Our tomcat, Boots, was one of our first rescues. He showed up with his momma and brother in our garage six years ago. He was friendly. We had him neutered. He lived in the garage that fall and winter.

The following spring, a new stray momma cat joined our outside cats and ate with them in the garage. A few weeks later, she brought two kittens around. One day, she left them. We didn’t see her again until the following spring (that’s a story for another day.)

The new kittens were skittish and we couldn’t tame them. Boots became like a surrogate father to them. You could find them all cuddled together on a carpet in the garage. Even as they got older, they still liked to hang around Boots. Then the female came up missing. Just last winter, the young male cat died.

Boots is still around. He has another companion now, a spayed female that couldn’t adjust to being in the house. Boots seems like an old man, even though he is only six years old. He’s considered one of our household now but remains an outside cat.

My guest today is Katie Barger, author of the YA dystopian novel, Fortune’s Fall. Katie, thank you for joining me today. Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I’m a lawyer-turned-writer living an exhausting, but awesome, life with two little kids, a high-maintenance cat and a high-energy dog. My husband helps keep me sane.  We’ve moved around a lot with the military and have finally settled (hopefully for a while) in Mississippi, where I’ve seen more storms in six weeks than I did in seven years living in California. I’ve been writing stories since I was a little girl and am so excited about my first published novel: Fortune’s Fall.

What is your book about?

While her classmates prepare for elite careers across America, Nyssa Ardelone trains for her secret job as the president’s dream interpreter. But when her mentor lies to the president about the prophecy in his latest dream, Nyssa must figure out why before the lie unravels. What she learns could destroy her own future.  

Fearful of a rumored rebellion, the president has launched a gas attack on Nyssa’s hometown, and her mentor lied about the dream to protect the survivors from more harm. When Nyssa learns her parents were injured in the attack, she flees with a stranger sent to steal the antidote—a stranger who claims to know her. 

Together, they race to deliver the cure as well as an interpretation of another prophetic dream only Nyssa can provide. But a devastating loss dulls her caution, and she learns too late that not everyone is trustworthy. To survive the president’s deadly pursuit, Nyssa must break every rule she’s ever followed, learning along the way that faith is the only thing that can save her. 

What is the inspiration behind your story?

FORTUNE’S FALL is loosely inspired by the lives of Daniel and Nehemiah. They lived during a time in which the Jews were in exile in Babylon and longed to be able to return to Jerusalem. Daniel also interpreted dreams for the king. As I studied these stories, my imagination began to whirl, and eventually, FORTUNE’S FALL was born: a dystopian story about a dream interpreter to the president who lives during a time when a group of people have been forced to live in a place they don’t belong.

Do you have a day job?

My day job consists of homeschooling our oldest daughter and doing all the things stay-at-home moms do. How do I find the time to write? Great question, haha! I get up really, really early and hammer out as much as possible before my two year old (a very early riser) comes into the kitchen to demand Cheerios. Then, I find little chunks of time during the rest of the day to write, too.  

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

The faith element. I think about it now and have to smile at how awesome God is. I didn’t set out to write an overtly Christian novel, but then God showed up. Nyssa’s personal journey to faith became an intricate and necessary part of the overall story, and it just sort of fell into place as I was writing.

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

All of my characters (for the most part) have Greek or Hebrew names with meanings that reflect their personalities. Nyssa, for example, is Greek and means “goal” or “beginning.” I chose it because it reflects her journey away from her old life and into a new one.

If you didn’t write books, what would you do for a living?  

I’d like to think I’d get back into law. I loved being an immigration attorney. Life had dealt my clients some incredibly tragic and horrifying experiences, but they were stronger because of it and I loved working with them. They were inspiring.

What book or author has inspired you the most?

Madeleine L’Engle is my favorite author. I love that she wasn’t afraid of tough issues in her books, and she managed to weave Bible verses and faith messages into each of her stories without getting preachy.

What’s next for you as an author?

I’m working on the second book in The Exiled Trilogy right now!

Excerpt from Fortune’s Fall:

What are my chances of actually making it to Fortune’s Fall? Not high. Then again, according to Pallas, there’s a network helping people get there. True, some people have been caught. But what if I’m not?

“Can I really do this?” I say aloud to my empty room. I scan the furniture. The walls. My messy bed. It’s all so familiar to me after seven years that I usually overlook the paisley on the quilt and the stain on the rug where an exhausted Ethelind tripped and dropped an entire pan of accidentally undercooked brownies one night. We ate them anyway. A mud puddle laced with carpet fibers, scooped up with spoons and laughed about later. I blink, and the memory is gone.

      “I’m going to do this.” I turn toward my closet, grab a shirt, and pull it over my head.

      “I have to do this for my family.” I zip my jeans. 

      “For Pallas.” I tie my shoes.

      I’m a robot. Don’t think. Just act.

      “I’m going to do this,” I repeat.

 If I stop talking, if I stop moving, the likelihood of failure will paralyze me. I pull my hair into a ponytail and open the door, tiptoe across the common room and into the hall. The door closes behind me without a sound.

Where can readers find you online?

Twitter and Instagram: kbargerauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KBargerAuthor

Fortune’s Fall will be released from Anaiah Press on November 3, 2020.

Follow Anaiah’s blog here so you don’t miss the release!

Today’s Featured Book:

About the Book:

In The Christmas Confusion, high school sweethearts Tiffany Marano and Nick Walsh are reunited after years apart and  sparks fly. But not the happy glittering kind, because each of them thinks the other responsible for their estrangement. Before they can work it out, though, Tiffany’s sister disappears. Left with custody of her niece and forced to work with new police detective Nick to find her sister, old feelings begin to resurface. As they start to unravel the truths that left them confused and apart for too long, Nick must learn to let go of his past. But can Tiffany let go of her fear and learn to trust that God isn’t the only one who won’t abandon her? 

Excerpt from Christmas Confusion:

Someone had stolen her black heels. That was the only explanation. Tiffany Marano had checked her bedroom closet—where they belonged—that’s where she’d left them. Now, she was working her way through the cavernous hall closet, which seemed to contain half the items she’d been missing. But not her shoes. If this closet didn’t produce results, then she’d have to bend down in this skirt and search under the couch, a very bad idea.

The Santa ornament wearing beach shorts and flip flops randomly started singing about an island Christmas. She groaned. The volume seemed permanently set on annoy the neighbors– the last thing she needed was for them to complain about the noise again. 

“I don’t have time for this.” Tiffany raced down the hallway and grabbed Santa off her miniature Christmas tree. She slid across the bare pine floor in her stocking-clad feet and flailed her arms. By some small miracle, she grabbed a wall to stop her forward progress.     

After a deep breath of relief, and a few more seconds of auditory torture by a Christmas recording, Tiffany crept down the hall, trying to avoid another wipeout. She stepped on one of her niece, Haley’s, hair barrettes.  “Ouch, ouch,” she whisper-shouted, hopping like a crazy woman. Thunk. Her forehead made contact with the open guest bedroom door. She closed her eyes against the pain. For a few minutes, she gripped the door frame with one hand and her head with the other. Santa reached the chorus.

Haley stood at the end of the hall, eyes open wide. “Aunt Tiffy, are you okay?”

Tiffany faked a nod and made her way into the living room. Hurrying, she clapped a hand over Santa’s tiny little mouth. She glanced at her niece, who was also without shoes, as if the lack was contagious. “Haley, I thought you were dressed. If we don’t hurry, we’re going to be late for church.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The girl giggled and ran down the hall, skating in her socks on purpose. 

Tiffany tried not to laugh, because moving hurt her head. She stuffed the Santa in her pocket, walked into the bathroom, and switched on the lights. She contemplated the red mark on her forehead in the mirror. “Great,” she whispered. “That’s going to bruise.”

Not good. In less than an hour, if she made it out of this apartment alive, she would need all the energy she could get to teach an energetic bunch of preschoolers about Jesus. Every parent would see the evidence of her klutziness one more time. “Oh, well.” She leaned forward so her dirty blonde bangs covered the angry welt. “I am who I am.”

She shoved Santa in the linen closet between two monogrammed towels, and found her shoes by the tub.

About the Author:

A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christina Sinisi writes stories about families, both the broken and blessed. Her works include a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and the American Title IV Contest where she appeared in the top ten in the Romantic Times magazine. American Title IV Contest where she appeared in the top ten in the Romantic Times magazine. Her published books include The Christmas Confusion and the upcoming Sweet Summer, the first two books in the Summer Creek Series, as well as Christmas on Ocracoke, expected December 2020. By day, she is a psychology professor and lives in the LowCountry of South Carolina with her husband and two children and loves a good cooking challenge.

Today I’m interviewing Ann Brodeur, author of the Christmas novella, Snowbound in Winterberry Falls. Ann, thank you for being my guest today. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I love books, coffee and Jesus. I’ve been married to my own hero for nearly a decade and we have a house full of kids. Our life is a bit crazy with four littles, but it’s full of blessings and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t watch tv (yeesh! I know…), but I spend those hours either reading or writing a book; however, there is always time for a 1995 BBC version interruption of Pride and Prejudice…. Or maybe a Downton Abbey binge.

What is Snowbound in Winterberry Falls about?

The last person reporter Stephanie Clark expected to be rescued by was the man who abandoned her twelve years prior. Editor-in-Chief Jason Miller regrets everything about walking away from the story that would have defined his career, but ruin Stephanie’s family. A buried story, a powerful senator and a Christmas they soon won’t forget. In a holiday season full of surprises, will they fight for truth and risk losing everything, or learn to have faith again and trust God’s perfect plan?

What was the catalyst for your interest in writing?

It was a nudge from my best friend. I posted recently on Anaiah’s blog about that very thing. I’m thankful she did! https://anaiahpress.wordpress.com/2020/09/24/my-best-friend-made-me-do-it-becoming-a-published-author/

Who was your favorite character to create?

My favourite character to create had to be Mrs. Sweeney, the sweet 87 year old retired teacher. I just love seniors and how they speak their minds without filters. Her character was inspired of two dear women who have passed into glory, but who left a mark on my life.

What does your family think of your writing?

LOL. My kids are happy. They love that Maman is writing and always ask if I’m working on my book when I’m at the computer. My hubby is so encouraging, but he jokes that he’s lost his wife to the literary world. They are super supportive and give me time to write when I ask for it.

Are you part of a writing group?

I joined the Faith Hope Love chapter of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. Both groups are rich in their members, advice, webinars, tutorials, resources and the list goes on. I’ve learnt quite a bit from joining both groups and don’t want to give either one up because each is so unique in what they have to offer writers at all levels. It’s not so much a group to join per se, but I follow Seekerville on a regular basis and credit them with a good chunk of what I’ve gleaned about writing a good story.

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

My neighbor! She’s an avid reader and has similar tastes in authors, so I knew I could trust her opinion.

If you didn’t write books, what would you do for a living?

I’d clean my house! LOL We’re homeschooling through COVID-19 so there isn’t anything else I’d be doing. I can’t imagine not writing though – even if I was working outside the home.

What’s next for you as an author?

Book two of Winterberry Falls is currently on submission and waiting contest results (it placed 2^nd in the Orange County RWA Emerging Writers 2020 Contest and is a finalist in the Florida West Coast Writers 2020 Contest). While I’m waiting, I’m working an historical romance set in Montreal, Canada in 1910. This book is in the sketch/research stage, but I’m excited about the project.

Where can readers find you online?

I have a website with newsletter sign-up, blog posts, book reviews and anything and everything about the writer-me; Facebook page and Pinterest page.

https://www.facebook.com/annbrodeurauthor

Snowbound in Winterberry Falls

will be released on November 6, 2020 from Anaiah Press.