CHAPTERS 12-14

1) The Starganauts attempt to parlay with Grunn. What is the result of the meeting? Have you ever faced unfair accusations?

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Just a little badly. 😉 Mines go off, and the team discovers this meeting was a ploy to kill them…on live holovision! Not a cool move there, Grunn!

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Unfortunately, yes. Both my husband and I faced unfair accusations from people we knew, and it really hurt. It was also very frustrating because, like Grunn, these people refused to believe us without even hearing us out.

2) What does Samantha experience when she lets Kexid into her mind? Have you ever been set free by surrendering to God?

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A: Kexid realizes he’s wrong, and she slips away to Trylithia to save Samantha from execution. This leads to a scene I love! When Kexid enters her mind, Samantha sees her sifting through memories and they become mentally linked. God shows both of them the execution of Parcund, proving beyond any doubt that Grunn is in the wrong.

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I’ve been set free from my sins by accepting God’s gift of salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. I’ve also experienced the freedom/peace of surrendering my hopes, dreams, and desires to God. Additionally, I’ve seen my husband set free from addictions by surrendering to God’s will for him. We serve a powerful God, and it was my hope to glorify Him in this powerful scene.

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3) On Paradeesia, Kaity is warmly greeted but encounters delays. What did you think of Paradeesia and King Dathun? Do you think Kaity’s hard words to Dathun were inappropriate, or justified?

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A: I LOVE Paradeesia! It’s one of my favorite planets because it’s so beautiful and exotic. I probably like King Dathun more than the average reader, because I know his heritage and background. Also, I’m the author, so I was aware of the reason for his delaying tactics and slight jerkish-ness.

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Both, honestly! Kaity was rude and could’ve been more tactful. Nonetheless, her angst makes sense because Dathun is being unreasonable.

4) Sharko, James, and Chrysta have a night mission on Voolok Sea. Did you see Dudeman’s surprise coming? What was your favorite part of this battle?

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A: I actually didn’t! The idea to reuse Tahlimo in this scene came as a solution for how our heroes might stop the hovertank advance. However, it became another favorite scene of mine! It’s so fun reading about James racing around on his tahlimik and throwing around quips while sinking hovertanks! A close runner-up would be when Blaze cuts into a hovertank and throws a grenade in it. Really, I just love this whole part! 

5) How do Samantha and Kaity’s earlier misadventures/failures prepare them to change King Dathun’s mind? How has God used past failure(s) to prepare you for future successes?

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A: Kaity’s selfishness and fear helped her understand Dathun. She gets through to him and appeals to his conscience. At the same time, Samantha’s trials on Trylithia make her bolder and more in tune with the Spirit. She also has Kexid along to reveal the nulrej shield’s secret. This is the final nail in the coffin and prompts Dathun to reveal what really lay behind his refusal to help.

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Where to begin? Haha. Fear of failure has dominated me most of my life. Like Kaity, I’ve had to find courage. But a specific thing that comes to mind is failure in contests. All of my life, until last December, I’d never won a single contest I entered. I tried, believe me!!! Especially in 2018-2020, I entered multiple writing/story contests. Every time, I got the same outcome: not even close! The worst was a contest where you won based on how many reads your story got. My short story got a grand total of…ZERO! Yeah, that was about as fun as falling into a cactus. 😩

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Despite this, God used these failures to make me a better writer. I received constructive criticism from several contests that I incorporated into my later stories. I learned what show, don’t tell is and employed it in my newest flash fiction piece. This story went on to win 1st place in Clean Fiction Magazine's Windows into the Multiverse contest (in sci-fi)! 🎉 God used these failures to prepare me for success. I'm so thankful to Him that even failure can be used to shape us. Because of this, I no longer fear it as intensely.