Interview with Samuel Oakes

Do you like to read Amish fiction? This author combines Amish with suspense and intrigue. Treason is very different from your typical Amish novel. This week I would like for you to tell me what it is you like or dislike about Amish Fiction. I will enter your name to win a copy of Samuel Oakes new novel "High Treason"

The future is here for a bankrupt nation gripped in the throes of the plague, and the corrupt government is in charge of the vaccine. Young Amishman Enos Yoder faces the greatest crisis of his life when his father refuses to accept the compromises the Bishop has made, and his mother lies on her deathbed. Will the family be consumed by his father's stubbornness? Regina Owens, the liberal minister in town, is having her normal world rocked to the core by what is happening. She wonders why a man would lift his own hand against what is most precious in life. Will Enos recover from the brutal shock when his girlfriend is taken from him? Will his faith, backed by five hundred years of teaching against violence, survive the hate rising in his heart? High Treason is a story of love, bitterness, and treason, rising up in the heart of a man and in the highest corridors of government.

Samuel Oakes is a Pseudonym for a best selling fiction author.

I'm happy to feature Samuel Oakes on my blog this week. If you want to win a n autographed copy of his book, you must leave a comment, post a link on your Facebook page and/or your own blog.


Do you share circumstances from your own life in your stories?
I do if the incidents are applicable to the story line. And the same happening can be applied to different people, which produces a different reaction, or even cross gender,etc. But I haven’t always lived the life of my characters. That would be a little impossible, I think. Especially once you write about bombings and killings. Never lived that life, that I know of.

Do you enjoy reading?What genre? Which Authors do you read?
I read broadly. “The Dragon Tattoo” books, which I love, but my wife made me throw out of the house. “A Reliable Wife” by Goolrick, which blends Christian themes in an excellent way. I’m reading the third of Chris Paolini’s phantasy series right now. Don’t like the magic elements exactly, but the story’s good. Nicholas Sparks books must all be read. Eventually, once they aren’t as expensive to buy.  

What is the most amazing reaction you have ever gotten from a readers about your books?
The review on Amazon from the reader who ha da deep spiritual experience while she read “High Treason.” That was the most startling reaction related to this particular book. And I considered it a great honor.

Tell us about your faith
I believe in God first of all, who transcended all the earthly traits we give Him. And yet one must live in the world. Which means to me that one must be something. Go to church somewhere. Live with people someplace. The conflict between those two truths can be severe at times, but finding a balance helps our spiritual health greatly, I think.

Can you fill us in on your next book?
Currently there are no plans for a follow-up to “High Treason”. That could change of course, so we’ll have to see.

Tell us one thing that would surprise your readers to know about you
How baffling I am to people, I suppose. I don’t fit preconceived ideas well. I was teaching at Bible School this winter, deep theological stuff, and yet I write this fiction. Some of it kind of edgy. Plus some other things, I do. One of the leaders there told me, “With you, we might as well throw the mold up against the wall.” And I don’t think he meant it complementary. It’s inconvenient, I guess.