Author Interview: Nadine Brandes

 

This week at Enclave Publishing, we are spotlighting the debut novel from our own Nadine Brandes, A Time to Die.   Nadine is an adventurer, fusing authentic faith with bold imagination. She writes stories about brave living, finding purpose, and other worlds soaked in imagination.

Nadine lives in Idaho, working as a freelance editor and full-time author. A Time to Die is the first in her dystopian trilogy.

One sentence challenge: Tell us about your book in one sentence.

Do run-on sentences count? Just kidding…okay *deep breath*: In a world where everyone has a Clock showing their day of death, Parvin Blackwater tries to find purpose in her last year alive.

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What was the inspiration for A Time to Die?

Two things happened at once: 1) I read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins and 2) an acquaintance died.

I ate up The Hunger Games series and it left me feeling hopeless. I saw a need for a dystopian book with hope, so that instigated the setting for A Time to Die. The death of this young acquaintance inspired the story and the overarching question: How would you live if you knew the day you’d die? My relationship with Christ brought these two things together, resulting in the journey behind A Time to Die.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

She tackles questions that we all have, like “What’s my purpose in life”, “Does God really have a plan for me?”, and “What does it mean to have a relationship with Christ…and why would I want one?”

Tell us about your story world. How is it different from our world?

If you lived in Parvin’s world, you would know the day of your death. That’s the main difference – the Clock that you’d find on your bedside table, showing you your day of death. My dystopian future isn’t necessarily a prediction of what will happen with our world. It’s more of a glimpse into a future world with a twist.

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

A new understanding of our limited time. I hope my book inspires people to really pursue life and pursue God at a new level.

What can you tell us about any future releases you have planned?

Of course, the rest of the Out of Time Series is my current project. Book two will release in 2015 and book three in 2016. After that, I have a portal fantasy and some other exciting stories up my sleeve.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An elephant trainer, of course! Didn’t you? Then I wanted to be a “mommy”, then a “teacher”, and probably a mermaid at some point.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was 13, after digging through the libraries, I finally sat down and said, “Since I can’t find the type of book I want, I’m going to write it!” Thus, the new dream of being an author began.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Mostly, “Where’s book two?” closely followed by, “How could you?” (Sorry for the cliffhangers, guys.) I love hearing from readers!

What book are you reading right now?

I’m trying to discover more Christian dystopian books. In fact, I’ve made a list on Goodreads to keep track of them all. Currently reading A Cast of Stones by Patrick Carr (fantasy) and hoping to finish The Dark Trench Saga by Kerry Nietz.

In what ways does your faith impact how you approach writing?

Every book is committed to God. They’re His stories, after all, so I trust Him to get it into the hands that need it. I hope my faith affects every area of my life. It bleeds into my writing and I wouldn’t want it any other way. 🙂

Where can we find you online?

Amazon    My website    Goodreads    Facebook    Twitter