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!

"AnsweringAnnaveta"

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.