A FIRM PLACE TO STAND - Lori Altebaumer - One Free Ebook

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

Is this a good time to plead the fifth?

I want my characters to be their own unique selves, but they can’t think of anything that hasn’t first gone through my head. And yes...sometimes I do frighten myself. I think my heroes and heroines are often a reflection of the person I wish I was—braver, smarter, kinder, funnier. What does that say about my bad guys or antagonists? This is where pleading the fifth might be handy. I hope there’s not too much of me in them, but if I’m honest, I have plenty of imperfections to dig into and turn into the kind of flaws needed to create antagonistic (if not downright mean and despicable) characters. I pray that God is using my time in these characters heads to lead me into dealing with something in my heart. They help me remove the log from my eye so I can help them with the splinter in theirs.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Apparently, I have an obsession with straightening the individually wrapped chocolate kisses my husband keeps in a glass dish on the front counter at his office. Every time I go in to visit with his office administrator, I allegedly pat them all down until everything is nice and even, with no wayward peaks sticking up. Presentation is important, right?

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was eight or nine years old, I remember writing an almost full page describing my grandmother’s front porch steps. Not a description of the entire porch, just the steps. I was so proud of it and excited. That’s when I discovered I was a writer—a really bad writer who needed to learn a few details about plot and structure!

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

My reading tastes are fairly broad. If it is well written and tells a good story, then that’s the book I want to read. I do love stories of overcoming great odds, fighting for something noble and honorable, and good winning out over evil. I like strong heroes with tender hearts. And I like heroines that are brave and courageous, while not downplaying the fact that they are uniquely created for a feminine role.

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

Who told you I had kept it?

Honestly, I’ve learned my lessons the hard way that God has a plan and I’d best consult Him before making my own. Most mornings I start with quiet time with the Lord—Bible, coffee, and prayer journal in hand. But I also try to make time every day to sit quietly someplace beautiful or peaceful, go for a walk, and laugh. These things refresh my soul, and I find that I move at a slower, more reasonable, pace after I’ve done this. I’m also learning to let go, something that has gotten easier with age.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

My characters don’t really let me choose. I’ll start playing with a few and certain ones just seem to stick. I know when I’ve called the character by the correct name because then the person just pops up in front of me in 3-D. I’ve had times where I tried to force a name to be what I wanted it to be, but it doesn’t work. It just won’t stick until it’s right. I do keep a list of words and names that I think are interesting or have potential.

I was halfway through my second book with a character who wouldn’t accept his name when I decided to change it to the one he kept trying to foist on me. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Both of my kids have given their lives to the Lord and I see them working to be a light to others. I can’t take credit for that, because I wasn’t always the best example. But I am very proud of who they are.

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

A Border Collie. Smart, beautiful, loyal, and full of unending mercy.

What is your favorite food?

If only there was only one favorite! I love chicken fried steak the way my great grandmother made it—with lots of creamy brown gravy. Of course, I can also do some damage to a bowl of chips and salsa.

I like cream gravy, not brown gravy, with my fried chicken. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Fear that my story wasn’t believable, that people would read it and say that could never happen. I overcame it by looking around me at all the things happening that someone had said were impossible. How often do we witness something happen and say, “no way!” It really is true that truth is stranger than fiction.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Firm Place to Stand has been a journey through cause and effect and the need for forgiveness. The heroine, Maribel, has made some series mistakes and poor choices with her life. She gets a wake-up call when one of those choices leads to a tragic consequence for an innocent person. But before she can learn to forgive herself, she’ll have to learn to trust God. Fortunately for her, God sends her a cast of characters that include a witty and perceptive country preacher, a terminally ill spinster and ranch heiress, a lonely teenager, a crusty sheriff, and a handsome, newly born-again maintenance worker to set her on the path.

But the Pool of Siloam camp on the Moreland ranch isn’t the safe place to start over she thinks it is. A dead woman and a missing teenager trigger her need for justice. And the fragile heart of the teenage girl, Daylee, pulls her into a fight to save more than just her own life.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Journalists traveled light—especially the unemployed ones running from a tsunami of poor choices. Of course, she wasn’t exactly running since she had nowhere else to go.

And now no way to get there.

She watched the flames perform interpretive dance over her 1967 Ford Falcon against the backdrop of the night sky. The interpretation wasn't encouraging.

Her eyes darted to the silhouette of her material possessions now piled in the dark just beyond the edge of the road.

Two medium sized cardboard boxes labeled Fresh Peanuts, an overstuffed Army Surplus duffel bag, and a backpack. She looked like a Hurricane refugee—which wasn’t far from how she felt. But when you're the hurricane, it's hard to escape the destruction.

Somewhat telling that at age twenty-six everything Maribel owned had fit into the back of a car.

Pressing a hand against her stomach, she exhaled, but couldn't rid herself of the uneasy premonition things might go from bad to worse at any moment. She stared over her shoulder into the dark. Even if something—or someone—were there, she'd never see them. The itchy feeling she was never alone crept up her spine.

Interesting. How can readers find you on the Internet?

 https://www.lorialtebaumer.com/

Facebook         https://www.facebook.com/lori.altebaumer

Twitter             https://twitter.com/lori_altebaumer

Instagram        https://www.instagram.com/lori_altebaumer/

Amazon Author Central   https://amazon.com/author/lorialtebaumer

Thank you, Lori, for sharing this book. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

A Firm Place to Stand - Paperback
A Firm Place to Stand - Kindle

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