~ BLOG TOUR STOP ~
ABOUT THE BOOK:
This historic home holds the keys to their destiny . . . and their hearts
Abandoned at birth, her family roots a mystery, historical museum curator Sloane Kelley has dedicated her life to making sure others know theirs. When a donor drops off a dusty old satchel, she doesn’t expect much from the common artifact . . .until she finds real treasure inside: a nineteenth-century diary.Now she’s on the hunt to find out more.
Garrett Anderson just wanted to clean out his grandmother’s historic but tumbledown farmhouse before selling it to fund her medical care. With her advancing Alzheimer’s, he can’t afford to be sentimental about the family home. But his carefully ordered plan runs up against two formidable obstacles: Sloane, who’s fallen in love with both the diaries and the house, and his own heart, which is irresistibly drawn to Sloane.
A century and a half earlier, motherless Annabelle Collins embarks with her aunt and uncle on the adventure of a lifetime: settling the prairies of Sedgwick County, Kansas. The diaries she left behind paint a portrait of life, loss, and love—and a God who faithfully carries her through it all. Paging through the diaries together takes Sloane and Garrett on a journey they never could have planned, which will change them in ways they never imagined.
This warm, beautifully written split-time novel will resonate with readers looking for stories that reveal the beauty of God’s plan for our lives, and how our actions ripple for generations.
(Kregel Publications/February 2, 2021/ISBN: 9780825446689/$15.99)
PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. She has placed first in multiple writing contests, including the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity, the 2017 Phoenix Rattler, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions contests. She was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist.
Wen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She also frequently interviews authors for her blog and is a contributor to the God Is Love blog. Her debut novel, Roots of Wood and Stone, releases from Kregel Publications on February 2, 2021.
In addition to her writing, Wen is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and her church’s worship team. She serves as a choral accompanist as well. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Wen lives in Kansas with her patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat.
To find Amanda Wen’s blog and short stories, visit http://www.amandawen.com/. Readers can also follow her on Facebook (@AuthorAmandaWen), Twitter (@AuthorAmandaWen), and Instagram (@authoramandawen)
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR:
For readers who can’t decide if they would like to pick up something historical or contemporary for their next read, debut author Amanda Wen offers them the best of both worlds in her new release. Roots of Wood and Stone (Kregel Publications) is a warm, delightfully-written split-time novel that will resonate with readers looking for stories that reveal the beauty of God’s plan for our lives, and how our actions ripple for generations.
Question #1: What drew you to the split-time genre? What unique
challenges does writing in two time periods present?
Amanda Wen: I’ve always loved reading both
historical and contemporary books, and I’ve long been a fan of TV shows that
hop from era to era. From the ‘80s sci-fi show Quantum Leap and the 2000s crime drama Cold Case to the new hit This
Is Us, series like these illustrate in dramatic fashion just how deeply the
past impacts the present. Split-time novels do the same thing: characters’ past
decisions have ripple effects, both good and bad, for generations to come.
In addition, one of my favorite things about split time is watching the
contemporary characters dig into the past. My mother is a genealogist who’s
been tracing our family history since before I was born, and her passion for
uncovering our family’s stories has been an important backdrop my entire life.
Her research has given me an appreciation for those who came before and a
desire to pass along this appreciation to my own kids. Given all this, I think
the split-time genre is a natural fit for me!
However, split time doesn’t come without its challenges. Instead of writing one story, I’m writing two, and they have to weave together in an organic way. If you can lift one story line out of the book without hurting the other one, then it’s not integrated well enough. With two stories come two heroes, two heroines, and two plot lines, all of which must be correctly paced and equally interesting to the reader. But challenges aside,
Question #2: Roots of Wood and Stone was inspired by your
own family history. Can you tell us a little bit about your family’s story and
what parts made their way into your book?
Amanda Wen: The seed of inspiration for Roots of Wood and Stone is an 1890s
farmhouse not far from where I grew up (and where I now live) which belonged to
my great-great-grandfather, Francis Thomas Little. He immigrated to the United States
from Ireland as a child and became one of the earliest settlers of Maize,
Kansas. Grandpa Little, as he’s known in my family, wrote a memoir, A Kansas Farmer, which was an invaluable
resource during my research process.
Francis Little married Mattie Stevens, daughter of another early settler,
William Fletcher Stevens, who lost his first wife and infant son shortly after
arriving in Sedgwick County in 1870. (In fact, my great-great-great-grandfather
would go on to bury a second wife and eight of his fourteen children.) I
wondered how someone would cope with such a tragic loss and emerge with his
faith intact, and it’s this first early loss that forms the crux of the
spiritual journey for my past hero, Jack Brennan.
My past heroine, Annabelle Collins, is very loosely based on a paternal
ancestor, Antoinette Patrick Peterson, who as a young child was left with an
aunt and uncle after the death of her mother. She moved to Kansas with her aunt
and uncle, who raised her to adulthood, and I grew curious about the impact of such
a decision on a child. The rest of Antoinette’s life was no less interesting
and colorful, but I decided to save it for a future book.
Question #3: What role does faith play in the lives of your characters?
Amanda Wen: All
my characters are people of faith, but all of them have run up against some
struggles. For Sloane, the wound of her childhood abandonment is the lens
through which she sees everything. Feeling unwanted and unloved by her birth
parents extends to her relationship with God. Is she plan B to him too? Garrett,
meanwhile, has grown up in the church and has a fairly strong faith, but he hasn’t
truly grasped the concept of trusting God rather than leaning on his own
understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6). A highly intelligent and motivated individual,
Garrett believes that life will be infinitely easier if he just comes up with
and follows through on the perfect plan. But when his perfect plan runs up against
obstacles he can’t overcome, he struggles to let go and allow God to enact the
ultimate plan.
Trust is also a theme for Annabelle Collins, the heroine of the past time line.
She suffers some losses both early and later in her life, and she struggles
with the holes those losses leave in her heart. Can she learn to trust God to
provide not necessarily everything she wants but everything she needs?
Meanwhile, past hero Jack reels from loss as well, and he struggles to
understand why—if he’s being obedient to God’s call on his life, as he thought
he was—his life involves so much suffering. Throughout the book, Jack learns
that just because life is difficult doesn’t mean he’s on the wrong path.
Sometimes, one needs to stay the course.
REVIEW:
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Thank you for the book description and the giveaway.
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