Welcome to Takeover Tuesday!
Katherine has offered to give away an electronic copy of Fortune's Fall. You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of this post. (Contest ends December 15, 2020.) Share on X If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information.
Blurb…
While her classmates prepare for elite careers across America, Nyssa Ardelone trains for her secret job as the president’s dream interpreter. But when her mentor lies to the president about the prophecy in his latest dream, Nyssa must figure out why before the lie unravels. What she learns could destroy her own future.
Fearful of a rumored rebellion, the president has launched a gas attack on Nyssa’s hometown, and her mentor lied about the dream to protect the survivors from more harm. When Nyssa learns her parents were injured in the attack, she flees with a stranger sent to steal the antidote—a stranger who claims to know her.
Together, they race to deliver the cure as well as an interpretation of another prophetic dream only Nyssa can provide. But a devastating loss dulls her caution, and she learns too late that not everyone is trustworthy. To survive the president’s deadly pursuit, Nyssa must break every rule she’s ever followed, learning along the way that faith is the only thing that can save her.
The story behind the story…
A lot of people have asked what inspired me to write Fortune’s Fall. I’ve always been fascinated with the stories in the Old Testament, and when our pastor did a sermon series on Nehemiah, I went down a million Googled rabbit-holes to learn about the Babylonian exile of the Jews. When I learned that only the elite Jews were exiled to Babylon and everyone else was left behind to fend for themselves, a story began to brew. What if the Jews who were left behind not only survived, but they thrived, waiting somewhere for their ultimate return to Jerusalem?
My main character in Fortune’s Fall was born from that question. A character inspired by Nehemiah – an exile who led the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and Daniel – an exile and dream interpreter to the king. Fortune’s Fall is the futuristic tale of a people exiled to an unfamiliar place, the family and friends they left behind, and a girl’s determination to bring them all back together.
Now, three years later, Fortune’s Fall has evolved into a story I’m really excited for others to read. But also, my motivation as a writer has evolved. I want to write books that parents aren’t afraid to let their kids read. Clean books. Books that have a faith message without being overly preachy. The verse that pops up over and over throughout Fortune’s Fall is Hebrews 11:1. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see.” I hope that readers see Nyssa’s journey to Fortune’s Fall as a testament to faith. It takes a strong woman to be a Christ follower, especially today. Be kind and generous. But also, be bold and follow Him in faith.
Excerpt…
What are my chances of actually making it to Fortune’s Fall? Not high. Then again, according to Pallas, there’s a network helping people get there. True, some people have been caught. But what if I’m not?
“Can I really do this?” I say aloud to my empty room. I scan the furniture. The walls. My messy bed. It’s all so familiar to me after seven years that I usually overlook the paisley on the quilt and the stain on the rug where an exhausted Ethelind tripped and dropped an entire pan of accidentally undercooked brownies one night. We ate them anyway. A mud puddle laced with carpet fibers, scooped up with spoons and laughed about later. I blink, and the memory is gone.
“I’m going to do this.” I turn toward my closet, grab a shirt, and pull it over my head.
“I have to do this for my family.” I zip my jeans.
“For Pallas.” I tie my shoes.
I’m a robot. Don’t think. Just act.
“I’m going to do this,” I repeat.
If I stop talking, if I stop moving, the likelihood of failure will paralyze me. I pull my hair into a ponytail and open the door, tiptoe across the common room and into the hall. The door closes behind me without a sound.
Purchase links…
About Katherine…
Katherine Barger writes stories about characters of faith in a world where faith is challenged. When she’s not wrangling kids alongside her forever-forbearing husband, she’s writing, eating Mexican food, or snuggling with her family’s two rescue pets: a dog named Queen Elsa and a cat named Princess Jasmine.
Where you can find her online…
Do I have a favorite Bible story? Seems like I have a different favorite each time I read one. That’s probably because I need different things at different times and the Bible always has just what I need at the time. Right now, the journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus is high on my list!
I know exactly what you mean! God does have a way of giving us what we need to hear right when we need to hear it.
Good luck, Candice!
Sounds like a spiritual and adventurous book. Look forward to reading it
I agree. Good luck, Heather!