Life After the Launch: A Visit with Author Nadine Brandes

Today I’d like to welcome Nadine Brandes, author of the new Christian Dystopian novel, A Time to Die from Enclave publishing. Throughout September and October I had the privilege of being a part of her Launch Team to help spread the word about this intriguing, thought-provoking story.  Now that the book has been released, I thought it would be good to check in with Nadine and see what kind of response she has gotten from her novel, how its affected her readers, and find out how this process may have impacted her, as well.

Nadine, welcome! Thank you for spending some time looking back on the publishing/release/reality of launching your debut novel A Time to Die. I realize you’re head may still be spinning from all that was involved with getting your book out there, but perhaps a bit of reflection will be helpful.

Hi Heather! Thank you so much for having me. 🙂

Before we begin waxing nostalgic, would you mind giving a short explanation of “dystopian” along with a nutshell description of your novel? (Readers can get a full review from my blog with this link).

Dystopian: think The Hunger Games, 1984, Divergent. Dystopian literature is set in a world where the government is in control…almost too much control. The society is deteriorating and has reached an ultimate low. A lot of times, authors write dystopian literature to explore where our society might end up in a few hundred years.

My book is about a futuristic America where everyone has a Clock showing them exactly how long they have to live. The government places value on how long one’s Clock is. Parvin – my heroine – has one year left according to her Clock and only now realizes she’s wasted her life. She tries to find purpose in that last year, starting with some…”questionable” rebellion against the law.

Excellent! It seems that the dystopian genre strikes a chord for readers with the frequent, unsettling events in the news. We don’t have to stretch our imaginations much to see some sort of post-apocalyptic future looming large. What sets your novel apart from the other dystopian offerings like Hunger Games or Divergent?

Hope in Christ. Hope in general, actually. My book differs because the main character is drawing off of God’s strength for her survival. Parvin learns that, no matter how awful things get, He still has a purpose. He still has control. It can be a beautiful thing—she doesn’t have to fight the world alone.

In Hunger Games and Divergent everything ends up resting on the heroines’ shoulders and, because they are human, they can’t carry it. Those series ended up somewhat depressing. It was hard to find hope at the end. My goal with the Out of Time Series is to convey the hope we can have in Christ, no matter what world we’re in.

So true. I know for me, personally, your novel made me aware of my mortality in a sobering way. It is amazing how powerful fiction can be! What I appreciate about your story is the reminder of the hope we can have when we are living with purpose. Though I do try to live in view of eternity, it is easy to get caught up in day-to-day busyness. It is healthy to remember to “number my days,” as it says in Psalms 39 and 90. If my days were visually, literally numbered (as they are in your book), then I would be much more intentional with each one. Yet that is how I should live my life anyway, isn’t it? Has writing such a tale challenged you as well? Are there any changes you, personally, have made due to this idea?

Exactly! Well said. 😀 Writing this book completely changed how I view life. I’ve grown to pursue it and to pursue God with fresh passion. I’ve suddenly noticed how short life is—no matter how long I live. 100 years is still short. I spent many years dreaming of being a zealous believer. I wanted to be like Hadassah in Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion Series. And yet, I wasn’t doing anything to get there. I was living life with the “someday I’ll get there” mentality.

That is no longer my mentality. Nor my husband’s. We’ve both been changed with this new clarity of our own finitude.

As you can see from my rambling, it’s changed me enough that I can’t even put it into words. But life is much more beautiful, precious, and well-lived this side of understanding my limits as a human.

Those are wonderful changes! And what about your readers? Now that there’s been some time for people to read your story and give you feedback, what sort of reactions are trickling in?

Almost every reaction has been positive. It’s been surprising, actually, to see how many people choose to write me a small message after they’ve finished the book. God’s using it exactly as I’d hoped—encouraging others to examine how they spend their time. And giving them hope.

What a blessing, as an author, to see God use your work in such a way. Has the response from your readers had any affect on the overall arc or emphasis of your other books in the trilogy? 

I’ve had the other books planned out for a long time, but the feedback has really made me tackle them with more intentionality. My readers find themes and messages in A Time to Die that I didn’t notice from the start, but God put them there just for them. I want to follow up on those messages and make sure that questions are answered appropriately. It’s made me more careful to try and bring closure.

It is humbling and frightening trying to do that! But I have to trust that God will weave them in where I miss it. These are His stories, after all. 🙂

I love it when the Lord layers His purposes like that. You think you’re doing one thing–and you are–but He’s also doing another. And then He’s kind enough to reveal it 🙂

As a fellow, debut author (further behind in the book release process), I enjoyed seeing how you carried out your book launch. It was terrific fun to be part of an enthusiastic group of people, rallying around a worthy adventure! Do you feel the launch was effective in reaching readers? What worked the best . . . and did anything flop?

I’m so glad! It has been such a pleasure having you on the team. Quite fun for me, too. [grin]

I think it reached readers mostly through the blogs of others and through the Facebook party. Not just that, but I now have a giant group of new friends whom I love and who believe in this book.

I wouldn’t say anything flopped, but if I do it again, I’ll try to space out the social media sharing a little bit more. I think we all got a bit overwhelmed (I actually grew tired of seeing my own book cover after a while! Ha!)

That’s funny! Glad to hear that the collective energy and efforts were well spent.

You had your official book signing party towards the end of October. I know you were quite sick just the day before. Please share a little about how it came together, how you felt, the turnout, and what sort of things your fans enjoyed when they came to see you in person!

It came together under the force of a friend. You know the types of friends: “You need a book signing party!”

“But I don’t want one.”

“I don’t care. You’re shy, I’m not. You’re having one. Next month, actually.”

That’s about how it got started. A close friend of mine headed up the whole thing and by the end, I got pumped about it, too! Being sick the day before was nerve-wracking because I was afraid of getting others sick if I went to the book signing. It felt like a test—like I had a chance to back down and remain timid. But I still went and it turned out that what caused me to be sick wasn’t actually contagious and I got the proper care after a quick doctor’s visit.

That’s good to hear!

The turnout was great. I live in a small town, so I didn’t expect much, but so many people came to support me and hear my story! Sometimes, it’s more intimidating sharing your work and story with the people you’ve known your whole life than with strangers. 

They got to enjoy some games (“Guess How Many Erasers are in the Jar!”), a reading from yours truly, a couple videos, giveaways, and a giant white board where everyone could write what they’d do if they had one year left.

Oh, those are great ideas! I’ve only been to one party, and it had nothing besides a stack of books and cheese and crackers [yawn]. Sounds like you (and your friend) pulled off a great shindig.

Now that the flurry of activity surrounding your debut has settled, is there a long term plan for marketing? Personally, I want to recommend your book as a worthwhile Christmas gift idea for those that love to read! Perhaps you can share the best place for us to find your book as well. Amazon? Your website?

I hope to continue steady marketing through social media and a few book signings here and there. Christmas gifts are my main focus right now. Besides, books are the easiest thing to wrap! It just makes sense!

Mostly, though, I’m trying to finish book two! [grin] I’ve also discovered the beauty of Goodreads. If anyone reading this has a Goodreads, come find me!

The best place to find my book is Amazon. It will make it to Barnes and Noble soon, but the paperback and e-book are available at Amazon only for now. But you can read a lot about the book on my website.

Are there any final thoughts to share—either in hindsight or with an eye towards the future and Book 2? I know I’d love a little teaser about what I might discover in your dystopian world 🙂

In book two, you’re going to learn a lot more about some of the technology in the High Cities. And…you’ll go exploring. A lot. In fact, next month I’ll be taking a trip out of the country as part of the writing research! How’s that for a teaser?

Oh my, I can’t wait! The technology you created was one of my favorite aspects . . . I think if someone at Apple gets ahold of your book, many of your ideas will be on the fast track to becoming realities. 

Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Nadine. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you and learning from you as well. May God continue to use your story to touch and change lives for His glory.

Thank you, Heather! Let’s glorify the Lord together! (Psalm 34:3)

I’ll second that with an “Amen!”