Author Interview | Kristina Hall

 

Author Interview

1. What made you want to start writing?

I’ve always loved stories and have been a big reader of Christian fiction since I was in my early teens. About four years ago, I decided to start a novel of my own.

2. What was the inspiration behind the Moretti trilogy?

Well, I’d originally planned for Promises Unbroken (the first book in the trilogy) to be set in modern day and to be a standalone. Then I thought it’d be quite cool to write a historical suspense novel set in the 1920s. From there, I just kept coming up with more characters whose stories needed to be told.

3. What advice would you give to newby writers?

Probably the same advice they hear everywhere :) Write a lot and read a lot. Also, use your writing to glorify God. 

4. What do you hope readers get out of your books?

Most of all, I hope they’re pointed to Jesus. And I also hope they’re entertained and kept on the edge of their seats. :)

5. Who’s your favorite character in the series?

My favorite character would have to be Alberto Moretti. He was such a fun character to write thanks to his character arc and his sarcastic voice. For some reason, I always enjoy writing the sarcastic characters.

6. What gives you motivation to write?

I love discovering the plot (I don’t have everything planned out before I start writing) and the characters. It’s an adventure to me. It also helps me to have a goal in mind. For example, if I’ve told my readers I’ll have a book published by a certain time. But that doesn’t mean I feel like writing/editing all the time or that I don’t do my fair share of procrastinating :) Ultimately, my motivation comes from God. He’s the One Who keeps me going when I’m discouraged, etc.

7. What made you choose self publishing?

My biggest reason for choosing self-publishing was the control I’d have over my books. I know that makes me sound like a control freak. :) But I was concerned if I tried to go the traditional route, I’d get in a situation where an editor or publisher would ask me to water down my morals or to not write about the morals I felt needed to be discussed. I didn’t want that for my books, so I decided self-publishing was the better option for me. And I also enjoy designing my covers.

8. If there was one thing you would want to tell readers about your books, what would it be?

That’s a hard question! I suppose I’d want readers to know that my books are clean, contain lots of Christian content, and a ton of suspense. Those are the main things I look for when I’m searching for a book.

9. Any quotes to share from the books?

Allow me to present the opening few lines from each of the books :)

Promises Unbroken: The blare of horns, the hum of conversation, and the occasional squeal of brakes combined in a cacophony that was the city. Mae Ashton’s life for the past three months.

Yet the noise was no danger to her. That position belonged to the man behind her. The man who’d been waiting for her outside Rossi Shipping. Who’d followed her for the last two weeks.

Mercy Undeserved: Lillian Rossi swept across the dance floor, skirt swishing at her knees.

Sweat trailed down her temples, and the humid, smoky air pressed close. She pasted on a smile and spun in a circle, twirling away from the man who’d asked her to dance.

Only in laughter, dance, and drink could she forget.

Truth Unshaken: Carla Belardi ran her thumb along the novel’s spine. If she kept her movements slow and steady, the numbness would hold her fast. The images would stay buried.

The two caskets at the front of the church. The line of black-clad mourners who’d filed past her.

She drew her hand from the book and clenched her black skirt. Nothing would bring Mamma and Papà back. Just as nothing had stopped that motorcar from hitting their Packard and pushing it into the river.

10. When your creative well is dry, where is one place you find inspiration?

Normally from taking a break :) There’s only so much I can write or edit in a day before my brain turns to mush. Then it’s time to call it quits until the next day.

Series Info

Book order: Promises Unbroken, Mercy Undeserved, Truth Unshaken

Genre: Christian historical suspense

Author: Kristina Hall

Purchase Links

Promise Unbroken

Mercy Undeserved

Truth Unshaken

Kristina Hall is a sinner saved by grace who seeks to glorify God with her words. She is a homeschool graduate and holds a degree in accounting. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, arm wrestling, lifting weights, and playing the violin.

Author Links

Goodreads

Website

BookBub

Newsletter

Instagram

Giveaway Info

The giveaway runs from 12:00 am on December 13th to 12:00 am on December 19th, and I’m giving away the entire Moretti Trilogy (Promises Unbroken, Mercy Undeserved, and Truth Unshaken) in the file type of the winner’s choice (PDF, mobi, or epub). The winner will be announced on December 19th (Sunday) in my blog tour wrap-up post, and I’ll contact this individual by email to find out what file type to send. The entire set of books will be sent by email.

Giveaway link

Conclusion

So there you have it folks! I hope you all enjoyed this author interview with Kristina Hall as much as I did and that it has made you want to go check out her books! I think they look really amazing and am looking forward to reading them here soon! Until next time, my friend.

Blessings,

Shay

Book Review | To Write a Wrong

Synopsis

Miss Daphne Beekman is a mystery writer by day, inquiry agent by night. Known for her ability to puzzle out plots, she prefers working behind the scenes for the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, staying well away from danger. However, Daphne soon finds herself in the thick of an attempted murder case she's determined to solve.

Mr. Herman Henderson is also a mystery writer, but unlike the dashing heroes he pens, he lives a quiet life, determined to avoid the fate of his adventurous parents, who perished on an expedition when he was a child. But when he experiences numerous attempts on his life, he seeks out the services of the eccentric Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency to uncover the culprit. All too soon, Herman finds himself stepping out of the safe haven of his world and into an adventure he never imagined.

As the list of suspects grows and sinister plots are directed Daphne's way as well, Herman and Daphne must determine who they can trust and if they can risk the greatest adventure of all: love.

Series

Bleaker Street Agency #2

My Rating

My Review I must say, this is one of my new favorite Jen Turano's! Being a writer myself, I found this book very relatable in many ways. All of both Daphne and Herman's quirks that others thought them weird for, I totally understood. I mean, even the way the book begins with Daphne dressing up as a pirate to get inspiration for her book! Not only was that hilarious, but I can one hundred percent relate. This book was a most delightful read! Daphne dressing up as a pirate wasn't the only thing I was laughing over and if anyone's read the first book (To Steal a Heart) then you know Daphne and exactly what I'm talking about. So many hilarious moments only Jen Turano could pull off! Daphne was a wonderful heroine and I loved everything about her. And of course Herman was simply perfect in every way, exactly what Daphne's character needed. He's now one of my favorite male characters. Their relationship and story was so fun to read and I was laughing out loud many times! This series as a whole may be my favorite of Jen Turano! I can't wait for the third book and for all of my questions to be answered with Eunice! Until then...

End of NaNoWriMo Party!

For all of you who participated in NaNoWriMo...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

This is a party to celebrate! Whether you won it or not – great job! You challenged yourself to do something hard and difficult and that alone is an accomplishment, that alone is something to feel proud of yourself over! So give yourself a pat on the back, treat yourself to a bowl of ice cream, scream for all the world to hear! (Okay, maybe forgo the screaming, someone may call the police. . .)

And if you did write those 50k words then celebrate even harder because you're totally awesome! That is a LOT of words and you should feel excited over that. I've seen people on Instagram who have written over 50k and I think that is totally (insane) incredible! Personally, it took all of my brain power to reach 55,546 (not to be exact or anything. . .can't help but be proud for every single word) and I am so excited for actually achieving that! I have never written that much in that short amount of time before so I am having a very proud moment.

I actually did not join NaNoWriMo officially though. I joined the challenge unofficially and participated in The King's Daughters' Writing Camp and Writers In Faith over on Slack, it was a lot of fun surrounded by such amazing, encouraging people! I couldn't have asked for better people to be around.

Speaking of NaNo. . .I actually want to apologize. I said at the beginning of this month that I was going to have a lot of fun content coming your way and I haven't followed through completely with that. Maybe it wasn't the wisest decision to say that at the beginning of November and then spontaneously decide to join NaNo as well. XD (Yes, I decided to join the challenge the day before November 1^st, don't judge.) Hopefully next month will be better!

But back to writing!

I worked on two projects this past month. One that I have already been working on and the other a brand new WIP. The first is a YA, pirate, adventure novel about love and acceptance and the second a YA, dystopian with Robin Hood vibes. I am thoroughly in love with them both and had a blast! I thought I would share a few quotes from them for your enjoyment, so here you go. . .

“She's all I have left so I don't see the harm in following her wishes, even if they are a little smothering. She means best, and she loves me. That's all that matters to me.” She smiled warmly with a content look about her face.

I could admire that. Though I didn't think I would ever be able to follow such wishes if our roles were reversed, I did envy the obvious love she had for Wynne. I'd never had a person to love like that.

~YA, pirate novel

The other side of the wall. Outlawed. Everyone who did something wrong or disregarded the government's rules was sentenced over the wall, to be outlawed. Just like Father and Alyx.

~YA, dystopian novel

“Climb down into the hole,” he said briskly.

I cocked my head. “What if I don't want to?”

“Then I will lift you up and throw you down without a single care to how many bones you break in the process.” His tone proved he was dead serious.

“I think I'll climb down.”

“Good choice.”

~YA, dystopian novel

There you have it! My first ever NaNoWriMo experience. Let me know how your month went! Did you complete your goal? More importantly, did you have a blast no matter how many words you wrote? What were you working on? Be sure and let me know in the comments!

Blessings,

Shay

How to Write Faster by Writing Slower

What if I told you that by writing slower you could, in a sense, write faster? That instead of stressing and cranking out those words, you could get more written by relaxing and taking it slow. Would you think me insane? Probably. I think that of myself most of the time. But stick with me because I'm actually very serious about this.

Think about it. When was the last time you really felt you had to crank those words out to make your word count for the day? With it being NaNoWriMo this month it could have been as soon as yesterday. Or maybe it was another time when you were doing a fun challenge with friends. Think back to how you felt.

Did you ever get really stressed and maybe even panicked that you wouldn't be able to meet your deadline? Or that if you didn't get three hundred words in the next five minutes then there was simply no hope for you? I've been there. I've been in that position, that feeling of, “you have to write faster!”. But now think back to what happened.

You froze.

You had become so concentrated on the amount of words needing written that you worked yourself into a stressed/panicked state of mind. And you forgot to let the story flow naturally. That is the key right there, letting the story flow naturally.

Now remember one of your best writing days. Were you focused on your word count, or were you focused on the story? My money's on the side that says you focused on your story. Because that's what happens when you let the words unfold on their own timing and let the story tell itself. They come naturally.

I used to sit down at the computer and think “okay, I want to get this amount of words written and I can't get up until I do,”. Now I sit down and think “what's going to happen in my story today?”. See what I did there? I focused on the story instead of the word count and that is where your focus should always be. And, as a bonus, I always get a higher word count as a result of it.

But, by the end of the day, I no longer care about how many words I wrote, I care about the quality of my work. I always feel I write my best on these days. With your focus in the right place, you can too. It's all about quality over quantity and, in the end, you can have both.

So, my friend, I hope on your next writing day you will give this method a try. And when you do I really hope you'll come back and tell me in the comments how it went. I can't wait to hear from you! Until next time.

Blessing,

Shay

Exciting News and A New Plan

Today is a very exciting day!!

(And if you're asking why, well, I can't belive you don't know.)

Joke! XD I don't expect you to remember what happened one year ago today...

I started this blog!!!

That's right! Shay's Scribbles came into function and opened a whole new direction of my life. I have had a lot of fun over this past year and all of your comments and support have blessed my heart. Truly, I don't know what I would do without you guys.

However, I realize that for quite some time I have been absent. In fact, I haven't kept up with this blog that well this whole year. I don't know if you've noticed that, but I have. And I don't like it.

Thus leading to my new plan! I have worked hard lately on developing a new stragedy for Shay's Scribbles, for my blog and for my Instagram that coinsides with it. I will be releasing this new content as soon as next week and it is my sincere hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do.

To give you a little tease of what will be coming, think book reviews, writing motivation, and inspiration for those days when you feel you can't write another word. Think, filling your creative well, how to write faster by writing slower, and confidence in yourself as a writer – staying strong when you want to give up. It is my prayer that my words will bless at least a small few and that you will leave here feeling encouraged and blessed.

And, if you didn't know, I do have an Instagram now as I mentioned above and all of my content will be displayed there along with so much more! It is a private account so don't feel shy requesting a follow and I will give you ascent post haste!

Again, thank you all so much for following this blog throughout my first year and I hope I won't let you down in this next year to come. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to year two here on Shay's Scribbles, I only hope you are as well!

So long for now, my friend! We shall meet again here soon.

Blessings, Shay

Before the World Changed Cover Reveal!

Today I am very excited to share with you the cover of a debut author's book! First, though, let's share a little bit about the author...

A chronic illness warrior, Anna Grace understands what it feels like to have questions with no apparent answer, even while still trusting God as her source of strength. Passionate about using her writing to reach her generation, she is described by her parents as a "born writer." She can often be found reading, writing, or enjoying worship music. She also enjoys folding origami cranes and crocheting. You can connect with her here at her blog, Redeem the Time, or in her novelette, Before the World Changed.

Now, for the cover!

What's left when the world falls apart?

The only concern on Alli's mind is planning her upcoming trip with her sister—until a bolt from a clear sky turns the world upside down. But as shock and grief close in, Alli comes face to face with others just as devastated by the events as she is, and with even more reason to fear. Can she find a way to share hope with those who need it most?

I think this cover is simply amazing and makes me happy to see! If the story inside is half as good as this stunning cover then this will be a great story indeed!

If you would like to make this book your own here is the preorder link for the ebook. Those who preorder the book will receive an exclusive poem written by Anna Grace along with other limited-time bonuses. Preorder is open until September 10th, 11:59pm EST. So go order the book! Paperback will be available for preorder soon.

You can also find the author on Goodreads.

Thank you for stopping by on this exciting day! I hope you enjoyed seeing the cover as much as I did.

Blessings,

Shay

Book Review | The Woman With the Blue Star

 

1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents amid the horrors of the Kraków Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous sewers beneath the city. One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers.

Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother, who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans. Scorned by her friends and longing for her fiancé, who has gone off to war, Ella wanders Kraków restlessly. While on an errand in the market, she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street. Upon closer inspection, she realizes it’s a girl hiding.

Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close, but as the dangers of the war worsen, their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds. Inspired by harrowing true stories, The Woman with the Blue Star is an emotional testament to the power of friendship and the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive.

~~~~~~~~~~

I recently read this book and it literally tore me to pieces. I have not had a book impact me emotionally like that in quite some time, if ever. I'll admit, I do cry pretty easily over books but with this book I was out right sobbing and it still has me in a book hangover that I can't seem to get out of.

It was so heartfelt. All of the pain that the characters went through was so real to me. I felt like I was right there with them, standing beside them trying to cheer them on and telling them to keep going despite the hardships they were facing. It was written in such a beautiful way that I truly felt like I was standing right there. Everything they experienced, I experienced too.

Simply put, it was amazing. I think everyone needs to read it, it was just that great of a book. I can not rant and rave over it enough to express just how great it was. The unlikely friendship that formed between these two girls was breath taking to say the least.

I should probably stop now before I give away spoilers or start crying again so let me leave now with just two more words. Read it.

Blessings,

Shay