Today I’m delighted to have the opportunity to introduce you to my fellow author and friend Jayna Baas. Although we’ve never met in person, it’s been a joy for me to connect with her online.

Last year I had the chance to feature her book Preacher on the Run here on the blog. This time, we get to explore her latest release, the sequel in her For Liberty and Conscience series. It’s going to be a blast!

But first, if you have never met Jayna Baas, here’s a bit about her:

Jayna Baas (pronounced as in “baa, baa, black sheep”) is the author of Preacher on the Run and director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. She writes and edits from beautiful northern Michigan, where she strives to give readers faith-filled adventures bursting with relatable characters and biblical truth.

When she’s not writing her own books or editing other people’s books, Jayna seeks out new adventures on the screen, on the page, and in the kitchen. She also loves to spend time with her great family of real people and the family of pretend people who live in her head. (Yes, she does know her characters are not real. No, she does not want you to tell them she said so.)

Although her love of words extends to multiple genres, Jayna’s favorite story is this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

To connect with her, visit: Website | Amazon | Goodreads | BookBub | Facebook | Newsletter

Now let’s jump into the heart of our conversation:

Alena: What is your favorite book of the Bible and why?

Jayna: This is a hard question, and the answer varies with my mood and season, but Ephesians is always at the top of my list. I love how it begins with all we have in Christ and who we are in him, then uses that as the basis for all the practical instruction that follows. Who doesn’t need to be reminded of that from time to time?

Alena: Ooh, Ephesians is always a good pick. A book full of truth.

Who are some of your favorite fiction authors?

Jayna: I’ve always been a big fan of Davis Bunn’s historical fiction and suspense fiction (his recent forays into magical fantasy, not so much). He was one of my earliest writing influences. Amanda Dykes is a current favorite because of her lyrical storytelling and oh-so-gentle romances and spiritual threads, and in the field of secular authors, I’ve found Louis L’Amour’s frontier fiction has improved my own storytelling.

Alena: Speaking of authors, what is one book you recently read and loved?

Jayna: Born of Gilded Mountains by Amanda Dykes is a recent release that I loved for its unique adventures and great characters—elements that featured prominently in my book review of this beautiful tale. Do I have to stop at one book? Because A. A. Milne’s classic Winnie-the-Pooh made me smile not very long ago.

Alena: Picking just one book is really hard, I’ll give you that. There are too many books that clamor to be mentioned if you start getting selective.

At what point did you first realize that you wanted to become an author? 

Jayna: It’s hard for me to remember a time when I didn’t want to become an author. I was creating stories as soon as I could write, and probably scheming them up even before that. In my early teens, that desire took definite shape as I started to read seriously about the self-publishing path and learned more about honing my craft. Those goals were strengthened even more as I noticed a lack of the books I wanted to read—stories with more focus on adventure and biblical truth and less focus on romance as the primary story. 

Alena: That’s an excellent reason to jump into writing. If you can’t find the book you want to read, then why not write it yourself?

How have you seen God at work in your writing journey?

Jayna: The hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” says, “All I have needed, thy hand hath provided,” and that is definitely true of my writing journey. My heavenly Father has consistently given me what I’ve needed as I’ve needed it, whether a printer I could afford or someone to give me the final nudge toward publishing. He’s also made sure my work gets out at just the right time for the people who need to read it, and he’s surrounded me with encouragers. It’s always fascinating to see how my own walk with the Lord is both reflected in and strengthened by the journeys of my characters.

Alena: I can definitely concur that an author’s life and spiritual lessons filter into fictional characters in a very real way.

Now let’s talk a little bit about your latest release, Patriot at the River. Here’s the description:

The fight he got wasn’t the fight he wanted.

It’s 1780, and North Carolina is a battleground. Backcountry scout Benjamin Woodbridge is guarding a Patriot camp when he sees the king’s men pursuing a civilian. Never one to stand by while someone is in trouble, Benjamin steps in to help the stranger and finds an unexpected ally.

But the same British officer who targeted the stranger is also targeting Benjamin’s settlement. After Benjamin is wounded on a lonely mountain trail, he watches Sunrising fall to the man who crushed his father’s cause nine years earlier. Benjamin’s fight has come home to the very people he wanted to protect—his shy younger sister and the woman who has given them both a home.

Now, with the help of some unlikely comrades and the indomitable Aunt Kate, Benjamin must fight for what he loves before Sunrising goes up in flames. But only if he can fight himself first.

Alena: Where did you get the idea for Patriot at the River?

Jayna: That’s a difficult question to answer because this story has gone through so many changes. The very first seed of the idea was a collection of stories I played with in my teens, featuring a brother and sister named Benjamin and Betty Woodbridge and their exploits for the Patriot cause. Over time, those melodramatic and implausible escapades morphed into the idea for a more historically sound full-length novel, which in turn developed into the second novel of the For Liberty & Conscience series—the first novel, Preacher on the Run, ended up setting the stage for Patriot at the River.

Alena: Hearing about the changes a story goes through before publication is always fascinating, especially when the changes are as major as yours.

What are some of the faith themes that your story explores?

Jayna: Throughout Patriot at the River, characters wrestle with truths like what it means to love our enemies, how our new life in Christ gives us victory over sin, and who we rely on in times of fear or weakness. So many stories, even Christian ones, turn life into an attempt to be better people or do better things. I wanted to tell a story that would point readers back to Christ and remind them of his power, not our own.

Alena: I know that personally, I can always use that reminder.

What was one historical detail that you had to research for Patriot at the River?

Jayna: Only one? 🙂 Sometimes the smallest details trip me up the most. I spent hours researching whether buckskin or linen was more common for hunting shirts among North Carolina militia and which side was cocked on a rifleman’s hat.

Alena: It’s those little things, isn’t it? After finding that one so-important, but elusive fact, I’ve been known to walk around the house wearing a silly grin for the rest of the day.

Describe your hero for us in three words.

Jayna: Driven. Protective. Wounded.

Alena: Who is your favorite side character in the story?

Jayna: Aunt Kate is one of my favorite members of the supporting cast, with her outspoken grit, strong faith, and care for her adopted family. When I made the decision to tell part of the story from her perspective, she really took on a life and voice of her own.

Alena: These characters sound like the page-turning type, which always makes for the best books. 🙂

To close our discussion, what do you hope that readers will take away from Patriot at the River, Jayna? 

Jayna: The truth of Christ is our only hope, and his promises set us free. If readers are reminded to look to him boldly for strength in their weakness—whether it’s loving an enemy, forgiving a betrayal, facing a fear, enduring an illness, or braving any other struggle—Patriot at the River has fulfilled its purpose.

Excerpt From Patriot at the River:

“Susanna. Wait.”

She stopped and turned back. For the briefest moment Benjamin saw something in her eyes, a caring so deep and open that he felt all the more wretched.

“You barely speak to me,” he said. “I thought we—”

She sighed. “Everyone did.”

“Didn’t you?” he said, low.

“I see this anger in you, Benjamin. I’m frightened of it.”

“You needn’t be. It’s not you I’m angry with.”

“I know. But anger is like poison. It makes men do things they never thought they’d do. That’s what frightens me.”

“Sometimes a man has a right to be angry. There have been too many good men . . .”

“Like your pa.”

Straight to the heart of the matter, that was Susanna. “You don’t think I’ve a right to be angry about that?”

“Of course I don’t think—” She stopped herself, and he half wished she would go on so he could argue. “It’s not mine to say what you’ve a right to be angry about. That belongs to the Lord. Take it to him, Benjamin. He knows what it is to grieve.”

“I’ve had enough of grieving.” He could feel the low fire building in him, would not let her see it and think she was right. “Don’t fret, Susanna. You’ve naught to fear.”

She started to speak, then simply nodded. “I’m praying. I never stopped praying.”

“Maybe yours will get answered,” he said, and turned and walked into the kitchen.

Series Giveaway Opportunity

Before you go, be sure to enter Jayna’s giveaway!

Prize: One signed paperback copy each of Preacher on the Run and Patriot at the River, the first two books in the For Liberty and Conscience trilogy. All entrants will receive a promo code for Jayna Baas’s online store.

US mailing addresses only, 18 and up or with parental consent. No purchase necessary. All entrants agree to join Jayna Baas’s email list.

Giveaway ends on October 14th.

Be Sure to Check Out the Rest of the Posts on the Tour!

To celebrate it’s release, Patriot at the River is on a blog tour. Find out more about the book by visiting the rest of the blogs featured below:

Sept 30: Kelsey’s Notebook
Hope-Inspired Stories
Oct 1: Tangled Up in Writing
For Him and My Family
Oct 2: Kristina Hall
Oct 3: Alena Mentink
Oct 4: Happily Managing a Household of Boys
Oct 5: Southern Gal Loves to Read
Oct 7: Captive Dreams Window
Oct 8: Read Review Rejoice
Oct 9: Britt Reads Fiction
Oct 10: Vanessa Hall—Author of Christian Fiction
Oct 11: Life of Heritage Corner
Books by Virgina
Oct 12: Reading Excursions
Kenmore Pines

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