Meet the Author: Nadine Brandes

I am so excited to welcome Nadine Brandes, author of A Time to Die, (one of my favorite books!) to my blog today. She graciously answered a bunch of questions, and I love how cheerful and down-to-earth she is.

So let's give her a warm welcome!

 

Nadine, tell us about yourself in four words.

Bookworm. Passionate. Wanderlust. Believer.

 

What inspired you to be an author?

I could try to break it down and say my grandparents and parents all thrived on storytelling (which they did), but to be honest…I was just born with a passion for words. “Being a writer” is synonymous with “being a human” to me. I have to write, otherwise I’m not fulfilling the role for which I was created.

 

What are three hobbies you like aside from reading?

Oooh, cruel question. But I shall rise above the challenge! I love playing board games, traveling (can that count as a hobby?) and playing the piano.

 

Okay, it must be known…what is your favorite dystopian book?

Well, the first dystopian book I read was The Hunger Games and it got me hooked (though I can’t say the same for the rest of the series), but my favorite would probably be Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. However, some people have argued that it’s not actually dystopian. Either way, it’s fantastic.

 

Tell us a little about your own book.

Imagine that you have a Clock on your bedside table that shows you exactly how long you have to live, down to the very second. In fact, everyone has a Clock like this. That’s what my book, A Time to Die is about. It starts with a seventeen-year-old girl who has one year left on her Clock and is trying to find purpose in her last year.

 

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Go to a writer’s conference! This is the biggest piece of advice I could give anyone who wants to grow in his or her writing craft. I know a lot of writers are introverts and that writing conferences can seem expensive or intimidating, but it’s the next step. Take it. Be brave!

 

Random fun:

Coffee or tea? Tea. Definitely tea.

Airplanes or boats? Probably airplanes, though both get me motion sick. I’d rather take a train. [grin]

Winter or summer? Pre-Christmas winter. After Christmas it’s not as enjoyable, but I’ll still take cold over hot any day. Fireplaces! Fuzzy socks! Hot tea! Baking!

If you could meet any author, who would it be? J. K. Rowling, hands down. She inspires me and I’d love to chat over coffee (meaning tea, lol) with her someday.

 

Thank you so much for having me!

 

About Nadine

Nadine Brandes writes stories about authentic faith, bold living, and worlds soaked in imagination. She lives in Idaho with her husband and works as a freelance editor. When she's not writing, editing, or taste-testing a new chai, she is out pursuing adventures. A Time to Die is her first novel. You can find Nadine online at:

Her website             Facebook             Twitter             Pinterest

 

Book Blurb:

How would you live if you knew the day you'd die?

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government’s crooked justice system. 

But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall -- her people's death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her clock is running out.

Find A Time to Die on Amazon in e-book and paperback. This is book one in the "Out of Time" trilogy (subsequent volumes coming in 2015 and 2016).

A Time To Die Blog Hop

Today I'm part of a blog hop for this awesome, newly released Christian dystopian novel A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes.

In celebration of the new release, there is a GIVEAWAY! I know, right? I loved this book, and not only for the amazing story and characters I loved hanging out with. I loved how it made me think about using the time I have wisely. Here's what I mean:

 

 

How would you live if you knew the day you’d die?

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government’s crooked justice system.

 
But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall —— her people’s death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her Clock is running out.




For this blog hop I was asked to answer one question: How would you spend the last year of your life?

That's a tough question.

The first thing I would do is spend time with loved ones--family, friends, and God. Not the kind of time where I would hurry up and try to fit in every last thing I ever wanted to do with them, but the kind of time where I could just hang out. You know? Soaking up their presence. Be still, be me, and be in their company.

Like I said, this includes time with God. I would want to spend so much time with Him. And the number one thing I'd be asking is how He wanted me to spend the rest of my time. I would follow His path the best I could, wherever it leads.

A Time to Die blog hop

Then, I imagine, I'd have to get over the fears. Fear is a time waster. A time killer. I'd have to get over being afraid to die and leave those I love. I'd have to get over being afraid of trying and failing. And I'd have to get over being afraid of doing whatever it was God asked me to do. Because He tends to ask things of us that we really can't do alone. And I'd have to trust that He gave me enough time.

The next thing I'd do is write more. I'd write letters to everyone I love. I'd write my fiction books to the world and hope the messages they need to read would be clear in my characters' journeys. I'd write because I love it, it's the passion God gave me.

I wouldn't sleep much. Time is precious as it is. I imagine I'd try to spend as much time awake as humanly possible.

And I know this sounds so strange, but I would slow down to stop and smell the roses, count the blessings, and take joy in the simple things. This is hard for me (a huge planner!) to say. But it's the little, unrushed things in life that we often overlook when we're trying to make the most of our time. And maybe that's why time starts to fly so much.

To learn more about A Time to Die, you can connect with the author on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.

And now it's time for that giveaway. Am I right?

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway