Q1: I’ve read your first book and I’m about to jump into the second. What should I expect?
A: If the Times books were sisters, the first would be the softer of the two, ideals vocalized through nature, people, and the events unfolding around her. Of course it is younger, but it also feels younger (“I am more of a kid at heart, with my denim overalls, bare feet, and freckles; still insisting on my own way in life even if it’s wrong,” pg. 12) with emphasis on noise, textures, and introspective focuses sympathetic to young girls. That was the goal of A Time to Trust: rawness, vulnerability, and friendship with the reader. Because I struggled with reading comprehension as a child, I was emphatic that the first book I wrote could be flipped open by someone of any age to be read and understood through times of loss, change, and growing up. (It was also the first introduction to me!)
A Time to Stand is in the same sphere. Candice is a bit more hyper, thrown into the world of checkered floor halls and locker room conversations and an athletic side of determination blossoming. Vocabulary and dialogue are a hint more sarcastic (being true to my sixteen-year-old self) but the main character is wiser, realizing that her life must come to terms with the realities of good and evil, and that following Jesus is not going to be easy (“Thankfully, I did not come here out of my own will, but God’s. I can’t quit because I have had a hard first week.” pg 35). She is more determined to do what is right and less nostalgic over the past. Is this a good thing? That character arch will be further unveiled in Book #3!
Q2: I have a ten-year-old daughter. Can she read your books?
A: Yes! Readers have ranged from pre-teenage girls to women in their 60s. The message of obedience, sacrifice, and blessing is for all ages and backgrounds. However, unlike A Time to Trust, the second book is targeted for junior high and high school girls. Topics are addressed which may burden rather than bless some readers if they have yet to experience some of the things girls face in school. See Q7.
Q3: Is Carissa a real person?!
A: The short answer: yes! Like many writers, complex archenemies such as a girl whose “scarlet lips slit a wicked grin like she knows something about the universe—about me” (pg 79), are inevitably going to be linked to multiple encounters, whether in real life or other imaginations. Carissa is one of those people. In Book 1, the shadow day you read about was real. I journaled exact words, actions, and characters immediately after that happened. In Book 2, the parties, homecoming invitation, and Valentine’s Day dinner were all true events, too. Dialogue was taken from both audio and handwritten journal entries. Though any Carissa language, as well as her levels of intensity are subject to overdramatization.
Q4: Whatever happened to Keli?
A: This was one of the hardest parts of writing A Time to Stand. To maintain privacy around the situation while being transparent, I can confirm I do not know where she is at present. I pray for her often. I encourage you to pray if you feel prompted as well.
Q5: Was OEH a ‘real’ school and did you really have a vision you would go there someday?
A: Yes! The vision I had at camp with Jaclyn in Book #1 (see Chapter 3: Impossible) was true. There was even another dream which occurred after this point that had me as a track and field runner in a red school pushing open double doors - before even hearing about the possibility of attending OEH!
Q6: Will OEH return in another book?
A: Did I stay through high school, or did I actually leave? I suppose you’ll find out in Book 3...
Q7: Should anyone NOT read A Time to Stand?
A: A Time to Stand blatantly deals with issues teen girls face in school such as the temptation to compromise in immorality through the party scene, drugs, and other inappropriate behaviors. It also references depression and suicide towards the end of the book. If these chapters are trigger points, I first suggest praying before reading, then perhaps skipping chapters 5-10, or stowing the book away for another season. Sometimes it can be good to read how another person handled what you are going through, but other times it can welcome back feelings which do the opposite of heal us.
Q8: How did you publish two books in a year? What was the process like?
A: Every milestone represents a journey. I will be writing more about this in an upcoming article. To put it simply, it was time, discipline, and an obedience to do what God had laid on my heart. And it truly wasn’t as intimidating or scary as I imagined!
Q9: What can we expect in Book #3 of the Times series?
A: You may recall the Author’s Note in A Time to Stand. Because the narrative was based out of an existing school and real people, major shifts such as the alteration of descriptions and circumstances had to be implemented. This was particularly painful because there were so many things not yet told in A Time to Stand that had to be left out. Book #3 (A Time to Learn) will bring a major shift. It will become the longest, most detailed non-fiction Candice book to date. Unlike Books #1 and #2 which dive a mile deep into just months of a year, this book will cover a span of four years in total of places, experiences, dramas, and spiritual growth which will ultimately lead to the unexpected and exciting offer for a place at Oxford… but I won’t give any more away!
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