This Young Jesus author Jenni Frendswith interviews Amish Avalon author Faith Brunell: This Young Jesus author Jenni Frendswith talks to reclusive fellow Blujesto Press author Faith Brunell, who launches her new novella series Amish Avalon this week with the premiere novella, Abigail & Trent. Q: Thanks for taking time to speak with me today, Faith. A: Not at all, Jenni. I quite enjoyed your first volume of the collected This Young Jesus novellas. Congratulations. Q: Well, thank you, Faith, but we’re here to talk about you and your novella series for Blujesto Press, Amish Avalon. A: My apologies; I’m not used to talking about myself. But I’m happy to talk about Amish Avalon. Q: No apologies necessary. Abigail & Trent is your first novella. Why did you start writing? A: I believe God called me to it, I’m not sure why. I always wanted to, now God has made it possible for me and has blessed me with the ability and desire. The last thing I ever thought to ask was, “Why?” “How?” maybe! Q: And how? Your writing is quite crisp for such a new author. A: Well, I have been writing little things all my life; short stories, poems, I did a lot of reading and I still do. Q: What do you like to read? A: Sarah Pryce, a few other Amish authors. I read the Bible a good deal, of course. And I do like the classics; a lot of them are plays, of course. Some of the most beautiful writing is in the Bible. Q: But your book reads like a very smoothly written modern romance adventure novel. Even though there are Biblical quotes throughout the book, interwoven into the narrative, it still feels very fresh, very contemporary. A: Well, those things really are timeless; aren’t they? My characters in the Amish Avalon series are Bible-centered people, scripture means a lot to them and it influences what they do in the stories. It’s the same way in my own life, and I think in the minds of my readers. Even if not, it’s what’s happening in the minds and hearts of the characters that matters to the fiction writer. I’m not running a church, after all, I’m writing stories. They’re meant to inform, but not just about scripture. They’re about human beings, human feelings, human conflicts and human desires; those are things that should be of interest to everyone, I should think. And they’re meant to entertain, which is perfectly within God’s plan! They’re about life, about choices, about the truths we all must live by. That’s what makes good fiction, I think; truth. In characters, in dialogue, in story; just tell the truth. Q: Your Amish Avalon series is built around an amazing idea; adapting works of classic literature to the contemporary Amish life, to the Old Order and New Order Amish citizens of the fictional town of Avalon, Pennsylvania. Abigail & Trent is based on Romeo & Juliet, by Shakespeare. A: And there is a tremendous amount of truth in Romeo & Juliet; it’s no wonder that story is retold so often. I’m not the first to retell that story and I certainly won’t be the last. My next one, My Cousin’s Keeper, is based on Taming of the Shrew, but it’s not the only modern telling of that tale either. Both works speak to our hearts and our sense of the world and ourselves and how these things all exist together. And they address our relationship with God, due to the Amish aspect and my own personal spiritual commitment. These are the real truths in life, the two primary commandments: Love God and love each other. Q: What other stories do you plan to adapt? A: Hmmm, that reminds me of an old saying: “If you want to hear God laugh, announce your plans.” I think it’s enough to say that the Amish Avalon books have a virtually endless breadth of possibilities, and could go on and on and I hope they do. Q: I hope so too! When is the next one coming out? A: By the end of the month, I’m told by the people at Blujesto. After that, we’ll see what God intends. Q: Abigail & Trent is available in both paperback and Kindle editions, yet Blujesto seems to issue novellas for Kindle only, reserving paperback release for 2- or 3-book collections. Do you expect your entire series to be released in paperback this way? A: I don’t know. I didn’t think they were going to put Abigail & Trent out in paperback, but they thought it was a good test case or something, I guess. I don’t want to say it’s because of me or anything I did, but since it’s the first of the series I guess it’s a good way to see if there’s a strong paperback market. I don’t know much of these things. But I’m glad Abigail & Trent is out in paperback, I think it can reach more readers. I hope that’s what God wants. Q: In adapting the works of Shakespeare and others, what were the greatest challenges? A: There weren’t many, it’s really a very natural pairing. People think Shakespeare is so hard to relate to, but it’s basically about themes that are timeless; loyalty, family, madness, love, desperation, satisfaction. All people crave these things; people in Shakespeare’s time and in ours, in every corner of the world and for all time. It’s just our lot, as humans. There are a lot of dark themes in Shakespeare and a lot of other classics from the outside world, but, y’know, the Amish are just like everybody else, they just deal with the same decisions in different ways. Some people live with their distractions, the Amish choose to live without them. Some people can live in the clamor, others choose not to. And, increasingly, the glut of information and what I’ve heard they call “pink noise” makes that clamor harder and harder to live with. No wonder more people are interested in Amish culture and Amish-oriented fiction. It’s a respite from the all the noise out there, and there’s more and more of it. Q: And there’s plenty of Shakespeare in it too. A: That’s right, there is. But getting back to your question, I think the most interesting thing about adapting Shakespeare is that some of these dark things that Shakespeare’s characters do, like murder and other terrible things, simply aren’t acceptable for Amish fiction. However, these are basically types of conflict, and conflict has many types. I think Abigail & Trent is a good example of finding ways to substitute these baser behaviors with more natural and even more exciting types of conflict. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give any story secrets away. Q: I understand. But your books avoid the uglier sides of storytelling... A: Absolutely they do. There’s enough of that on TV, movies, books; it’s just too much, as far as I’m concerned. It gets back to what I was saying earlier, about what people are looking for in their fiction. It’s not only truth, it’s about a respite from all that crazy clamor out there. Q: So your plan is to keep writing these novellas and... A: Oh, um, I don’t talk about my private life at all, ever. I’m sorry, and I’m happy to talk about my writing and about other people’s writing; but I refuse to let all that spill over into my life. My only plans are to write these novellas, and nothing else about me is really very interesting. Q: Well, that’s something we have in common. A: Now, I’ve seen your books on the computer, they’re quite plentiful. What are your plans? Q: Well, since you asked; I’m starting a new mainstream romance series soon, with a minimum order of 2 books from Blujesto Press, due next month. A: I wish you well on it, Jenni. Q: Thanks, Faith. I know God intends the very best for you and your Amish Avalon series. The End ABIGAIL AND TRENT paperback amazon/Abigail-Trent-Amish-Avalon-Volume/dp/1490394834/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371072883&sr=8-1&keywords=Abigail+%26+Trent abigail and trent kindle amazon/Abigail-Trent-Amish-Avalon-ebook/dp/B00DDEGT0K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1371154174&sr=8-3&keywords=Abigail+%26+Trent THIS YOUNG JESUS PAPERBACK amazon/This-Young-Jesus-Vol-Novellas/dp/1490404767/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371072838&sr=8-1&keywords=This+Young+Jesus+paperback
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 01:31:31 +0000
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