Do you really believe in Warrior Angels?
Yes. Perhaps not in the same way as in my books, but I do believe there are angels among us and there is much evil to be fought.
Can you give us a small preview of the sequel?
Hmmm.... It is still a work in progress, but I have introduced a new trainer and five new young warriors joining Dina, Jo, and Gabe. The warriors are a bit older, but still teens. They are united on The Trail of Deliverance as they problem solve to meet the new challenges and become masters of new virtues. I am doing a lot of research to include new quotes and new factual information to be woven into the story.
I have shared Bruno's and Gavreel's backstory as part of the new book, too.
Tell us a little about the new characters you are introducing in the sequel.
The new trainer is Uriel, the angel of knowledge, intuition, and prophesy. The new teens are Nate, Micah, Ariel, Aniela, and Guleed. Like the original three teens, they are from vastly different backgrounds yet share commonalities.
What do you hope people who read the two books will take from them? In other words, why should someone read your books?
First, I think they are good stories. My intent from the beginning was to create stories that are the antithesis of dystopian society literature the has overtaken literature for young people. No profanity. No crudeness, except as instances of learning moments from mistakes that were made. I want to showcase character virtues and provide adults to help and guide young people as they grow and mature. I have worked to create descriptions that help the reader visualize the settings and interwoven interesting facts to add extra layers of interest. I think the characters I created are likable, people readers will want to get together with when they return to the books.
Second, I think the premise of young people who have died having important missions is a comfort to those grieving the loss of a young person from their earthly lives. I believe things are connected and part of our human connectedness is to offer comfort to those in need. I hope my stories do that.
Third, I think the stories can and should tackle some important social issues tactfully, trying to see issues from more than one point of view. In The Chosen's Calling, I tried to broach several subjects, including the effects of military deployments and the death of service personnel on the their families, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, child abuse, bullying, and impaired driving. Bad things happen in this world and we can't pretend that they don't. We can, however, frame our reactions, recognize evil when we see it, and stand up for good. Fictional angel characters fighting evil seems a good way to do that. I think my books could become excellent discussion starters among youth, in the classroom, youth group, or within families.
Do you have a time frame for publication of the next book?
No, I am still writing it. It is flowing pretty well, but research takes a lot of time in addition to the actual writing. Then alpha, or early, readers have to read it and give me their feedback. There will be multiple revisions from editing, cover design, and formatting for typesetting after the writing is complete. Early to mid 2021 seems fairly realistic.
Some reviews suggested a prequel. What do you think?
It's an interesting avenue to ponder, but too far away for me to develop in my mind to see if I could actually do it. I have written some of Gavreel's and all of Bruno's backstory. Does that count?
You seem to ask for reviews a lot. Goodreads and Bookbub are requested in addition to Amazon. Why are reviews so important?
Personal reviews are often read by people trying to choose something new to read. If they like what they read in the reviews, they may be more inclined to read the book. Reviews help spread the word about the book. Amazon won't let you refer to your star ratings or reviews until there are at least fifteen posted, so that limits what you can say when advertising the book.
It has been said that writing the book is only half the battle. Marketing after publication is also an important part of the book's success. What marketing ideas are you using now that you are six weeks post publication?
We have done so many things to promote the book! First, I posted on my FB wall and tagged my husband and sons (so it went up on their walls, too) that the book was available on Amazon. I set up this website. I try to update and blog on it at least once weekly. My husband set up the book's group page on FB. We both set up Instagram accounts and have been promoting it there, too. I've worked with a public relations consultant, which involved a great deal of correspondence. She sent out press releases to Arizona and Alaska news agencies. She suggested a book page on FB in addition to the group page, so we did that, too. The book is featured in the July issue of Arizona Health and Living Magazine. I ran a thirty day ad on Amazon and three different weeklong promotions on Instagram. I've made about thirty graphics that incorporate the book cover for use as posts on FB, Instagram, and the website. I asked people to take pictures of the book in funny or picturesque settings and post them to the group or page, but no one has done it yet. We try to post regularly and I try to personally reply to every comment that is made on the group or book page, every email, and every private message. It is all very time consuming, but part of the process.
You say on Amazon that the book is especially recommended fro ages 9-18, but mature adults are getting the book, too. Correct?
Yes, adults are reading and responding to the book. When I started writing it, there were three main reasons why: to address why young people die and bring comfort to those who grieve the loss of a young person in their lives, to show connectedness and commonalities among all people regardless of faiths and circumstances, and to write a story that is the antithesis of the overdone dystopian society stories that have overtaken literature for middle grades and young adults. I wasn't targeting a particular age group as I wrote, but as the story progressed with young teen characters as the protagonists, it seemed that the story was appropriate for about fifth grade up. I have heard mostly from mature adults who have read it and loved it. Some of them had lost a child and enjoyed reading and pondering the possibilities for their own child.
Why do you want to sell lots of books?
At first, I just wanted to finish the huge project of actually writing a complete novel. I didn't really care if the book ever went anywhere but my own computer. Writing a novel was a bucket list project, something I wanted to accomplish to prove to myself that I could do it. Several people read the manuscript and encouraged me to pursue publication. The early readers all told me how good it was and how important the message was. I'd spent so many hours researching, writing, and revising that it seemed like the book should be put out there for others. I've racked up many expenses to actually publish it. I don't really think I will recoup what I've spent to bring the book to reality. Money really has never been the reason for selling the book. Of course, I'd like to cover the expenses, but it's not a driving force in trying to sell the book. Bringing comfort to those who grieve and creating a good story are the goals. The five people who have contacted me directly with their stories about the loss of their own beloved children are the reason why I now want the book sales to flourish. I hope this book can touch and comfort others.
Your husband said in a post that 54% of people never read a book after they leave school. Why is that and what are they missing?
This is a pure opinion question and answer! I think people are very busy in their daily lives. Many are too tired to focus on reading by the time the demands of their days allow some down time. We live in an electronic age. People choose TV, streaming, video games, activities on their electronic devices, and social media rather than reading. Attention spans are shorter and many find reading short articles or commentary all they want to read. I personally believe they are missing the magical escape that good characters in good stories bring to the readers.
How is Nancy the Rescue Dog doing?
Nancy is doing well. She's been with us six weeks now and is getting more comfortable. She isn't as skittish, but things still make her nervous from time to time. She is more affectionate and willingly accepts pets with the other dogs. Having her is like having a toddler in the house, though, with toys strewn all over the floor. She's a chewer, too. Lots of toys and chews are available, but she's chewed a hole in the family room rug, one bathroom rug, an old stuffed animal of mine, and my husband's slippers. We have to watch her carefully and remember to close doors. Our house is not baby proofed!gularly and I try to reply to every comment that is made on the group and book page. It is all very time consuming! new interview with Gaila Kline-Hobson
g
els?
Yes. Perhaps not in the same way as in my books, but I do believe there are angels among us and there is much evil to be fought.
Can you give us a small preview of the sequel?
Hmmm.... It is still a work in progress, but I have introduced a new trainer, and five new young warriors joining Dina, Jo, and Gabe. The warriors are a bit older, but still teens. They are united on The Trail of Deliverance as they problem solve to meet the new challenges and become masters of new virtues. I am doing a lot of research to include new quotes and new factual information woven into the story.
I have shared Bruno’s and Gavreel’s backstory as part of the new book.
Tell us a little about some new characters you are introducing in the sequel.
The new trainer is Uriel, the angel of knowledge and prophesy. The new teens are Nate, Micah, Ariel, Aniela, and Guleed. Like the original three teens, they are from different backgrounds, yet share commonalities.
What do you hope people who read the two books, will take from them? In other words....why should someone read the books?
First, I think they are good stories. My intent from the beginning was to create stories that are the antithesis of dystopian society literature that has overtaken literature for young people. No profanity. No crudeness, except as an instance of a learning moment from a mistake that was made. I want to showcase character virtues and provide adults to help and guide young people as they grow and mature. There are descriptions and interesting facts interwoven in both stories. I think the characters I created are likable, people readers will want to get together with as they return to the books.
Second, I think the premise of young people having important missions is a comfort to those who grieve the loss of a young person from their earthly lives. I believe things are connected and part of our human connectedness is to offer comfort to those in need. I hope my stories do that.
Third, I think the stories can and should tackle some important social issues tactfully, trying to see issues from more than one point of view. Bad things happen in this world and we can’t pretend they don’t. We can, however, frame our reactions, recognize evil when we see it, and stand up for good. Fictional angel characters fighting evil seems a good way to do that.
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