Hello again! Through this Saturday (culminating with a list of winners), I have the privilege of sharing mini interviews with nearly all of the 2020 ACFW Carol Award Finalists! Today I’m continuing with Lindsay A Franklin and her Carol Award finalist book The Story Raider! You can check out a list of all the finalists HERE.
FYI – There will be 2-3 posts per day, and a series-long giveaway, so make sure you catch them all!
Lindsay A. Franklin is a Carol Award–winning author, freelance editor, and homeschooling mom of three. She would wear pajama pants all the time if it were socially acceptable. Lindsay lives in her native San Diego with her scruffy-looking nerf-herder husband, their precious geeklings, three demanding thunder pillows (a.k.a. cats), and a stuffed marsupial named Wombatman. Visit her at www.lindsayafranklin.com
THE STORY RAIDER
SERIES: The Weaver Trilogy #2
GENRE: Inspirational Young Adult Fantasy
PUBLISHER: Enclave
RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2019
PAGES: 384
Deceiving an empire is a treacherous game.
Tanwen and the Corsyth weavers race to collect the strands of an ancient cure that might save Gryfelle. But Tanwen has a secret—Gryfelle isn’t the only one afflicted by the weaver’s curse.
As Queen Braith struggles to assert her rule, a new arrival throws her tenuous claim to the Tirian throne into question. Braith’s heart is turned upside down, and she’s not sure she can trust anyone—least of all herself.
The puppet master behind Gareth’s rise to power has designs on Tanwen and the story weavers and will stop at nothing to reclaim the throne. A plot to incite the angry peasants of Tir takes shape, and those dearest to Tanwen will be caught in the crossfire. As the fight for Tir consumes the realm, no one can remain innocent.
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Hi Lindsay! Welcome back to the blog!
Q: How has Christian fiction impacted you personally?
Lindsay: Many of my dear friends and colleagues are part of the Christian publishing world, so the first thing that comes to mind when I think of how Christian fiction has impacted me is the word community. I’ve been part of this community for ten years, spent my career here, and so this little corner of the wide world of fiction feels like home to me.
Carrie: i love that so much ♥
Q: When you’re not writing your next award-nominated book 😉 who are your fave authors to read & why?
Lindsay: It might surprise people that my favorite genre to read isn’t always speculative fiction. I love spec, but when I’m not writing or editing, I often grab thrillers and mysteries. I love James Scott Bell’s novels. As part of the Enclave editorial team, I have the privilege of reading most of our books before release, so lately I’ve been hanging out in worlds created by Ronie Kendig, Sharon Hinck, and R.J. Anderson. They’re all brilliant!
Carrie: You’re hanging out in fabulous places then! 🙂
Q: Do you have any strange writing habits/quirks?
Lindsay: When I’m writing, I always have music blasting through my headphones. I can’t have anything with lyrics playing if I’m trying to read or edit, but when I write, I’m usually listening to my favorite Pandora stations. Loudly.
Carrie: how fun!
Q: Which of your characters has really stretched you as a writer?
Lindsay: My immediate thought was Diggy, and that’s true in most ways. Writing her story was really tough and very personal. But in some ways, she was one of the easiest characters for me to unpack because of our shared past experiences. So easy in some regards, difficult emotionally!
Carrie: but well worth it!
Q: What is something God taught you while you wrote The Story Raider?
Lindsay: The Story Raider was, to date, my most difficult book to write. I was in the middle of a very tough year. Trauma therapy, a crazy-busy work schedule (including the launch of my debut novel), and some deterioration in my physical health made for a heavy load that year, and I found myself a month out from my deadline with only about 17K words written. I wrote the remaining 80K words in a month while frantically researching ships and building four entirely new countries within the story world. Diggy first appeared in this book, so I had to dive in to her backstory and the many terrible ways it shaped her future. The Lord sustained me through that impossible season, and he gave me this verse in the process: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. (Is. 42:3a.) It has become a constant reminder to me of God’s gentleness and goodness, especially when I feel at my very weakest.
Carrie: He is so faithful, isn’t He?
Q: What is one of your favorite quotes from The Story Raider & why do you love it?
Lindsay: Okay, I have three favorites!
“Where there is great light, always nearby lurks the darkness.” This was said by a wise teacher character, and the ominous mood fits this story, but I also like it because it reminds me of the warning the Lord gives to Cain in Genesis 4—that sin is crouching at his door if he does not do what is right.
“It’s supposed to hurt. Because people matter, and when we lose them, it hurts. They leave a void.” A little fatherly advice from Yestin to Tanwen, as she struggles to cope with the pain of losing some friends. I like this one because it speaks to the value of human life and how deeply we impact each other when our lives intersect with one another.
“Just because something is strange doesn’t mean it ain’t true.” This tickles the Bible college student in me because so many of our foundational doctrines are straight-up absurd, when you really think about them (infinite God in human flesh?). But the peculiarity of these truths doesn’t make them less real. 😊
Carrie: oh i love these!!!
I am offering one reader any TWO books (print copies) that finaled in the 2020 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 makes you want to read the speculative Carol Award finalist The Story Raider by Lindsay A Franklin & what did you enjoy about Lindsay’s answers?
Sounds like a great book.
Sounds good. Love the cover.
Sounds good, I dont normally read much speculative fiction but this sounds interesting.
Love this quote: “Just because something is strange doesn’t mean it ain’t true.” In the Bible we are called “peculiar people”.
God is sooo good! And, what an incredible feat to accomplish 80,000 words in 1 month. WOW!! Thanks for sharing! 🥰📚
I enjoyed reading the interview–interesting comments!
Love the cover. I like the fantasy genre. Thanks for the chance.
What a great interview! I can’t believe she can write a book with music blasting through her headphones. I need complete quiet to concentrate. Her quote about hurting when you lose someone is very true.
The quote “Where there is great light, always nearby lurks the darkness.”, drew me in, and that cover!
Another wonderful interview. I have yet to read the first book, but it’s on my LONG list of to-reads. I’m astounded Lindsay was able to finish writing by her deadline. I’ve faced similar challenges but had to finish far less words. Definitely a testament to God’s goodness and gentleness.
I love the quotes from The Story Raider! I just finished rereading this book!
I think it would a terrible disaster if I tried to write a book with loud music playing! 😀
I don’t usually read this genre but this sounds interesting!
Your book sounds interesting!
The cover is fantastic. I would find the music to be distracting.
It sounds like a very interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
My kids would enjoy it!
Read the first in this series. Loved its tone and fairytale feel.
Such a fun book and a fantastic series!
This cover intrigues me!
In 2019 I was sitting next to Lindsay at the ACFW Awards Gala when she won a Carol for her debut novel. 🙂 Excited that she was nominated again!
Love those quotes! I can’t wait to read this series!