Sara L. Foust is our guest today.

She wrote a book called Camp Hope. She’s here to share the story behind her story.

Amy Dawson directs a summer camp for foster children near Briceville, Tennessee. A foster mom for the first time, her responsibilities as mother to a traumatized child bring a whole new set of challenges and joys.

But when Amy’s four-year-old foster daughter is dragged into the mountains of Royal Blue by a former employee, parenting challenges are overshadowed by a new nightmare. The Sheriff’s department fails to procure viable leads, and Amy can’t sit idle. Her childhood friend and first love, Jack Evans, returns to lend his skills as tracker. Problem is, he also stirs up romantic memories Amy would rather leave buried.

Jack struggles to let go of his past failures and prove his reliability by bringing Mattie home, but fears when he left camp nineteen years ago and failed to keep a promise to Amy he permanently lost her confidence.

As Amy plunges into the wilderness on horseback to search for Mattie, she must decide who she trusts, let go of her childhood traumas, and learn to rely on hope in God. Facing dehydration, starvation, and a convoluted kidnapper, will she succeed in recovering her precious foster daughter or get lost in the vast wilderness forever?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

What inspired you to write this book?

Briceville was originally a coal mining town. It is very small and there is one main road that runs into, through, and out of the town. It is a winding road that is dangerous in winter but beautiful, with the mountains rising virtually straight from its sides at points along the way.

There is a lesser known road, a side road off a side road, in Briceville that leads to the top of a mountain. When I was in school, the underground coal ribbons were on fire for many, many months, smoke escaping from small crevices along this mountain’s sides. At the end of this long, uphill gravel road sits a farm with stunning views and total seclusion. I have no idea who owns it, but I’ve always said if somehow I came into a fortune I would buy it.

We don’t really have many plateaus here, but this is as close to it as we get. You’re driving along through a tunnel of trees and all of a sudden, the trees give way to rolling meadows and a nearly 360-degree view of the surrounding wilderness. There are two houses up there. A big barn. An old cemetery. And all the peace and quiet a country girl could want.

Whoever lives there has a very long commute, and I imagine is probably stranded certain times of the year. What an amazing place to live!

This real-life farm is the setting for my newest novel, Camp Hope. A little bit of real-life and a little bit of fiction went into making up Amy Dawson’s home place. In the novel, she runs a summer camp for foster children with a large farmhouse for herself, a cabin for her best friend Sam, and small guest cabins for the campers. There is also a made-up swimming pond in the book and a huge horse barn.

The journey Amy ends up taking brings her far from her farmstead home, into the vast wilderness of Royal Blue, which is also a real-life place here in East Tennessee. I always find it fun to weave parts of the home I love so much into my stories. It seems that East Tennessee has so many gems tucked away in its mountains, I’m sure I’ll have inspiration for many more books!

What a story! Thanks for sharing these insightful details about the setting for your book.

Sara is a multi-published, award-winning author who writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from a mini-farm in East Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their five homeschooled children.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her debut novel Callum’s Compass won second place in Deep River Books’ 2017 Writer’s Contest. She also has a story, “Leap of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone.

Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family.

To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit www.saralfoust.com.

Follow Sara on social media: Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter

Sara is giving away a copy of Camp Hope. Follow the directions below to enter.

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