Writing about life in 19th century America has its perks.

For one thing, it makes me quite glad I’m fully immersed in 21st century American life. Indoor plumbing. Mattresses with memory foam instead of corn husks. Microwaves, convection ovens and stove tops instead of an open fire with an iron kettle.  Washers and dryers instead of a scrubboard, a bar of homemade soap, and very red knuckles.

Been there, done that?

Not really. But as with any of my historical novels, through research I attempt to place myself in the true-to-life setting, feel what my characters are feeling, imagine life as they lived it.

While writing THE BETRAYAL, I placed myself in scenes with my characters — Mary Rose, Bronwyn, and Enid — and I imagined their challenges. Frontier living was back-breaking and difficult. We know from journal accounts how bone-breaking hard day-to-day living really was. It became even more difficult as groups moved west, away from everything familiar, and, in the case of my characters, thousands of miles from family and home: England (Mary Rose), Wales (Bronwyn), and Nova Scotia (Enid).

My characters have the added challenge of being caught up in a new religious practice (polygamy) that weighs heavy on their hearts. As they search for answers, desperate to separate falsehoods from truths, they face increasing danger.  To disagree with Church leaders means they will be accused of apostasy, their children taken from them, their eternal lives damned. Blood atonement is preached as God’s truth: taking the life of your enemies to save their eternal life, a new theology and historic reality. What will they do? What would I have done?

As I wrote this book, I examined my own convictions, my own inner strengths.

If I’d been in Bronwyn’s shoes (Bronwyn, Gabe’s second wife, plays a central role in this book), could I have chanced escape? Would it have been easier to go along with the status quo, not daring to question authority? Would my personal safety be more important than taking a stand for truth? What if my choice endangered others, those I loved more than life itself — my own children?

Last night at a dinner party, I fell into conversation with a dear man from Holland whose family was hidden by a Dutch farmer and his wife for 25 months during the Holocaust. He had tears in his eyes as he told me about the risks his father and mother took to keep their family safe, the risks the farmer and his wife took to hide them. Later, I wondered about my convictions — my strengths, my courage. If I ever faced such a test, how would my courage measure up?

Today, during lunch with friends, the topic of the bestselling book UNBROKEN came up and the conversation turned to those heroes who triumph over horrific treatment. My friends voiced the same questions I’d been asking myself and we talked about those people who have an inner-strength that is indeed “unbreakable.” How would we hold up under such tests?

I think about the heroes I know, those in everyday life, some quite close to me.  One who hovered close to death, completely paralyzed for months; we thought he wouldn’t return, yet step by difficult step he has — touching the hearts all who know him with his godly wisdom, grace, and love. There are others who face battles with desperate health crises, heartbreaking issues with families and loved ones, decisions that take more grace and guts than one can imagine.

My cousin Gary and his beloved wife Linda — who has been in the hospital for more than 120 days battling acute leukemia — are heroes with incredible inner strength and courage. I see firsthand their faith in action, their courage beyond measure, and I am in awe.

Real heroes influence my writing. Even more so, they influence my life.

Their stories touch us because they’ve faced unimaginable tests and triumphed. They give us hope that we might do the same, should our will, our resolve, our courage, be tested in a similar way. Their stories somehow become ours to hold dear, their courage a blazing light to follow.

I’d love to hear from you about heroes you know, or about your own triumphs over adversity. The hero you know may be in the mirror.

In all love, peace, and joy …