Lorna Kopp Visits Friday with Friends!

Friday with Friends welcomes author 
Lorna Kopp & her debut novel 
"Answering Annaveta"


I’m so excited to introduce to you all my very first book!  It’s been a few years in the making and there were many days that I wrestled with it and wondered if it would ever be published, but finally after at least five years of sweat and tears, we are here. First I’ll share a little description of the story and then I’ll give you a little background. Enjoy!



Annaveta Travotsky, a young girl in 1913 Russia, is poised at the dawn of womanhood.


In the span of a few short weeks, Annaveta finds her world turned upside down. Prevailing over trauma, tragedy and loss she moves on, but the guilt and rejection she carries from past abusive relationships, cause her to struggle with feelings of unworthiness.


Her heart holds her back from receiving the love of the one man who longs to protect her.


As her past catches up to her, Annaveta flees to St.Petersburg, a place where she seeks safety. However, unrest in Russia makes the country ripe for an uprising, where terrorist groups like the Black Hand are flourishing. In the middle of this city filled with turmoil and rebellion, Annaveta and Alex discover a murderous plot devised by members of the Black Hand.


When terrorists threaten their lives, Annaveta faces a choice:

                                               
                             Hold onto the lies of her past or
                                                Believe in the power of love.




The idea for this book came from a desire to learn more about my dad’s family and way of life in the Volga German colonies in Russia in the early 1900’s. His family was only one of many German Lutherans, who moved to Russia from Bavaria and Germany in 1763 in response to Catherine the Great’s offer of free land. However, the biggest drawing card for these immigrants was freedom to worship without fear of censure or ridicule.

So this story, begins in 1913 when Russia as a whole, was struggling with unrest. Within the German colonies, even though they worked hard and were prospering, they felt the conflict around them through tougher government regulations along with increasing discord with their Russian neighbours. In the bigger cities like St.Petersburg, many workers walked the streets, striking for fair wages and decent living conditions and many people were angry with how the Tsar was governing the country.

Terrorist groups like the Black Hand had gained the upper hand having connections in Serbia as well as Russia. (If you’re a die-hard Downton Abbey fan, you’ll remember the Black Hand was mentioned in one of the early episodes). It was this secret society that ended up planning and carrying out the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria. This single act of terrorism was the ‘fire-starter’ to WWI.


As I worked on the first draft of this story, one day it came to me. I had an ‘aha moment.’ I had been struggling with why I was writing about the horrible abuse, rejection and tragedy of a young girl and was frustrated with how the story was growing. So one day I stopped typing. Putting my head in my hands I cried out to God, asking Him why I was writing about this? I told Him I really didn’t want to write about such messy stuff, I wanted to write about something fun. In all my complaining, He stopped me in my tracks and  I remember to this day the words He whispered in my ear. He said, “When you were younger, your soul was raped because of the different trauma and life experiences you went through. So you need to tell this story just how it’s coming to your heart, because I’m using this story to heal you and others.”


I sat there and thought about what He said for a long while and somehow it all made sense why the story was evolving how it was.


In the story, when Annaveta is saved by Alex and it takes her a long time to trust him, this is a reflection of what happens to a lot of us in our own journey with God. As we go through the many chaotic and painful experiences in life, God is still  faithful and woos us even though sometimes it takes us quite a long time to get to the point where we trust Him. Also when Annaveta is haunted by the many memories and people from her past, those are like the lies of the enemy that get louder and louder in our minds trying to discourage and torment us. These lies try to get us to lose hope and to stop believing in God and in who He has created us to be.  Through angel-visits and dreams, Annaveta comes to understand what it means to fully love and trust.


Wow! Thanks, Lorna! I don't know about my readers, but "Answering Annaveta" is definitely on my wish list! 

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Friends, Lorna has graciously agreed to give away a copy of "Answering Annaveta". Please leave a comment with your email (I promise, no spamming!) so I can let you know if your name gets drawn from the hat. Also let me know if you want it in print or ebook. Thanks for visiting Friday with Friends!

Author Bio:  Lorna Faith loves all things romantic, historical and filled with adventure. As a farm girl and the youngest child of 11, she grew up hearing lots of stories and so a love of story-telling was born. A graduate of the University of Lethbridge with a degree in Music, Lorna teaches students by day and scribbles away on her next novel by night. Along with their two singing parakeets, Holly and Polly, Lorna and her husband have four teenagers and live in southern Alberta near the Rocky Mountains. You may visit her at www.lornafaith.com  or www.surfingforshoes.com.

20 comments:

  1. Hi Linnette! Thanks for having me on your blog today...this is fun :-)

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    1. So glad to have you here, Lorna! Sorry I've been out. Busy editing my debut novel. ;-) I'm looking forward to seeing how well your book does! So exciting! :D

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  2. Hey Linnette (and Lorna!) Your synopsis of the book, and the heartfelt explanation behind why you wrote it, really grabbed my attention and I can't wait to read it. Regardless of whether I win the giveaway or not, let me know how I can get a copy and I'll get right to reading it! I'd love to write a review for you as well!

    Let me know whatever I can do to help you out. (Also, Lorna, if you'd like a shout out, or to do a post on my blog, I'd love to have you there. It's still new, and gaining a small following, but any marketing is good marketing, right?!)

    kcrosswriting.com
    kcrosswriting@gmail.com

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    1. Katie, your kind words touched my heart:-) I would love it if you would write a review of Answering Annaveta...that would be wonderful! Thanks so much for the invitation to post on you blog and for the shout out, I would love that..what fun!
      Thanks for stopping by Katie...

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  3. This sounds like a hard book to read, and harder to write, but one that God will use to draw people closer to Him. Congrats, Lorna! (Mylab1122) at (gmail) dot (com)

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    1. Hi Kimberly and Abby :-) Yes, this was a hard book to write. It was worth it though, because through it God worked through some tough things from my past. My biggest hope is that people see God as their friend through the story. Thanks for stopping by you two...and for your kind words!

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    2. Thanks for stopping by, Kimberly! :D

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  4. Wow! This sounds like an incredible book about one of my favorite time periods in history! My husband was born in Russia as well...so I enjoy reading about their history as well.
    Thanks for the chance to win! martha(at)lclink(dot)com

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    1. Hi, Martha! Thanks for stopping in! :D

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    2. Hi Martha :-) That's so interesting that your husband was born in Russia. It was quite fun researching the early 1900's time period in Russia...so much to learn :-) Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by !

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  5. Congratulations on the book, Lorna! Very exciting, and it sounds like a wonderful read.

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    1. Thanks Stephanie...it does feel so good to finally have the book published! Thanks for your encouraging words and for dropping in :-)

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  6. I would love to win a print copy of Lorna's book to give to my Church Library.
    Thanks!
    Janet E.
    von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi Janet:-) That's so great that you help out your church Library. I remember getting books from our church library every Sunday when I was younger, so that's a really good service you are doing! Thanks for stopping by :-)

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  7. Lorna, I would like to congratulate you as well on your book. I have started reading and can hardly wait to sit and get further into the story. It has already grabbed my attention and interest along with the fact that we have family ties with our history. Even if I am not the winner I will definitely purchase a copy to share with my family. My email is brukes@hotmail.ca

    Thanx Lorna!!! and Linnette!! (:

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    1. Hi Cousin! So glad you are liking the book Barbara:-) With our dad's being brothers, you would've heard a lot of the same stories I heard of life in Russia. It was so interesting to research ! Thanks for dropping by :-)

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  8. Thanks everyone for stopping by and thank you Linnette for having me on your blog!

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  9. Congratulations to Katie Cross for winning a copy of "Answering Annaveta"! :D

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Thanks for stopping by and chatting with me! I hope you enjoyed your time here and will come visit me again! :D

Linnette R Mullin