The following is an interview with Joanne Bischof, the author of This Quiet Sky. Look out for a bonus giveaway at the end of the interview. |
This Quiet Sky
by Joanne Bischof
One signed print copy (US only) or one digital copy to be won
Contest open to entrants WORLDWIDE.
Contest runs from
8-19 December NZDT
PLUS! Spotlight Author Chat with Joanne Bischof
RSVP for the Facebook Author Chat with
Joanne Bischof on 18 December @ 7pm CST
(19 December @ 2pm NZST)
This Quiet Sky takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, which is sort of the sister range to the Appalachians. It’s a little town called Rocky Knob and the tale begins in the spring, at the one room schoolhouse where readers will meet Sarah and Tucker.
Who are the main characters, and what is at stake for them in this story?
At sixteen and eighteen, both of the main characters for This Quiet Sky are of marriageable age for Appalachia in the late 1800’s, but they both find themselves in school for one more year—for two very different reasons. Early readers and endorsers have mentioned that it’s reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables which has been fun to hear. While Sarah won’t break her slate over Tucker’s head, she’ll certainly be wanting to!
As far as what’s at stake, the first thing that comes to my mind is the hero, Tucker. He has cancer in a day and age when treatments were still in the process of being discovered. He’s brave and smart and full of humor, and his story and life was one of the reasons that I had to write this novella. By Sarah becoming his friend… and eventually falling in love with him… she risks her heart, but I think that as readers get to know these two, and follow their story, they’ll find that it was worth it.
I think Sarah surprised me the most. This was the first time that I’ve only written from the heroine’s point-of-view which has everything being told from Sarah’s perspective. I didn’t know how this story would affect her as a character and digging deep, finding the truths of her heart, wasn’t always easy. At times, it was quite a struggle.
She and I finally saw eye to eye and the only answer to what I had been struggling with on the writing end of things was: honesty. I had to put it all onto the page and realized that I couldn’t do Tucker the injustice of anything less. It’s all there…what I felt a sixteen year old girl would do and feel and that finally freed the novella to be what it was meant to be—a very real look into these two character’s hearts so that it in some way, it might encourage others who may be walking a road not too different than this one.
How did the writing of this story impact you as a person or as an author?
This one impacted me greatly. I’m a relatively quick first-drafter, so I sat down for about a week and put the whole thing onto the page. It was such an experience, let me tell you! During this time, and for some time after, I would wake up thinking about these two, particularly Tucker. It was a very emotional experience but it made me face some of my greatest fears and doubts in a way that helped me see that the same promises I wanted to weave into this tale, were the same promises that God has been whispering to me all along.
Right now, my aunt is battling stage-four cancer. She’s a warrior and a hero to all who know her. Her heart, wisdom, and faith during this time have only grown stronger. She shares with us the ups and downs, the victories and the places that God brings her to and I think that this was a spark of what made me want to write Tucker’s tale. I look around at the people I know and in each face, I see someone who has hurt in some way or another. Maybe they’ve lost a loved one, maybe they’re battling cancer themselves or maybe it’s something that we don’t even know or grasp. It really made this little book something that I hoped would encourage people. For them to know that no matter where they are on that road, that they’re not alone. And that just as Sarah learns in the course of the story—God does see them and that His eye is always on the sparrow.
What would you like your readers to take away from this story?
As soon as I got the idea for This Quiet Sky, I immediately doubted if I should write it. I feared that because a story might make readers shed a few tears, it wouldn’t feel worth it to them. My greatest hope was to write it in such a way that made it worth it. I’ve been so blessed by the early reader feedback that has poured in. You can read the responses here that are scattered about on the novella page of my website. I’m so thankful to God for taking me through this journey and for the readers that have come alongside this novella and embraced it.
by Joanne Bischof
- Historical
- November 2014
- ISBN: 9781502340030
[Kindle | Amazon | The Book Depository]
There is nothing extraordinary about Tucker O’Shay’s dreams. Go to college. Become president. Fall in love. And pretend like he has enough time to get it all done.
Sixteen-year-old Sarah Miller doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary when she begins her first day at the one-room-school house in her new hometown of Rocky Knob. But when she meets seventeen-year-old Tucker O’Shay—the boy with the fatal illness who volunteers to tutor her in algebra—she finds herself swept up in a friendship that changes the way she sees the world and a love that changes her life.
Joanne Bischof is the author of the Cadence of Grace series, a historical romance set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Married to her first sweetheart, Joanne lives in the mountains of Southern California where she keeps busy making messes with their home schooled children. When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about faith, writing, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to life. |
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
Be in to win a copy of This Quiet Sky by Joanne Bischof One signed print copy (US only) or one digital copy to be won Contest open to entrants WORLDWIDE. Contest runs from 8-19 December NZDT Please comment about the novella or leave a message for Joanne Bischof in the blog comments below, then enter the Rafflecopter draw. All entries must be made using the Rafflecopter contest to be eligible for drawing. Winning entries drawn will have their entry options validated before being accepted - if incomplete another entry will be drawn. |
Spotlight Author Chat
with Joanne Bischof
the release of her book, THIS QUIET SKY.
Stop by THIS EVENT PAGE on Thursday, December 18th @ 7pm CST (Friday, December 19th @ 2pm NZST) to chat with the author about heart-warming drama, historical fiction, and all things writing and reading.
We'll be giving away spot prizes, including copies of the author's new novella,
THIS QUIET SKY, to those who participate. Hope to see you there!