Today I am sharing an author interview with Connilyn Cossette. I have previously participated in blog tours launching Connilyn Cossette’s books. Each time each blogger would submit questions for Conni to answer. You can find the original interviews on Library Lady’s Kid Lit. I combined them into one interview here.
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Cities of Refuge series
How did you make these characters come to life?
I fell in love with Eitan as a child so I found it a fun challenge to figure out who he would be as a man and how the events from A Light on the Hill might have effected him over the years. It took me almost half of the draft before I came to understand his motivations and then went back and layered in some more personality detail. It is usually about that point in the process where the character becomes “real” to me in my head and I feel like I am getting into their shoes (or sandals, as it were…) I think it’s a little bit like acting because the goal there is to “become” the character and that’s a little what happens to me as I write, I start to feel as if I am experiencing the story through their eyes. Sofea was fairly simple, from the opening scene I just knew who she was and why she was driven to her goals. My writing partner Nicole kept comparing her Moana for her love of the sea, so she’s got a little bit Disney princess in her too. The villain of this story (no spoilers) was a little more difficult, but eventually I figured that person out as well, but not until the entire first draft was complete. I don’t like to write villains that have no real reason for being “evil” so it usually takes me a bit longer to figure out why they do the bad things they do!
The cities of refuge in the Old Testament isn’t a topic we hear about a lot in church, how did this play into your research? Did you find it easier or more difficult to portray what life would be like for your characters in such a place?
That is very true. I knew pretty much nothing about them either but there is research out there, albeit sparing, from Christian and also Jewish Rabbinical sources that helped me fill in some gaps which I then just blended with what I know about God and about the plan of salvation that fits so perfectly into the Cities of Refuge pattern. As I began to “flesh out” the City of Kedesh in my mind it honestly became a real place in my head, so it’s not difficult to place myself there and envision what my characters see. When I went to Israel and drove near the place where the actual city once stood (or at least across the valley from it) it was kind of surreal to blend my “fictional” Kedesh with the actual landscape.
How did you come up with the topic for this story?
Well, in the beginning it was an off-hand comment by my husband’s best friend that I actually laughed off at first and then began to realize was a completely cool premise! But I can’t really tell you what that comment was because it’s a major spoiler! But I also did some research about the Bronze Age and found out there was a real problem with pirates back then and knew I had to weave them in too. The original plot idea was very different and involved more pirates and even some ancient drug trade (yes, there was such a thing) and ended up being a tangled mess that didn’t make much logical sense, so I am really pleased with how it all came together…eventually.
Have you traveled to the Holy Land to get perspective/atmosphere for your books?
Yes, I had the privilege of traveling with fellow author Cliff Graham’s Good Battle Tours last December and I came home with thousands of pictures and tons of inspiration and sensory detail to layer into my stories. I cannot wait to go back and glean more someday, it was a life-changing experience that I will never forget.
Was there a moment when you “just knew” that you were meant to write these stories?
I can’t remember a specific moment that I knew I was meant for it because the passion to write was always in me from an early age. I honestly didn’t think I had anything to say until I had kind of a “vision” of Kiya from Counted with the Stars when I was reading/studying Exodus and even then it took me five years to have the courage to put my work out in the world. It was probably as I was writing Shadow of the Storm that I realized I had more than just the proverbial “one book” in me and began to feel that writing was almost a compulsion. I get withdrawals when I can’t write now. Since the inspiration just keeps flowing from the Bible, I know that God is using me in this time for this purpose so I’m gonna go with it until he shuts off the faucet (which is hopefully not until for a very, very long time).
Do you relate particularly well to any one of the characters in this book? Why or why not?
I always find little ways I relate to many of my characters but in Shelter of the Most High I think perhaps I connected the most with Eitan’s struggle with recurring self-condemnation. In order to avoid spoilers I won’t say exactly how he handles these issues but I think for me, and for many other followers of Jesus, I have a habit of bringing up my past sins and beating myself over the head with them, even though His grace is sufficient and I have no need to wallow in condemnation any more. If we are in Covenant with Jesus through his blood then we have been freely forgiven, so we must stop letting the Enemy whisper in our ear that we are not worthy. Eitan goes through the process of trying to “earn” forgiveness for something he had already been given grace for and I am guilty of doing the same thing at times. His journey was a great reminder to me that I am already free, so I need to stop acting like a slave to my past!Was there anything interesting that happened during the writing of this book (or that made its way into the writing of this book) that the average reader wouldn’t pick up on?The biggest change for me was traveling to Israel. I went from having to rely on the internet and Google Earth for my experiences of the Land to getting the opportunity to see and feel and taste and touch and smell those places for myself. It shifted my understanding of the “smallness” of the country and how close everything in the Bible is in relation to one another and gave me a wealth of sensory detail to layer into my stories. I’d already written Shelter of the Most High when I went there but during editing I was able to tweak and expand due to my firsthand experiences. It was life-changing in many ways.
Is there any particular message (that isn’t obvious) that you would like your readers to get out of this book?
As I began writing the Cities of Refuge Series I came to the realization that the places God set up as sanctuaries for those convicted of manslaughter (Joshua 20) were a wonderful picture of the Body of Christ and how the Church should relate to the world. Our congregations should be a haven for the hurting, a place of safety and provision for those who are suffering, a place where the teaching of the Word (Torah) is central, a gathering of redeemed people who appreciate the grace and mercy they’ve been given, and a light on the hill to the weary and heavy laden. Throughout the series you’ll see cities of refuge like Kedesh where these principles are upheld and valued and others that have became more focused on wealth, power, self-righteousness or have slidden into idolatry and compromise. History shows us that these cities of refuge were kind of a blip on the timeline, in fact scholar think that many of the 48 cities designated for the Levites by Moses were never even settled. If the Church wants to have an impact on the culture around us, instead of the other way around, we would do well to pattern our congregations after these places of perfectly balanced justice and mercy.
Is Sofea and Eitan’s story finished, or will we see more of them?
The next book, Until the Mountains Fall, opens about 8 years after Shelter of the Most High, so you will definitely see what Eitan and Sofea are up to. I won’t spoil anything about their appearances but I will say that it made me so happy to revisit them and to “see” their love story through the eyes of a grown-up Malakhi (the hero of UTMF).
How detailed is your research for each of your books?
I spent five years writing Counted with the Stars in which I did a lot of detailed research into the ancient world of the Bible. So now with that base in mind, I do my best to mostly research the history, archeology, and the settings that pertain to each specific book as I go along looking at the broad view and then I concentrate on details that are pertinent to my character’s experiences as I write. If I am not careful I can get lost on historical rabbit trails while I am supposed to be writing, so if I have a question about something in particular I mark it with a $ sign in my manuscript and then research it later and plug it in. But I do my best to read as much as possible and spend lots of time on archeological and historical websites soaking it all in. YouTube videos can be super helpful, as can podcasts from great bible teachers and historians.
Did anything happen during the writing of this book that changed the trajectory of the story?
I had a fairly firm grasp on this story from the beginning, when I was plotting it with my plotting group but I did find some fascinating research about Edrei, which is one of the cities in which a portion of the story takes place. I read about an amateur archeologist and explorer named Gottlieb Shumacher who claimed to have visited the historical site in current day Daraa, Syria well over a hundred years ago with the help of local guides and discovered a series of tunnels and caves below the city. There is of course no certainty that this site he explored is actually the city of Edrei but the description was compelling to me and stirred my imagination. So the scenes that take place in and below that city are because of this captivating bit of information I just happened to stumble across.
Did the story change at all during the writing of the book?
My stories always shift and transform in the writing because I am not a firm-structure plotter. I begin with an outline and a list of chapters but within that structure I give myself plenty of room to explore. However without giving spoilers I can’t divulge too much of those changes within Until the Mountains Fall, except to say there was a secondary love story that I didn’t plan that just appeared on the page, along with a shift in the outcome for one of the secondary characters involved, and a resolution to a larger-arc thread that became much more prevalent as the writing progressed.
Which part of Until the Mountains fall did you enjoy writing the most?
Without giving any spoilers, there is a very distinctive Part I and Part 2 within this story and during the interim my characters do a lot of changing. Some of it for the better, and some of it for the worse. So it was an interesting challenge to work through who they started out as and how they transformed, and then it was fun discovering my hero and heroine all over again after the shift and working through how they ultimately come together in light of the changes within themselves and the circumstances within which they interact.
Who was your favorite character (or the one you most resonate with) and why?
In regards to the entire series, I would have to say Moriyah because I got to know her as a young girl and was able to follow her journey all the way through becoming a great-grandmother. She has been the foundation of all of the stories within the cities of refuge and she will just always be one of my very favorites. Don’t tell the others. For Like Flames in the Night, I’d have to say Liyam because he was just a blast to write, such fun to put through the wringer, and I just loved how his character arc developed!
Did anything surprise you in this story as you were writing?
I have to say that the length of the story was what most surprised me. There were no plans for it to be longer than the others but just due to the nature of the plot and also because I wanted to make sure that all the loose ends from the entire series were tied up in a satisfying way it ended up having a few chapters more. However, I hope that readers will be so absorbed in Tirzah and Liyam that they won’t even notice!
What are you hoping readers will glean from this story?
Tirzah’s story is one of standing up courageously for her people, her family, and her God. My hope is that readers will be inspired to shine their lights boldly for Jesus and to not be afraid of anything—be it human or spirit—because Yahweh is our champion and when we are out of strength and frightened and feeling alone the Word says that He will fight for us! Nothing can stand against our great big God. Also, I want readers to be reminded through Liyam’s Journey how truly powerful grace is.
Any fun bits of trivia you want to share with readers?
I guess I would have to say that the first thing is that I never planned on writing this book at all. The original Cities of Refuge was a three-book series but when I got to the end of Until the Mountains Fall I felt like there was more story to be told within the time period and with this family. So I proposed the idea to Bethany House and thankfully they went for it! Also, the book discusses an altar that’s at the top of Mount Ebal in Israel and that altar has actually been found on top of that mountain. It’s most likely a later rebuild of the original altar and from what I read it looks like beneath the altar there are possible remnants of the altar that Joshua built when he and the entire congregation of Israel re-confirmed the covenant before he died. So that’s pretty cool! Someday I would really love to walk up that mountain and see that altar for myself.
This is your last book in the Cities of Refuge series, was there a specific plot or character you wanted to include before bringing the series to a close?
I think I really was just having a hard time leaving Moriyah and her whole entire family behind when I decided to write this book! But of course, I really wanted to explore Moriyah’s youngest daughter Tirzah’s perspective. I wondered what it would’ve been like to have grown up in the city of refuge, a place of complete safety in most cases, and then be kicked out and have to live somewhere else under the oppression of foreign invaders for eight years. Also, I was just really intrigued by the entire blank space there is in the Bible where Othniel is concerned and what his struggle against the Arameans might have looked like from the inside. And as advance readers already found out, there is a tie to the original Out from Egypt series in this book and I really wanted to explore connections there as well.
What was writing the Cities of Refuge series like? Emotionally and intellectually?
Wow, that is a tough question because it really has been a few years since I started and I have been through a lot of life in the meantime. I have been through two cross country moves since then and my kids are now teenagers! I will say that there were times when it was a struggle and I really had to force myself to write because I was fighting against my doubts, fighting against my overwhelming schedule, and fighting my own perfectionism, but it is so cool to look back at these four books and realize that through all those struggles God did something extraordinary with my very human, imperfect efforts. He has led me on an amazing journey that taught me how to be a better writer, how to be a better storyteller, and how to dig deeper into my own wounds in order to make a book connect with readers on a deeper level. And being able to write about how God displayed his perfect balance of grace and justice through the Cities of Refuge has been a privilege.
Why Cities of Refuge? Why not another story?
The easy answer is that because I was just fascinated. Once I started to do some reading about the cities of refuge, which I really didn’t know much about, I saw the beautiful way that they foreshadowed Jesus our Messiah who is the perfect balance of grace and justice for his people and I just wanted to delve into those characteristics of God so I thought that the cities of refuge was a perfect vehicle to do so! Besides, I’d just fallen in love with Moryiah in Wings of the Wind and felt she needed a story too. Who knew what would come of it all when I was struggling over whether to brand that poor girl’s face!
What inspired the idea for this story?
When I was in Israel a couple of years ago we went to a place called the Ayalon Institute. It was actually a kibbutz (like a co-op farm) that contained an entire underground bullet factory hidden from the British and the Arabs before the 1948 war. They secretly crawled down ladders beneath a commercial laundry room because it was noisy and could cover up the sound of the bullet making machines and many of the people who lived and worked on the kibbutz had no idea what was going on under their feet! Over a number of years, this group of young people managed to make thousands and thousands of bullets and ship them out through covert means, like in milk trucks. Without their sacrifice and ingenuity, the nation of Israel might have been lost when the Arabs attacked en mass. I was enthralled by the stories of miracles that happened during this time and how these young people, men AND women stood up for their people so courageously. I was inspired by this short visit to the underground bunker to write about brave men and women who put their lives on the line for the nation of Israel, both in ancient times and in modern ones. So as you will see as you read, there are a number of places where I talk about covert operations and secret weapons-making and those were directly inspired by that tour of the Ayalon Institute. Malakhi and Eitan would have loved everything about it. Look it up, it’s fascinating!
How does it feel saying goodbye to characters you’ve been with for so long?
It is really so bittersweet because I feel like these people are part of my family and I know them inside and out. So it kind of feels like I’m abandoning them in some way. But they’re always there waiting for me and maybe someday I’ll have a chance to come back and revisit them. And then again I’m also really excited to find new characters and discover their journeys and now that I’m writing this new series I’m having a great time creating a whole new set of people, discovering what makes them tick, and finding all sorts of disastrous and dangerous situations to put them into peril and complicated situations to mess with their heads. I’m kinda evil like that
The Covenant House series
Writing about the Philistines must have been different research wise. Did you find out anything about them that was unexpected that made it in the story?
Research is always one of my favorite aspects of writing historical novels. But what was especially
exciting about digging into the Philistines was there have been some recent, groundbreaking discoveries made about these enigmatic people. For many, many years scholars and archeologists have speculated as to their origins and based on clues in the Word or educated guesses from the scant (in comparison to other ancient civilizations) material evidence of their culture, concluded that they were likely an Aegean people—although some believed they originated in Turkey or other areas northeast of Israel and some even speculated that they came from Africa—but no one really know anything definitive until now. But just last year the evidence came forth in the form of DNA from a Philistine cemetery! We know know that the Philistines were transplants from Europe who came down through the Aegean on ships and most notably settled on the island of Crete. Why is this important? Because this is exactly what the Bible told us. The Word says that the Philistines came from the island of Capthor which is the ancient name for Crete. Because of this DNA evidence I was able to use some of the things we know about the ancient inhabitants of Crete, including the Minoans and the Myceneans to build my imagination about what the culture of Philistia might have been. So thank you, scientists, for making a major discovery about the very people I was writing about in To Dwell among Cedars just in time!
What was something that has surprised you as you begin to journey into the book of Judges and Kings?
I’d never realized that there was a shift in the lineage of the Aaronic priesthood sometime before Eli became high priest (1 Samuel). Instead of the descendants of Eleazar (a son of Aaron), the descendants of Itamar (another son of Aaron) held the priestly seat for many years and the honor was not restored to Eleazar’s line until David put Zadok in that position. As with any shift in power, be it religious or civil, tensions were likely very high and according to ancient Samaritan writings there was even a civil war between the two factions during this time. Since that is not played out in the Word, we don’t know whether or not that actually happened, but it certainly fueled my imagination about what turbulence might have been going on in Israel at the end of the Judges era and into that of the Kings. Add in the Philistines, a stolen Ark, and a mysterious prophet and you have all the makings of some high drama.
Did you find out anything unexpected about the Philistines that made it in the story?
One of the things that people don’t realize is just how advanced their civilization was. The Minoans and Myceneans (who were the early Greeks) had some seriously amazing architecture (some of which still stands at Knossos on Crete) and since the Philistines came from Crete they brought their gorgeous art/building techniques, distinctive pottery, advanced wine culture, and other aspects of their material culture along with them. The things we associate with the ancient Greeks, myths/art/governance/sports etc. all very likely were born during this time period even if they found their golden age a few hundred years later. Their cities were so well planned and their technology so advanced that there were even storm drains in the street and indoor plumbing in some places. The Philistines also brought their distinctive cooking practices with them, which involved round hearths upon which covered cook pots with narrow necks and lids would sit amongst low flames for long periods to tenderize even the toughest of meats. One disturbing thing about the Philistines, however, is that puppy sacrifice was very common and that dog meat was often in those slow cookers, which of course was abhorrent to the Hebrews whose law
said never to eat animals with paws. The Philistines also were very fond of dice games, which readers will discover is a favorite past-time of one important character and they used dice that have the very same number of dots on the sides as the ones we use now.
What interesting facts did you learn about the settings of this book?
There are actually three main settings for this book. Ashdod was a coastal Philistine city (and still remains today) and from what archeologists know, the main city sat on the trade road that ran between Egypt and Tyre, called the Way of the Sea, but there was also a smaller city just a couple miles away that was the very busy port of Ashdod and a river connected the two. This port is where the book opens while Arisa and Lukio are exploring at the beach. This area is very beautiful and the land between the city of Ashdod and the foothills (which in Hebrew is called the shephelah) was very fertile during the late Bronze/early Iron Age. Beth Shemesh is another setting in TDAC and there have been some interesting recent discoveries there too, including a very large flat boulder inside a destroyed temple which has been speculated as possibly the same one the Ark of the Covenant sat upon for a short period after the Philistines sent the golden box back to the Hebrews. And lastly, Kiryat-Yearim (or Kiriath-jearim), which means city of forests, is the mountainous city where the Ark remained for seventy years until King David took it to Jerusalem. There have been recent discoveries here as well, including a stone platform near the summit which could have been a resting place of the Ark (although the timing of the site is debated). It’s so cool to live in a time where so many ground-breaking discoveries are being made all the time in Israel, and every one points to the true history in the Word!
I love that you take times of the Bible that are not as well known and expand on them. What brought you to this portion of biblical history to write about?
It was actually my trip to Israel in late 2017 that planted the seed of this story in my imagination. We were traveling up from the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath and towards Jerusalem when our tour guide mentioned we were near Beth Shemesh and likely on the same path upon which the wagon carrying the Ark of the Covenant traveled on its way back from Philistine territory during the events of 1 Samuel 4-7. Immediately, I had a vision pop into my head of the cow-drawn wagon bumbling along the road and two children following after it, curious about where it was headed. And voila! The Covenant House series was sown into my imagination. It wasn’t until over a year later that I began to expand that idea and plot it out with my writing partners but I’ll never forget the moment that idea came to life in my head on that road to Jerusalem.
What do you hope readers will glean from this story?
My hope is that through this story of two enemy children adopted into the family of Abraham, readers will be reminded just what a privilege and a blessing it is to be grafted into God’s family through the covenant of Jesus’s blood. Both Eliora (also known as Arisa) and Lukio (also known as Natan) have different experiences when it comes to their union with the Hebrew family that watches over the Ark of the Covenant, and both take very different journeys to accepting their new identities as grafted-in and loved children but the redemption they discover along the way is worth the difficult path for certain.
Two of the main characters in To Dwell among Cedars have a name change during the story, why did you chose to do this (especially when it can be confusing to readers)?
In the Word, there are a number of instances where God changes people’s names. Abram is changed to Abraham, Sarai is changed to Sarah, Jacob is changed to Israel, and Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter (although the Hebrew form of that name is Kefa, not Peter). These name changes were always accompanied with a change in the purpose of that person—a shift in identity, if you will. And when a child is adopted into a new family more often than not a name change is part of the union with their new family. And without giving spoilers, I will say that my characters have drastically different reactions to the change from Philistine to Hebrew names which are symbolic of their own unique journeys, so I felt this aspect was necessary to illustrate their internal struggles in accepting their new identities and purposes among the people of Abraham.
What is the significance of the cedars in the title? Were there even cedars in ancient Israel?
Well, if I say too much it’d be a bit spoilery, but I will say that absolutely there were cedars in Israel. What we see of the vegetation in Israel (especially in the media) is not what the Promised Land looked like 3000 years ago. There were forests all over the land, as evidenced by many passages in the Bible, as well as historical accounts and even scientific evidence but there were a number of things that contributed to the massive deforestation of Israel over time including poor stewardship of the land by those who did not take the Torah to heart, massive wars (Romans, Crusades, etc) in which armies consumed timber in staggering amounts, taxation of trees which caused clearcutting to avoid loss of wealth, a long period of Hebrew exile which in turn allowed the land to be cursed with droughts, and large shifts in climate that made the once rich countryside a desolate place. I’ve read that erosion atop the mountains in Israel is so bad that the valleys are just full of the topsoil that used to hold all those massive forests in place, so much so that it’s almost impossible to dig down to the bedrock in certain places. The cedars of Lebanon were highly prized for their strength and impressive size and were used especially in shipbuilding and for temple construction, including the Temple of Solomon. And it’s worth noting that much of the land we call Lebanon (and its massive, ancient forests) was in fact designated to the tribes of Naphtali and Asher by Joshua just after the entry into Canaan. Also, the city in which most of the book takes place is called Kiryat-Yearim which means the city of forests. For the rest of the reason I’ve included cedars, you’ll just have to read the book What is really cool, however is that since Israel became a nation in 1948 after 2000 years of exile, millions and millions of trees have been planted in the Land, making it “bloom like a rose” once again just as the prophets foretold.
What inspired you to write about the ark of the covenant at Kiryat-yearim?
There is so much mystery surrounding the Ark of the Covenant and when I read somewhere that the ancient rabbis considered the loss of the sacred box to the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4-7 just as devastating as the destruction of the temple, I began to think about how this event might have effected the Hebrew people. They were already clamoring for a king that could stand up to their enemies, they’d placed their faith in priests who were corrupt and too arrogant to ask for the Lord’s guidance before the battle at Afek, and then after hearing for hundreds of years that Yahweh was for them and that the Ark was this powerful thing that would protect them, they lost horrifically on the battlefield and had their most holy object snatched right out of their hands. It must have been terribly demoralizing and as I’ve shown through the character of Ronan, many of them may have even begun to doubt whether any of the tales they’d been told were real at all. They were looking for human solutions to divine things and the Lord let them do so, precisely so he could come in and remind them exactly who he was. Yes, the loss of the Ark was a punishment, but it was also a gift to show them that he had not forgotten them after all. I was also inspired to think about what it must have been like to grow up in the household of Abinidab, whose family was in charge of watching over the most powerful and dangerous object on earth for seventy years and how their household might have been blessed by its presence.
The Covenant House series is a duology, what made you decide to only write two books this time?
I was really intrigued with telling the story of two siblings and how their journeys intertwined to form one whole story that was satisfying both to myself and to my readers. Of course I usually fall in love with secondary characters along the way and wish I could tell their stories too, and the Covenant House was no exception. There is one character in particular in Between the Wild Branches that my beta readers wanted to know more about. So who knows, maybe in the future I’ll have the chance to expand that storyline a bit! The great thing is that my next series is a spin-off and readers will get to meet my next four heroes in BTWB, so keep your eyes peeled as you read, especially near the end!
What drew you to this period in history to place a series?
When I had the opportunity to go to Israel a few years ago we traveled right through the Beth Shemesh valley, where the ruins of that town are just off the highway. And when our tour guide mentioned that this area was near where Samson lived and was also the exact place where the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant after they stole it in 1 Samuel. That day, I had a distinct vision of that ark bumping along on the road with two curious children following after it and decided that I needed to tell their story. Fortunately for me, at the same time I was plotting/researching the Covenant House series, scientists were proving from DNA evidence gathered in a Philistine graveyard that these enigmatic people actually came from Crete just like the Bible says they did. This new information gave me lots of fodder for book material and made my imagination spin like mad about the culture of the Philistines, which most likely was rooted in the Minoan and/or Mycenean people during the Bronze Age. They were certainly not simple shepherds and farmers like the Hebrew people were at that time and likely worshipped the precursors to the Greek gods we all know, so I had lots of fun contrasting the two opposing cultures and religious systems. There are still a lot of unknowns with the Philistines and we don’t have a handle on their language or writing system yet but I suspect more will come to light in the future that will continue to prove the Bible historically accurate.
This series has underlying themes of adoption, why is this a special topic for you?
Well, for starters, I am an adoptee myself. I was adopted at birth and grew up knowing that my adoption was a special thing and what a loving choice my young birthmother made to place me in a stable, two-parent home. When I was twenty-two I actually got to meet my birth mom, after stumbling across a web posting way back in the early days of the internet, and have since gotten to know both her and my half-siblings. My brother, too, was adopted from Korea when he was four and I am also the mother of two adopted-at-birth children myself. So adoption is such a precious theme in my own life that it just naturally spills into my stories. And our adoption into the family of God through the sacrifice of Jesus is, of course, the most beautiful story there is, so there are shades of that built into Eliora and Lukio’s union with the Hebrew family that take them in and introduce them to covenant life. Of course, adoption is a precious thing and full of beauty but it is also rooted in loss, so I do not shy away from some of the challenges and questions that adoptees face, such as: Who am I? Where do I belong? How do I define my past and how does it affect my future? Or what if I’d never been separated from my family of origin? Eliora and Lukio struggle through these questions in different ways and I found great satisfaction in working through their healing and self-acceptance, since their journeys at times mirror my own, my brother’s, and those of my children.
What makes the characters in Between the Wild Branches different from any others you’ve written before?
I had lots of fun writing a more hero-centric story this time and Lukio is hands down my favorite male character to have written. First of all, he is a no-holds-barred bare-knuckled fighter (which is rooted in the ancient and brutal sport of Pankration) so I got to channel my inner MMA fighter and have some fun getting out some imaginary aggression. But he is also a hurting little boy on the inside, one who feels deeply and is wounded from what he perceived to be devastating betrayals. His journey to healing was so satisfying for me and no matter how many times I edited it all, I cried every time I read the final scenes. Also, since there was a childhood friendship/romance between Lukio and Shoshana, there was lots of intriguing history between them which added a different dimension to their reunion. Since ten years have passed since they’ve seen each other and a lot of life, and in Shoshana’s case pain, has occurred in that gap, they are in some ways completely different people by the time the book opens. It was an interesting challenge to think about how they relate to the “newness” of each other, while at the same time holding on to the sweet, secret friendship they enjoyed in the past. I love how they complement each other and how their relationship develops over the course of the story, despite all the obstacles between them.
What part of BTWB did you have the hardest time writing?
Honestly, this story poured out of me in a way that none of my books have before. I wrote the entire manuscript by hand and was so in love with the characters that there was not any part that was a major challenge. This is why the next series is a spin-off, because I just couldn’t let go of my friends!
Between Eliora and Lukio, which sibling did you relate to the most and why?
Hm. That is kind of tough. I’m actually quite different from Eliora, who spends a lot of time trying to “earn her place at the table” but I also have a tendency to try and blend in with the background because I hate spotlights. And I am certainly not an aggressive bare-knuckle fighter like Lukio, but I have struggled with some of the same identity issues he has and tend toward walling myself off in difficult relationships and compartmentalizing things to the point of isolation. So I am not like either of them, but yet I am. There are probably pieces of me in all the characters I write. Even the villains
What was the most interesting piece of research you found when working on Between the Wild Branches? Even if it didn’t make the books!
I found out that archeologists have found dice from that area of the world, usually made of wood or bone, that were used for all sorts of games, including board games, and for gambling or divination. The dice even have the exact same number of sides and dots that our modern ones do. We tend to forget that ancient people were just people, they played games and had fun and goofed around and made jokes just like we do, so it’s always fun for me to incorporate those sorts of things in my stories. Those dice were my inspiration for the special sheep-knuckles that Lukio carries about in a pouch around his neck and uses with his little street-urchin gang.
Do you put yourself into the story as if you are right there, part of it (like an in-person observer) as you write?
I see my stories as movies in my mind, since I’m highly visual. And I envision myself as the character, since I write first-person so I have lots of fun losing myself in the sensory details of their surroundings and listening for their distinct voices as I walk around inside their heads.
What resources shaped your creation of the characters in Between the Wild Branches?
I read a great book called Fight Write by Karla Hoch that helped with Lukio’s brawling. And I spent a lot of time reading through academic sources online about the ancient people of Crete, along with books on Old Testament culture and the Judges time-period.
More about Connilyn Cossette
Have you always had an interest in biblical history and wondered about the people and what they were like?
I think I’ve always been the type of person that wondered about historical figures’ backgrounds and loved learning about the Word but it wasn’t until about ten years ago that I became really intrigued by studying these ancient cultures in order to understand the context of the Bible. Once I started digging I just couldn’t stop!
What is one of the biggest transitions you’ve had to make in your writing life?
Letting go of “extras”. I very rarely watch TV anymore, unless it’s a binge between deadlines and I have to say no to a lot of good things in order to keep my focus on my writing, which can be tough but is also really worth it too. And I am also a classic procrastinator, so it was a huge thing to learn to work to deadlines in the first place and how to deal with a production/publication schedule. But now it’s such a part of my daily/yearly rhythm that it’s just a lifestyle that I love and my family is used to my various writing seasons.
What is your favorite book that you’ve written?
Now, that’s just like choosing a favorite kid! Of course my first book, Counted with the Stars will always have a special place in my heart because it was my “firstborn” but I love them all for different reasons and they all have their strengths and weaknesses in my mind. But at the moment it’s the last one I wrote (Until the Mountains Fall) because I’m still deeply in love with my characters. Ask me next spring and I may have a different answer!
How do you develop your biblical characters when there is little information about them?
I just do my best to understand the cultural and historical context and how it fits together with the biblical narrative and then I weave them into my stories to the best of my ability. I may be completely off the mark in some ways because there are as many opinions as there are scholars and archaeologists, but if I craft a compelling story and a sense of verisimilitude (making it seem like it could have happened) then I have done my job. My goal is never to re-write the Word of God but to inspire readers to put themselves “into” the sandals of the people in the Bible and think about what might have happened to the people who actually experienced those events firsthand.
How do you know you’ve chosen the right story-length goal for your characters and setting? Does it come from research or character development? And does it ever morph into something else as you write, or do you have a pretty firm outline from the get-go?
I would say that their story goals mostly come from developing the characters and understanding what makes them react the way they do in each situation and why. The trick for me is to really understand each person’s wounds, be they hero or villain or secondary character. If a writer can dig into past hurts and what lies a character is telling themselves, then getting them to a place of healing and/or truth becomes that much easier. I even wrote a blog post a couple of years ago about how to use wounds as you write—not only the character’s wounds but also the author’s and the reader’s as well. Here is a link to that article: https://www.acfw.com/blog/the-magic-triangle-exploring-wounds-for-deeper-fiction/. As for changes along the way, my story lines and characters tend to be fairly fluid during the first draft. I am a blend between a pantser and a plotter. I do a general outline and sketch out scenes but I allow for lots of movement as I write and many times characters surprise me and do things I did not expect at all!
What does “a day in the life of Connilyn Cossette” look like?
Well, I am a night owl. So my day doesn’t usually get rolling until about 9am and my brain doesn’t truly kick in until around 10am and the coffee has hit my bloodstream. So yes, coffee first and then I usually spend a while getting my kids settled into their school day. We homeschool but now that they are older they are a little more independent so I organize their weekly/daily schedule on Google Sheets so we can all keep track in real time and they are responsible to complete those lists each day. My daughter is pretty self-motivated so she usually whips through fairly quickly but my son is more like me, a day-dreamer and a procrastinator, so much of my day is reminding him to hurry up and get done or suffer the wrath of extra household chores… During this time I am also dealing with social media stuff, marketing plans, emails, blogs, editing, plotting etc. Then in the early afternoon I try to get some writing done but am most productive at night when everyone is asleep and I can have silence. I usually grab a power-nap around 4:30 or so, I’ve trained my brain to fall asleep to podcasts in my headphones so I can usually snooze for about 30 minutes and then I’m set to go until 1 or 2 am. Evening consists of getting dinner ready for hubby to come home (although I am not a great cook, I’m much too impatient and day-dreamy and I have a weird aversion to measuring precisely—so pray for my family). Once things settle down in the evening and the kids are tucked into beds reading their own books, I enter my story world and have a great time talking with my imaginary friends. Most nights I text back and forth with Nicole Deese, my writing partner, into the wee hours as we work on scenes and talk about our imaginary friends with each other. So, there you have it—my glamorous and exciting life as an author in a nutshell!
What do you munch on while you’re writing / researching / editing?
Mostly I just drink coffee or Diet Dr. Pepper because when I am focused on writing or editing I am usually too absorbed to snack much and if I do I get carried away and graze mindlessly so that can be dangerous. That being said, I do keep a bag of Werther’s Coffee Caramel Hard Candies in a drawer to pop in my mouth when I get a craving for something sweet. Not that there haven’t been various stashes of chocolate around my office, because where else am I going to hide that stuff from my kids??\
What do you do to recover once you’ve typed “THE END?”
If possible I take an entire month off of writing fresh story in order to give my brain a rest and recharge. And then I read as many books from my TBR list as I can including a craft book or two to prepare for starting a new book. And sleep. Lots of sleep.
What are some of the things that inspire your stories? What is the first thing you do when you get an idea?
I draw on a lot of things for inspiration. Of course due to my genre I am inspired by the Bible and once in a while get a flash of story idea from sermons (if I’m taking notes in church that’s usually why and I have a podcast that I love called Torah Class that has taught me so much over the past few years from a Hebrew cultural and historical perspective. I’m also just a voracious reader so I glean a lot of character inspiration from other talented writers. And then of course my writing partners are a constant source of inspiration because we spend hours and hours talking over our stories, bouncing ideas around, and sharpening each other as we critique and plot together.
What do you find to be the most challenging when writing biblical fiction?
I would say the biggest challenge is the myriad opinions between scholars and archeologists and bible teachers. There are as many ideas and theories as there are people who study the Bible and the world in which its history takes place. There are times when the research is so conflicting and so confusing that I just have to pick a position that works with my plot and run with it, even if its not the most popular opinion. But since I am not writing history books and instead am telling a fictional story with history as the backdrop, if I can create a sense of verisimilitude hopefully readers will forgive any differing ideas or they’ll be so caught up in the tale they won’t even notice!
What is your favorite children’s book?
I was a prolific reader from the moment I learned how to put letters together and there are so many wonderful books from my childhood that it is really hard to narrow it down to just one. So I will have to say the entire Narnia series are probably my most cherished childhood books. I even have the original set that was given to my parents as a wedding gift in 1971 and those were the books that I read to my kids. But I have very distinct memories of reading them for myself when I was a child and being so enthralled by the way C.S. Lewis lured me into Narnia and built an entire fantastical world inside a wardrobe. And really, is there anything better than Aslan?
What’s your preference/describes you best:
Early bird or Night owl? Night owl for sure, although my sleep patterns have been shifting lately for some reason and I’ve been waking earlier and passing out before 1am most night which is really abnormal for me.
Pepsi or Coke? Coke if I only have the two, but I’m a Diet Dr. Pepper girl when I drink pop. (Yes, I said pop, I’m from the Pacific Northwest).
Dogs or Cats? Cats for sure. I enjoy dogs (unless they are slobbery/shedding/jumping on me) but in our family cats are people too and there are usually one or more on my desk at all times. (And yes, there is one here now).
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate. No question. If there is peanut butter, coffee, or caramel involved with the chocolate, all the better.
Favorite vacations, or a dream trip you’d like to take
My favorite vacation was absolutely Israel in December 2017. I only got to be there for a week but it was life-changing and enormously inspiring and I am really hoping that I can go back very soon. I also have a really deep-seated desire to go to Ireland and Scotland and am hoping that my family can take a trip there in the next couple of years. We do have tentative plans for Norway next year as well, where my husband has family to visit.
Any hobbies you enjoy?
Hobbies? What are those? I write. I read. I sleep, sometimes.
How did you and your husband meet?
We actually met through a mutual friend who was organizing a ski trip with a bunch of her friends from various parts of her life. We met up well in advance of the trip at Red Robin so that we could all get to know each other and my husband, who is very very shy somehow got the courage to ask me out while we were there. And the crazy thing is that in a whirlwind of dating we actually ended up being engaged before we even went on that ski trip! What can I say? We were young and dumb but somehow it worked out, we’ve been married going on 23 years in September! We still go to Red Robin every year on February 15th, the anniversary of the day we met, which also happens to be the day our daughter was born!
Apart from writing, what is your life like? Family? Fun things you do?
Well writing is a pretty big part of my life, it takes up a good chunk of my day. But I also am a homeschool mom to two teenagers, so in between writing chapters and doing all the other things that I have to do in my author life, I am organizing lessons for my kids and coaching them as they drink from the well of knowledge and learn to be intellectually curious like me. And then, of course, I’m doing lots of driving back-and-forth to play practices because my daughter is heavily involved in theater and chauffeuring kids to youth activities on top of all the other basic things that I do as a wife and mother. Since we’ve just moved back to the DFW area we are still settling into a new church home, but at our church in North Carolina I was also on the worship team because I love to sing. But yeah, that’s pretty much it. Other hobbies have pretty much disappeared because of writing, so I’m kind of boring, but it’s worth it!
What is your favorite genre to read and what are some of your favorite books in that genre?
I love historical fiction and tend to gravitate towards it, even though I’ll read from any time period because I just love words and devour them all with great joy. Instead of telling you favorite books because I am terrible at narrowing that down, I’ll give you favorite historical authors. I love anything by Jocelyn Green, Joanne Bishoff, Roseanna White, Laurie Benton, Laura Franz, Liz Curtis Higgs, Mimi Matthews, and about 5000 others.
Has your relationship with God changed at all through writing these stories? If so, could you share an example?
I would say that my faith is so much more real now. All the study of history and culture and archaeology that I have done has given me such confirmation that His hand has worked through history in such an intimate way, tying all the billions of threads together from Genesis to Revelation. The fact that he has led me on such a personal path of discovery just reminds me how much he wants me to love him with my heart, my soul, AND my mind. And the Cities of Refuge series, in particular, has illuminated his grace so clearly in my own life, especially looking backward and seeing how he led me lovingly to himself, even when I was so rebellious and self-centered that I could not look past my own nose, and called me to write stories that glorify his Name.
How long does it take you to edit a book and how do you begin?
The editing process is fairly complicated because there’s a lot that goes into my editing process from the beginning. I am a bit of a perfectionist, so it’s pretty difficult for me to write a messy copy and then leave it be. So I usually will write a scene and then edit it the next day before I move on to the next chapter. I will also often send my chapters to my writing partners which will usually require another round of editing and then once I’m finished with a manuscript I will do one more full edit before I sent it to my editors. Then there are three rounds of edits before it goes to print, one in which I read the entire book out loud to myself (or in the case of LFITN, my daughter). So all that to say, I can’t really pinpoint how long it takes a book to edit fully but once I turn in my manuscript to Bethany House it is about a year before it lands in your hands.
I read that you are writing in longhand now. What made you decide to do that and did you write this story in longhand?
This is true! Until last year I always did my brainstorming by hand, using mind maps and the like, but I read about how writing by hand lights up the brain and connects pathways that are not triggered by typing on a computer so I thought, why not try it? So I purchased some Focus Notes notepads and gave it a whirl. I could not believe the difference. I can write so much faster and focus a thousand times better—even in a noisy environment—and since I am editing as I input my written notes chapter by chapter the finished product is much cleaner. I don’t think I wrote any of To Dwell among Cedars by hand, but the majority of Between the Wild Branches was done this way and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to typing first drafts. You should see the stack of paper I tossed after I sent in my manuscript to BHP, it must have been six inches tall. Somehow writing by hand just shuts off my bossy inner editor, giving me the freedom to create without worrying about perfection on the first draft (and for this perfectionist that is a big deal!). I am hooked! I rarely go anywhere anymore without my notebook and my favorite comfy pen.
Do you make use of a writing buddy to bounce ideas off of?
I have four! I’m part of a plotting group with Tammy L. Gray, Nicole Deese, Amy Matayo, and Christy Barritt. We meet once a year to plot all of our books together. And Nicole and Tammy and I also meet via Zoom once a week to critique and help each other in the process.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why? Would you have tea or lunch or a fancy dinner? What would be one thing you would be sure and discuss?
I have to choose? I can’t think of anything better than spending a day with any writer! There’s just something about hanging out with other authors who understand your writerly-weird brain and discussing your imaginary friends together. I guess maybe if I had to choose it would be Francine Rivers. Her story of coming out of a secular writing worldview into a Christ-centered one is so fascinating! Nothing fancy for me, but coffee/tea and/or a casual lunch would be my choice. And my favorite thing to discuss with any author is always their current WIP and what they plan to write next, so I’d love to hear that from Francine!
How do you come across ideas for your stories? Do they come from daily devotions or Bible reading?
Probably a little blend of both, along with Podcasts and sermons. And also I just love researching the ancient past so when things pop up that I want to learn more about, I write a book as an excuse to absorb myself in history and get paid for it.
When you write, what do you keep in front of you for inspiration-maps, photos, Scripture?
I have photos of my characters up on my screen and I always have my topographical map of Israel nearby. Thankfully, with a phone always in my pocket, I can look up scripture or academic papers, setting photos, Google Earth, or just search for whatever I need to know, wherever I am! I don’t know how historical writers did it pre-internet!
What are your favorite triggers to get in “creative mode,” something that gets your imagination going?
I have learned over the years that I have to have a perfect solitude when I write. I cannot listen to music because it distracts my musical mind too much and I want to follow chord changes and lyrics, so I’ve learned that the best thing to keep myself isolated is to listen to brown noise. That way I can just block out everything around me and lose myself in the story. I’ve also found that writing or brainstorming by hand can be a huge jumpstart to my imagination because it uses a different part of my brain. If I get stuck other creative things help too: coloring, singing, drawing, doodling, or just chatting with my writing pals about what might come next! Oh, and coffee always helps.
Do you seek out a spiritual theme for each book before you draft, crafting the plot around it? Or does it come to you later as you edit and weave in a theme?
That really is different with every book. There are times when I know going in exactly what the spiritual theme is going to be; like with Until the Mountains Fall which was about a prodigal daughter. But there are times when it takes me almost the entire writing of the book to really figure out what it is the characters are trying to say and what it is the Lord is weaving into my story. And there are times when I may know the spiritual journey of one of the main characters but not the other and it untangles itself as I learn who the characters are together, what their wounds are, what their goals are, etc. There have actually been times when I thought it was one spiritual theme and then it completely surprised me by turning into another by the time I was done.
How long did it take to write your first successful book, “Counted With The Stars”?
It took me five years roughly because I was not only doing a lot of research but I was studying how to write a book and how to get published. So it took me a lot longer than it does to write a book now that I kinda-sorta-hopefully know what I’m doing.
What do you want your readers to know about you?
That I am just a simple girl who loves Jesus and loves to write stories and is absolutely delighted that anyone would want to get to know her imaginary friends. I am beyond blessed to get to hang out in my pajamas and make up stories all day long and somehow people out there want to read them. I am still pinching myself that this is my life!
What are some of your favorite movies? Or do you prefer reading books when you’re not writing?
I don’t get to watch movies and TV as much as I used to, my writing world is too full and I will always choose a book first. But I have been known to binge Stranger Things and Fauda (an amazing Israeli TV show that gets my imagination revving). My favorite movies, if I have to choose, are probably About Time and the Princess Bride.
Did you think you would one day be a writer, let alone a published author?
I certainly hoped so. I wanted to be a writer since I was a pretty young girl and dreamed of a day when a book of mine would be on a shelf in the library— because to me that was like the ultimate goal. But life took me in some other directions and for many years I thought writing was a pipe dream. So God really surprised me by giving me the long-buried desire of my heart even though I had kind of stopped even hoping, dreaming, or even asking Him for it.
If you could only recommend one fiction book, which would it be and why?
I would have to say for classics, Jane Eyre because it is my favorite book of all time and no matter how many times I read it I find more ways that Charlotte Brontë was genius and a master of her craft. As for a modern fictional book I would have to say Joanne Bishoff’s the Lady and the Lionheart because it made me just weep when I realized what the theme of the book was and as soon as I finished reading it I picked it up and read it all over again the next day and I had never done that before in my entire life. Read it, it’s fantastic.
What inspires you to write about the specific biblical characters that you choose to focus your books on?
It’s usually because I want to know more about that character or about that time period for my own personal understanding of the Word and to know God’s character better through those journeys. I just love learning about the Bible and about the people who witnessed those events and revel in darting down historical rabbit trails. And I love to let my imagination run wild and see what kind of fictional people I can tangle up with those who actually did walk this earth and experienced the stories we think we know so well.
If you could travel back in time to personally experience a Bible story, which one would it be and why?
That’s a pretty simple answer for me; other than the resurrection, I would be there for the crossing of the Red Sea because what bigger miracle—other than Jesus rising from the dead in a blaze of pure light—could there be? I sure hope the Lord has that one on video when I get to heaven. Who knows if the way I imagined it was anywhere close to the real thing (because I’m pretty sure Hollywood didn’t get it right) but however it happened it had to have been a mind-blowing thing to witness.
How do you go about creating a story based on Biblical figures?
Since my style of biblical is a little different from most, in that I tell stories of fictional people that interact with non-fictional people, history, and settings, I have a little bit more leeway when it comes to story-building. But I always start with the Word and use its timelines and details as the skeleton of my novels first. Once I have those essentials, I can begin to weave in the characters and plots that I create. If I do slip in actual historical figures my preference is to make those interchanges brief and focus on how my fictional characters might react to those people and their actions. All in all I just do my best to stay as close to the Biblical narrative as I can while using any whitespace or unknowns to stir my imagination.
What percentage do you feel you are ancient historian, novelist, story teller, romance writer (or any other “hat” you wear as you write these books)?
What an intriguing question! I feel I am about 5% historian because really I am just someone who loves history and I have zero credentials to call myself anything other than a student. I am probably about about equal parts novelist and storyteller, maybe 40% each? Then perhaps 15% romance writer because I do love a good love story but it’s not my main goal as I develop my stories, and then I am about 10% just having a great time playing around with imaginary friends and making up stuff to entertain my own crazy brain. Is that 100%? I certainly don’t know because I am 0% mathematician.
As a homeschool mom, how did you start and then balance homeschooling with your writing career?
I have homeschooled my kids all the way through (with the exception of one very stressful week of Kindergarten for my son) and now have a 9th grader and a 7th grader (yikes! Prayer appreciated). Balancing homeschool has become a lot easier in the past couple of years because my kids are increasingly independent in their studies, are really intellectually curious, and I have found awesome homeschool enrichment classes that have freed up some time and brainpower for me while giving my kids opportunities to meet new friends and expand their minds. This year my son is planning to write his own novel over the course of the year for a Creative Writing credit, since he has the perfect built in expert and we are looking forward to seeing how that develops. He’s already showing some intriguing talent for storytelling that I am hoping to encourage! For me the important thing is to schedule out my days well, keep to a reasonable word-count plan as much as possible, but also to be flexible and just know that some days school means spending the day (or a couple of weeks) exploring topics of passion instead of following a set curriculum. We love homeschooling and hope to continue it all the way through!
What advice would you give to a young person who wants to write books?
Read. Read. Read. Read books that challenge you, that are a little bit tough to get through or are outside the style you might gravitate toward. Explore different genres. Write down and hoard lovely words and lines that capture your imagination. Don’t allow any negative self-talk as you are learning or tell yourself that you aren’t good enough, just enjoy playing with language and write stories and poems and lyrics that you want to read and connect with your own emotions. And don’t limit yourself to writing what is “popular” at the moment. There’s always room for interesting, out-of-the-box writing that breaks the rules or crosses genres. But above all, just write words, every day and in whatever form strikes your fancy. You never know how God will use your passion for writing in the future! I’m proof of that!
Is there a secret to writing an emotional scene that makes the feelings jump off the page?
I think the most important thing to know about a character is their wounds. Understanding what hurts they harbor will affect how they perceive the world around them and how they will react in certain situations and if those things are explored effectively, the reader will feel the impact more deeply. Also, I draw on my own emotions as I write. Whether or not I’ve actually experienced a moment like the person on the page, I can always think back to a time I’ve felt pain or grief or joy or frustration or fear and remember the visceral reactions I’ve had to those emotions. Writing is much like acting in that way, so tapping into your own emotions and then applying them to whatever character you are embodying as you write is the best way to make your reader feel those things as they live out the story in their minds. Brain science has shown that we actually feel the emotions along with characters in well-written fiction, so if I find myself crying or laughing or sighing as I write out a scene, chances are my readers will too. And I’ll just tell you, I cried a lot during the writing of Until the Mountains Fall. Fair warning.
You can learn more about Conni and her other books on her web site.
Want to read more author interviews? I have several on this blog.
