Church family member Alice Ievins (ECC) has just had her first book published: Sarah's
Footsteps. We've managed to get this exclusive interview:
How long have you been writing for?
I have always been a writer in my spare time as it helps me
unwind and I really enjoy it! I have copies of books I wrote when I was four. My first full scale novel was written when I was 11 and was about a magician's
apprentice who was bad at magic. However Sarah's Footsteps is the first novel
that I've got published and also the first book I've written for other people
rather than myself.
What made you decide to write Sarah's Footsteps?
I have often thought that fiction is a very powerful tool
and can greatly influence our thoughts and perspectives in life. However it
seems to be greatly lacking in Christian evangelism and encouragement. I have
read very few good Christian fiction books and none which have encouraged me to
read the Bible more. I wanted to change that. Especially when I know so many
people who struggle to read non- fiction. I tried to keep Sarah's Footsteps
very short (for me at least!) so that it could be accessible to as many people
as possible.
I also come across the same problems again and again with my
conversations with students, especially those on the cusp of becoming
Christians, which make them hesitate before taking the last step. These often
revolve around the lack of a sign or 'spiritual experience' which they expected
from God to either prove He was true, or to show they were accepted by Him.
Many student new-Christians feel inferior to their brothers and sisters in CU
if they have not had special experiences or individual revelations. I
desperately wanted to address that and decided to feature the book of Esther to
help me.
Personally, in the fourth year of my own university
experience I started to have doubts about my own faith for the first time and
had a massive 'wobble' in what I believed. There was no lightning bolt moment
that fixed that and it has been a gradual regain of faith, but I decided to
start writing Sarah's Footsteps to help remind me why Christianity was true and
what amazing things I'd seen in my uni days to confirm this.
And finally I have seen so many students come to faith both
during my uni days and after. I wanted to both urge Christians at university to
seize this unique opportunity to evangelise, but also encourage those far away
from the uni bubble that people are still becoming Christians and that God is
still moving powerfully in this country. I know so many older people who love
so dearly to hear of those who have recently become Christians.
What is Sarah's Footsteps about?
The novel follows a year in the life of 'Izzy' who becomes a
fresher at Bristol University. Despite having a close Christian friend in her
past, she's very anti and ignorant of Christianity, mostly because she doesn't
like being told what to do. At Bristol she starts to see many hypocrisies in
our culture and her friends around her which make her question everything about
her own identity and the way she wants to live her life. Through her flat mate
Anna, a Christian who feels frequently out of her depth, and her Hall CU reps
Josh and Fran, Izzy investigates the Christian faith through Bible studies and
discussion. Finally she realises that Jesus' cross changes everything and that
is something she wants to live by.
Who would you recommend Sarah's Footsteps to?
Anyone over the age of 15. I wouldn't recommend it to
children under that age due to some of the mature themes that are discussed. It
is predominantly aimed at school sixth formers, and students, but is certainly
not limited to those groups. It is aimed to be both encouraging to Christians
and accessible to non-Christians.
Is there anything we can do to help?
Yes! Please pray that people will use it as a tool to build
up faith in others. Please also pray that it will push non-Christians to become
Christians.Finally if you read it and enjoy it, please write me a
review on amazon or goodreads. I am always happy to be contacted about any issues in my
book that people want to discuss.
You can buy your copy here.
