Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Hymns of the West... and Faith Blum as a Secret Agent? ;-)

Hey! Has anybody here read anything by author, and homeschool alumni, Faith Blum? Her latest book is on blog tour, going on now.
(Wow! Doesn't "on blog tour" just sound so much neater then expected?!)


 And.... *drum roll, please,* ...E. Kaiser Writes-A-Blog is part! 

 *Low tones* Here, we speak with Faith about her deepest fears... um, desires... well, more like... some kind of regular writer chit-chat kind of things,  actually. (At first. Stay tuned for delving deeper behind her mask, though.)

E: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
F: Definitely editing. I can edit other people’s books and pick out typos, but with my own stories, I have a hard time doing so.

E: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
F: This is like trying to pick your favorite book or the limb or body part you would most like to live without. I guess I’ll say Jaye L. Knight. I don’t typically like fantasy books, so when I heard about her new book, I was a little hesitant to read it. I’m hooked on her books now. She wrote fantasy that works and doesn’t have magic in it. She also manages to mix God into her stories without beating you over the head with Him.

E: Do you have to travel much concerning your books?
F: I wish! I would love to travel to the places I write about, but finances would definitely not allow that at this time.

 E: Okay! Now that those boring questions are out of the way to sort of break the ice, how 'bout we take this up a notch, just 'cause we can do awe-inspiring things like that, hm? Now for some off the wall, shoot from the hip, knock-'em dead 'cause they never saw that coming, sort of Q&A!


E: Since you wish you could travel as part of your job; how 'bout if you were a super-secret-agent-spy type character? Where would your first dangerous mission be to?

F: Awesome question! I love the idea of being a super-secret-agent-spy type character. I’ve always been fascinated by Scotland, Russia, and Israel, so I would love for one of my missions to be there. And since Israel is the current hot spot, I would say either there or Russia. But maybe I could stop in Scotland for a quick sight-seeing trip/training mission? *hopeful grin*
 E: Hmmm... only if the enemy is hot on your tail, and you simply HAVE to unexpectedly change flights last minute at the airport. Then... how could HQ object? Right? And is it your fault if you are spotted as soon as your plane lands in Heathrow, and you are forced to hide on a flight to Scotland? And then you have to lay low for a couple weeks; translate= moving from place to place, disguised as a tourist. What could be more clever? Right?!!! 

  
 F: *laughs* I love it! Sounds like a great idea! That could totally work and totally be feasible!

 E: 2nd Fun Question: Would you be, 1) infiltrating enemy ranks to steal back top-secret data files kept on a chip embedded into a Ming dynasty vase?
 2) Cat burglaring their safe to retrieve the gems they intend to sell and finance their nefarious plans? 
or 3) Planting false documents on the head honcho to make him look like a double agent, so his cohorts no longer trust him, and they all start shooting each other instead?
F: Ze answer, Madamoiselle: Oh wow. That is a hard one. Um… *thinks* I think I would rather do #3 and plant false documents. Although, the second one sounds like something I would enjoy, too.
  Okay! Sounds like a plan... so... the heart of a cat burglar secretly beats behind those ribs, hm? I shall have to go check my valuables... be right back. 


Here's some stuff about Faith's book while I'm gone...


Excerpt & Description:  "The church was empty when I dragged myself out of the pew and headed out the door.  As I opened the door, the corner of my eye caught a flicker of movement which I chose to ignore.  I walked down the steps and was nearly bowled over by two wild boys.  With arms grown strong and quick from man-handling two brothers growing up, I grabbed the two boys before they had a chance to escape me."  ~  Anna Stuart is comfortable with her life.  She may be a 30 year old spinster, but she has her routine and enjoys taking care of her father and older brother.  One letter shatters all her routines, comfort, and enjoyment.  After learning of her brother’s death, Anna feels like her life will never be the same again.  ...  Then she meets two motherless boys.  Did God place them in her life to lead her to a new vision of life?  Can she trust God to give her the desires of her heart before she even knows what they are?

Bio:  An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, moderating on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).  As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.

Faith Blum's Website: http://www.faithblum.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HymnsoftheWest
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Faith_Blum
Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/102215478367164319526/posts


E: Thanks for stopping by, everybody!!!
 And thanks for chatting with me, Faith! Someday we should go be super-secret-agent-spies together... Hey! Can we free-lance? That way nothing would be safe from us....

6 comments:

Faith Blum said...

To answer your second to last question: Nay, only if you are a criminal. Then I become a cat burglar (along with my trusty kitty friend, Snowball) to steal back what the thief stole in the first place. Kind of like Robin Hood. Sort of.

As for your last question, sounds great! We just have to find someone who needs our services! :D

Thanks for hosting me today, Elizabeth!

Faith Blum said...

(Note: I posted this yesterday, but for some reason it didn't show up. :/)

To answer your second to last question, Nay, only if you are a criminal. Then I become a cat burglar (along with my trusty kitty friend, Snowball) to steal back what the thief stole in the first place. Kind of like Robin Hood. Sort of.

Thanks for hosting me, Elizabeth!

Kelsey Bryant said...

Oh, goodness! What a fun interview! Nice job, both of you. :)
Congratulations on your book, Faith! It sounds quite interesting!

E. KaIser Writes said...

Haha!!! Okay, I'll figure I'm safe then, Faith. At least for now.... until some villian tricks you into genuinely believing me to be a double agent or something... ;-)

Thanks, Kelsey! It was super fun chatting with Faith for a bit. I haven't really had a chance to get to know here very much previously, so it was great to get another homeschool author "behind the scenes" so to speak. Behind the scenes on people is so much more interested than the fronts, I find! :-)

Unknown said...

Delightful interview! One of the funniest I've read in a while. :)
Glad to see Faith likes Russia too--I've always been a bit fascinated with it. That and Mexico. lol

E. KaIser Writes said...

Glad you liked it, Hannah!!! It was great fun to chat with a nimble mind that can run with a outlandish suggestion!!! :-)
Though, I think we all have a little part of us that secretly wishes we could be super sneaky secret agents or something similar. It's just THERE, and most of us will never have a chance to act on it!!! :-)