Dove Strong Author Interview and Giveaway

About the Book

Book:  Dove Strong

Author: Erin Lorence

Genre:  Christian YA

Dove Strong loves God. She loves standing chin up and fists clenched when facing Satan’s attacks. But there’s one thing she doesn’t love—other people. So when this spiritually-gifted, antisocial teenager is chosen to join other believers in a trek across Satan’s territory, rattlesnakes and evil-intentioned Heathen aren’t her biggest challenges.

But failure isn’t an option. In a month, the Christian Councils will decide the Reclaim, a vote on whether there’ll be a war between Christ’s followers and Satan’s to take back America. It is up to Dove, God’s messenger for peace, to reach her Council in time. Because if she doesn’t, things could get bloody.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Erin Lorence grew up in rainy Western Washington, an avid reader and the daughter of a published nonfiction author. She attended Washington State University (WSU) where she met and married her husband, Brian. Together, they recently moved to Apex, North Carolina with their two amazing daughters (who also love to read) and their beagle Charlie (who doesn’t read). Her lifelong love of literature, her gratitude to God, and her enjoyment of hiking in Central Oregon all inspired her to write the Dove Strong Trilogy. Visit her at:  www.erinlorence.com.

More from Erin

I politely smile and keep what I really think inside. But my main character, Dove Strong, doesn’t. She blasts people with the full force of her words. Sometimes Dove’s words sting…but she’s never merely polite or hum-drum boring.

I secretly hug the random and ridiculous moments of life to myself, preserving my appearance of normalcy. But when I write, the true ‘uncool’ me escapes. It is responsible for the caterpillar dangling from a character’s nostril as well as for the little sister who won’t stop harping on about her precious bag of chips.

I write to escape and to help others escape. I write to laugh and make readers smile. I write so ‘the lost’ will wake to find that they crave an intimate relationship with The One who loves them most.

This is why I write. And that is why I wrote Dove Strong.

Author Interview with Erin Lorence

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

My husband and I hiked Central Oregon, getting a firsthand take on what Dove would have faced. Experiences, such as trudging through ankle-deep ash in a forest recently destroyed by fires, helped me better portray the sensory details of Dove’s journey. Another pilgrimage we made was to Forks and La Push, Washington, which are the settings for Stephanie Meyer’s novel Twilight. Since we lived in Western Washington, visiting Forks was something we had to do before we moved out of state. We didn’t see any vampires, but the national forests couldn’t have been more beautiful!

How do you select the names of your characters?

I try to choose my characters’ names so they make sense as a group. For example, all the Christians in Dove Strong have names related to the Bible or nature, which makes sense because these Christians are off-the-grid survivalists. Thus, they ended up with names such as Dove, Micah, Stone, and Trinity.

What was your hardest scene to write?

I had a difficult time writing the scenes in which the unbelievers are acting sinful…such as when they are beating up Dove. I didn’t want to focus on that behavior too much in Dove Strong because my main focus is Dove’s personal growth, in which she discovers that she’s been hardhearted and closeminded, and she should be loving people who don’t know Christ. But at the same time, I had to try to depict a world in which those who don’t know Jesus are acting swayed by Satan.

What is your favorite childhood book?

My favorite childhood book—and still one of my favorite books—is Betsy Byar’s The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown. Actually, I’m in love with the whole Bingo Brown series; the books are just so funny! Betsy Byar’s characters are the best and especially Bingo. The guy is so relatable and is such a worrier. He agonizes that his arms won’t stop growing until they’re dragging on the ground. He panics that he doesn’t know how to stop holding hands with a girl without hurting her feelings and resigns himself to the fact that they’ll be awkwardly holding hands the rest of the day.

What comes first, the plot or characters?

I would have to say the main characters come first. They sort of spring to life in my mind, and their dialogues begin to flow. I spend much more time carefully constructing and reconstructing my plots. It’s such a puzzle to make sure each piece fits while keeping everything unpredictable. Before I begin writing any story, I create a very detailed outline to prove to myself that the plot will work with no holes.

Thank you Erin, for letting us get to know you and your book better!

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, April 11

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 12

Genesis 5020, April 13

Artistic Nobody, April 14 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, April 15

Wishful Endings, April 16 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, April 16

Inklings and notions, April 17

Simple Harvest Reads, April 18 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, April 18

Emily Yager, April 19

For the Love of Literature, April 20

Rebecca Tews, April 21

Vicky Sluiter, April 22 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, April 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Erin is giving away the grand prize package of paperback copies of Dove Strong and its sequel Fanatic Surviving!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f8da/dove-strong-celebration-tour-giveaway