James R. Hannibal: Fighter Pilot Turned Bear Knight Author

March 8, 2023Author Interview, Blog, Books, Uncategorized, Writingauthor, book, enclave, fantasybreanamjohnson@gmail.com

A Christian fantasy series based on adventure board games? Yes, please! Today I had the priveledge of talking to James R. Hannibal, author of the Lightraiders Academy trilogy. The second book in the series, Bear Knight, released in February of 2023 from Enclave.

How has your background contributed to the action scenes in Bear Knight?

I’m always aware of the physics when writing action, whether hand to hand combat or aerial battle.

Having studied multiple martial arts and having trained US troops in hand to hand combat certainly helps with the fight scenes. Having flown fighter and bomber aircraft also helps with visualizing the aerial scenes. Of course, everything must be adjusted for the physics of the fantasy realm.

Bear Knight has some awesome maps! How do you come up with the landscapes you invent?

I had a great foundation to start with. The Lightraiders Realm was first created by Navigators author and Christian counselor Dick Wulf back in the 80s. When he handed the world to me, I had a fairly detailed world map to start with and a few towns or locations that were created for the original game. That became my palette from which to build out other locations and fill in the map.

Read my interview with fantasy author Sara Ella

From there, I develop a landscape or village in my head and then work with fantastic artists and cartographers like James R. Brown and Jog Brogzin to bring them into visual reality for a reference.

What books or series inspired your love of fantasy?

This entire series is based on the original DragonRaid game by Dick Wulf. Our team is grateful he had the opportunity to write the forward for Wolf Soldier, the first book in the series, before he went on to be with the Lord. Both Dick and I have been inspired by Tolkien and Lewis primarily.

What do you hope readers will come away with after reading Bear Knight?

The theme in Bear Knight is courage in the face of our fears. We’re talking about fear of physical danger as well as less tangible but just as frightening fears. The characters deal with fear of being left behind by peers, fear of failure, fear of becoming someone they don’t want to be, etc.

I hope that readers learn that no matter what fears they face, they can always find peace and hope in Christ and His promises, and thus the courage to face those fears head-on.

Screen Printing! Africa Day 9

March 7, 2023Africa, Blog, Burundi, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International TravelAfrica, Burundi, crafts, family, screen printingbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

While in Burundi, East Africa visiting family last summer, my sister-in-law Joy taught me how to screen print!

I’m not sure if Burundi has screen printing shops (I imagine they exist, but probably not many), but this undertaking is an example of the ingenuity embodied by expats (and immigrants) around the world who want to recreate things from their home countries.

The table was built from scratch for the purpose of screen printing, and the other tools were ordered online and brought over by friends. We brought the shirts and the ink in our suitcases, and I’m glad the ink didn’t explode all over our clothes in the plane! At least it’s washable before it sets…

Joy’s vision was to create matching t-shirts for our huge Johnson family reunion, which would take place in Tanzania soon after. So she created a custom t-shirt design and, along with me, her three boys, and some of her employees, spent a couple of days printing about 35 shirts.

I need to stop taking on new hobbies, but this was really fun. I’m resisting the urge to get my own screen printing stuff.

We also ended up tie-dying the white shirts once everyone was together, but that is another fun and messy story for another day.

Please don’t ask me why we look like we’re waiting to be gathered up by a galactic starship in a sci fi B movie

Africa Day 1: 30 Hours in Transit

Africa Day 2: Crossing Burundi

Africa Day 3: A Dowry Ceremony

Africa Day 4: A Burundian Wedding

Africa Day 5: Gisuru School for the Deaf

Africa Day 6: How to Make Mudbricks

Africa Day 7: How to Make an African Coil Basket

Africa Day 8: Touring African Hospitals

Romance and the Irish Language with Jennifer Deibel

February 10, 2023Author Interview, Blog, Books, Expats, Expats and TCKs, Writingauthor, interview, ireland, irish, jennifer deibel, romancebreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Today I am watching for the mail truck, awaiting the delivery of an Irish romance book I’ve been eagerly anticipating: The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel.

Not only does the heroine share my name (although spelled Brianna… sigh), but the book comes out the day after birthday, February 21!

Read my last interview with Jennifer Deibel

While waiting for my copy to come in the mail (and while you’re waiting for yours!), I had the chance to interview Jennifer about her upcoming release.

1. The Maid of Ballymacool is set in 1930s Ireland. What is your favorite aspect of this setting?

It might be easier for me to say what I don’t love!

Seriously, though, I love just about everything involving a historical Irish setting.

One thing I enjoy about the 1930’s is that it’s not a time many people write about when it comes to Ireland. We tend to focus on the Great Hunger and the Irish War of Independence—and rightly so.

However, exploring more unfamiliar time periods really gets my imagination going—especially because rural Ireland was so much slower to get the more modern conveniences, so 1930 in County Donegal was more like the 1910’s were everywhere else in the world.

The Maid of Ballymacool is the featured novel in my March 2023 book box!
Visit cratejoy to order

2. As a romance writer, you are a queen of love stories! What’s your own love story in a nutshell?

Awww, thank you! My love story began my freshman year of college, when I met my now-husband.

Though, really, it started much earlier in our lives, as both our parents had prayed for each of our future spouses. In fact, when we got engaged, my husband’s grandmother gave me a garter to wear on our wedding day that she had bought right after Seth was born. And then she’d prayed over me—even though she had no idea who I would end up being—every day.

But, once we met, it would be two more years before our romance really began to bloom. If we were a romance trope, it would be friends to lovers.

3. Each of your books shares vocabulary from the Irish tongue–your second language! What’s one of your favorite Irish terms or phrases?

Oh, there are so many! And I’ve added almost all my favorites in my books already. But there’s one that always makes me smile. When we were in our langauge class, we were talking about a specific area of County Clare called The Burren, and we were describing it.

I asked our teacher how to say “It’s unique.” He thought for a moment, and then answered: Níl a mhac a samhail in aon ait. It means, “There’s not the likes of it to be found anywhere.”

4. What do you hope readers will come away with after reading The Maid of Ballymacool?

My prayer for this book is that anyone who feels—or has ever felt—unseen, overlooked, or stuck in a seemingly impossible circumstance, would realize just how seen and loved they really are. And that they would turn to God to find it. And for those who are secure in who they are and how much they’re loved to reach out to those around them who don’t know.

Read my interview with Gabrielle Meyer

Thanks for talking with me, Jen!

If you’re putting The Maid of Ballymacool on your To Be Read list, here’s a tip– preorder before February 21 from Baker Book House and you’ll get 40% off and free shipping.

Touring African Hospitals: Africa Day 8

February 10, 2023Africa, Blog, Burundi, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, UncategorizedAfrica, Burundi, hospital, medicinebreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Why move to the poorest country in the world when you could be living the American Dream?

That’s the big question people have for doctors in African hospitals who give up their high-earning practices back home to live and work in Burundi.

And there’s a good answer, too.

While we were in Burundi last summer, we had the chance to meet many people who have done this very thing.

Burundi, according to gross national income measurements, is the poorest country in the world.

That’s just an economic measure, of course. It’s not a measure of natural resources, happiness, overall wellbeing, social health, satisfaction with one’s life, etc. Money’s not everything. But it does impact access to healthcare as well as the ability of people to pursue higher education that would lead to more nationals becoming healthcare professionals.

With a lack of access to healthcare, particularly in rural regions, many people suffer devastation from easily-treated diseases like malaria.

We’ve seen this happen even to our own family members, who, as expats with cars and insurance for medical evacuation, have far more access to medical treatment.

If you’ve been following our story for a while, you may have read about Ben’s near-death experiences growing up in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ben’s Story

In a nutshell, Ben nearly died twice in high school. In both cases, both expat and national healthcare professionals were able to save his life.

Because of these experiences, Ben recognized the need for more expat doctors as well as more opportunities for Burundian nationals to become doctors.

So, he spent the next decade-plus of his life preparing to fill that need.

How to Become a Doctor: Our Journey in Picutres

Part of the reason for our trip to Africa was to tour hospitals and visit with doctors–both expat and national– to ask questions and see where Ben might be able to fit in the future, when we’ve paid off the student loans and are in a position to do medical ministry overseas.

Playing on a African hospital’s compound. In the background, Ben meeting with doctors from this hospital.

Planning to move overseas is complicated.

Hoping to do medical work is even more so. There are a lot of questions to consider.

What hospital/clinic has needs we can fill?
What sending organization do we go with?
Where will our family fit in?
Do we work for an international NGO or a local-run institution?
How much change can we handle right off the bat?
Will our kids be OK here? (This is the one that really weighs on my mind)

Expat doctors live and work on this compound

We came away with a lot of great options. Still, we have a lot of unanswered questions. That’s OK, because we have a lot of unpaid debt, too, so we have some time to figure out the best fit for us when we’re able to go overseas.

We haven’t taken meaningful steps toward moving yet, and James 4:14-15 is always in the back of my head when I talk about our hopes for the future.

Still, we get asked all the time: Why? Why would you want to give up your life in America and move somewhere like Burundi?

The surface-level answer is that Ben is from there. It is home. It was the plan all along and the only reason that Ben had any interest in slogging through eleven years of medical training.

The deeper answer is that Jesus is worth it.

I’ve discovered that answer is a great testimony to our faith and God’s glory. People can argue with your apologetics. But not with your personal experience of Jesus’ worthiness and your willingness to press into that with your own life decisions.

Why struggle on with a difficult season in marriage? Jesus is worth it. Why become a foster parent? Jesus is worth it. Why forgive the family member who hurt you deeply? Jesus is worth it. Why choose a career walking alongside hurting people? Jesus is worth it.

Friends, I don’t know what choices you’re making or what seasons you’re walking through. But I pray that wherever you’re choosing obedience to Christ, you’ll have the chance to give his name glory by telling others that Jesus is worth it.

Africa Day 1: 30 Hours in Transit

Africa Day 2: Crossing Burundi

Africa Day 3: A Dowry Ceremony

Africa Day 4: A Burundian Wedding

Africa Day 5: Gisuru School for the Deaf

Africa Day 6: How to Make Mudbricks

Africa Day 7: How to Make an African Coil Basket

Historical Eras and Faith with Gabrielle Meyer

January 16, 2023Author Interview, Blog, Writingauthor, fiction, historical, interview, novel, romancebreanamjohnson@gmail.com

If you’re a historical fiction fan, then you’ll love the Timeless books by Gabrielle Meyer. These split-time Christian romance novels take place in TWO or THREE historic eras–not just one!

After devouring book one, When the Day Comes, I was lucky enough to get to interview Gabrielle Meyer about book two, In This Moment, which releases in May of 2023.

In both When the Day Comes and In This Moment, the main characters are time crossers–individuals who have lives in more than one time period at a time. If you were a time-crosser, what other era would you like to live in?

I’ve thought about this question, and because I love several historical eras, it’s always hard for me to choose.

I think the one that is most appealing is the Gilded Age, from about 1880-1910. I love the industrial boom, the rise in recreational activities, traveling, and entertainment, and I love the clothing from that era.

Gilded Age fashion as depicted by Mary Cassatt

All in all, it was a prosperous and happy time for many Americans. They were between wars and starting to enjoy some of the modern conveniences we use today, like telephones, automobiles, and electricity.

In In This Moment, Maggie lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. If you could have dinner with anyone from any of these eras, who would you choose and why?

I would definitely say Abraham Lincoln, in 1861. He’s often touted as one of the greatest American presidents, but for good reason.

Everyone needs a photo with half their face and this book cover.

I loved researching this time period and learning more about him and Mary Todd Lincoln (most of it didn’t even appear in the book). I can’t imagine Lincoln’s job—he is truly a remarkable man that endured incredible hardship and heartbreak as an American president. I’d love to have dinner with him and Mary in the White House.

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I write, because I feel like I did have dinner with them through my character, Maggie.

The first of your Timeless series, When the Day Comes, carries rich themes of surrendering self for others and surrendering to God’s plans. What spiritual message do you hope readers will take away from In This Moment?

I wanted the themes to be quite different between the two books, so in In This Moment, Maggie deals a lot with the idea that God hasn’t revealed His plan to her, so she’ll need to take several steps of faith.

Read my interview with historical romance author Jennifer Deibel

Often, there are no clear cut right or wrong answers in life. This is true for Maggie. She loves each of her paths equally and doesn’t know which ones to give up. She does a lot of soul-searching, asks a lot of questions, but, in the end, she has to trust that she’s making the right choice.

I think this happens a lot in life—at least for me—and it was fun to explore this theme with Maggie.

Thanks for talking with me, Gabrielle! Can’t wait to read In This Moment.

If your interest is piqued, good news–preorders for In This Moment are currently 40% off, and you’ll get not only a bookplate signed by Gabrielle but also free shipping and a bookmark!

12 Days of Christmas Book Giveaway

December 3, 2022Blog, Books, Uncategorized, Writingbooks, Christmas, giveawaybreanamjohnson@gmail.com

It’s that time of year! Yes, Christmas time–but also book giveaway time! You can enter the annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway here between today and December 12. And entries roll over, so the earlier you enter, the more days you’ll be entered to win!

Enter Now!

Today is my day! I made a bookish bookshelf sign that says “No Shelf Control.” See how I made it on Instagram!