~ CALM BEFORE THE STORM BLOG TOUR ~

~ BLOG TOUR STOP ~

--  'CALM BEFORE THE STORM'  --

AUTHOR JANICE L. DICK

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Excerpt,

Author Bio, Guest Post & Giveaway~

 

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour & Giveaway for Calm Before the Storm by Janice L. Dick, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

 

Title:  Calm Before the Storm
Series:  The Storm Series #1
Author: Janice L. Dick
Release Date: August 15, 2020 (re-release)
Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction

South Russia, 1914.

The world is at war and revolution threatens. Against this backdrop of fear and danger, three young people search for hope and love. Katarina Hildebrandt’s tranquil life on her family’s Crimean estate is about to change. Tutor Johann Sudermann has found true faith, but it will turn his life upside-down. And Paul Gregorovich Tekanin, working for the revolution in St. Petersburg, finds his choices will demand his soul as well as his wit and strength.

Will they find faith to weather the coming storm?

EXCERPT:

“You, my dear, are young and strong, with the world before you,” [said Oma]. “Live each day with joy and gratitude. Don’t get old and stern before your time. And when the hard times come, as they most certainly will, trust God, who is in ultimate control of all things. He has led our people through many difficult circumstances.”

Katya sniffed and smiled through her tears. “I know God is in control, but I don’t understand at all why He allows such hard things to happen.”

“Our minds cannot grasp God’s ways. He is too great for us to comprehend. That’s where faith comes in.”  (p.61)

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janice L. Dick is an award-winning author who writes from her rural home in Saskatchewan, Canada. She writes historical and contemporary fiction, blogs, book reviews, and inspirational articles. In September 2016, Janice became the first recipient of the prestigious Janette Oke award, presented by the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship.

In 2016 Janice established her indie imprint: Tansy & Thistle Press: faith, fiction, forum, and has since released two more historical novels. She has completed two historical trilogies based on her Mennonite heritage in South Russia. Find out more at her website.

June:  Please discuss that background on what inspired you to write a novel, and eventually a series, about this time period in Russian history. Please include details about your choice to write about the Mennonite faith.

Janice:  

My interest in the history of my people, the Mennonites, was sparked as a child, sitting and listening to stories the older generation shared when we met for family gatherings at my Oma’s house. My father was born in the Molotschna village of Fürstenverder in 1918. My mother’s birthplace was a village in the Orenburg settlement farther east. My husband’s great-grandfather, who inspired the character of Heinrich Hildebrandt, owned three estates in South Russia. The beauty of the Golden Years and the devastation brought by World War I and the Russian Revolution are well documented.

 

In high school, I became enamored of Russian history, and read War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Dr. Zhivago, and other Russian novels. I also saw the movie Nicholas and Alexandra, which has haunted me to this day.

My husband, Wayne, is also of Mennonite ancestry, and his family has many photos, genealogies, documents and letters that fueled my stories. The layout of the manor house and yard follow the drawings of Apanlee, the Dick estate south of the Molotschna Colony. The tomb where the fictional Elizabeth Hildebrandt is buried is based on a drawing of just such a burial place. The parallels between reality and fiction are too numerous to count, and I hope these similarities add credibility for my readers.

At one point in my writing, I realized I already had more than 300 pages, but was nowhere near the end of my story, so I continued in a second and eventually a third book. My goal was to get the main characters to North America.

My initial reason for writing this story was to preserve the history of which I was aware for the sake of my kids and grandkids. As I wrote, I came to see that the more important element was to record an account of God’s sovereignty in the face of great troubles. That takeaway is meant to cross religious and cultural barriers to the fact the God is indeed in control of our world, no matter how it seems from our small place in it.

I hope above all that readers will acquire a better understanding of the God who loves and pursues them. He wants to be found.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

CONNECT WITH JANICE: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a Calm Before the Storm ebook + $10 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight August 4, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on August 11, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

 

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

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