In celebration of her latest release, Jolina has graciously offered to give away a copy of the book (US Only). To enter, see the Rafflecopter box at the bottom of this post. (Contest ends June 24, 2016.) If you are the randomly chosen winner, I'll contact you and pass on your information. Good luck!
A Word from Jolina...
I guess you could say I
had a slightly different childhood. When I was six and my brother ten, our
family stood in a field on the camp where my parents were caretakers, and my
parents told us that this was where we would meet if we were separated when the
world "blew up." From this field, our family would travel by foot to
our friends' elaborate, fairy-tale home and live in the blue room hidden behind
their bookshelves.
My parents in no way meant to instill fear in us. Now that I'm a parent, I see
that they were trying to assuage their own fears by coming up with a
disaster-recovery plan. But I was born with an overactive imagination, and
therefore this plan planted in me the seed of fear--and subsequently, a driving
need to control my environment.
I wish I could say I uprooted this fear once I became an adult, but after I had
my firstborn daughter, my fear grew worse, for not only did I have to control
my environment, I also had to control hers.
When my eldest was six months old, an unnerving exchange with a logger caused
my fear to deepen its roots and forced me to ask myself whether I would ever use
lethal force to protect myself and my family. I believed I would, even though,
growing up, I sensed that my father would adhere to his pacifist heritage if
placed in such a situation.
The final puzzle piece for my book, The Alliance, slid into place when my
father told us that we needed heirloom seeds to last us until the next harvest
season. I remember standing in my darkened kitchen, repeating that phrase to
myself--the harvest season.
Initially, I believed this would be the title of the book, but over time, I
knew a community having enough food to last until the next harvest season was
only a small element of the story. The larger element came from the
protagonist, Leora Ebersole, and her driving need to control her
environment, even after society crumbles around her, because if she controls
her environment, she believes she will be able to keep her orphaned family
safe.
With every one of my books, God's been faithful to allow me to experience some
portion of whatever topic I'm addressing. The Alliance has been no exception.
My family and I moved from Tennessee to Wisconsin shortly before I finished the
rough draft. Eight weeks later, my husband went in for a CAT scan, which
revealed a tumor near his brain stem. He had surgery the next morning, and all
through that night next to his hospital bed, I feared for my family.
I feared for our two young daughters--our firstborn was two and a half and our
second was four months old at the time. I feared that I would be a widow,
living on a grid-tie solar-powered farm six hundred miles away from our
immediate families. In a matter of hours, one of my worst fears had come true,
and I didn't know how to handle it.
However, all through my Garden of Gethsemane night, during the hours my husband
was in surgery, and the critical weeks that followed the craniotomy, I felt
God's presence as if he was sitting beside me.
I then understood that God had allowed me to face one of my greatest fears so
that I would learn that inner peace can never be acquired through my futile
attempts to control my environment--and therefore keep my family safe.
Moreover, I can only achieve inner peace if I continually surrender my life and
the lives of my family to the One who called us into being.
So I pray, dear reader, that you will discover the author of the peace that
passes all understanding and daily surrender your life--and the lives of
your family--to Him.
Q & A with Jolina...
Q: What would
you be doing if you were not an author?
A: Be a
midwife or non-profit doula to endangered teens
Q: How did
you start writing?
A: I fell in
love with the written word in 2nd grade when a teacher refused to
let me give up on reading, though it was difficult for me to learn. Soon, I was
reading everything I could possibly get my hands on (My mom had to screen some
of my library titles.) and, from this, I fell in love with writing as well.
Q: What are
your thoughts on the publishing industry in general? In relation to
self-publishing?
A; I think
it’s an exciting time to be an author! During the release of my debut, The Outcast, in 2013, it seemed like
print books were on the decline, but now eBooks are starting to taper off.
Nothing is ever the same, and I like that! Also, it’s wonderful that writers
have the ability to self-publish their books and, therefore, fulfill their
dreams.
Q: What
advice do you have for new authors?
A: I read a
quote recently that said, “Plan in decades. Think in years. Work in months.
Live in days.” ~Nic Harambulous. It can become so easy, during the hustle and
bustle of launch season (or rough-draft season, editing season, etc.) to get caught
up in the finished product, inadvertently losing sight of the beauty of the
everyday. I believe it’s impossible to truly create art without tapping into
our world. Don’t shut it out in an effort to reach a deadline. Let life feed
your art. Your story will thrive because of it.
Q: Great advice! What is
your favorite writing-related book?
A: On
Writing by Stephen King. This is a wonderfully practical book and
well-written to boot. I haven’t read much by Stephen King, but this really made
me want to meet him.
Q: What can
you tell me about your next project?
A: The
Divide, the sequel to The Alliance, is releasing Spring 2017.
Q: What's a
book you wish you'd written?
A: I Capture
the Castle by Dodie Smith. Eccentric characters, great setting (a crumbling
castle surrounded by a mote), a coming-of-age story in 1920s England. It just
warms my heart and makes me want to weep at the same time.
Q: Who are
some of your favorite authors?
A: Marilynne Robinson, Donna Tartt, Kate Atkinson,
Jane Eyre, Barbara Kingsolver, Lois Lowry
Q: What do
you enjoy doing when you're not writing?
A: Reading, hiking, cooking, swimming (or
doggy paddling), digging in the dirt, and, of course, being with my precious
family
Q: What is
something readers would be surprised to learn about you?
A: I was on a
clogging team in high school (like Appalachian river dance) and still sometimes
break out a jig whenever I’m excited. J
Very cool! I was in a dance club in elementary school and we did some clogging. Clogging is certainly challenging! Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. I'm sure my readers will enjoy getting to know you a bit better!
Link to my review...
(I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.)
Amazon link for purchase...
About Jolina...
Jolina Petersheim is
the bestselling author of The Alliance,
The Midwife, and The Outcast, which Library
Journal called "outstanding . . . fresh and inspirational" in a
starred review and named one of the best books of 2013. Her writing has been
featured in venues as varied as radio programs, nonfiction books, and numerous
online and print publications such as Reader's
Digest, Writer's Digest, and Today's Christian Woman. Jolina and her
husband share the same unique Amish and Mennonite heritage that originated in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but now live on a solar-powered farm in the
Driftless Region of Wisconsin with their young daughters. Follow Jolina and her
blog at jolinapetersheim.com.
Where readers can find Jolina online...
Twitter: Jolina_Joy
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JolinaPetershei/
a Rafflecopter giveaway
