I am super excited to be able to be apart of this blog tour for the release of "Out of the Dark"! MacKenzie Morganthal released her second novel, book two in the Mission for Freedom series, yesterday and I am so thrilled about it!
MacKenzie, a huge CONGRATULATIONS!
Today, here is an interview with the amazing author, MacKenzie Morganthal about her new book, and I hope that you all enjoy it and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Chloe:
Hello, MacKenzie! I am honored to be able to be doing this author interview
with you!
MacKenzie:
Thank you so much for having me, Chloe! It is an honor to be a part of your
blog.
Chloe: So,
to get started, would you mind telling the readers about yourself, please?
MacKenzie:
Sure! I’ve been writing since I was around nine years old, and I enjoy writing
anything whether it be song lyrics or (my favorite) novels! Music is also a big
part of my life and I enjoy playing the guitar. I love American sign language,
choreography, sweet tea and spending hours in coffee shops. But most
importantly, I love Jesus and want to give Him glory in everything I do.
Chloe: Wonderful, thank you! I
read your first book, Not Abandoned, in just a few hours; it was so gripping!
It was a wonderful book and you did such a magnificent job on it. Why don’t you
tell a little bit about your first novel, and what inspired you to write it?
MacKenzie:
Thank you so much, Chloe. “Not Abandoned”, book one in my Mission for Freedom
series, had been a bit of a surprise for me, since when I sat down to write I
had no plans to write this story! I had another novel I was prepping for
publication at the time, but then I heard a radio interview with a survivor of
human trafficking. I think that was the moment where everything changed for me
and I knew I wanted to get involved and do something to stop this terrible
evil. Using the gift God gave me for writing was that something I could do, and
that’s when He gave me the story of “Not Abandoned”. It follows four different
girls whose lives are changed drastically when they are affected by human
trafficking. My goal for this book has always been to raise awareness about
this subject and educate young girls so that they are aware of the dangers and
can keep themselves and their friends safe.
Chloe: Amazing...I think everyone should read your book. So,
your second novel, Out Of The Dark, which is the second book in your Mission
For Freedom series, is releasing the 27th of this month! I am super
excited to read it! Would you mind telling us what this one is about? What made
you want to make Not Abandoned into a series, or did you have that intention
all along?
MacKenzie:
I’m excited too! When writing “Not Abandoned”, I actually did not have the intention
to make it into a series at first. But by the time it was finished and I had
readers begging for a sequel, I began work on a sequel. My plan was to write
the sequel and that would be the end of this story. But I got very stuck in the
sequel and struggled for the past two years with creating this story. I think this
dry season for me was God trying to grab my attention and remind me that He’s
my partner in writing, and if I try to go at it without Him, I’m going to fail.
So over ten rewrites later, God has blessed me with finishing this second half
of the story. I think it was about halfway through “Out of the Dark” that I
realized I wanted to make this a three book series. As readers will find out,
there’s lots of missing pieces left in the story, (maybe a cliff hanger in the
end ;)) and I’m looking forward to wrapping everything up in book three. But
I’m getting ahead of myself, haha! I am thrilled to share “Out of the Dark”
with my readers and hope it will be as loved as “Not Abandoned” was. In “Out of
the Dark” you can expect a lot of deep, emotional scenes. As our characters
return in book two, they are still working through this aftermath of surviving
human trafficking. So there’s a lot of emotional conversations throughout the
book. There’s a lot of suspense and drama. Avery begins receiving death
threats, and Haley takes the case into her own hands. Because as we saw in “Not
Abandoned”, Haley is a very determined young woman!
Chloe: Oh my! sounds as wonderful as the first! So,
you being the creator of your book characters, you know them all best. Who is
your favorite character in Not Abandoned and why?
MacKenzie:
Hmm, that’s tough because I love them all for different reasons. Haley Hampton,
our young cop, has always been a favorite of mine though. She’s brave and bold.
And there were some parts of her personality where I could see myself, like how
passionate she is about stopping human trafficking, and how she (sometimes)
jumps without thinking first. ;) I was really rooting for Avery in “Out of the
Dark” though, as her character develops a little more, and I think readers are
really going to feel connected to Avery a lot more in this book, and especially
into the third book.
Chloe: Oh, I love Avery and Haley! They are two amazing, strong girls! How
many new characters come along in Out Of The Dark, that were not in Not
Abandoned?
MacKenzie:
One of the main new characters that we meet in “Out of the Dark” is Elaine
Reynolds. She’s fifteen years old and is being trafficked from home by her
older boyfriend. Elaine is very sensitive, and still dealing with a broken
heart from her mother’s death. At first she’s not willing to lose her
boyfriend, but as the story progresses she comes to a breaking point where
she’s not sure she can keep going anymore. We’re also introduced to two eight
year old twins who were rescued from a brothel in Thailand, Jocelyn and Morgan.
Jocelyn is especially close to Avery and the two have a ‘mother-daughter’ bond.
Another new character you will see a lot of is Owen Jenkins. He volunteers at
the safehouse run by Avery and has become a very close friend and confidant to
her. But is Owen safe to trust or will he turn on Avery? Readers will have to
decide for themselves when they read “Out of the Dark”!
Chloe: Ah! Now I'm REALLY, REALLY thrilled about reading it!! Okay,
so can you share with us who inspires you the most in life to follow the
calling that God has given you?
MacKenzie:
If I can go with family, I’ll have to say my Mom and my sister, Bella. They are
both strong women who I will always look up to for their bravery and courage
and commitment to following God no matter what. My best friend, Raechel, is
another great example of that.
Chloe: Great! So to
wrap this up with-and on a whole other note then book writing!-is there a movie
actress/actor from the 20th century that you are interested in the
life they lived or how they effected people, their legacy they left, ect.? (I
ask because I’m interested in actresses/actors from the 21st century!)
MacKenzie:
Ooh that’s a tough one! Honestly, I’m terrible with remembering names of
actresses/actors. :P One of my favorite movies from the 20th century
though is probably “Anne of Green Gables”. My sister and I loved those movies!
When we were little, we’d pretend all the time that we were ‘Anne and
Diana’. We also grew up watching the tv
series “Little House on the Prairie”, and my whole family loved them. J
Chloe: Oh, Anne of Green Gables and Little House!! Love those!
Thank
you so much, MacKenzie for letting me be a part of this! You are such a
blessing to people and may God Bless you as you continue to serve Him and honor
Him with your life!
MacKenzie:
Thank you so much for joining my blog tour, Chloe! I’m thankful to know you and
be a part of your blog today. J Keep serving God and letting Him use you!
Chloe: Thank you so much!
It’s been three years since Haley
Hampton rescued her sister, Avery, from a human trafficking ring. They are
still struggling through the aftermath as both women desperately long for
healing to come. But the emotional wounds are not easily forgotten. And the
past is quickly catching up to them. A string of death threats leaves Haley on
the hunt for a potential killer. As tensions run high, a single mistake could
jeopardize Avery’s life.
Then Haley encounters Elaine, a young teen trapped by human
trafficking. Could she be their missing link in the case? Is there anyone they
can trust? Haley must rely on God now more than ever if they intend to make it
out alive. Will they find a way out of the darkness closing in? Because evil is
lurking closer…and determined to win this time.
You can keep in touch with her on her social media, links below!
To order a copy of "Out Of The Dark", click the link below or visit her website above!
http://www.createspace.com/7483523
Also, below is the schedule for this weeks blog tour so you can follow along!
http://www.createspace.com/7483523
Also, below is the schedule for this weeks blog tour so you can follow along!
Out of the Dark blog tour schedule:
October
27th:
Release day/ kick-off post at Gods Peculiar Treasure Rae
October
28th:
Chloe Hale/ The Chloe Blog at
www.heresclo.blogspot.com// Author interview
October
29th:
Riley Aline/ Riley Aline Blog// Guest post
October
30th:
Livy Jarmusch/ Livy Lynn Blog// Author interview and PDF giveaway
October
31st:
Bethany Smith/ Girl On Fire// Author interview
November
1st:
Rae/ Gods Peculiar Treasure Rae// “Out of the Dark” book review
November
2nd:
Isabella Morganthal/ Worth It All// Guest post
November
3rd:
Faith Blum/ Faith Blum Blog// “Out of the
Dark” book review.
Wrap-up post/ Gods Peculiar Treasure Rae// Giveaway winner announcement
Thank you all so much and God Bless!!
(And don't forget to grab a copy of "Not Abandoned" and "Out of the Dark"!
