I'm very pleased to announce that I'll be interviewing a YA dystopian author today! I fairly recently discovered this genre where crazy speculations are made and tales told about a futuristic world. And I'm loving it, especially since reading this lovely lady's novels! ^_^
So yes, check these fantastic stories out! Read the interview with the wonderful author herself, and enter a giveaway!
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Introducing ... Nadine Brandes
NADINE BRANDES writes stories about authentic faith, bold living, and worlds soaked in imagination. She lives in Idaho iwth her husband and works as a freelance editor.
Her dystopian trilogy (The Out of Time Series) challenged her to pursue shalom, which is now her favorite word (followed closely by 'bumbershoot'.) When Nadine’s not taste-testing a new chai or editing fantasy novels, she and her knight-in-shining armor (nickname: “hubby”) are out pursuing adventures.
Reasons I Think This Author Is One You Need To Discover:
- Books are Christian Dystopian
- Crazy, Intense, Intriguing ... AND Hopeful
- Awesome Characters! *hugs them ... well, most of them*
- Parvin Blackwater is Real - Someone to Relate to, and also be Inspired by
- The Faith Theme is Deep & Soul-Stirring
- Overall, a Heart-touching, Fascinating Series
- Not to be missed, especially if you love Dystopian!
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~ OUT OF TIME Series ~
How would you live if you knew the day you'd die?
Parvin Blackwater has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside.
In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the crooked justice system. But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall - her people's death sentence.
What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her Clock is running out.
What happens when you live longer than you wanted to?
Parvin Blackwater wanted to die, but now she’s being called to be a leader. The only problem is, no one wants to follow.
The Council is using Jude’s Clock-matching invention to force “new-and-improved” Clocks on the public. Those who can’t afford one are packed into boxcars like cattle and used for the Council’s purposes. Parvin and Solomon team up to rescue the people. Instead, they find themselves on a cargo ship of Radicals headed out to sea. What will the Council do to them? And why are people suddenly dying before their Clocks have zeroed-out?
What more can you sacrifice than your life?
Parvin Blackwater is dead.
At least … that’s what the Council—and the world—thinks. But her sacrifice tore down part of the Wall long enough to stir up hope and rebellion in the people. Now she will rise again. Strong, free, and fearless.
Parvin and Solomon must uncover the mysterious clues that Jude left behind in order to destroy the projected Wall once and for all. Meanwhile, the Council schemes to new levels of technology in its attempts to keep the people contained. Can a one-handed Radical and a scarred ex-Enforcer really bring shalom to the world?
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Author Interview
Do
you have a release date for your next book?
Nadine: A
Time to Rise just released on October 14th! Eep! It’s the
final book in my dystopian trilogy and I’m thrilled that the
world finally has it! As for what’s next, well … that’s still in the
works. *wink*
What
impact do you hope your books will have on readers?
Nadine: Stories
are powerful. They’ve changed my life—caused me to search deeper for Christ, to
think deeper about life, and to forage bravely ahead into new adventures.
Stories stick in our minds. I think this is one reason God filled the Bible
with stories. And my hope is that my books will leave a story painted on
someone’s memory that ultimately changes them and prompts them to pursue life
and Christ the way it was intended to be pursued.
What’s
one of the best things about being an author?
Nadine: Writing
stories! Seriously. That’s what made me become an author and
that love has never changed. Nothing has trumped that yet. But, setting the
obvious aside, I love networking with other authors. The author
world is smaller than you might think. Before I was published, I was fangirling
over certain authors and their books. But now, thanks to conferences and small
circles, I’m friends with many of those authors! (And they’re just as awesome
as I imagined them to be. And I still totally fangirl.) So … one of my favorite
things is being part of the author community and the support and encouragement
that comes from that.
What
made you decide to start writing?
Nadine: Storytelling
is a huge part of my family and relatives, so I think I leaned naturally toward
that passion. My grandmother gave me my first journal when I was six and I
started recording stories of my life and then making some up. When I hit my
teen years I couldn’t find a book that fit my interests, so I just decided to
write one. And I’ve been writing books ever since.
Which
one of your books would you call the ‘story of your heart’ (or are they all)?
Nadine: I’d
definitely say A Time to Die (book 1) is the story of my
heart. It came from my most vulnerable places and felt more like bleeding onto
the keyboard than writing. But A Time to Speak is my favorite
book that I’ve written, because I feel like I got to watch the characters grow
and I grew similarly while writing it.
Why
do you write?
Nadine: Because
God created with this passion and I would miss out on the life He intended for
me if I didn’t. Writing brings me closer to God than any other skill or talent
I have. And I love creating with Him. [smile]
Of
all your books, do you have a favorite cover?
Nadine: As
much as I adore the recently revealed cover for A Time to Rise,
the cover for A Time to Die will always be my favorite.
It was like seeing someone else show me my very imagination.
What
was your hardest book to write, and why?
Nadine: A
Time to Rise—the last book. Because I knew the least about it going in and it
was so much harder to tie everything up than it was to write a cliffhanger.
[grin]
Where
do you usually write?
Nadine: In a coffee shop! My
local coffee shop is where I wrote the majority of A Time to Die and
brings instant inspiration the moment I step inside.
Always a joy to have you here, Nadine! ^_^ You're books have blessed me immensely, and I hope more and more readers will discover them!
Connect Further with Nadine Brandes:
Additional Blog Stops:
Giveaway:
Tomorrow, October 18th, Nadine Brandes is doing a Facebook party in celebration of the release of A Time to Rise! There will be Giveaways, and lots of other fun stuff, so please join us! Click the link below to be brought to the A Time to Rise Party page!
Also, there are giveaways on Goodreads for all three of Nadine's books! Feel free to enter them!
