Guys, I’m so honored to be sharing this book (albeit later than I wanted to, sorry about that) with you today. I love a good mystery and a good theme. This book has it all. And I’m thrilled that Lori took the time to give some background as to why she writes what she writes! Stay tuned and be sure to enter the giveaway!
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About the Book
A Far Way to Run Author Lori Altebaumer
Published by BookBaby
on May 26, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Suspense
Pages: 358
Amazon | Barnes and Noble"A Far Way to Run" is a compelling story about overcoming the past to discover your purpose. This novel chronicles what happens when a woman traumatized by a violent sexual assault must make a life-defining choice to continue hiding, or stand up in the face of evil to save a stranger.
Shayne Wright returns to the Texas town where she grew up for a funeral and accidentally gets caught in a human trafficking scheme gone wrong. When she stops to render aid at an accident, she ends up with a gunshot wound to her shoulder and a target on her back when the trafficker believes she stole his money.
Her plan to stay the night at the old family farm becomes complicated when she finds it has been leased to a man working through some past demons of his own. Former military sniper Ethan McGregor is here on a reconnaissance mission for an organization that fights human trafficking. The complications keep coming when her prodigal brother shows up. When he tells Shayne and Ethan he saw a woman being held against her will, Ethan's interest intensifies, thinking this might be the human trafficking he's here to uncover. Shayne, on the other hand, wrestles with trusting her brother.
Her conscience propels her to search for a way to help, but knowing the woman is being held at the place where she'd been assaulted makes her wary. It doesn't help that she's kept the attack a secret. The one person who knows her secret is also obsessed with her. When he abducts her, she finds out her strength to face evil is stronger than the shame she fears.
Guest Post by Lori
Why I Write About Hard Topics
Why do I write about hard topics? A great question considering I’m a person who avoids conflict with the same passionate commitment as I have for not licking the door handles at the convenience store. I’m predictably afraid of all the usual things: heights, snakes, long dark alleys, and undercooked chicken.
The only reasonable explanation is God. I would love for Him to give me a story filled with characters not covered in the sinfulness of a broken world. Characters who aren’t trying to move past trauma they didn’t ask for or find forgiveness for things they did ask for.
One day that world will be a reality for us as believers, but until then we are living in a world of consequences, and sometimes we need a reminder we aren’t alone.
We need a glimpse of eternity.
I’ve never start out to write a story about hard things. I like happy, go-lucky tales of goodness and adventure and love as much as anyone else. But that’s not the direction God points my pen when I place my hand in His.
My stories start when a random scene pops into my head and the Holy Spirit nudges (or shoves on my more obstinate days) until I start exploring what’s really going on in that scene. Who are these people and what has led them to this exact moment? Maybe there’s a conversation going on or maybe the person is alone with their thoughts. The scenes are always different, but the one thing that is always the same is that there is a story. And that story is so much more than what we see on the surface.
That is true of real life as well. The people we encounter everyday have stories. They have a past that has brought them to where they are, and for most of them, that past is filled with mistakes, wounds, and things they won’t tell you about.
Maybe this is where I come in. Perhaps my role in God’s larger story is to share the stories no one is talking about.
I’ve often written about things I have no personal experience with. My life has been fairly tame and untouched by tragedy or trauma. I have learned to see this as a part of God’s purpose for me life, not because He loved me more and sheltered me, but so that when I tell the stories of others, they aren’t told in the shadow of my own experience. I must rely completely on God to help me see and understand whatever hard topic it is I’m writing about.
But then comes the joy.
God never leaves us stuck in the miry pit of shame, despair, and brokenness. He is with us in our suffering, and He awaits the moment when we will let Him heal us. This is His promise to us, that one day He will right every wrong and dry every tear. That His forgiveness stretches as far as the east is from the west, and that His mercy and grace will never run out.
But amid our pain and our broken hearts, we forget.
I’m called, as we all are, to shine a light into the darkness. And the greater the darkness, the more powerful the light. Even one small candle can change the world.
My pen is that candle for as long as God will use me, because when a reader says to me “You just told my story”, or “Thank you for bringing a voice to the ugliness” … I don’t mind writing the hard stuff.
Note from Jessica – this is what makes great authors people. I am deeply touched by this guest post and hope you are too!
About the Author
Multi-published author Lori Altebaumer describes herself as a wandering soul with a home keeping heart. Her tag line of head in the clouds, boots on the ground, and heart in His hands isn’t just a catchy phrase, but sums up the way she lives her life. Lori has enjoyed both traditional and independent publishing. Her debut novel, A Firm Place to Stand, has been recognized as 2020 AWSA Golden Scrolls Awards winner as well as being selected as a finalist for multiple Selah Awards and the BRMCWC Director’s Choice Awards in 2021. Her work has been included in multiple compilations including Arise to Peace published by Right to the Heart and The Power to Make a Difference published by Lighthouse Bible Studies. Lori enjoys engaging with all facets of the writing industry and people who are passionate about the craft of writing. A life-long Texas, she loves her Southern roots, things that make her laugh, and the company of family and friends.
Connect with Lori:
Website: https://lorialtebaumer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorialtebaumerwrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lori_altebaumer/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lori-altebaumer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/15304811.Lori_Altebaumer
Giveaway
Lori has generously offered to give away a PRINT copy of A Far Way To Run!!!!! How do you enter? Easy peasy. Just comment below how you like authors to incorporate real life into their stories. Even the hard things like Lori discussed. Winner will be chosen on Monday June 27th!
I love how authors incorporate real things into their stories because real life is hard and yes sometimes it’s nice to escape into a story where real hard issues don’t come up but it’s also wonderful to read a story where the characters are facing issues that can occur to people in real life and to read how they resolve them.
Thanks for sharing Shannon. I hope that my stories always leave readers feeling hopeful knowing that evil doesn’t have the final say–God does! When they can connect with a struggle my characters are going through, then I hope they get a glimpse of themselves facing down their own challenges and struggles.
It’s good to read about situations we can relate to.
Hi Lynn and thank you for joining this conversation. If there’s one thing we can all relate to, it’s that life in this world isn’t perfect. But through the challenges my characters must overcome, I hope my readers are encouraged in whatever it is that has come against them as well.
Lori, I love your heart for writing hard things. Those are the people in need of inspiration and, as you say, bright light in an ever-darkening world. It’s far easier to circumvent the difficult topics that make us uncomfortable but then we’d not reach the audience the Lord has in mind. Ultimately, writers must be changed by the process or we’ve missed the point. I’m enjoying this book and hope to wrap it up in the next few days!!
Great to see you hear Mary Alice! And thanks for letting me know you are enjoying the book. You are absolutely right that writers must be changed by the process of telling the story. God is always working on me or teaching me a new thing throughout the process. It’s a beautiful journey and why I would still write even if no one was reading my words.
I think we should all be confronted by the possible hard things in life. What better and safe way to do it than through fiction. And if it is Christian Fiction then it builds faith and confidence. And if a person who us going through a difficult time with similar situations, then maybe they can find help and hope within those pages.
I love your comment Paula! When God speaks hope to a hurting or struggling person through the words I capture in my books… what wonderful thing to be a part of! And if the journey my characters face can build someone’s faith, then thank you Lord for allowing me to be a part if that. I believe Christian fiction can take us places we wouldn’t otherwise go to hear messages we wouldn’t otherwise listen to in order to grow our hearts and turn us into the people God created and empowers us to be.
Great thoughts, Lori. Sometimes I worry about writing of things I haven’t experienced first hand
Hi Marion! Thanks for sharing. I think writing about things I haven’t experienced really humbles me and makes me depend on God for my words.
Wow, what a powerful post. I especially love the part about stories which aren’t told in the shadow of your own experience. Many years ago, I participated in a newswriting seminar where the presenter remarked that good writers “stand outside the circle, looking in,” instead of being caught up in whatever events they’re covering. It was a reminder to reporters to remain objective, but I’m fascinated by how this same concept might apply to writers of fiction. Thanks for such a thought-provoking post.
Wow! I love that “good writers stand outside the circle, looking in.” Thanks for sharing. I think perhaps fiction writers need to be able to tell the story from outside the circle while at the same time experiencing the inside the circle through our characters eyes. It’s definitely a place to write from that needs God’s vision, not mine.
Yes, so true. God’s vision, not mine.
Last comment, I promise, lol. Just wanted to say I agree with you. The best books are those that tell a good story but make you feel like you’re right there with the character (as an author, I can’t do that outside the circle). I’m really looking forward to reading your book!
And I want you to know I’m looking forward tor reading your’s as well. Still admitting the gorgeous cover and saving it for when I go to stay with my daughter after my grand baby gets here. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I totally agree… and these are the reasons why I love being an author!
I loved reading this. Thank you for sharing. Added to my want to read list.
Lucy, thank you so much! That blesses me in more ways than you know.