Book Release: Isolated by Jordy Leigh

Fourteen-year-old Louise Stella flees into the forest to escape an intruder who would take her hostage. But by the time she returns to her house, her country has broken out in war and her home island has become a military base. Sharing the land with enemy soldiers, Louise’s only goal is to stay alive one day at a time. Having no food or water, and little knowledge of how to survive in the forests of Quebec, her biggest adversary is “the Unknown”. Her pride crumbles and she realizes that she can’t sustain herself. She must depend on someone else... but Whom?

Isolated is a Young Adult suspense novella with uncertainty lurking at every turn. It will have you asking the big questions about life and death. Will you come to the same conclusion as Louise?

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My Review:

I first read Isolated when it was in its beginning stages of editing.  Even back then I enjoyed the exciting and, more importantly, Gospel-centered novella.  The book explores a series of events that turns Louise Stella's life upside down.  She is forced to face life head on amidst danger, uncertainty, and life-altering questions.  That's what I appreciated most about this book:  it tells the story of someone I can relate with who asks the most important questions in life.

Because Isolated is set during a time of war, there are some descriptive scenes that might make certain readers uncomfortable.  I appreciated that the author included an example of it on the book's Amazon page, so readers can get an idea before reading it.  (I wish all authors did that!)

There are still loose threads of the story as the novella closes, but I assume that they'll be tied together in the following novellas.  It makes me all the more eager for their release.  In the meantime, I encourage you to pre-order your own copy of Isolated and explore Louise's adventure for yourself!

Author Interview:

I had the chance to invite Jordy Leigh over to my blog as an interview for her newly released book.  Let's get started.  =)

How did you first get the idea to write Isolated?

It was actually quite random.  I would never have guessed.  I had a dream one night, which was shaped by the book I was reading for school at the time, The Giver, by Louis Lowry.  I casually told a friend about this dream as it came up in the conversation, and she said I should turn it into a story.  So I did - not expecting, when I first started out, that I would eventually publish it.

If you could tell a future reader one thing, what would you tell him/her?

To any future reader who is reading this interview now, Louise is a fictional character, but the emotional and spiritual struggles she faces are real-life.  I hope that in reading Isolated you'll learn and grow alongside her, just as I believe I learned and grew through the process of writing.  I can lay no claim to knowing the absolute truth about the things of God.  But to the extent that I do know, I've tried to portray them accurately in this fictional story.  Ultimately, I hope you will love God more after reading Isolated.

How has God worked through your own life during this book creation process?

As a direct result of creating Isolated, I've pondered this question: "What place does writing fiction have in God's Design?"  If you're not a God-loving, God-fearing fiction writer yourself, you may not relate.  But this was like a small identity crisis for me.  He desires for us to think about whatever is true and noble and right and... Whatever is true.  Fiction, by definition, describes imaginary people and events - that which is not true.  Was I pouring hours of my time into something contrary to His desires for me?

But just as I would tell future readers, the emotional and spiritual struggles portrayed in Isolated are true.  As well as that, when God made us in His image, He gave us the capacity to create things (using that which He first created).  So when you or I create things - stories or otherwise - we're exercising a capacity which He gave us and - if we do it right - we're giving Him glory as the Creator of creators.

What was the hardest part of writing Isolated, and how did God help you overcome it?

Perhaps the hardest part was the crisis I described above. (Isn't it interesting how God tends to use that which is hard to work through our lives?)

But since this is a new question, another hard part of writing Isolated was the constant struggle for time.  God was evidently faithful.  Isolated is basically complete and ready to be released.  And hopefully, relationships around me didn't suffer in the name of writing.  I guess you'd have to ask my family for an answer to that one.

What encouragement/advice would you give to aspiring writers who want to make a difference with their words?

I'm staring at this question not knowing what to write. Perhaps that's because I'm trying to think of ways we writers can make a difference in our own strength. I think the first most important thing we can "do" is remember. Remember that it's God who makes the difference. Our best move, I believe, is to stay faithful to what He has taught us in our own lives. We are students of His Word before we are writers.

~♥~

Isn't Jordy such a sweet, encouraging person?!  I hope this sparks some interest; go follow her blog or pre-order her book!  You'll be glad you did.  =)

About the Author:

From as young as seven years old, Jordy Leigh filled exercise booklets with stories until her hand hurt. She loves a good book, but ultimately she hopes that hers will offer something of greater value than short-lived entertainment. In reading them, may you learn more about the God of the Bible.

Jordy Leigh hopes that Isolated will at once quench your desire for compelling fiction and nourish your soul with wholesome truth.

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