Thanks for joining me today, Hope. We’re going to start with a little flight of fancy. How would you finish these sentences?

If I could travel anywhere in time and space, it would be to…

Ancient Greece, but only for a brief visit. I love that period of history, but also being a woman in that period of history was no bueno. So probably only for a day or two.

Ooh, fascinating. But yes, I think only for a short time!

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a… 

French horn. I try too hard and am a complicated person.

Lol! As a musician, this made me snort!

If I could be an Olympic athlete, I would compete in…

Archery. Hands down.

That would be a cool skill to have.

If I could have one superpower, it would be…

Moving objects with my mind. Not for any practicality. Simply because I’m lazy.

Haha. Yeah, I can get on board with that.

Okay, so let’s get down to business. Blaze is a modern-day, young adult retelling of the story of Daniel. What inspired you to write a modern-day retelling?

Great question! The inspiration came from a Gen. Ed class in college. We were going over the books of the Old Testament, and when we talked about Daniel, the professor said something that really stuck out to me. “Daniel and his friends would’ve been teens when they were taken into the Babylonian captivity.”

The sent a jolt through me. I’d always pictured them at twenty-something years old. But here you have these teens, standing up for their beliefs and refusing to let the Babylonians wipe out their Israelite heritage.

I wanted to see what that looked like now.

I love it when a simple comment like that can make us look at a familiar Bible story in a whole new light.

What are some of the questions or issues you had to work through in order to make Daniel’s story work in a modern setting?

Oh gosh, I’m not sure if I can answer all this in a brief paragraph, but I wanted to take the idea of Daniel (and friends) standing strong for their beliefs and confront some massive issues teens are facing today. This includes bullying, social media, teen pregnancy, school shootings, mental health, and more. Because we live in such a crazy world, I’ve often wondered how people like Daniel would handle certain issues.

Great question to ask!

What would you say was the most challenging part of adapting Daniel’s story for a modern setting?

This one’s easy. Daniel in the Biblical account is perfect. Too perfect. He literally has no flaws (except for getting sick after seeing visions, but who wouldn’t?). So I had to find a way to work in flaws for the character whilst not committing heresy.

I hadn’t thought of that aspect. Tricky!

What makes the story of Daniel and his friends relevant to young adults today?

Besides the fact they were all teens in the historical account, young adults, especially Gen Z, have a knack for standing firm in what they believe in. Unlike generations that have come before them, they’ve put their foot down and said, “No, I have a voice too. Listen to it.”

I thought Gen Z and the account of Daniel blended perfectly together.

I have to agree.

Was there anything that surprised you as you wrote this story, and if so, what?

Yeah, I didn’t expect Danny to get a girlfriend. I always try to prevent my characters from getting together with people, but I guess because they’re teens they don’t always listen to me.

Lol!

I understand there’s a sequel coming later this year (July 2020). Any hints what will be in store for readers?

Let me just say, if you thought book one was intense, look out. In this entire series, I don’t pull punches. There may or may not be a few deaths in book two, and no one is safe from the lion’s den.

Ooh! We have been warned! Thanks for chatting with me today, Hope. 🙂