The Restorer's Son: Expanded Edition

With permission from Sharon Hinck, I am posting an interview regarding the release of The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition. I met Sharon several years ago at ICRS, and have corresponded with her since then. I consider her a pioneer in the field of Christian speculative fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition

Book two in the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric series, The Restorer’s Son won a Carol Award for speculative fiction.

Plunged again into the gray world of Lyric and Hazor, Susan and Mark search frantically for their teenage son, Jake. All signs hint that a trusted ally has betrayed them and threatens their son. A target of assassins and more political intrigue, false leads and near misses beset their path, which leads them into the dark prisons of Hazor before the One’s purpose is revealed.

Cast out by those he trusts, the new reluctant Restorer prefers to cross swords with the One rather than submit to His will. Pursued by his calling, he journeys to Sidian, where he finds a boy without a home, a king with burning questions, and a nation torn by darkness. As he embraces the tasks the One has set before him, this new Restorer learns that the One requires his all—perhaps even his life.

This new expanded edition of The Restorer’s Son includes an in-depth devotion guide for readers who want to dig into the spiritual themes of the book, bonus scenes providing glimpses of the story through a variety of characters, and fun extras including links to songs and recipes.

INTERVIEW:

What was it like developing new material for this new edition?

Books are like children. I treasure each of them in different ways, and among the novels I’ve written, I try not to have favorites. However, I confess that The Restorer’s Son has an extra special place in my heart. Because of that, it was fun to revisit the characters and world of this story. Kieran’s attitudes were loosely inspired by a verse in Judges where Gideon is told God will use him to save his people. Gideon’s response is basically, “If God is for us, why have all these bad things happened to us?” It’s a question many can relate to, and part of the reason that Kieran is such a beloved character. 

The new devotion guide gives readers an opportunity to dig deeper into the Biblical inspirations that helped inform the book, as well as find personal application. About forty pages of new content, including bonus scenes and a new song composed for the book, make this edition a new experience.

How did you decide where to put in bonus elements?

Working with the publisher, we decided it was important to keep the flow of the story intact and free from distractions. So the book is designed with a large back-of-the-book section that can be used either after finishing the story, or during the reading of the main story. Small symbols and page numbers at the end of chapters direct readers to bonus scenes, and QR symbols in the margin invite readers to explore audio files, or recipes, or rules for playing Perish – all without interrupting the story.

It was important to me that people would feel that it was worth the investment to own The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition, even if they had a copy of the original edition, so we packed this book with lots of added value.

Besides an entertaining read, what do you hope people experience in The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition?

My hope is that readers will catch glimpses of the way the One speaks to each of us in the language we understand, and that we can go to Him with our difficult questions. For those who are walking very painful roads, I hope the story will help them feel acknowledged. The journey is hard, heroic, and sometimes frightening. But we are never alone.

Where can people find the book?

www.sharonhinck.com

http://sharonswriting.blogspot.com/

To order The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition:

http://urlcut.me/aM3

Kindle version:

http://urlcut.me/aM2

AUTHOR BIO:

Sharon writes “stories for the hero in all of us,” about ordinary people experiencing God’s grace in unexpected ways. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include contemporary fiction such as The Secret Life of Becky Miller or Stepping into Sunlight and the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric fantasy series which includes The Restorer’s Son–Expanded Edition. She’s been a Christy finalist and won three Carol awards.

Sharon’s undergrad degree is in education, and she earned an M.A. in Communication. When she isn’t wrestling with words, Sharon enjoys speaking to conferences, retreats, and church groups. She loves interacting with visitors at her website and blog: sharonhinck.com. Sharon is also a member of ACFW.

What's In Your Library of Knowledge?

My Realms of Infinity

We have all seen that credit card commercial with a similar title. It depicts scenes of “unintended outcomes” happening to individuals because they didn’t have the right credit card in their wallet. The theme being communicated is that without the right tool at your disposal (a credit card in this case), the result might not be what you wanted.

Exporting and applying that theory to the world of writing, the same is true for writers. Many of us keep paper notebooks with us at all times, or use some cool App on our Smartphones, to record things for later reflection. We use our computers and related devices to surf the net, to read blogs, check out writing resources, and to continually grow our writing education.

I would submit that your own “in house” personal library could be your most important tool. I like having hardcopy, paper resources of reference materials, novels, and magazines available to page through or take to my favorite reading chair or study table. There is just no substitute for having a “book in hand” or being able to browse through your very own paper-based library.

Among fiction writers, it is a well-accepted fact that writers should read good fiction. Writers continually need to perfect their craft and educate themselves in order to expand and improve their writing skills. I know of several authors who keep copies of certain “how-to-write” books near their computers because they feel them to be invaluable. To that end, I have worked (almost since I have been a we lad) to build my own library in both fiction and reference books.

I have two main writing interests: science fiction and Christian speculative fiction. As my desire to craft fiction in these two categories has grown over the years, I have built up a rather (a-hem) large library of both.  In fact, my wife was almost rather alarmed at the extent of my library after we built our house and I unpacked my “library of knowledge.”  Yes, this might be bordering on an addiction, but it is nice to have a library that I can turn to and pull out the inspirational or writing reference book I need at that moment.

When I find a book that I really think might be useful in the future, I will go ahead and purchase it now to have it readily accessible when the need arises. Once upon a time, I made a list of books I wanted to buy, both fiction and non-fiction. By the time I got around to buying them, however, I would discover that they were already out-of-print and on the hard-to-find list. It astonishes me how fast some books go out-of-print. At that point, I will usually purchase those books in eBook format (but only if I really think they would be useful to my craft).

As you can see, I consider my reading library part of the expense of my trade; furthermore, like any good tradesmen, having the right tool for the right job when you need it can really make a difference in your craft and the resulting product. Put another way, I can buy all the lumber and nails I need to build my house, but if I don’t have the right tools in my toolbox (hammer, etc.) to actually build my house, the result may not be what I intended.

In my writing reference toolbox, I have a vast library of books to educate me and to keep me immersed in my genres of interest. My library contains books on Star Trek, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Restorer series, and the Left Behind series to name a few fiction titles. I also have books on theoretical physics, space travel, and even books on the superhero genre as reference books for science fiction devices and technology. One bookcase alone is filled entirely with writing reference books such as titles in the Writer’s Digest line, Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide (since 2001), and other books on the different elements of the craft of writing. In some cases, it pays to keep multiple editions of the same books. Why multiple editions? Because with each year, some things get dropped out so that the revised book doesn’t continue to grow in size beyond what is realistic; consequently, I sometimes find that the resulting new content is less useful than the old.

To drive my need to brainstorm, I often read through reference materials to generate ideas, get my facts straight, and to get my theoretical sci-fi technology sorted as to be believable (as is the case for my current speculative fiction work-in-progress Cause and Effect.) It’s fun to pick up a reference book on something and hunt for story ideas.

When your mind is stuck at the stop sign on a particular fiction piece, head to your personal library and pick up someone else’s fiction. Reading about someone else’s adventures can help you remember yours. To generate some new ideas to explore, pick up a reference book and start learning. The bottom line: let your mind drift and relax. Let your subconscious work on that project that’s still waiting for you back at the stop sign seeking direction.

As you can see, your personal “in-house” library can be a very valuable tool in your writing toolbox.  Do you find your library just as useful? What books do you have in yours? Which ones do you find invaluable?