Today we are talking to John Hufft, about his debut book, The Brokenhearted Christian. John, tell us a little about your new book. What is the main storyline?

The Brokenhearted Christian: Book One starts a journey of a teenage boy, Joshua Carpenter who moves into a new town after suffering an unspeakable loss.  A chance encounter sets him on a path toward acknowledging his pain and reconciling with God.  As his journey continues, there are several events that take place in his life which causes him to struggle with his Christianity.  Joshua is being tested in ways for reasons he does not understand, yet are necessary for what God’s plan is.   There is a bit of a mystery to the book regarding several of the characters.

How long have you been writing?

Oh, wow!  I have been writing stories since grade school.  I enjoy creating characters in stories that people can relate to. I love writing about Jesus, adventures, mystery, romance, you name it.  When I was younger, I would always jot down ideas of what I thought may sound like a good story if ever I got the opportunity to write a book.  I still have all the notes I had written down and I’m certain that whatever popped in my head all those years ago have somehow made its way into my recent book.

Before writing The Brokenhearted Christian, I have self-published 4 children’s books which I illustrated myself.

Grade school… wow! When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was younger, for school, we had to complete book reports and out of what we had written, the school would choose certain kids to be able to attend The Children’s Literature Festival.  I was blessed with the opportunity to go twice!  I think this was what propelled me into writing.

That sounds like an amazing opportunity you had as a child. What inspired you to write this book?

It has been on my heart to write a book where I can share God’s love through it.  But, it’s more than just sharing God’s love and His Word.  I wanted my book to reflect real moments in our life that could take place.  It is about experiencing the ups and downs of life that almost everyone can relate to.  It’s not always going to be a delightful world or place we live in.  We will all experience some type of event or events in our life that we simply don’t understand.  Whatever it may be, we cannot understand, “why me?” The reality is, we are here for a short while.  We don’t know how long we will be here, but this is not our home.  We are here temporarily until God calls us to our forever home.  Yes, God wants us to be happy here on earth, but he also wants a personal relationship with us and wants our heart to focus on Him in all that we do so when our time ends here in this world, we will rise up and be with Him in Heaven.

Did it turn out the way you first thought it would? If not, what was different?

Yes, however, with the book being a series, I had to figure out where I wanted my ending and my next book beginning to take place.  More than likely, I plan to leave a cliffhanger at the end of each book to get the reader to question what the heck just happened.

How long did it take you to write? Tell us a little about the process.

The book took me about a year to write.  Before I wrote the book though, I had made notes for about a year regarding how I wanted the story to go.  Anytime an idea would pop up in my head, I would immediately write it down; even if it meant waking up in the middle of the night to jot it on a scratch paper or napkin.  I would always set times aside to write weekly.  If I wasn’t feeling it, even though I had a time set aside to write, I would go through notes to jog my memory.  I had the ending in sight so it made it easy for me to write the meat of the book.

Did you need to do any special research?

Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com were a few of my sites I would hit up for assistance.  Reading the Bible, of course, wasn’t necessarily special research, but it was my best friend when writing.

Do you have a special place or atmosphere you like to write best?

The place has to be quiet around me; however, I enjoy listening to instrumental music when writing.

Are you like your main character?

To a degree.  I think though that several people can relate to my main character.

What character do you relate to or like best?

I like the main character, Joshua.  I understand his pain and his struggles he is going through.  One of my favorite characters though would have to be the mysterious Mr. Rogers.

Did you learn anything new about yourself while writing this book?

I learned that if you absolutely love to do something, no matter what it is, that you can do it.

What project are you working on now?

Book two of The Christian Book Series. And marketing Book One.

What advice would you give a new author?              

Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and He will guide your heart on what to write.  If you truly love writing and it has been a passion of yours to write since you can remember, then get a notepad, a nice pen and just begin.  If more than anything, you want to become an author and you can feel it deep within your soul to share your story with the world, then don’t hold it in any longer.  You were meant to be a writer. It will take time.  It may be hard.  It will be worth it!

How many books have you written and how can we find your book(s)?

The Brokenhearted Christian: Book One is my first novel. I have 4 other children’s books which I have written and illustrated.  The Brokenhearted Christian: Book One can be found online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple iTunes, and other online platforms. Some of my children’s books are also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple iTunes.

My website: www.thechristianbookseries.com has information on my novel series and will soon have my other books listed on there.  You can also follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=john+hufft

Here are other ways to connect with me:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianBookSeries/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TheChristianBkS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechristianbookseries/

Do you have any closing comments for us today?

For those reading this, know that you are loved by a God who wants nothing but the best for you.  If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, it is not too late.  Pray to Him, accept His unconditional love and watch him work wonders in your life.  Don’t give up when times are hard or you feel like God has left you. He is with you always; just trust His ways.  Keep your heart focused on His leading and you will find yourself in a place He wants you to be which is where you were meant to be for yourself and others.  I pray my books speak to your heart and soul and although they were written from me to you, the glory is given to our Heavenly Father.

Finally, never ever give up on doing what you love to do!

Visits: 62