Today I’m welcoming back Hope Bolinger. Today we are going to talk about her latest release, Vision, the final book in her YA fantasy series Blaze, a modern retelling of Daniel.
Hope, give us a synopsis of Vision.
Rabbits for Food meets Waiting for Fitz meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
After Danny Belte ends up with a gunshot wound to the head, he’s shipped off to a local psychiatric center under the assumption he’d attempted to commit suicide. Knowing that he’d actually been killed by a fellow enemy at his high school, and a photographic memory to prove it, keeps him sane.
After meeting the fun and playfully rebellious members of his ward, he suspects that some underlying connection ties them all together. Haunted by revealing visions, he may have a shot at discovering a conflict of interest, and buying their ticket out of the ward.
But memories are dangerous things. He may just make as many enemies as friends at the ward who want his memories erased.
A modernized take on Daniel 7-12
Definitely an intriguing thriller.
What Is the Main Theme of Vision?
There are quite a few, but the most important one I would think is the importance of memories. I don’t want to give away too much, but part of what gets Danny into trouble is he has a terribly good memory. And while that can help you out in pleading your innocence, it also can be harmful if you have memories someone would rather you forget.
Some other major themes include: everyone is worth saving, problems with the mental health system in America, and spreading good news whilst under persecution.
Do You Have Any Favorite Quotes from Vision?
I do!
“They see you the way you see everyone else. Worth saving.”
“I’m not giving up on you yet.”
“He had a little piece of Eden with him. Yes, even here.”
“I’m in the very business of helping people remember. You would not believe how much everyone forgets.”
“Tell her how loved she is. Sometimes people need to hear that more than once to stop sinking.”
“Everything’ll flip back around in the end. That’s how everything goes: worse, then better.”
Interesting. Was Modernizing Daniel 7-12 Hard?
Yes, extremely tough. The first two books are the “easier” stories, the fiery furnace and the lions’ den. Daniel 7-12 has baffled theologians for centuries. No one seems to agree completely on items such as the Abomination of Desolation or the 70 weeks. When I told people what I’d do for the third book, they all seemed to ask, “Daniel 7-12? How are you going to modernize that?”
I laughed nervously. And then cried.
Did You Have a Favorite Moment?
It’s hard to say without giving spoilers or mentioning anything to readers who aren’t familiar with the series, but I will say, for this book in particular, I like how everything is choreographed.
When my publicity manager asked for some favorite quotes, I had a tough time finding some, because this is a book full of meaningful actions rather than quotes that look nice on an Instagram post. I would say any moment where Danny helps a character to see their worth and value warms my heart. There are lots of that type of moment in the book.
And, of course, I love the ending.
Tell us, why you wrote the Blaze Trilogy?
The idea came to me in a Gen Ed class. We were going through the entire Old Testament in a semester, and the professor, while going through the book of Daniel, said something that really stuck out to me.
“Daniel and his friends would’ve been fourteen or fifteen when taken into the Babylonian captivity.”
I’d never realized this. Yes, I’d known about the captivity that lasted 70 years, and plenty about the stories of Daniel. But I’d always pictured him as being in his thirties when he was taken—not a teenager.
This got me thinking, “Well, if Daniel was able to stand strong in his faith back then, while being a teenager, what does that look like in a high school now?” And thus, the idea of the Blaze trilogy took flight.
Tell my readers a bit about Hope Bolinger.
Hope Bolinger is a content editor at Salem Media and a multi-published novelist.
More than 1100 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer’s Digest to Keys for Kids to HOOKED to Crosswalk.com. She writes about 250-300 articles a year.
She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams.
She had four of her books traditionally published in the last three years (see below) She has 8-9 books scheduled to published between 2021-2023.
She has won awards for her essays, poetry, children’s books, novels, and plays.
Her favorite way to procrastinate is by connecting with readers on Instagram and Twitter @hopebolinger
Where Can Readers Purchase Vision?
Blaze
Den
Vision
Where Can Readers Follow You?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hopebolinger
Twitter: twitter.com/HopeBolinger
Instagram: www.instagram.com/hopebolinger
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Hope-Bolinger/e/B00V0VWFKQ
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/hopebolinger
Website/Newsletter: www.hopebolinger.com
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/hope-bolinger
Thanks, Hope for stopping by to share about your newest release.
Readers, if you haven’t read Blaze or Den, I’d add them to your TBR list to get the whole Daniel retelling experience.