Your teen books take the Christian reader through many exciting adventures. Tell us about your first book.
My first novel was Perfect Blindside which is the story of teenagers Jake and Sophie. Jake is a Silver-medal winning snowboarder. As he struggles with instant fame, his parents move him to a small Colorado mountain town. Sophie, an aspiring journalist, is not thrilled when the famous snowboarder’s arrival disrupts her quiet hometown. As they get to know each other, they become entangled in a mystery set in the town’s abandoned gold mine. I love to combine adventure, mystery, romance, humor, and faith to create edifying books that teens will enjoy.
What is it about creating stories that moves your soul?
What a great question. I’m not sure how to answer except that I just feel fulfilled when I’m working on a story. I have always been creative. Even when I tried to suppress that part of my personality, creativity found a way to sneak back into my life. It just took a while for the calling to write, to come to life.
Share a pivotal moment in your life.
The idea for my first novel, Perfect Blindside, popped into my mind one day while I was searching for clean adventures for my own children. Initially, I didn’t write it as a Christian novel, just a fun mystery with a good message. I believed in the story but after sending out over 80 query letters to publishers and agents with no success, was feeling discouraged. Then one day, I picked up a book at my local bookstore that changed everything. This YA novel had all the elements I love in a book, adventure, mystery, innocent romance, and humor. It also had an extra, surprising element – faith. The author included religion in such a natural way which completely enhanced the story. It was a lightbulb moment for me as I realized that this was the missing piece to my story. Once I adjusted the novel, I suddenly had interest from publishers.
Tell us about “Perfect Blindside.” Can you share an important lesson from your book?
There are a few lessons that can be found in Perfect Blindside. First, I used the story to highlight the dark side of fame. Many teens are fascinated by celebrities but don’t always recognize the downside. The underlying theme of this novel, which is relevant to all readers, is to use our gifts and talents to help others.
You have encouraged teens in their faith through exciting adventurous mysteries in the “Perfect Blindside” and your recent book, “eXtreme Blindside.” What is your hope for “eXtreme Blindside.”
Through eXtreme Blindside, I continue to explore the difficulties of fame. I also delve a bit deeper into Jake and Sophie’s relationship. There is a scene in the book where they discuss the importance of chastity. This is a topic that is not discussed in most movies, shows, and teen books, and if it is, it’s portrayed as old-fashioned and lame. I believe showing relatable characters discuss this topic as a positive choice can be a valuable witness for teens. I also hope that the underlying message of putting God above all else is one that readers can take to heart.
When you were developing your story, where do you look for inspiration?
My writing journey began when the story of Perfect Blindside first popped into my mind. Since then, my novels all have begun with a little spark that ignites my imagination. For instance, the origin of my second novel, An Unexpected Role, occurred while I was writing Perfect Blindside. In an attempt to capture teen lingo, I was watching my kids and their friends interact. This made me wonder what would happen if an author wrote too much about her children and created havoc in their lives.
As for Where You Lead, the opening scene is based on a random thought I had over twenty years ago that I thought would make a great beginning to a novel. The idea kept niggling around in my mind, so after my first book was published, I decided to revisit that vision.
Once I have the initial idea, I start writing and let my imagination run wild. The relationships and mysteries are usually the first parts of the story that come together. As the story develops, the element of faith that I want to focus on becomes clear.
How important is “Giving back” to you?
I’ve always believed that we are blessed with gifts and talents that should be used to help others. For me, that means creating inspiring, exciting novels for teens. My writing career began when I was searching for clean novels for my own children, so I understand the struggle that parents face when searching for value-based fiction. Because of this, I have begun reviewing Christian and Catholic teen novels on my website to help other families find these kinds of books.
I also am one of the founders of a joint website, CatholicTeenBooks.com. We are a group of authors who work together to promote faith-based novels. Working with these kindred spirits has been was of the greatest blessings in my life.
What is next for you?
My newest project is a family adventure tentatively titled A Summer to Treasure. This adventurous mystery is a little different than my other books as it focuses on sibling relationships.
Website: http://lesleawahl.com/
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