JOAB'S FIRE - Lynn Squire - Free Book

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Each character has a bit of me in them. I glean from my life’s experience, especially emotions, to create their perspectives and emotional reactions. That said, often my characters, like Sergeant Dixon, come from a completely different worldview than myself. Creating them challenges me to stretch beyond my own views and consider how someone else might see things. 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Quirky? Oh my. I eat my hamburgers upside down. At least, that’s what my husband tells me I do. Which I think is very hard to determine since I don’t eat regular hamburger buns, I eat my hamburgers in crescent rolls flattened out.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

In Bible College I wrote a short story that even a university professor loved. She encouraged me to submit it to magazines. Silly me, I submitted to one, got rejected and figured that was the end of it. That editor had encouraged me to make changes to the story and resubmit. I just saw it as a rejection. I continued to write but never took it seriously until more than a decade later.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I read almost any genre (except paranormal). Stories with characters on a tremendous spiritual journey captivate me. I want to be changed for the better after reading the book. I want a clearer understanding of who God is and what God wants from me and who I am in relation to Him when I finish. Depth can be found in almost any genre if you find the right author.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

My family and my church keep me sane. My husband is chief in the taking it easy department. I’m chief in the run full speed ahead from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. My pastor is not afraid of dealing with the hard issues; teaching from the pulpit the whole counsel of God (i.e. all of Scripture), including those things people don’t want to hear. His solid teaching lived out by my church family help me to remember we’re here only for a short time, and then we will be home. I don’t mind running full speed ahead as long as I know I’m running in God’s will.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

A combination of methods. I want names that are consistent with the area and the era, so I’ll look in historical records. Then I want names that produce a picture of the character in my mind. In the case of Joab Black, I wanted to keep in mind Job from the Bible so I chose a name similar and also familiar to that area and era.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My three children. Although I’d say they’re more a blessing than an accomplishment. Still, I’ve poured my heart into them. That must account for something, right?

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A thoroughbred and definitely not a Quarter horse, though some might consider me an Appaloosa.  A thoroughbred because I like to be active. Not a Quarter horse because I’m not slow and steady, though I do tend to operate in sprints. And an Appaloosa because I do have an ornery streak in me.

What is your favorite food?

Hmm. Australian licorice is wonderful, but so is my own version of turkey pot pie. Then there is my homemade cream of celery soup. Oh, and homemade cream of broccoli soup. Okay, let’s just say anything I make. Not that I’m vain or anything, but since I have tons of food allergies what I make I can eat without the fear of becoming very sick.

I can understand that. I have a few food allergies, too, so I have to really watch what I eat. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Descriptions. I don’t like reading it (usually skim over long descriptions), and I’m not a detailed person so I don’t really think in terms of what type of buttons might be on a person’s blouse. Generally, I write the story then go back and fill in these types of details. I also rely heavily on my critique partners telling me that they’d like a description here, there, and everywhere.

Tell us about the featured book?

Joab's Fire is both a novel and a Bible study based on the Biblical book of Job. The story is set in 1903 at a fictitious town, Surbank Alberta, Canada. While a NWMP officer investigates arson and the suspicious death of a farmer’s son, he finds himself up against a formidable foe with information about the officer’s past that could ruin his present life. Can he solve the mystery surrounding the farmer and save his own career as well?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

Surbank, District of Alberta, North-West Territories, Canada 1903

Sergeant Clarence Dixon leaned against the rough wall of the Surbank Train Station and surveyed his territory. Along the western stretch of the rail line waved golden wheat, and the tracks faded into the horizon where ragged mountain peaks rose like jagged teeth. Few homesteads interrupted this view of the Rocky Mountains, though each year another brave family dared to challenge the temperamental land with its ceaseless wind. He rolled a straw between his fingers. It was his duty as one of the North West Mounted Police to be the guardian knight of the territory—do all he could to ensure their safety—whether the locals liked him or not.

In the southeast rolled the Buffalo Hills. Good land there, if anyone dared to tame it. ‘Course sod houses and barns already speckled the southern landscape. Most of them popped up when the Americans pushed north into Canadian territory.

Dixon took a deep breath of hot air and wiped away the beads of sweat forming under his Stetson.  A whistle blew, and the afternoon train rattled into view as it crossed the trestle that stretched over the coulee a mile away. He scanned the prairie for any wagons coming into town. Typically, the Kirklands or one of the local farmers met the train with goods to ship out or orders to pick up.

Sure enough, there was Mrs. Kirkland coming up from the east, and Joab Black rode by Dixon with his son on their Morgan horses. Only people in the country who owned such well-bred animals.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.lynnsquire.com

www.PresentingBiblicalTruths.com

faithfictionfunandfanciful.blogspot.com

Thank you, Lynn, for stopping by my blog.



Joab's Fire-A Distant Hope


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