Lorna Faith loves all things romantic, historical and filled with adventure. Growing up in Northern B.C., Canada, the youngest child of 11 children, gave her a lot of fodder for stories. Inspired by her love of telling and listening to other people's stories, Lorna started her blog rawstorylife.com. The blog along with it's Companion Podcast is dedicated to bring inspiration to help people work through obstacles and make everyday a better story in their lives. She would love to connect with you on Twitter or Facebook.
She and her husband have four teenagers and live in southern Alberta near the Rocky Mountains. Answering Annaveta is her first novel.
Welcome Lorna! What made you decide to become a writer?
Hi Amber, thanks so
much for inviting me to share my story on Stitches Thru Time. I’m honored!
Since I was a young
girl, I was telling stories. Becoming a writer later in my life was a natural
outcome of my vivid imagination. My active imagination would dream up
adventures that I told to my dog and two cats as I sat in the dirt playing with
them or as they followed me around the farmyard. I also had a amazing mom, who
would tell us a bedtime story, usually from Uncle
Arthur’s bedtime stories, each night. She’s in heaven now, but I can still
see her sitting on that squeaky wooden chair in the hallway between the two
rooms, the book open in her lap. I would close my eyes and imagine the vivid
movie-like script she would weave and the magic of those words. Now I try to
create my own moments as I write.
And you do a fine job! Where did the inspiration for your latest book come from?
The inspiration for
my book Answering Annaveta came from
my dad’s background. He was the fourth child of fifteen children born to
parents who moved from a Volga German colony in Russia to Canada. He would tell
stories of what it was like in Russia, because they believed and spoke
different than most of the people around them. I chose a Russian peasant girl
as the heroine because she was an outcast, faced tragedy and rejection and was
desperate for love. She receives two kinds of love, both unexpected.
My story of faith is
weaved throughout my writing. I had an epiphany when I was about one-third of
the way through writing this story(about the same time that I was ready to hit
the ‘delete key’) that this was healing for my own story of abuse, tragedy and
despair. The bad guys in this story represent the voices of resistance that
hounded me for years. Fear, hopelessness, rejection, insecurity, suicide and
much more are very real in this story because I lived through it. In my own
life, it wasn’t until I literally was at the end of myself, rocking back and
forth, sobbing on our bedroom floor that I asked God if I was a mistake. I
begged Him to let me die. At this moment the air literally changed in the room
and I breathed in Love like I’d never known before. This is also when story
ideas and songs were downloaded to me that I began to write down and record. In
this novel, Annaveta also is visited by an angel and experiences a Love that
changes her.
Wow. That's amazing. What are you working on next?
I’m working on Book
#2 in the Russia to Canada series right now. This book’s setting is in a
different location, most of it in Odessa, Russia, 1914-1915. Also, there’s a
of ton outer conflict with the start of WWI and inner conflict and change with the
main characters as they grow in acceptance of the flaws and imperfections of
themselves and each other. I don’t have a title for it yet, but I’m sure it’ll
come to me.... or my husband. He titled the first book :)
Sounds great! Thank you so much for sharing with us today!
Annaveta Travotsky, a young girl in 1913 Russia, is poised
at the dawn of womanhood.
In the span of a few
short weeks, Annaveta finds her world turned upside down. Prevailing over
trauma, tragedy and loss she moves on, but the guilt and rejection she carries
from past abusive relationships, cause her to struggle with feelings of
unworthiness.
Her heart holds her back from receiving the love of the one
man who longs to protect her.
As her past catches
up to her, Annaveta flees to St. Petersburg, a place where she seeks safety.
However, unrest in Russia makes the country ripe for an uprising, where
terrorist groups like the Black Hand are flourishing. In the middle of this
city filled with turmoil and rebellion, Annaveta and Alex discover a murderous
plot devised by members of the Black Hand.
When terrorists
threaten their lives, she faces a choice:
Hold onto the lies of her past or
believe
in the power of love.
