical love to give the reunion – and their relationship – a happy ending. 

Who will enjoy Family Reunion?

Adult women have said they’ve enjoyed it, even though it’s written for a younger audience, but generally any girl from age 10 or 11 on up would like it. I know of boys out there who have enjoyed it, however, if their sisters were reading it, so I wouldn’t rule them out, either!

Where can people buy it?

Amazon.com and my CreateSpace eStore. It is also available as a Kindle e-book.

Do you plan to write more books? If you are, when can we expect the next one?

Yes! I love writing novels more than any other activity (with the exception of Bible study, however!). Family Reunion has a sequel that I hope to publish this fall.

Do you have any final thoughts?

Well, for one thing, I’m so glad you had me! I’m very grateful. If any of you are interested, I’d love for you to visit me at my blog, Kelsey’s Notebook – we talk about books and writing inspiration, among other things! And I just want to encourage all you writers out there to keep it up! It’s difficult to create a publishable piece but if God has laid it on your heart to do so He will make a way. That’s what I experienced. It can also be discouraging to realize how full the market is with books, and how hard it is to get your voice heard, but we as Christians have a responsibility to write good literature that will impact our readers, and the market can never have too much of that. We each have something unique to say, so let’s do our best for God’s glory!

Kelsey is giving away one copy of Family Reunion!

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