About the Book
Book: How to Kill a Giant
Author: Carol Schlorff
Genre: Middle Grade
Release Date: June 10, 2023
He lost his courage. Will meeting a real superhero help him find it?
An awful summer … Thirteen-year-old Hugo is miserable. His move to a small Pennsylvania town has brought him nothing but trouble. Ignored by his new classmates and a favorite target for the school bullies, Hugo lets fear rule his life. It’s going to be a long summer.
An unexpected twist … Hugo meets siblings Julia and Stefan, who are just as unhappy as he is. After finding a mysterious old Bible, all three are magically transported to ancient Israel, where they meet the young shepherd David, who suspects they’re spies. The trio finds themselves caught up in a strange world where danger lurks on every side.
A terrifying adventure … As Hugo and his friends navigate the perils of this weird and frightening land, Hugo must face his greatest fear—that he’s a coward. His only hope of survival is to learn the secret of David’s bravery, but will he do so in time to face his biggest test? Find out in this thrilling tale of courage, friendship, and faith.
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About the Author
Carol’s passion is to write exciting stories that encourage, inspire, and boost the reader’s faith, possibly because she has always felt like an outsider. She was born in North Africa to American parents and grew up in France. At age 15, her family’s abrupt move to Philadelphia resulted in a rough transition to American life.
After graduating from Penn State, Carol joined the Army in search of adventure. She was stationed in exotic—for her—locations like California, Arizona, and Texas.
Since then, Carol has lived in Cracow, Poland, where she teaches English and organizes language camps. She also writes a blog on faith-related topics.
Carol enjoys caring for her cat, Tabasco, watching a good murder mystery, and getting nervous while watching NFL games.
More from Carol
The idea for my book about time travel back to the Bible came to me during a church sermon on meditating on God’s Word. As soon as the outline for the story popped into my mind, I could no longer focus on what the pastor was saying, as I was too busy organizing my thoughts into the semblance of a logical plan. That day marked the beginning of a five-year journey to write and publish my first novel, How to Kill a Giant.
My motivation for writing is to demonstrate that the Bible is relevant to our lives, provides the answers we seek about life, and is far from boring. Of course, I also want my readers to have fun and stay on the edge of their seats. Growing up in a Christian home where my parents were missionaries, I still had many questions and doubts about the Bible and Christianity, especially starting in middle school. That’s why I target this age group. If my books can help my young (and older) readers grow in their faith and trust in God, then I will consider them a success.
If you asked me to summarize my book in one sentence, I would say it explores the heart of David and the courage that enabled him to fight Goliath, wrapped up in the packaging of a thrilling action and adventure story. Happy reading!
Interview with the Author
- How do you select the names of your characters?
For me, a character’s name must, first and foremost, be easy to read. Since the novels I’ve written so far are set in the Bible, I typically start by searching online for ancient Hebrew names. For my non-biblical characters, I also look up male or female names on the web. Then I use a very “scientific” method of choosing names based on how they sound and whether they fit the character in my mind. I usually consider their meaning as well. Sometimes, I pick a name, but after using it for a while, it doesn’t seem like a good fit, so I search for another option. Another factor I consider is that the name must match the time period in question.
- What was your hardest scene to write?
Without giving away too much—since I don’t want to spoil the story—I’ll just say that in How to Kill a Giant, my protagonist, Hugo, is haunted by a past mistake. My editor and I worked through multiple drafts to get the scene depicting what happened just right. We constantly switched between making it too dramatic and not dramatic enough before finally achieving the perfect balance of gravity.
- What comes first, the plot or characters?
All my book ideas, except one, started with the plot first. I envisioned time travel adventures into the Bible, selecting specific Bible stories before the characters came to mind. The only exception is a book idea that is loosely based on real events. I read about something that happened to a young girl, and that inspired me to craft a story incorporating some of those actual incidents. So far, I’ve only outlined the book and written the first chapter, so I haven’t made much progress yet, but it’s still on the back burner.
- What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I teach ESL classes, and I love my work. It offers a great opportunity to meet new people. What I enjoy most is helping individuals who couldn’t speak a word of English to learn enough to start communicating and understanding a language that was previously inaccessible to them.
- If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
I would love to invite Ayan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born author of Infidel and an activist fighting for the rights of Muslim women. In Infidel, she shares her early life and her journey from Islam to atheism. In 2023, she announced that she had become a Christian. I think it would be fascinating to hear about her experiences and her views on world events. Regarding what I would cook, since I live in Poland, I would serve some classic Polish dishes, such as a stew called “Bigos” or various kinds of pierogies (which are quite different from the pierogies I’ve found in the States, by the way).
Blog Stops
Simple Harvest Reads, September 17 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 18
Artistic Nobody, September 19 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, September 20
Guild Master, September 21 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 22
Fiction Book Lover, September 23 (Author Interview)
The Mommies Reviews , September 23
Blossoms and Blessings, September 24 (Author Interview)
Cover Lover Book Review, September 25
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 26
Stories By Gina, September 27 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, September 28
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, September 29 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, September 29
A Reader’s Brain , September 30 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Carol is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.