Happy Friday! Continuing through Saturday (culminating with a list of winners), I have the privilege of sharing mini interviews with nearly all of the 2019 ACFW Carol Award Finalists! Today I’m covering the speculative & young adult categories, including Nadine Brandes and her Carol Award nominated novel Fawkes! You can check out a list of all the finalists HERE.
FYI – There will be several posts per day, and a week-long giveaway, so make sure you catch them all!
NADINE BRANDES once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the author of FAWKES, ROMANOV, and the Carol Award-winning Out of Time Series. When she’s not busy writing novels about bold living and authentic faith, she’s adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. Nadine, her Auror husband, and their Halfling son are building a Tiny House on wheels. Current mission: paint the world in shalom. Visit her at http://nadinebrandes.com
FAWKES
GENRE: Young Adult Historical Fantasy
PUBLISHER: Thomas Nelson
RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2018
PAGES: 448
Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.
Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared, but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.
But what if death finds him first?
Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.
The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.
The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.
No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.
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Hi, dear Nadine! Welcome back to the blog!
Q: Why do you write fiction? And, why specifically Christian fiction?
Nadine: I write fiction because I believe in the power of story. Reading fiction changed my life, Nathan telling David a fictional story changed the course of history. Fiction is powerful. God knows that—He created it—and He gave me the desire to write it for as long as he’ll allow me. As for Christian fiction, I feel that is inseparable from who I am. I am a Christian, therefore my fiction arises naturally from my worldview. Thus it is Christian fiction. I don’t think I could write anything without letting my faith be part of the writing process.
Carrie: I love this answer! yes!
Q: Other than the Bible, what are a couple of your most cherished books and why?
Nadine: The Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers because it not only changed my life, but changed my faith. LORD OF THE RINGS by Tolkien because it showed me how fantasy can still reflect our Savior. THE BLOOD OF KINGS TRILOGY by Jill Williamson—the first Christian fantasy series I read that showed me fiction could both entertain me and grow my faith.
Carrie: “LORD OF THE RINGS by Tolkien because it showed me how fantasy can still reflect our Savior.” – YES. Narnia did this for me first but then LOTR provided great supporting evidence 😉
Q: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever Googled while researching a book?
Nadine: Goodness, I could give you a whole list! But one that comes to mind is, “How long can someone live off of raw potatoes?” and “Can you live in Antarctica?”
Carrie: haha! Now i want to know if those two were related lol
Q: Which of your main characters (either in Fawkes or over all you’ve written) is most like you?
Nadine: Definitely Parvin Blackwater from A TIME TO DIE (Out of Time Series.) She was built from the bones of my teenage self and questions I asked as I navigated the waters of young faith. Even though I’ve grown out of that time of searching, her character will always resonate with me the deepest.
Carrie: that’s really sweet ♥ and I love how you said that – “built from the bones of my teenage self”
Q: What is something God taught you while you wrote Fawkes?
Nadine: That the greatest reward in writing a book is not the finished product. It’s not meeting a deadline or earning out an advance. It’s not making my publisher happy or having a big book signing or winning awards. The greatest reward in writing a book is the journey of writing it with God—and allowing that process to grow me as a child of God, which in turn grows me as an author.
Carrie: I think this is my favorite answer to this question so far!
I am offering one reader any TWO books (print copies) that finaled in the 2019 Carol Awards! (open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to your address) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What interests you most from Nadine Brandes’s Q&A or the Carol Award finalist Fawkes?
I like her quote about a character “being built from the bones of her teenage self.” That’s an interesting quote and she is new to me.
Nadine is awesome 🙂
Haven’t read any books by her yet. Need to move this up in my TBR pile.
Yes please! 😉
Sounds like an interesting book. Looking forward to reading it! Thanks for the chance to win.
Enjoy the storyline and cover is fabulous.
Intriguing cover 🙂
I agree, Carrie! I love that answer of is the journey of writing the book with God! ❤
I love this book, and I love her more recent book, Romanov, even more! I can’t wait to read whatever Nadine Brandes writes next!
I’ve never heard of this. What history inspired it? I will have to read the book to find out what decision Thomas makes.
Love the cover sounds like a great book!
Mark of the Lion series made such a powerful impact on me, too. Too often we do rush to see the “finished product” in anything we start. What a great reminder to enjoy the process and see Him working in every step!
I love the answer that she gave about writing because she has to and the journey is with God! . It shows determination and a seeking of what God wants.
Hello Carrie and Nadine! I love what Nadine said….”The greatest reward in writing a book is the journey of writing it with God….”
The Mark of the Lion series was one of the first Christian genre I read as an adult (lots of Grace Livingston Hill as a teen!). Francine Rivers and Terry Blackstock are the authors who steered me into reading Christian fiction. Looking forward to reading Nadine’s work too.
Hmmm, I’ll have to try her Time to Die series! I read Fawkes a few months ago, and I really enjoyed it! Lord of the Rings is also one of my favorite book series.
Congratulations Nadine??!
The Mark of the Lion series is on my TBR!
This is a unique and different novel from what I usually read. Sounds interesting!
I would like to get my hands on this “Out of Time” series! They sound so appealing!