Faith Blum on Love Lifted Me

Faith, welcome back to Homeschooled Authors. What have you been up to?
Writing, getting married, getting pregnant, and having a baby. :) I don’t remember exactly when I was here last, but I have published over 20 books now since the first book, A Mighty Fortress. Then in September 2017, I got married to a wonderful guy. We had our rainbow baby, David, in March!


Tell us about Tales of the East series.
It started out with my Beauty and the Beast retelling. I had an idea for one set during the time of King David and I wrote it. Fast forward a few years and I had some more ideas for fairy tale retellings set during Bible times. So I started writing more and was able to interconnect them. Even though they are interconnected, you can still read each one individually.


What is the latest book in the series, Love Lifted Me, about?
Love Lifted Me is about a young Shullamite who lives in a small village in Israel. Her parents die suddenly and very shortly after each other and she is left alone with her two lazy brothers. This is a dual retelling combining the Cinderella fairy tale with the Song of Solomon from the Bible. The idea was inspired by my mom after she read the Song of Solomon and told me how she thought it could work as a Cinderella retelling.

What was your favorite part of writing this story?
My favorite part of writing the story was putting elements of Cinderella and Song of Solomon into the story.

What are some of the challenges of writing biblical fiction?
Finding research for certain aspects of the way they lived. For instance, for one of my books, I wanted to put some of the wedding traditions into the story, but it was hard to find details.

What is the fun part of writing biblical fiction?
The fun part is reliving parts of the Bible in a new way. I get to read the Bible as research. What could be better than that?

What's the best book you've read in the last year?
That is the hardest question here. I’m not sure what to say. To be honest, it was probably, The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland. It was a really good book for the season I was in.

Any final thoughts?
Thanks for having me here! I really appreciated the opportunity to come back!

Faith is giving away a ebook of Love Lifted Me. Enter below!
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Christmas Stories Day 3: O Come All Ye Faithful: and other short stories

O Come All Ye Faithful

Edwin wanted to be home, but instead he crouched in a trench. The English on one side of No Man’s Land and Germans on the other. What a way to spend Christmas. Could anything make it better?

Peace on Earth

Emmie and Elana are estranged sisters, torn apart by an old boyfriend five years earlier. Will they survive a night in the same hotel room after a blizzard forces them together or will peace on earth go out the window?

Silent Night

Christmas decorating had never gone this wrong. Jenna had just started when a crazy, gun-waving woman, walks right in the front door and ties her up in her own Christmas lights. Will Jenna even see her family this Christmas?

The Gift Goes On

Four friends and a year to reflect on. The year had been good for Carlotta, but Priscilla, Remus, and Newton all had at least one trial through the year. A mysterious giver the previous year had helped them all out, though. What would this year’s gifts bring?

O Christmas Tree

Gareth loves Christmas. But more than that, he loves Christmas tree hunting. As the family prepares for their annual trip, Gareth can barely contain his excitement. But what are all the spray bottles for? 

 

Faith Blum on Savior, Like a Shepherd

Faith, welcome back to Homeschooled Authors. What have you been up to since the last time you were here?
I honestly can’t remember when I was here last, but I think it was shortly after the publication of my second book. Since then, I was able to quit my part-time job to concentrate full-time on writing. It’s been great! Of course, that means I’ve been doing a lot of writing and editing and marketing as I work on serving God through this media.

What draws you to the old west?
Ever since discovering my dad’s Louis L’Amour book collection and reading my first one, I’ve been drawn to the ruggedness and wildness of the Old West. I think it’s such an open genre to explore and I’ve loved writing about that time.

What inspired Savior, Like a Shepherd?
One of my novellas. Seriously. I wrote a novella about a young lady who becomes a mail order bride and on her way to meet her husband, she comes in contact with Titus. Titus is a twelve-year-old orphan who is trying to take care of his brother and sister but is disadvantaged by the fact that he and his siblings were born illegitimately to a lady of the night. Adelaide does what she can, but I wanted to explore his story more and see what happened to him after she left.

Which character are you most like?
Adelaide Brown. I have an advantage that anyone who reads only this book doesn’t, I spent a lot of time with Adelaide while writing her story and this one. Miss Brown isn’t actually in this story for very long, but she and I are quite a bit alike in many ways, but not all.

Was this book harder or easier to write than your last book?
My last book published book was my novella collection, but all three of those novellas were published last summer, so I guess I’ll base it on The Solid Rock instead since that was my last published novel. Tough question, honestly. I think it was harder and easier in some ways. The Solid Rock came together so easily in the first draft and the editing went pretty smoothly. I had to add some scenes to both books and make some hard decisions about others. On second thought, I think they were really about the same. Savior, Like a Shepherd may have been a little harder mainly because I had to do a little extra research.

If you could spend a day with one of the characters from Savior, Like a Shepherd, which would it be?
You certainly know how to ask hard questions. All of them! Okay, that’s not a good answer because that would be too many people. I’ll say Tabitha from about halfway through the book. I’d love to sit down and talk to her for a while and see what she thinks about certain things that happen to her. (Sorry to be vague, I’m trying not to give too much away.)

What is next for you?
The next three books in the Orphans of the West series. All the books in this series are easily read as standalones, but they will also all connect in the next series, Soldiers of the West. Somehow. I have to figure that out exactly sometime.  Right now, though, I’m concentrating on the Orphans of the West. I have the second book in the editing stage and the third one will hopefully have the rough draft finished by the time this interview is published. That’s my goal anyway. Then I need to start doing a better outline for book four.

Where can people keep up with you?
How about too many places? I feel like I have too many social media sites and blogs. The best places are probably my Wordpress blog, Amazon, and Bookbub since you’d get emails from them either when I post or when I release a new book. If you want more fun details than those, Facebook and Instagram are probably the best places. Here are the links: Website | Wordpress | Blogger | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Amazon | Bookbub | Instagram

Any final thoughts?
Thanks for letting me come by! It’s been fun!

Read-to-Win 2015

It is almost here! Here is our Read-To-Win line up!

Kelsey Bryant: Family Reunion 

Julia Erickson: Ashburn

Ashley Elizabeth Blair Tetzlaff: An Easter Carol 

Amber Schamel: The Healer's Touch

Sarah Holman: A Different Kind of Courage

Katie Daniels: Supervillian Series

Kendra E. Ardnek: The Ankulen 

Faith Blum: Amazing Grace

Emily Putzke: It Took a War

J. Grace Pennington: Machiavellian

Jessica Greyson: Captive of Raven Castle 

Morgan Huneke: Creighton Hill

Jason McIntire: The Sparrow Found a House

Please feel free to share this image in any way to tell people about this awesome event.

Book Review: Be Thou My Vision by Faith Blum

Buy it Here
Description: Anna Stuart is comfortable with her life. She may be a 30 year old spinster, but she has her routine and enjoys taking care of her father and older brother. One letter shatters all her routines, comfort, and enjoyment. After learning of her brother’s death, Anna feels like her life will never be the same again. Then she meets two motherless boys. Did God place them in her life to lead her to a new vision of life? Can she trust God to give her the desires of her heart before she even knows what they are?

While the last book I read by Faith Blum, A Mighty Fortress, had many short comings, the message touched my heart, so I decided to give her next book a try.

In skills in writing, Faith has come a long way. This book was far better written and laid out. There weren’t confusing scenes, rambling dialog, and pages and pages of scripture. I can tell that she worked very hard between the books to improve and listen to constructive criticism.

Before I get to some of the things I liked about the story, let me get some of the short-comings out of the way. Anna goes from being a non-believer to a mature Christian far too quickly. You really don’t see her struggle with any real issues, even the anger or sorrow you would expect from some things that happened in her early life. But then, most of the characters were a bit one-dimensional.

Showing, not telling was probably the biggest issue with this book. Instead of showing the changes within Anna or the other characters, the narrator or other characters tell us. The story jumps ahead several times and tells what changes took place, instead of showing. It got a bit irritating at times, but not so much that I hated the book.

I did love Blum living up to the highest ideals of courtship. Yes, at times that made it seem a bit fake. I think far too often, in attempt to be real, we think that those ideas are silly. While maybe the reality of love, courtship, and life is messier than this story and some books make it out to be, treasuring high ideals is important. There wasn’t even a kiss in the story.

I also really loved how Anna took the two motherless boys under her wing and loved them. Seeing not only a problem but being willing to do something about it had me cheering. The challenges with helping the boys was probably one of the best written parts of the book.

Even though the book was fairly simplistic, it was very engaging. I listened to it while on a car trip and wasn’t very happy when I was only a little bit from the end of the story and the trip was at an end. I had to wait until the next day to finish it.

I recommend this book to those who like very clean romance, westerns, and good, Christian morals.

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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.

Was this helpful? Please vote it up on Amazon.

Interview with Faith Blum

Faith, welcome back to Homeschooled Authors. What have you been up to since you were last here?
That is a loaded question. Let’s see, I have gotten a new boss, written and published another book, started two more novels and successfully finished two short stories for the first time in my life. I am now on the brink of having the third book in my series ready to be published and have at least four ideas for companion novellas to go along with my series.

What drew you to writing stories in the old west?
Louis L’Amour. I have always loved the Civil War era in history and when I first discovered the Louis L’Amour books Dad had, I fell in love with the Old West. There was so much opportunity for evil and good back then. I also loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and wanted to pass my love on to more readers.


Is there a story behind the reason each book is named after a hymn?
Yes, there is. A Mighty Fortress came upon its name accidentally. The original working title was “Hold Fast, Stand Strong”. During one of my first edits, I realized Joshua sang or mentioned “A Mighty Fortress” at least three times. When one of my beta-readers asked what the next book was about, I didn’t have any idea. I hadn’t even thought about making a series. Then I started coming up with ideas.

Be Thou My Vision is one of my favorite hymns and since its origins are Gaelic and the main character in book two is half Irish and half Scottish, I knew I wanted to use that hymn for the title.

Amazing Grace is another favorite and the story of the hymn fits the story in the book. Book four is currently just book four because I haven’t figured out yet which hymn works best.


Which character from your Hymns of the West series are you most like?
Ruth, without a doubt. She shows up in book one and is more timid than I am, but in a lot of ways we are very similar. Just as a side note, she is the main character in book four and really grows up a lot. It’s been fun seeing her grow.

Who will enjoy these books?
I hope everybody, but I also know that I write with very Christian themes, so some people may be turned off by that. I have endeavored to write books the whole family can enjoy, but I also don’t sugar-coat the evil side of things. A Mighty Fortress is a young adult adventure, but I know youth and older adults who have enjoyed it. Be Thou My Vision and Amazing Grace are romances, but the romance is very light and it is more of the Spiritual growth of Anna, Caleb, and Iain as they live through various struggles.

Were any of the characters in the Hymns of the West series based off real people?
Not intentionally, no. Ruth was kind of based off of me, but even then, she is very different from me in some ways.

Has God ever used the stories you have written to teach you a lesson?
I don’t think I have learned it quite yet, but yes, He has.


Where can people connect with you and keep up with your writing?
Blog – www.faithblum.wordpress.com
Website – www.faithblum.com
Twitter – www.twitter.com/Faith_Blum
Facebook – www.facebook.com/HymnsoftheWest
Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/faithblumauthor/

I am excited to announce that today, I have two specials going on. A Mighty Fortress is available for just $0.99 today through March 22nd, Be Thou My Vision is free today through March 20th, and Amazing Grace is now available for preorder! Thank you for having me today, Sarah!

Enter to win a signed copy of Be Thou My Vision below!

Open to USA residents only because of shipping costs.

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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.

Was this helpful? Please vote it up on Amazon.

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Announcement Saturday

Authors Added

Brooke Barenfanger

Anna R. Weaver

 Faith Blum

Books Added

The Blacksmith King by Brooke Barenfanger

That's How We Roll: A Hilariously True Tale of Life on the Open Road  by Anna R. Weaver

Surviving the Revival: A glimpse into the life of the Weaver Family Band by Anna R. Weaver
A Mighty Fortress by Faith Blum