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 Rebecca Hendricks has big dreams that don’t include her family’s farm or  becoming the typical housewife. When she learns that her aunt is ill, Rebecca travels to Texas to be a help…and gets more than what she bargained for when she discovers that she has to take care of four children. This novel reminded me of Anne of Green Gables. I heard that the author was inspired by Anne so that shouldn’t be surprising. Rebecca is fiesty, fun-loving, and relatable. She experiences some hard things and must learn to turn to God in a way that she never has needed to before. The novel is probably less of a romance and more of a novel of family, faith, and growing. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to Ms. Mateer’s new novel coming out this fall. Highly Recommended!

Ms. Williamson,

      What inspired you to write the Blood of Kings Trilogy?

My son and I were walking along the streets of Burbank and we saw a burned-down house. There was a tree in the yard that had partially burned. It was half charred and half leafy green. I thought it was the coolest image. I ran home and Photoshopped it. It’s the same image that’s the header on my blog. I knew I wanted to write a story about this tree. 

   So what comes first, the story or the land of Er’Rets?

I had a vague idea for a story, but I drew the map before I ever started to write. Drawing a map of my storyworld really helps me learn about the place. I can’t not draw a map these days. I love maps. *grin*

    One thing I appreciated about this series is the different layers of stories that are interwoven throughout the books. Did you plot these out ahead of time, or were you surprised as they developed?

Both, I think. Part of that came from the time I took planning my storyworld. Because I had so many cities and because I had planned out the lords and ladies in each, I had inadvertently planted the potential for future layers. So when my characters would arrive in a new location, I’d look it up in my book, discover who the people were, and be surprised by the potential storylines I could choose from.

When writing a fantasy novel, what are some roadblocks you come up against? If any?

I would have to stop when I suddenly had to write something I didn’t know about. Like Vrell needing to patch up an arrow wound. So then I had to go research until I knew enough to write the scene. Another major roadblock was not having written all three books before the first was in print. That really made it hard in book three as I developed bloodvoicing and other things. I was stuck by the story in book one. But if I had written all three in advance, I could have altered book one so that everything worked out how I know wish it had!

Which book in the series was the easiest to write? Which one was the hardest?

The first one was the easiest because there was no pressure. There was no contract. I was just having a good time. Book three was the hardest because by then I had fans that I didn’t want to disappoint and I had I had a lot of plot threads to tie up. 

 Achan is such a likable character, what (or who) influenced his development?

I have no idea. I just wrote that first scene in the barn where Achan stuck up for the kid, and Achan was born. It’s nice when your characters do that.

 Averella seems to be the perfect foil for Achan, what led to your creation of her?

Originally, Averella was going to be a soldier who shared the bloodvoicing ability, found this strange young man—who had amnesia—while on a mission, recognized the gift in him, and went on an adventure to figure out who, if anybody, he was. But that was back when the book was going to be a science fiction story. And somewhere along the way I switched to fantasy, so Averella as a soldier didn’t work as well, so she became a noblewoman in hiding.

  Do you foresee any more books that take place in Er’Rets?

Perhaps. I have a few ideas. I’d like to publish some short stories based on other characters in the series: Sir Rigil, Lady Tara, Peripaso, etc. And I have a fun idea for a prequel of when Er’Rets was discovered. I created such a vast land, there is still so much to use! But I have nothing written yet, and therefore, nothing official to announce.

     Can you tell us about any new projects you’re working on?

I am working on two new projects right now. The first is a series about a boy who joins a spy organization that fights for God. The New Recruit comes out September 2012 and is the first of four books. And Captives is a dystopian novel based on Daniel chapter one, which comes out in February 2013. It is the first in a trilogy. After writing all those books, I’m going to write more fantasy for certain!

Thank you for stopping by!

Here is my review of the Blood of the Kings Trilogy: https://remaininhislove.com/2012/05/24/jill-williamsons-blood-of-kings-trilogy-7/

 Daughter of Light is a fun, speculative fiction novel. As soon as you turn the first page, the novel picks you up and places you in another world. Rowan Mar was adopted by a wonderful couple. But after her parents die, she realizes that she is all alone. So does some nefarious young man. When he tries to attack her, she reacts with a power she did not know she had. This novel had romance, adventure, and suspense. The only drawback is that you have to wait so long until book two comes out. Spiritually, the country has little faith in God, but Rowan’s power is evidence of his presence. That’s all I want to say, don’t want to give it away. Highly Recommended!

 Here we are back to the Civil War again! I really enjoyed this book. It’s probably a historical book with elements of romance though so keep that in mind. I learned a lot about the nurses of the Civil War and the hard work they had to put in just to help. The novel starts off slow, but once it picks up I didn’t want to put it down. There is a scene in the book that’s pretty INTENSE, so beware. But overall, I found this book to be really fascinating. Spiritually, Charlotte has to learn to follow God’s leading to do something that just wasn’t popular or really valued. Ruby comes to realize that God does love her in spite of everything. Good book. Recommended!

I really enjoyed this book because the action makes sense. In this novel, you have Liz Fairchild who is an American reporter in Beirut and Sergeant John Cooper in Special Forces. They dated in the states until one day he essentially disappeared (he had a mission to go to). Liz is in Beirut when she sees him, but has no idea he is undercover. Then Liz goes to help a family and once again gets thrown right in the Special Forces way. I appreciated this book because Liz wasn’t one of those annoying reporters who must get the story. She was just trying to enjoy Beirut (at first). John Cooper is your all around American boy and his team is really fun and likeable. Spiritually, you have Liz and the Team who need all kinds of prayer as they run through Beirut and then there’s Liz’s sister who married a nice guy, but a muslim and has to learn to deal with it. Don’t be unequally yoked folks!

Team Hope is a group of men and women who were at some point in the military but now run Search and Rescue. Yet, that doesn’t stop them from getting involved in many international plots. The series is fun, exciting, and romantic. A part of me wishes she had given everyone in the Team their own story, but she choose to highlight three. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Most of the characters already have a relationship with God, but for some it’s more distant than others. They all have to work through their own problems, shames, hurts but eventually they learn to heal. Any favorites?

Dee Henderson has written some fabulous military books. I say fabulous because she does her research and you can learn so much about the jobs that these men have. My favorite one is True Devotion. I mean there’s an “I love you” at the end of the first chapter. So good. This is the book that led me to her other books. In this book, you have Kelly, a Navy Seal widow and Joe, her husband’s best friend. When Nick died, Joe stepped in to take care of Kelly just because. But, they have discovered that they just might have feelings for each other? Throw in a little mystery and some Navy Seals missions and you have a great book. It’s not too heavy on the details that you’re lost and for me, the pages fly by. Spiritually, Kelly and Joe have to learn to trust God as they embrace new roles in life. A keeper!

This book takes every cliche about military men and romance and flips it on its head. Giselle is the daughter of a Vice Admiral and lives with him in Italy. After a thwarted kidnapping where she is rescued by Raz Chayil, a Marine first lieutenant, her father signs her up for self-defense classes with Chayil. Thus begins the start of what you may assume is a classic romance. Let’s just say things get really tense and by the middle of the book Giselle doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Giselle is great character. She is both a woman of strength and vulnerable. I usually get irritated with heroines who don’t trust, but Giselle has got some good reasons to act the way she does.  It makes for a fun, surprising book and eventually leads her character to the Lord.

So I’m the daughter of two vets and I love books that involve the military or an American war (American involvement) of some kind. Those in the military (past and present) have done so much and made all kinds of sacrifices and should be honored in some way. Thus, in honor of memorial day and the upcoming July 4th, I will spend the next week reviewing my favorite military books and then follow that up with one weeks of my favorite war time romance novels. These two weeks are in no way reflective of all the great authors who write on these topics. I will have a part two at some point, but I’m going to share some of my favorites. Should be fun!

This week I’m going to highlight some of my favorite mystery/suspense books!

P.S. If you saw my last posting about military/War Time Romance, I got a little ahead of myself. That will be starting soon!