Author Interview--Carole Towriss

Anne: Today's interview is with the beautiful and talented Carole Towriss. I find myself picturing her as Tirzah, the heroine in her latest book, By the Waters of Kadesh. Carole also wrote the prequel to this, In the Shadow of Sinai.


Speaking of which, Carole, what inspired By the Waters of Kadesh?

Carole: By the Waters of Kadesh is the sequel to In the Shadow of Sinai, so I guess you would say it was inspired by that first book. It takes place a couple months after Sinai ends, which is about a year after the Israelites leave Egypt.

Anne: I love the cover--is it actually taken by the Waters of Kadesh?

Carole: No, it's a picture of an oasis. Reuben Rog of Rog Illustrations made that beautiful cover for me, and he also did Sinai's cover.

Anne: He certainly is talented! So, when did you originally starting writing?

Carole: I started Sinai over twenty years ago, but then I put it away for about fifteen years while I raised my children. I picked it back up again just over three years ago.

Anne: That's too funny, and a real coincidence! My book, The Roman's Quest, was started thirty-five years ago! So, how did you get the idea to write it?

Carole: I was reading in Exodus one morning and saw where Bezalel had built the Ark of the Covenant and all the other furnishings of the Tabernacle. I wondered how a slave who spent his life building bricks would know how to do that, so I made up a story about it.

Anne: If you had to put By the Waters of Kadesh into a modern-day setting, what would it be?

Carole: Let's see. It's about spies in a new land, so maybe...I don't know. An unexplored jungle? Although Canaan was already settled, so I'm not really sure....

Anne: If this were put into a movie, what part would you consider grounds for justifiable homicide if a screen editor edited it out?

Carole: Don't ask me that! Every word is precious! And anything I pick, might spoil the end.

Anne: Would you like to tell us about your next book?

Carole: The next book, On the Brink of Promise, picks up after the forty-year punishment in the wilderness. Most people think Jericho is the first city conquered by the Israelites, but it's not!

Anne: Sounds exciting to me. I can't wait to read it! Thanks for being here this morning, Carole, and thank you for making Biblical history come to such vibrant life!