Happy Monday! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend and read until your heart’s desire!
Today I’m chatting with Lori Altebaumer about her book, A Firm Place to Stand. Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and chat with us!
Interview
Toni: Thank you so much for joining me today! I’m so excited to talk about A Firm Place to Stand. But first, let’s get to know you a little better. What made you want to become a writer?
Lori: I have always loved how a story can transport you to another place or time, allowing you to experience new things, often unfamiliar things, through the life of another whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. I think this love is what fueled my desire to create my own stories. I want to write things that transport people to another world, to make them think and feel and experience things in new ways. I know the value of books in my life, and I want to pay that forward to others.
Toni: I love that! What are your top 3 favorite books and why?
Lori:No matter how often I am asked this question, answering it never gets any easier. I love so many books! Little House on the Prairie (the whole series) will always hold a special place in my heart for the way they captured my imagination when I was a kid. They were to first time I ever experienced “binge reading.” A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers is another that took me on a special journey that I can’t forget. I read it at a time when I was struggling to grow in my Christian walk and the story of Hadassah and the trials she faced encouraged and inspired me. And I love To Kill A Mockingbird because of the way it makes us examine ourselves and how we view the world by letting us view it through the eyes of an innocent and independent minded young girl.
Toni: Great choices. Do you prefer coffee or tea?
Lori: Tea (iced)
Toni: Iced tea is perfect in the summer. Romance or suspense?
Lori: Suspense
Toni: I’m not surprised. 🙂 Friday or Saturday?
Lori: Saturday
Toni: Right? Because who wants to go to work before having fun? Sunsets or sunrises?
Lori: Sunrises
Toni: I’ll still be asleep so enjoy it! Now, let’s talk about the A Firm Place to Stand! Tell us about the setting.
Lori: A Firm Place to Stand takes place in the fictional West Texas town of Turnaround, Texas. Maribel, the lead character, begins a job for a terminally ill fifth generation ranch heiress. The rugged, remote landscape and the small-town environment are important factors that will force her to face some of her fears and challenge her to think about what is really important in her life.
Toni: Texas!!!! ❤ Tell us a little about Maribel. What does she do for a living?
Lori: Maribel formerly worked as a journalist, but the consequences of some poor decisions has forced her to find a different job. And she’s willing and eager to leave the past behind and go somewhere no one will know her. This has led her to a job working for the Moreland ranch as a documentarian, gathering and organizing the family history before the last living heir is gone. The curiosity that first led her to become a journalist draws her into more problems than she expected, though.
Toni: Wow! What an interesting job. What is the overall message you hope the readers to takeaway?
Lori: This story is about forgiveness—of others and of ourselves. Unforgiveness brings with it a long list of problems, some of which might be self-doubt, fear, anger, guilt. When we allow these to remain in our thoughts, they will take root and choke out the life we were meant to live. But God truly wants better for us. When we let go of these things through the act of forgiveness, He will be the firm foundation we can stand upon.
Toni: Such a good message! Last but not least, what can we expect from you next in your writing journey?
Lori: My next book will take us back to Turnaround, Texas where Shayne McAllister will come to attend the funeral of a family friend. She’ll stay longer than she expected, though, when a former boyfriend witnesses a murder and needs her help to stay alive. There are also a few non-fiction projects in the works as well.
Toni: Oh, sounds good! Readers, do you have any questions for Lori?
About the Book
She’s either being stalked or losing her mind.
A job at a camp in the rustic and often rugged landscape of West Texas offers Maribel Montgomery a chance to escape both, especially if she makes sure no one knows where she’s there.
But when the body of a woman washes up in the river on her first morning, her hope of a safe place to start over are swept away.
The suspicion she’s being watched follows her to her new home, and Maribel is forced to take a stand or keep running. Does she have the courage to face the danger stirring at the Pool of Siloam Camp?
If she doesn’t, another girl might die.
If she tries and fails, it could be her.
Circumstances force her into the acquaintance of Conner Pierce—a man with secrets of his own. Can Maribel risk working with him in order to save the next victim and find a missing girl?
Or is he the killer?
About the Author
Lori Altebaumer is only half-jokingly when she tells others she lives with one foot in a parallel universe. A love of story and words, along with a wild imagination, fuels her passion for writing both fiction and non-fiction. A love of God fuels her passion for sharing the joys of living a Christ-centered life with others through her writing. Lori is a wandering soul with a home keeping heart, and now that her nest is empty, she enjoys traveling with her husband and visiting her adult children where she can rummage through their refrigerators and food pantries while complaining there’s nothing good to eat here.
Toni Shiloh 