About the Book

Book: Torch

Author: Sofia Simpson

Genre: Young Adult Christian Fantasy

Release Date: February 6, 2024

Relentlessly pursued by the Extremists, Vela and Linc embark on a perilous journey toward a hidden Elemental community in the Canadian mountains. It’s a place where couples of different elements thrive, raising families while living off the grid.

These Elementals, like the Extremists, are searching for the portended Chosen Child, the one who will unite the clans. Vela is forced to accept she might be a part of this prophecy whether she likes it or not.

Vela is more than intrigued by a mixed Elemental in the community who single-mindedly pursues her. Faced with a choice between two very different men makes committing to Linc as her Intended harder than she imagined.

Can Linc win the fight for her heart? Will this prophecy be her undoing or the Elementals’ salvation?

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I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all author’s opinions.

Author Interview

Why did you want to become an author?

I love telling stories and sharing my faith as I do it. I know Christian Fantasy is not a widely read genre, but I love writing it. It’s a joy to flesh out in a story what it’s like to experience peace. Or, when you doubt or struggle, writing that moment when a character realizes God was with her all along. That’s my life on those pages. I’ve experienced all the joys of walking in faith and to share that in the conflicts and struggles of a character’s life as they recover or discover their faith is wonderful.

What/Who inspired you to write on the main themes found in the book?

I would say myself and my life inspired me in the main themes of Torch. Vela, my main character, doubts her path in this book. I’ve experienced so much of that as I’ve gone along inthis road called life. I’ve had moments like hers where I’m not sure I should be going the direction I’m going and seriously doubting whether it’s God’s plan for me to be there. It was pretty cathartic writing this theme out in this book. It reminded me of those moments that God assured me I was right where I needed to be or I needed to make a change.

If you could meet your characters in real life, what would you talk about?

I love this question. I would have so many questions about Elemental life and what it’s like producing fire out of your hands and helping a seed grow into a plant. I’d want to know the rush those feelings produced. Mainly, though, I’d talk about their story. It’s a good question to ask as I write the next books, actually. How do they feel about what’s happened in their life? What emotions evoked from what happened in the past books and how did they carry forward into the next book?

What did your research process look like for this book?

Extensive. I had to learn how to live off the grid. My search engine will provide some very interesting revelations with what I had to learn. I had the chance to interview someone who actually lives off the grid and so I was able to glean a lot of amazing info on how a toilet can work, with flushing water. Or, how to cook using a battery. It was all extremely interesting. The most fun was finding recipes for things like bread on a stick, since they had no stoves.

How did you celebrate when you completed your book?

I was naughty and went way off my diet and went and got a Chick-fil-A meal. It was the tastiest and most satisfying meal ever!

About the Author

Sofia grew up moving constantly. Never in one place more than three years, there was plenty of time to daydream during long car rides. College finally gave her a chance to study what she had always dreamed of doing, writing her stories.

She obtained a B.A. in Journalism, married her handsome husband and had two amazing sons.

A big believer in dreaming big, Sofia loves speaking to youth, encouraging them to find hope no matter what their life looks like. Sofia is a daughter of the Lord first and foremost and finds inspiration with the stories like King David and Esther.

More from Sofia

This book has been my absolute favorite to write. I switched my POV to first person, and it made all the difference in the world as far as getting into my character’s head. I’ve been so intimidated in writing in first person POV, so I’m so happy I went out on a limb and tried it. The story flowed so easily once I did! I wrote the first draft of this book in 10 weeks! I got on an intense writing schedule, stuck to it and voila! Out popped this book.

I loved every minute of it, especially the researching part. Researching how to live off the grid was fascinating to me, and it couldn’t have been more interesting. It really made me understand how people lived without modern conveniences. Well, in my book, they lived with modern conveniences thanks to generators and the Elementals’ gifts and abilities, but they had to make their own soap, butter, cheese, sometimes, clothes. I learned how a toilet can work thanks to gravity and setting up the pump on a hill. It’s all fascinating to me and I hope everyone finds it fun to learn, too, all while a great story unfolds!

The following recipe was so neat, I had to include it! And, yes, it’s in the book. They had to cook bread without an oven, so this worked nicely so they could still enjoy some fresh cooked bread.

This recipe was copied from the following link from Veganonboard.com:

Campfire Bread on a Stick Recipe – Vegan on Board

Ingredients

1 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 ½ cups (300 g) flour
⅞ cup (200 ml) warm water
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 tsp salt

Dough:

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients into a moist dough. No need to knead!
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size – about 1 hour.
With floured hands, briefly ‘knock back’ the dough by making it into a ball.
Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 8 pieces.

Shaping your breadsticks:

Start by stretching the dough into a strip and then roll it into a long sausage shape.
Twist a strip around the end of your sticks. Pinch the dough together to secure the end if necessary.

Cooking Over a Campfire: