War Songs by Brett Nelson: Author Interview, Tour, and Giveaway with Celebrate Lit.

About the Book

Book: War Songs

Author: Brett Nelson

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction/Spiritual Warfare

Release Date: February 6, 2022

Trigger Warning: WAR SONGS is free of profanity and sexual situations (There is some mild slang terminology spoken by fallen angels and certain human characters, ex: c**p, w**re, etc). Also, there is one short scene in the book that depicts violence with very minimal graphic details that could be triggering and/or upsetting for some readers.

There is an invisible realm around us that we can neither discern with our eyes nor hear with our ears. This invisible realm is where the powers of darkness and light reside. They can see and hear us, but we cannot see and hear them.

Jenner Alekson is a leader in his praise and worship band that travels extensively in the tri-state area of Cape Kennington, North Carolina. He makes little money in his chosen profession, yet the rewards he reaps in obedience to his call of ministry are eternal, and that’s enough for him.

Always happy with all aspects of his existence, Jenner is blindsided when his life suddenly catapults into turmoil, and he is thrust into a crossroads where discontentment, anger, and loss of desire to carry the gospel with his song takes root in an otherwise sheltered and stable life.

Unbeknownst to Jenner, his wife Hyacinth, and best friends Camden and Lucas, a spiritual war rages around them. The powers of darkness will try their best to derail Jenner’s spiritual walk, his marriage, his ministry, then ultimately his life.

Meanwhile across the country, rough and gruff long-haul trucker Arnold Collins leads a different kind of life. He’s a recovering drunk who chases women and is unhappy with an unloving, belligerent wife who could out-cuss any man who ever dared to challenge her. Without a warm and inviting place to call home, Arnold prefers the wide-open road before him.

As he rumbles across the terrain of small-town America one lonely night in his eighteen-wheeler, grumbling about his unfulfilling lot in life, he happens upon a radio preacher. Not interested in religion, he flips past the station with mutters of disdain, but for reasons he cannot explain, he is compelled back to it and hears a sermon he doesn’t understand but can’t get out of his mind.

Will the schemes of the powers of darkness pull Jenner away from the faith that means everything to him? And will the same powers prevent Arnold from finding the faith he needs but never wanted?

Heaven and Earth, light and dark, good and evil, are about to collide in ways Jenner and Arnold and those they love could never imagine.

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview:

What was the highlight of writing this book?

Hi Tabitha. Thank you so much for having me on your blog. 

Writing an entire novel is fraught with so many emotions from excitement to frustration and everything in between. 

There were many highlights that came with writing War Songs:

I’m a huge fan of reading spiritual warfare books even though I’ve had a hard time finding ones that align with scripture. I’ve heard that Frank Peretti has a few good ones that represent scripture well, but I’ve refused to read them yet because I didn’t want his books to have any influence showing up in War Songs. As soon as I finish the War Songs series, the first thing I plan to do is have a nosedive into his books. Since I’m such a fan of spiritual warfare themes, just taking the time to sit down and flesh out the story was a major highlight. Finishing it was an even greater one because there were times when I honestly thought I didn’t have what it took to complete it. Since scripture doesn’t give us an in-depth view of how the spiritual realm looks and works, it was a challenge to conceptualize it then get it down on paper in way that hopefully comes across to readers as both genuine and realistic.

Another highlight was naming all the angels and fallen angels. I struggled for the longest time in coming up with cool names because angels and their fallen counterparts, in my humble opinion, need unique names. When a way to name them hit me and it actually worked, I was so stoked. One of the ways that I took literary license in writing War Songs is that I gave each angel and demon a specific purpose/personality (the demon of anger, the demon of discontentment, etc). I did research on the Latin forms of specific words to come up with names. For example, the Latin word for anger is “Ire,” which is how I came up with the name Iracun (pronounced phonetically as “Ear-uh-kewn” for the demon of anger. The Latin word for discontent is “odium,” which I shortened giving me the name Odi for the demon of discontent. 

War Songs has a main plot with Jenner and Hyacinth as well as a major subplot with Arnold and Alice. I knew I needed a way for the two plots to come together at the end, and I was more than halfway through writing it before I knew exactly how I would make that happen. When things like that suddenly click out of the blue and you realize how it will all come together, especially when you’ve struggled with it for months to finetune it, it’s the most beautiful “aha moment” that an author can experience.

Another challenge was incorporating the spiritual realm into the physical realm in a way that feels authentic and enjoyable to the readers. Finding different ways to describe all the angels and fallen angels, how they interact with each other as well as with the humans (who have no idea what’s going on around them in the spiritual realm). It was all very challenging and gave me a sense of satisfaction when I found a way to do it that brought me enjoyment because if I enjoy it and believe it then, fingers crossed, the readers will too.

Are you working on your next book already? What can you tell us?

I am for sure working on my next novel—or “novels” would perhaps be the most accurate way to say it. 

My next release is Book Two in the War Songs series. The poor book (book #6) has been an absolute challenge to title. It went through the entire writing/initial editing processes and didn’t have a firm title until halfway through the beta reader process (I have six fantastic beta readers and I couldn’t do what I do without their help). I finally hit the jackpot in October of 2023 and came up with the title. Needless to say, I was getting nervous because that’s the longest I’ve gone through the writing process without a title. It had three working titles in the last year, but I’ve finally settled on, “A Time for Redemption.” I haven’t officially announced the title, so you and your readers are among the first to hear it. In early January, the manuscript goes to the professional editor for the final edits and a Spring 2024 release.

I’m also in the beginning stages of plotting the third book in the War Songs series, but I haven’t started writing yet. I have a very broad idea of what it will be about, but I can give you a little hint: A famous TV pastor.

I’m also three quarters done with book #7, which will release after A Time for Redemption. I typically only publish one book per year but since I’m so far ahead in the writing process, I would love to be able to publish this book in Fall/Winter of 2024, but I won’t hold my breath on that one just yet. It takes so long to publish write, edit, beta read, then professionally edit a book that I don’t have great confidence in getting two out in one year, but that’s my goal and I’ll do my best to accomplish it. Book #7 will be my first foray into secular fiction (an attempt to reach a wider audience), but it will still be a clean and wholesome read that Christians would be comfortable reading. I can give you a little hint on this book, and it has something to do with the island of Fiji and a swindle.

I also have another book about 95% completed that I started years ago and never finished because I stopped to work on my novels When Raindrops Fall, War Songs, and Unprotected. I recently brushed it off and am looking forward to finishing it and beginning the arduous chore of starting the initial editing process. I usually do four or five editing sweeps on every book before it’s clean enough to send out for beta reader feedback. It, too, will be a secular fiction release, and again will be a clean and wholesome read (even if my books don’t have Christian themes, I will never write a book that isn’t clean and wholesome.) It takes place on the island of Waikiki and a successful resort.

To say that I have a lot of irons in the fire right now would be a gross under exaggeration, but I love every minute of it.

What famous author do you wish could be your mentor?

Oh goodness, I have so many favorite authors that I would love to have as a mentor. 

– Karen Kingsbury is a powerhouse in Christian Fiction, and I would love to pick her brain on her writing processes as well as general information on how she navigates the busy and even frustrating path to writing and publishing a book. I’ve only read about three of her books, but I’ve enjoyed them all, so she would be a great mentor for someone like me who’s in the beginning stages of starting a writing career. 

-I also would like to have access to Ted Dekker’s and Frank Peretti’s brilliant minds. With us all being men, there’s that, but I especially love Dekker’s coarse and gritty approach to writing flawed people that do ugly things in the world, like serial killers and murderers and such. Even though I haven’t read his work yet, I’ve heard all about it and I love the idea of Peretti delving into spiritual warfare and giving us a picture of what things might look like in the spiritual realm. I would love to see how these men craft their stories, with often devious plots, because one day I would love to have a “twisted mind” that can conjure such gritty and compelling stories yet still retain a layer of the light of the Gospel. I love the duality of combining the worst in human nature and tying it up with everything good that is the Gospel.

As much as I love Christian Fiction, sometimes I need a little more than the saccharine sweet love stories where people’s worst flaws are falling in love with someone who doesn’t love them back. 

-If I could choose one secular author to mentor me, it would be Mary Higgins Clark. She’s been one of my favorite authors since I was a teenager, and she is solid proof that an author can write compelling secular literature that garners a broad mass appeal without excessive profanity and zero sexual themes. Christian readers would have access to so many more good books if secular authors would learn that books can be perfectly good without filth and other offensive elements. MHC unfortunately passed away a year or two ago but if it were possible, I would definitely choose to sit with her and just see how she and her mind clicked.

– Another favorite author is New York Times bestselling author Katherine Spencer who wrote a collaborative series of wonderful books with painter Thomas Kinkade called the Cape Light series. Though her books aren’t technically Christian Fiction, the characters hurdle through their lives using a strong element of their faith when adversity rises. Ms. Spencer blessed me by being the very first interview on my “Author Spotlight” blog through my website. Through the interview process, I was able to glean some insightful writing advice from her, and I would be thrilled to sit down for dinner with her and have a long meaningful conversation about books, writing, and everything else we could think to discuss.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I live in a small town where there’s nothing to do but go bowling and eat out, so activities are limited around here. I enjoy hanging with friends and family. This weekend I had an author booth set up in a surrounding city’s arts and crafts fair then went to the city Christmas Parade. It was such fun to listen to the kids (and even the adults) laughing and having fun as the floats drove past and threw candy. I also enjoy reading and settling in with junk food and Netflix, and I’m a total a sucker for watching true crime documentaries on YouTube. Going to the beach and cruises are also fun things that I’m always up for doing.

How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

My very first novel, A Christmas to Live For, took 3-4 years to complete (If you follow my author page on Facebook by clicking this link

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrettNelson

pinned to the top of my feed is an hour-long podcast where I discuss everything about my first book on the Healing Words Podcast with Pamela Nichols. After my first book was published several years ago, I recognized the need to exercise daily discipline which would allow me to write and publish faster. Now, I can plot, write, perform initial edits, send the manuscript through six beta readers then on to professional editing in a year. I would love to be one of those authors who can crank out three or four books a year, but I average about a year per novel from beginning to end, and I’m okay with that frequency.

Do you write in one genre or several? 

Technically, as of now, I write in one genre, Christian Fiction, but I write in several genre categories under the umbrella of Christian Fiction. Like my reading habits, my writing style is eclectic, and I enjoy dabbling in different categories. 

My first book, A Christmas to Live for, is Christmas Christian fiction. It deals with eating disorders from the male perspective, and it has a slight romance that is heavy on the friendship trope. Though technically mostly women would enjoy it, there’s hardly a week that goes by that I don’t get emails from men (and women) who struggle with eating disorders and who found my books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. That book has allowed me to talk to so many hurting people, and I’m thankful to the Lord for that.

My second book, Lost Song, is an unrequited love broken heart story of a celebrity male singer. Again, it has a heavy emphasis on strong friendships and is light on romance. I suspect mostly women read it but men who like light on the romance books with strong friendships would totally enjoy it. I would consider it friendship fiction, women’s fiction, and small-town fiction.

My third book, When Raindrops Fall, has a heavier subject matter as it deals with a married couple who finds out they’re about to have a baby, but mom doesn’t want to disrupt her life and career with childrearing. He is thrilled to be a father, but she tells her husband that she will have an abortion without or without his consent, which is sadly legal. It’s a very emotionally driven story of a failing marriage and a man trying to save his unborn child’s life. Since it’s told from the male perspective, men and women alike could enjoy it. I would consider it women’s fiction, friendship fiction, family drama, and small-town fiction.

My fourth book, War Songs, (a great book for all readers, including men) is the subject of this interview and virtual book tour. It is in the spiritual warfare genre, family drama genre, and small-town fiction genre.

My fifth book, Unprotected, (a great book for all readers, including men) is a cautionary tale of what happens when a corrupt government oversteps and takes away a nation’s rights to own guns and the chaos that follows. It is in the political fiction genre, family drama fiction, and small-town fiction genre.

All my books have hit the Amazon Top 10 bestseller list. A Christmas to Live For won the 2021 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Award and War Songs won the 2022 Silver Medal in the Global Book Awards. As you can see, though my books are in the Christian Fiction genre, they would appeal to a wide array of readers.

About the Author

Brett Nelson is an Amazon TOP 5 BEST-SELLING author. “When Raindrops Fall” and “War Songs” hit #4 and #2 respectively in the Christian fiction genre, and “A Christmas to Live For” hit #9 in Christian Fiction. He lives in Arkansas, where he was born and raised. He wrote his first novel in 2012, just to see if he could. His goal is to write stories of fiction that are clean, easy to read, fun, and that injects a layer of his faith into every novel. In short, he desires that his readers would finish every novel having experienced a tapestry of emotions from a good healthy cry, fits of amused laughter, soul-splitting inspiration, and everything in between. He has published five novels to date. Book #2 to “War Songs” will publish in Spring 2024, and he is also currently working on Book #2 for “When Raindrops Fall.”

His novel “A Christmas to Live For” won the Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal in Christian Fiction in 2021, and “War Songs” won the Global Book Awards Silver Medal in Christian Fiction in 2022.

Other than writing, reading is one of his favorite things to do on a lazy, rainy day (or a sunny day, or at the beach, or…well, you get the picture).

He enjoys reading the novels of lesser known authors, because you never know when you’ll uncover a new favorite.

More from Brett

“War Songs” was my fourth published novel, and I wrote it because I love books about spiritual warfare. The few that I’ve read, though, lean more on the occultic side than biblically based, which was what I wanted. Spiritual warfare isn’t pictures falling off walls for no reason, or seeing a shadow in the corner, or things that go bump in the night, which is how books that I’ve read tend to depict the subject of spiritual warfare. So, I decided to tackle the subject for myself and write a novel that I would want to read. I’m blessed to have received amazing email feedback about the book from all over the country and even from readers in Pakistan, Germany, the UK, and Canada.

One question that I’m asked a lot is how I came up with the unique angel and demon names (ex: Animi, Mataio, Roga, and Mortol, just to name a few.) In the book, I gave each demon a specific job and/or specialty (discouragement, anger, etc) then I researched the Hebrew/Greek root words for the emotions that the demons represented and created a name based off the root word. It made for some great demon names, even if I do say so myself.

As an author, I rarely use the names of people I personally know in my books. I like to use unique character names that no one in my life has, hence the names of my main characters in “War Songs,” Jenner and Hyacinth. To help find character names, I often go to baby name websites and search until just the right unique name comes along, and the minute I see it, I just know that will be the character’s name. That said, I have given a few special people in my life a shoutout in the books by using their name for a smaller secondary character then giving the character an outlandish personality that is nothing like the person whose name I used.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 8

Artistic Nobody, February 9 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 9

Texas Book-aholic, February 10

Fiction Book Lover, February 11 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 12

Guild Master, February 13 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 14

A Reader’s Brain, February 15 (Author Interview)

Through the Fire Blogs, February 16 (Author Interview)

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, February 16

Lily’s Corner, February 17

Pause for Tales, February 18

Blossoms and Blessings, February 19 (Author Interview)

Splashes of Joy, February 20 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, February 21 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Brett is giving away the grand prize package of a $100 Amazon Gift Card, an autographed hardback copy of the book, and a bookmark!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/29c51/war-songs-celebration-tour-giveaway