Winner of Ransomed by Els Van Hierden

To Julia M. Reffner! She is the winner of

"Ransomed" by Els Van Hierden.

I've emailed her and am waiting for her address.

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway.

Blessings,

Els Van Hierden* author interview and FREE BOOK

Els thanks for taking the time to visit us today! I appreciate you answering these few
questions. It will be fun to get to know you better. Tell us a little about yourself and your
family.

My husband Edward and I have five children, ages 17-8. Two boys and three girls. Our
life is full of variety, with our oldest son graduated, the two girls schooling online from
home, and the youngest two in a Christian school in town. In addition to this, we own an
equestrian centre with about thirty horses, and have a horse trailer dealership. My
husband is a land developer, which has been very difficult for us the last few years with
the recession. The publication of “Ransomed” truly is a sign of God’s faithfulness to us
throughout our journey.

How long did you write before you were published?
I have been writing since I was a young child. I had this dream to be a writer since then. I
have written for various magazines, but not seriously pursued the publication of a novel
until now.

Tell us about “Ransomed,” the featured book.
“Ransomed” was born out of the pain of our failed adoption: the Canadian couple in the
book is us, although I have changed the identities of the people. The details of the journey
to Russia and what happened there is what really happened to us. It’s biographical. I
came back filled with pain, and wanted to have an outlet for healing from this journey,
but also to share what is going on in other countries around the world.

Is there any person who has been a strong influence in your writing journey?
My grade six teacher: he believed enough in me to write, “When will you publish your
first book?” on one of my essays. I never forgot that. I would also say that Francine
Rivers has been influential in my writing. I love her style, her straightforward approach to
difficult topics.

What message(s) do you want to be clear to your readers?
The main message I want to share is that healing is available for everyone through Jesus
Christ. No one is exempt. But I also wanted to share a picture of what that healing may
look like: the forgiveness that God extends to us, we need to extend to others.
Also, we have a responsibility to care about the orphans. Not many of us have the
privilege to do what I did and adopt, but perhaps we can all sponsor a child.


What are some of your likes and dislikes? Your hobbies, interests? Where do you like to
vacation?
I like to work. Nothing makes me feel better than a day of productive work, especially
since I have had a lot of health issues that have laid me low this past year. I love spending
time with my husband and kids. Every night we sit around and debrief our day. We don’t
watch television, so have lots of time to spend together as a family. I also really like to
spend time with people. I find almost everyone interesting, except those who are only
interested in themselves.
Dislikes? People who are rude to others.
My favorite vacation spot is Europe: that’s where I was born. We had the opportunity to
spend five weeks there a few years ago, and worked in Romania with an orphanage
organization. That was the best holiday we’ve ever had.

Tell us a little-known fact about yourself that readers may not know.
All my writing comes from my own brokenness. There have been so many pieces over
the years, put God has put it all back together again. All the praise is to Him!

How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of
words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?
A novel takes me the time of my own healing to be accomplished, if that makes sense.
The last two years since finishing the book have been the most difficult in my life, and I
believe another novel is being born out of this. I don’t have goals: when I write, I forget
the time and the words just keep coming. I will write at any time of the day, and
sometimes the middle of the night.

What are you currently reading?
John Maxwell: “Everyone communicates, Few connect.”

Do you grow flowers or vegetables? What are your favorite flowers?
I have a shade garden with a pond. My favorite plants are the shade plants with big leaves
like hostas, pulmonaria, and ferns: they don’t need to have flowers. On the prairies, a
shade garden is very rare, but my European side craves that greenery.

What are you writing now?
The sequel to “Ransomed”, but in the very beginning stages. Not sure if I’m up to the
task yet!

How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website is www.elsvanhierden.com. You can also order the book through Winepress
or Amazon

And thanks for spending this time with us Els,
We wish you much success.
I enjoyed your book very much.
Thank you as well. If there is anything else I can do for you or your bloggers, let me
know. I appreciate you taking the time to do this.

My review of Ransomed:
http://thelifeandtimesofwanda.blogspot.com/2010/06/ransomed-by-els-van-hierdenbook-review.html



All you have to do to win this book is be/become a follower and leave a comment and tell me what you liked most about the interview and also leave an email address to enter!
This giveaway is for U.S. residents only. The deadline for entry is July 21, 2010. A winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator and the winner will be notified by email.

Ransomed by Els Van Hierden~book review~

About the Book
Hundreds of thousands of orphans have been left homeless and abandoned as a result of the fall of the Communist era. Left to fend for themselves or locked up in state orphanages, the children have little hope for the future. Yet in the middle of suicide, alcoholism, and drug abuse, hope emerges. David Valensky, a successful US businessman who has experienced terrible personal loss, pours his life into reaching the homeless teens on the streets of Perm, Russia. But as the ministry grows, tragedy unfolds, threatening its very existence.
Karina Svetlana, a morose orphanage director with a dark past, meets David during his orphanage outreach. Will David be able to reach her with the Gospel and break the chains that hold her captive? And will their fledging love survive the storm that envelopes David's ministry?
Jared and Vanessa Williams travel to Russia to adopt a child, excited to bring home a new son. Can they cope with what they find in Russia and the devastating news that leaves their faith shattered?
Based on the author's personal experience in Russia, this novel will not only captivate and intrigue, but change your heart.


Book Information
Price: $19.95
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 1579219616
ISBN-13: 9781579219611
Publisher: WinePress Publishing
Year: 2009

About the Author:
Els and her family live in Lethbridge, Canada, where they own an equestrian centre. She oversees the day to day operations of the centre, homeschools two of her five children, and is a Certified Equine Therapist. She is certified through Strategic Life Alignment as a conference speaker, helping people find God's call for their life. Els enjoys speaking to groups, and working with women. Els and her family like camping in the mountains with their horses, spending time at their ranch, and traveling.http://www.elsvanhierden.com/

My Review:
I fell in love with these characters. They were really honest and easy to believe.
Ransomed is full of love, suspense, endings, beginnings, extreme sadness and supreme happiness. David is working in Russia at a mission for teens to bring them off of the street for a meal and a place to stay. His love for the teens changes many of there lives. Karina is the head of an orphanage. She wants to provide for the infants and children that have nothing or no one. Karina has had a troubled past and has made some bad decisions. David shows Karina the love of Christ, but that causes problems for David.
This story is also about Jared and Vanessa are trying to adopt a Russian child, but have their share of troubles. They are close to adopting a child and then it falls threw. God blesses them and then things happen.
This is a beautiful book abandoned children, alcoholism, suicide and drug abuse, but also the gift of the Lord and many happy blessings from the Lord. I highly recommend this beautiful book. It's a serious, but wonderful story. This book teaches us that God works in all situations, that things are never to hard for the Lord. A book that is hard to put down. I will be keeping this book for my library for sure. A new author to me, but a new favorite.

Order from the author

Order from WinePress


I received this book free from WinePress publishers for review purposes.