To say the least, this past two months have been hectic ones, so my blogging as been nonexistent. For this I really do apologize.
Today, however, I have for you the second and final installment of my review on Firestorm by Mackenzie Dare and and Interview with the Author! So lets get started!
This book was a very thrilling read. I love a good mystery, any mystery, but I especially love the ones set in believable settings. Ones where regular people are thrown into chaos and prevail. This novel was certainly a wonderful example of that type of read!
However, this isn't just a thrilling mystery. It is thought provoking. Dare does a wonderful job of presenting her case and giving you food for serious thought without being preachy or overbearing. In this novel the reader witnesses the life and death experiences of the characters, and can easily put themselves in their shoes. You find yourself considering what you would do. And this leads to questions of mortality and your place and purpose. Thankfully, Dare doesn't ask these questions and leave us with no options. She presents a very genuine and legitimate faith to back us up.
As I said, the setting is believable and relate-able, and all of the characters are easy to relate to. You WILL find yourself taking sides and mourning and rejoicing with these characters. I easily recommend this book for anyone who loves a good thriller mystery or is maybe just looking for some answers.
I was very excited to speak with Dare over e-mail and discover that she was interested in doing an interivew about her novel, inspiration, and even a few of her "favorites"! So, right here, without further ado, I post my interview with Mackenzie Dare.
Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: I don’t remember a conscious decision. I think that’s just the way the Lord made me. I’ve always loved writing and making stories up in my head for as long as I can remember. Every once in a while, I’ll find a page of an ancient second or third grade short story and chuckle as I read it and try to decipher the context.
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Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: My first one took about three years from the start to finish, but I learned a lot through my first experience, and the sequel seems to be going quite a bit faster.
Q: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
A: Right now, I’m self-employed, so I can just flip flop my schedule around to what works best.
Q: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
A: Like I have any writing quirks…. ;) Probably my most interesting one is the fact that my characters refuse to ever conform to my outline. Sure, I start out with a neat and detailed plan, but by mid-story, sometimes before, my characters are all running every which-a-way in their own directions. Sometimes the “good guys” turn into bad guys. Sometimes scenes from the end move up to the middle. Sometimes the wrong people fall in love, and even other times a deep, dark secret that I didn’t even know about will just pop up from somebody’s past. Surprises… that’s what makes writing so fun!
Q: When did you begin writing and how old were you?
A: As stated above, I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I still have about 100 handwritten pages from a children’s book that I started when I was around nine or ten years old.
Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?
A: I love life! One of my favorite things to do is to run outside, especially on a dew-glistening, bird-singing, apple-blossomed, spring morning… just to run toward a painted sunrise and feel absorbed in the beauty of God’s creation! I love riding my horse down the gravel road or through the cornfields. I love chilly fall days… a cool breeze floating in a slightly open window and feeling the warm apple-scented steam as you slide a crusty, golden, apple pie out of the oven just as a drip of cinnamon syrup bubbles out and sizzles. I like a crisp, breezy walk through a pumpkin patch or a swim in a Wisconsin lake. I like camping in the North Woods or browsing souvenir shops. I’ve enjoyed climbing cliffs in the Blue Ridge and drivin’ by buffalo in Yellowstone. I love findin’ deals at garage sales and hangin’ out with my family… cookout style or pizza and popcorn movie nights. My favorite time is Christmas… It’s A Wonderful Life in the DVD player, a fire crackling in the corner, the pop of popcorn, and the sweet aroma of hot chocolate as we hang ornaments and wrap lights around our Christmas tree and nativity scene. I love seeing the Lord work in my life and teach me new things. I love Him because He first loved me. He’s shown me this sooo many times in my life! One of my favorite verses is “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” He’s the giver of life, the one who makes daffodils smile and the thunderclouds clap. I love life, love, loyalty, and laughter.
Q: What does your family think of your writing?
A: They are all very supportive and encouraging! I loved giving them my new book and hearing what they thought of it. I really appreciated their suggestions before I was satisfied with my final copy.
Q: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?
A: What took me three years to write is often read within a couple of days. Hmmm… :)
Q: How many books have you written?
A: I have one novel published so far, Fire Storm, and I am working on its sequel. I’ve also written many short stories and some poems.
Q: Do you have any suggestions to help readers interested in writing become better?
If so, what are they?
A: Always pray about your writing. You couldn’t get a better teacher.
Just keep writing. Progress can be amazing if you just keep practicing until you get the hang of it.
Make it fun, and keep it fun. If you get bored with it or lose track of where you’re going, you’ll likely stop.
Start with an outline for structure, but then add some surprises to keep yourself guessing.
Q: Do you hear from your readers much?
Q: What kinds of things do they say?
A: Most of the comments so far have been positive which is very encouraging!
Q: What do you think makes a good story?
A: Action, a good plot, likeable and admirable characters, emotion, human interaction, purity of relationships, cleanness in language, mystery… but most of all, it needs to honor God. I loved writing this book, but it would always feel empty and useless to me if there wasn’t a higher purpose in writing it than making money. If you pray about it and are truly writing for Him, I believe He will cause everything else to fall into place.
Q: As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
A: Be a teacher…or a vet...a nurse… or a fireman… a restaurant owner… or a mom with 12 kids….
Q: For viewers who have not read, but are interested in your book, can you describe it please?
A: Fire Storm is about a couple of young families living excessively normal lives in a small-town, farming community in Northern Illinois. Wade is a paramedic. His wife, Mellissa, works in a lawyer’s office, and they are expecting a baby very soon. Their best friends, Jim and Jessica, live on a small horse farm out in the country. Jim is a fireman. Jess is a stay-at-home mom with her recently born little girl. Life is fun and carefree till… Jess starts running into threats at every turn. Are they even threats or just accidents? The thought of a killer being after Jess just seems so ridiculous… though not so much… when she comes eye to eye with murder! Who and Why? What about Wade ‘n Mellissa? Will they remain safe in their young existence as they embark in the beginnings of life’s journey, or will the epidemic of murder spread? How far does it reach? What are the secrets?
Q: How and when did you become a Christian?
A: When I was five, I prayed with my mom after hearing a Christian radio testimony, then I prayed the same prayer quite a few times after that whenever doubts arose after a salvation message. I got complete assurance of my salvation when I was eight and started growing in the Lord. I know I was saved before that. That is just when the Lord removed all doubt. So, I can’t honestly point to an exact date, but I’m 100% sure that I’m in God’s family, that He watches over me, protecting me many times, that He loves me, blessing me with countless surprises that are much more then luck, that He teaches me, not only spiritual but also physical things, and that He’s always there whenever I need Him.
Q: How does God affect your writing?
A: He gave me the talent to write. He gave me an imagination and a love for stories. He put me in a strongly Christian home where I received wisdom about spiritual things and knowledge of true love, sacrifice, and care. He saved me and gave me a reason to write. Fire Storm was written for Him and dedicated to Him, and by His grace, I pray that every book I write will always point heavenward and never downward toward worldly lusts.
Q: Who is your favorite character in your book?
A: That’s hard to say. I like all my characters. They are all different and unique. I like variety. The world needs rich and poor, plain and fancy, strong and weak, dream-chasers and content daily laborers, business women and stay-at-home moms, flippant and flighty and rigid work-a-holics. If there was one “right” type of person or one perfect race, the world would be sooo dull. Everyone fiction or real has their very own story.
Q: What was the hardest part to write in the book?
A: The Salvation message. It carries the greatest responsibility.
Q: What are your favorite authors/books?
A: I like Terri Blackstock and Dee Henderson, and I just started some in the Left Behind series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim Layhaye and am really enjoying them!
I had such a great time interviewing and talking to Dare about her work and I would like to thank her for being so willing and patient during this process.
Firestorm is a must read for not only Christian readers, but everyone, and it is certainly worth the time :).
-KC
