Author Interview with Hosanna Emily

I am excited to announce that Hosanna Emily has just released her new book The Torch Keepers!

I had the opportunity to do an author interview with Hosanna. We hope you enjoy!

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Hello! It’s so sweet to be here and such an honor to be invited to share some of my heart with the upcoming release of The Torch Keepers! Thank you, Rebekah!

1. What is one thing that God has taught you through writing The Torch Keepers?

God is so faithful. I think that sentence summarizes everything He taught me through this novel’s dreaming, plotting, writing, editing, publishing.

He loves. In a crazy way that I can’t even comprehend. He is with us. He has a plan for us. He never leaves us.

In the most frustrating times of creating this novel, He has been there. He gave me the stories to write, the energy to keep going. I don’t just naturally write a novel—He worked through the entire thing. Without Him, I would have given up a long time ago, but He never let me stop dreaming.

The biggest thing He taught me is that in every single situation, He. Is. Faithful.

2. Which of your characters do you relate to the most?

All of them?  =)

Okay, but if I had to pick one, it would be my protagonist, Kadira. She was the dream behind the story, the girl who happens to be a lot like me.

Kadira makes a lot of mistakes. She forgets her purpose and how loved she is. She savors the quiet, the beauty, the joys, but she also quickly gets lost in the confusion of life. And I do the same thing so often.

And in the end of the story *spoiler alert*, when Kadira finally finds the Truth and how loved she is, that’s when I’ve had to hold back tears. Because it’s me. Jesus loves me like that.  And He is so, so good.

3. How long did it take you to write The Torch Keepers?

Actually, for the writing itself, I felt God prompting me to join a 2-month write + edit a novel challenge hosted by S.C. Treehouse (www.sctreehouse.com) That was crazy. =)

But it worked because Jesus was strong! He gave me inspiration. He encouraged me. He led me forward every single day.

And, at the end of it, He allowed me to win the contest! But it was all Him, working through me. That was the most fun I ever had on a writing project. =)

4. When did you first become interested in writing?

I first savored writing stories when I was around 12 years old. At that time, I wrote a short story that someone actually enjoyed, and, for the first time, I realized the power of written words. I wanted to do it again, to write stories that blessed people. So I kept going. And God kept leading me forward.

5. What was your favorite scene to write in The Torch Keepers?

Why do you ask such hard questions?!  =)

The whole book started out as a short story, basically encompassing the last chapters, Chapter 33 and Chapter 35. That was the first inspiration that became an entire book.

So those scenes are extra special. But there’s another one that always hits me so hard. It’s when the protagonist has come to one of her worst points but still gets offered grace. It’s beautiful and hard because that’s me. I make mistakes. I forget how much Jesus loves. And He keeps loving anyway, keeps seeking me out and offering forgiveness.

But no more spoilers – you’ll have to go read that chapter yourself, Chapter 23.  =)

6. Do you have any advice for those who are either new to writing or are looking to publish their first book?

I give the same writing advice to all writers:

Write for Jesus.

Let your pages be saturated with prayer. Seek Him instead of the book. Surrender yourself and the story to Jesus, and let Him blow you away by His faithfulness.

The Torch Keepers, is a special book to me. I hope it blesses people too. But if no one else read the book it would be okay, because I wrote it for me and Jesus. And we grew closer because of it.

So live solely for your King, write for Him, take every single breath for Him. He writes the best stories anyway.

And He loves you like crazy.

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Thank you for taking the time to do an interview, Hosanna! 

I haven't gotten a chance to read The Torch Keepers yet, but I can't wait to!

You should definitely check out Hosanna's blog, Having a Heart Like His and you can find The Torch Keepers on Amazon!