My novella, Angelica’s Christmas Wish, is free today through Tuesday 5/12. I invite you to join me for a Virtual Christmas Party on the Friends of Anaiah Press Facebook page tomorrow, May 9. I’ll be talking about my book, sharing childhood memories and giving away prizes.

To join the party, follow this link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnaiahPressNews/

The party is from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Here is the link to Amazon for the free novella:

Today my guest is Penelope Powell, author of The Glen Oak Series. She is here to talk about the third book in her series, Together for Good.

Penelope, I’ve read the first two books in your series, and I’ve found your characters to be very authentic in their struggles. I’m looking forward to learning more about the third book and the inspiration behind it.

Let’s start by telling us a little bit about yourself.

I was born and raised in Tennessee, but moved away as a young adult, and I lived in different states and countries. I count that opportunity as a great experience. I was a closet writer until about a decade ago when I opened a partially written book on my computer and finished it. The title of that book was A Furrow So Deep.

What is your book about?

Together for Good is about God bringing good out of difficult events and trials. From the time tragedy touched Laney Spence’s life as a girl, she’s harbored a crush on her big brother’s best friend, Matthew. Years later, they come together under similar circumstances, but is it enough to keep them together for good?  

What is the inspiration behind your story?

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28. I think one of the hardest prayers and testing of trust comes when we are in the midst of difficult circumstances and we must choose to cling to the promise that God will work through it for our good.

What book do you wish you would have written?

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers based on the book of Hosea. It was inspiring from the standpoint of showing unconditional love. I would love to write a similar book that portrays the love God has for Israel though the people often fell into sin.

Were there any surprises that came up as you wrote your story?

One disconcerting surprise was how long it took to finish this story. I just couldn’t seem to pull it together. I spent more time self-editing what I’d already written rather than writing new chapters.

Who was your favorite character to create?

So far my favorite has been Dean Anderson in A Furrow so Deep. He feels real in that his flaws are the most common. I know people like Dean. In many ways, I am Dean: emotional, sometimes selfish, and insecure. What I love most about his character is the pivotal moment with God, and surrendering to Him. I still cry when I read it.

Are you part of a writing group?

I haven’t done this yet, but I know I need to, because I know I would learn a lot from others. It’s absolutely on my list.

Who was the first person you allowed to read your completed book?

For Together for Good, a good friend read the first draft. She’s the only one outside of Anaiah Press to read it. The first draft of the first manuscript I completed was read by my mother. She is the one who encouraged me to seek out a publisher.

Share your favorite excerpt from Together for Good:

This is one of my favorite parts. It’s taken from Laney and Matthew’s first conversation after many years:

“That’s it!” Matthew snapped his fingers then pointed at her. “That’s what’s different. You’ve cut off all your hair.”

“I didn’t cut it all off.” Laney touched the back of it and frowned, as if he’d insulted her. “It’s just short.”

Actually thinking the style was complimentary, he tugged on the strands she’d been trying to tuck away. “Very short.”

Laughing, she knocked his hand away. “Stop.”

Scanning down to her heeled feet again, he shook his head. “You look…so different.”

A small tuck formed between her brows. “Thanks?”

He averted his gaze to the people coming and going around them. “I meant it as a compliment,” he admitted, swinging his attention back to her. “I think you’ve forgotten your nickname.” He leaned forward. “Button.” Matthew was smart enough to not mention the knobby knees and skinny arms he remembered.

“That’s because of what your mom said.”

“I remember my mom shaking her head, saying you were cute as a button because of something you’d say or do.” He also remembered she was funny and energetic, and the main reason Matthew had high-jacked his mom’s observation into a nickname. “The nickname suited you.”

Laney cocked a brow, giving him a saucy smirk. “So, you thought I was cute?”

Finding her response mildly fascinating, he laughed. “Out of everything I said, that’s the only thing you heard?”

Where can readers find you online?

My website is www.penelopepowell.com   Anyone can follow me on Facebook, and Twitter, and I have profile pages on Amazon, Bookbub, goodreads, and Pinterest.

Together for Good will be released on November 10, 2020.

You can find the first two books in the series, as well as Penelope’s Christmas novella, on Amazon.

My novella, Angelica’s Christmas Wish, is free on Amazon Kindle 5/8-5/12. To celebrate the occasion, I will be hosting the Anaiah Press Spring Fling on Saturday, May 9. I invite you to join me that day for a Virtual Christmas party.

Doesn’t sound right, does it? A Christmas party in the Spring? But what a great way to beat the boredom and stress of the past few weeks!

We’ll be talking about my book, sharing Christmas memories and playing games. There will be prizes!

So this coming Saturday, tune out the world news, grab a cup of your favorite coffee or tea, and a plate of cookies. Pick up your phone or sit down at your computer and join me beginning at 9 a.m. for a Virtual Christmas party.

Follow this link to join the Friends of Anaiah Press Facebook group and participate: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnaiahPressNews/

You’ll want to pick up a copy of Angelica’s Christmas Wish while it’s free!

My novella, Angelica’s Christmas Wish, will be free on Amazon Kindle 5/8-5/12.

On Saturday 5/9, I will be hosting the Anaiah Press Spring Fling for the day. I invite you to join me for a Virtual Christmas Party. I’ll be talking about my novella, sharing Christmas memories, and playing games. There will be prizes!

You will need to join the Friends of Anaiah Press Facebook group to play along. You can follow this link to do so:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnaiahPressNews/

Hope to see you there!

Other authors will be hosting the event throughout the month of May, so join today and you won’t miss out on any of the fun.

Today I’m interviewing M.B. Aznoe, author of the Swordflower Saga, a Christian Fantasy series. Thank you for joining me. Let’s get started by telling us a little bit about you:

Well, there are two of us who write under the pseudonym, M. B. Aznoe.  We are a husband and wife writing team, and we decided to use our combined initials instead of our names spelled out (initials sound cooler anyway).  Our names are Matthew and Bethany.  We have been married for 16 years and have 6 children whose ages range from 8-15.  As you can imagine, we have a very busy and active household which is why most of our writing is done either in the early morning or late at night when the kids are in bed.  Our passion is to share the hope found in Jesus Christ.  Whether in songs or stories, we strive to infuse our art with the truth of God’s Word, to demonstrate the hope of the Gospel in all of life’s circumstances.  It’s also why after 20+ years as a software developer, Matthew has chosen to change careers and become a lead pastor in a small town on one of the Native American reservations in Montana even as we continue to write our books.    

What is the Swordflower Saga about?

The story is about a young man and woman, Khomar and Aya, who find themselves unexpectedly married and fleeing into the wilderness from unknown assailants.  As they seek to uncover the mystery of the identity and purpose of their attackers, our heroes find their faith in God put to the test as their lives spiral out of control.

Elvensty is the first book in the Swordflower Saga which takes place on another planet with its own cultures and unique challenges.  We enjoyed taking a fresh look at Christianity as we stripped it down to its core elements and explored it within the context of a new world.

How did you come up with the names of your hero and heroine? 

Khomar was actually the name Matthew created for his first role-playing character back in his college days.  The name is the only thing the two characters really have in common, but we really like the sound of it and it helped spawn the concept of the Auxule language of his homeland. Aya was found via the baby book when we were looking for a good female name.  It also served as inspiration behind the Jyrye (pronounced YI-REE) language that her people speak.

Who was your favorite character to create?

We love all of our characters, especially the core group.  They have great chemistry and work so well together.  However, there is one that stands out for both of us.  His name is Lu.  He is enigmatic and quiet, but when he speaks, his words have a unique flow that is a joy to write (we call them Lu-isms).  We’ve been told he’s a favorite by many of our readers as well.

Were there any surprises that came up as you wrote your story?

There are always surprises as we get into the writing process.  We started our series with a basic outline – basically how each book would begin and end and a rough idea of what came in between.  But as we told the stories and gave breath to the characters, sometimes they surprise us, or we meet new characters we had never even considered.  For example, Aya meets two women in the bathhouse in Virados who we originally were going to make throw-away characters for that one scene.  But they refused to be left out, and we found they became an important part of the texture of the story, even into our latest book.

Do you experience writer’s block? What do you do to get through it? 

It really helps that we are a writing team.  When one of us encounters writer’s block, usually the other one has an idea that they can start running with.  After a couple of paragraphs (sometimes pages), our collective creative juices start flowing, and we are off and running again.  However, the times when we’ve both had it usually resulted in us having to take a short hiatus to read other books, listen to podcasts, or even work on writing songs (that sometimes even end up in the book).

Do you reward yourself when a book is finished?

Yes!  After the grueling deadline that we place upon ourselves, we find that we need a reward not just for us but for our children who have had to endure our long editing sessions as well.  This generally involves going for Coldstone ice cream, and taking a few weeks off before pressing on into the next book.

Who was the first person you allowed to read your completed book?

Matthew’s mother, Cindy.  As a former English teacher, she has helped with editing all three of our books, and is constantly asking when the next book will be ready for her start reading.  However, we experienced the most trepidation when we gave Elvensty to our pastor.  He wasn’t exactly our target audience, but we wanted his feedback to make sure our book was solid from a scriptural point of view.  When he came back not just approving of the message but loving the story, we knew we had succeeded in writing the book we had set out to write.

Please share an excerpt from Elevensty:

Raising her gaze, she saw the expanse of Jyrya before her.  If she had been of a better temper, it would have been a stunningly beautiful sight.  She could see the forest they had hiked through now lying in the long shadow cast from distant mountains to the west.  She could just make out the outline of the river that ran down to the island of Elvensty and through the forest beyond.  In the distance, she could see the arid plains of Jyrya, and in her mind’s eye she imagined the capital of Jyantral on the far horizon.

A mist was rising over the land, starting to shroud it from view.  She trembled with anxiety and fatigue.  Tears began to run down her cheeks as she watched the only life she had known sink beneath the shadows.  God, where are you?

What’s next for you as an author?  

We have two more books to complete in the Swordflower Saga.  Jyrya, book number four, is set to release this fall with Illisya coming out sometime in the year after.  We are already discussing the concept of a sequel trilogy that might take place a few years after the current series, and we have other ideas in the same world, both in the past and the future.  We’ll see how it all pans out, but we intend to keep writing as long as God gives us inspiration to write.

Where can readers find you online?

Our website is www.swordflowersaga.com where we have a blog that we try to post to on occasion. 

We are also on Facebook(mbaznoe), Twitter(@mbaznoe), and Instagram(@mbaznoe).