Falling for Books: Sara's book

Interview with Sara L. Foust about her book, Camp Hope: Journey to Hope (Love, Hope, and Faith Series Book 2):

Alexis: What inspired you to write this book?

Sara: The idea first came to me from a nightmare I had about our own foster daughter being kidnapped. I woke up and thought, “That was horrible! But it would make a good story.” 

Alexis: What is the significance of your book title, Camp Hope: Journey to Hope?

Sara: Amy shut hope out of her heart a long time ago. After an abusive childhood, she is afraid of men and believes God abandoned her. Camp Hope is her journey to rediscover the hope that lives in God’s love.

Alexis: Let’s talk about your story’s heroine Amy Dawson. Describe her looks, personality, hopes, and dreams. What does she do for a career?

Sara: Amy is a dark-haired beauty who doesn’t even think for a minute she is beautiful. She is self-sufficient and independent. A horse-woman and a business owner. But she is also fragile and scarred. More than anything, she needs healing from her childhood and the courage to accept that God loves broken people.

Alexis: How did you determine the setting for your book? Is it fictional or real? Describe it.

Sara: The setting is the mountain chain of Royal Blue, Tennessee. It is a real Wildlife Management Area complete with unpopulated, dense forest. It is home to elk, black bear, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, wild hogs, and more. It is a favorite place for locals to hunt and 4-wheel. And it is gorgeous! I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many parks, mountains, and forests.

Alexis: What—or who—led Amy to becoming a foster mom? Does she enjoy it?

Sara: Her own experience as a foster child primed her to want to help others. She also runs a camp for foster children. Once she realized she couldn’t ever (she thought) love a man but she wanted to be a mother, she decided to become a foster mom and help a young girl in need of a loving and safe home.

Alexis: What is the name of Amy’s four-year-old daughter? What role does she play in this story?

Sara: Her name is Mattie. Mattie’s kidnapping is the catalyst that gets this story moving. It is what drives Amy out of her comfort zone and into the wilderness.

Alexis: Let’s talk about your story’s hero, Jack Evans. What is he like? Describe his looks, personality, and heart.

Sara: Jack is handsome but he is scarred too. His scars are emotional and physical, though. He has a large, actual scar running down his cheek from a teenage beating he received. But, unlike Amy, he has found God and discovered the peace of His redeeming love. Jack is quiet, sells himself short, and loyal. More than anything, he longs to help Amy find God.

Alexis: What special connection does Jack share with Amy and how does their relationship affect this story?

Sara: Jack was a camper at Camp Hope when he and Amy were teenagers. They had one summer together before he was whisked away. He has always loved her. She has always loved him, but she has decidedly repressed her feelings. Their relationship has a major impact on the story. Jack helps Amy on her quest to find Mattie, providing moral support, another set of eyes, and, eventually, witnessing to Amy.

Alexis: Why does Amy turn to Jack for help when her daughter goes missing?

Sara: She doesn’t, really. He takes it on himself. But, once she gets used to the idea, she is glad he is there. He is the only man on the face of the planet she kind of, sort of trusts.

Alexis: Share one of Amy and Jack’s most romantic memories together. Why didn’t they last?

Sara: They fell in love as teenagers and romance wasn’t easy for either of them because of their past traumas. Their first kiss in the barn was sweet, respectful, and stuck with them both. Jack’s uncle petitioned for custody of him and he was moved to Ohio at the end of the summer.

Alexis: What is Jack’s most difficult struggle in this story? Explain.

Sara: He struggles with recognizing his self-worth. As a child, he was made to feel he was worthless and useless and those impressions have nagged him ever since. As an adult, he has been a wanderer and never been able to find people who believed in him. Though he is a Christian and he believes God’s love for him, he has to find out for himself that he isn’t inherently broken or defective.

Alexis: What role does Amy faith in God play in helping her survive traumatic memories and go bravely into the wilderness to search for her daughter?

Sara: Amy isn’t a believer in the beginning of the book. Her own willpower and stubbornness drive her into the wilderness, frantically trying to prevent the same traumas she experienced from happening to Mattie. When her memories creep in, she desperately tries to shut them out. It isn’t until later in the story she is able to begin to heal.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about this story? 

Sara: There is always hope for healing in God. No matter what has happened to us, no matter what decisions we have made, God wants a relationship with us. Only in Him is there peace of mind and healing of heart.

Alexis: Thank so much for the interview, Sara! Would you like to share closing thoughts? 

Sara: Thank you for having me today, Alexis! I love meeting and interacting with readers. If any of you have any questions or prayer requests, please feel free to contact me.

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Author Bio: 

Sara is a multi-published, award-winning author who writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from a mini-farm in East Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their five homeschooled children. 

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. 

Her debut novel Callum's Compass won second place in Deep River Books' 2017 Writer's Contest. She also has a story, “Leap of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. 

Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family. 

To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit www.saralfoust.com.

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Book Blurb for Camp Hope:

Amy Dawson directs a summer camp for foster children near Briceville, Tennessee. A foster mom for the first time, her responsibilities as mother to a traumatized child bring a whole new set of challenges and joys.

But when Amy’s four-year-old foster daughter is dragged into the mountains of Royal Blue by a former employee, parenting challenges are overshadowed by a new nightmare. The Sheriff's department fails to procure viable leads, and Amy can’t sit idle. Her childhood friend and first love, Jack Evans, returns to lend his skills as tracker. Problem is, he also stirs up romantic memories Amy would rather leave buried.

Jack struggles to let go of his past failures and prove his reliability by bringing Mattie home, but fears when he left camp nineteen years ago and failed to keep a promise to Amy he permanently lost her confidence.

As Amy plunges into the wilderness on horseback to search for Mattie, she must decide who she trusts, let go of her childhood traumas, and learn to rely on hope in God. Facing dehydration, starvation, and a convoluted kidnapper, will she succeed in recovering her precious foster daughter or get lost in the vast wilderness forever?

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Buy Camp Hope on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Books-A-Million

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Connect with Sara:
Website: www.saralfoust.com
Newsletter sign up: http://eepurl.com/cfqP5H
Email: sfoust25@hotmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaraLFoust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sfoust25
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sfoust25/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SaraFoustSaraLFoust
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/saralfoust

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