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Friday, February 20, 2009

Spotlight on Amy Deardon and A Lever Long Enough

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AMY DEARDON is married and fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with her two children, now 15 and 12. In her life B.C. (before children) she did bench science research and taught anatomy and physiology at an undergraduate level.

She undertook a personal quest to investigate the claims of Jesus' resurrection with the goal of destroying them. To do this she studied biblical and extra-biblical accounts of Jesus and numerous commentaries by believers and skeptics alike, listed the facts agreed upon, and began to explore scenarios that could explain what was known. To her surprise and considerable dismay, the evidence kept pointing away from naturalistic explanations and eventually formed a virtually certain case for the resurrection of Jesus. Finally she admitted defeat and became a Christian. Her debut novel is the result of her research.

She also has a blog at http://amydeardon.blogspot.com/.

A LEVER LONG ENOUGH
by Amy Deardon
Published by Taegais Publishing, LLC

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the near future, the Israeli military has developed a prototypic time machine. When believers in Yeshua (Jesus) create a politically explosive situation that threatens the balance of peace between Israel and nearby countries, the Israelis must send a team of four elite soldiers back to film the theft of Jesus' body from the tomb and thus disprove Christianity. The team, consisting of a Special Forces soldier as leader (Benjamin), an ex-American astronaut as engineering specialist (Sara), an archaeologist, and a linguist, has exactly seventy-two hours to collect the video evidence.

Drawn into a web of first century deception and death, the only way to escape is for the team to change the past. In the present, a traitor, Gideon, attempts to sabotage the mission and seize control of the military complex. Benjamin is the only one who can reveal him, but he is trapped two thousand years away. Even with a time machine, time is running out...

Buy Your Copy of A Lever Long Enough today!

Personally autographed copies are available from the publisher's website at http://www.taegais.com/.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. This is your debut novel and the ACFW Book Club selection for March. Congratulations! What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Thank you – I am excited and humbled to be the March selection. What inspired me to do this story? I was blown away by the evidence for the resurrection, so decided to write a book. Now, I've discovered I love fiction writing!

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that are theirs and theirs alone?

The kernel of this book is my own faith journey, especially represented by Sara who is very much like me—focused, quiet, but beneath her calm exterior a seething mass of turmoil. The adventurous traits, sadly for me but fortunately for them, belong completely to my characters.

3. If one of your characters were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Hmm, this is an interesting question! Let me think. Benjamin directs the action and is lightning-quick in his decisions – a rugged Rocky Road that gets the job done. Sara blends into the background but she holds startling secrets – how about a vanilla-looking scoop with some hot chili peppers as a mix-in?

4. Are there any themes in A Lever Long Enough that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

I named this book after the Archimedes quote, "Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and single-handed I can move the world." I was fascinated with the idea of a Lever: a device that can focus energy to move something that otherwise wouldn't budge. I have many levers in this book: from the physical lever that moves a stone, to the time machine that forms a graviton lever in space, to the emotional lever that moves Aaron to be merciful to XX (I don't want to give away plot points!). The lever that fascinates me most, though, is the spiritual: what does it take to convince someone that he may believe something that is wrong? Is this persuasive lever intellectual, emotional, or something from outside the person?

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Oh, I had so much fun with this book! I put in lots of action, a love story, and exotic background and ideas because this is the kind of book I love to read. It was fun to get into my characters' heads to understand their secrets, then give them choices that would wrench them apart (she said with an evil laugh).

As a writer, I struggle with family distractions and the intimidation of a blinking cursor. I have to wake up before everyone else, and give myself a daily word quota.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

I’m working on two books. The first project is my prequel, entitled Nest Among the Stars (from Obadiah 1:4), that follows Sara's space station disaster. This one is really shock and awe, with a deep theme of forgiveness. The second project is nonfiction, entitled The Story Template, that is a practical guide for a writer to develop a resonant, complete, compelling story from vague ideas. It's based on an algorithm I've developed during my story studies, and it really works with students I've coached. It's not a formula, more like a description of proportions and guidelines that work with any genre, since I'm a great believer in the uniqueness of each artist's vision. You can see a sample tutorial I've put on my website under *resources.*

Tiffany, thank you so much for the opportunity to share a little on your blog. :)

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Thank you, Amy, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE copy of A Lever Long Enough.

If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post. Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). Wouldn't want you to miss out on winning a book. :)

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when I announce the winner.

This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.

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5 comments:

windycindy said...

This author is new to me! Her take on the Biblical characters sounds very good. Please enter my name in your drawing. Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Merry said...

I love this twist on time travel. Please include me in the drawing, thanks!
worthy2bpraised{at}gmail{dot}com

Amy Deardon said...

Hi, and thanks for you kind words! I've been excited and humbled by the enthusiastic responses of people reading this book.

Please feel free to get in touch with me -- I have a contact form on my website.

Martha A. said...

You may have already drawn for the book, but I would love to win!
martha(at)lclink(dot)com

Tiffany Amber Stockton said...

We have a winner from this drawing and that is:

MARTHA!

Congratulations! I have sent your mailing information to Amy so she can send out your book.

As always, thanks to everyone for your continued support.