About the Book

Book: Avalanche

Author: M. Liz Boyle

Genre: Christian YA

Release Date: September 27, 2019

When fifteen-year-old Marlee Stanley joins her two sisters and the sons of their family friends on a secretive hike in the middle of the night, she is thrilled and nervous. Battling her conscience, she prays that the hike will go flawlessly and that they will return to the safety of their campsite before their parents wake. The start of the hike is beautiful and wonderfully memorable.

In a white flash so fast that Marlee can barely comprehend what has happened, an avalanche crashes into their path. Buried in packed snow, Marlee is forced to remember survival tips learned from her dad and her own research.

This group of friends, ages eleven through seventeen, is about to endure bigger challenges than many adults have experienced. Digging out of the packed snow is only the first of many challenges. Injuries, cold, hunger, fatigue, aggressive wildlife and tensions in the group make this a much bigger adventure than they ever imagined. As the kids strive to exhibit Christian values throughout the trials, they learn numerous life lessons. But they are nearly out of food, and their energy is waning quickly. How will they ever reach help?

Author Interview

1. What, according to you, is the hardest thing about writing?

For me the hardest part of writing is challenging my characters. As the author of fictional people, it is hard to make them go through trials. It would be easier and safer to give them a happy-go-lucky story where they always make the right choices, but I know that they need to endure hardships to grow and to give readers a satisfying and inspiring story.

2. What would you say is the easiest aspect of writing?

The easiest part of writing is enjoying the creative process. I have fun imagining characters and their stories, and trying to make their growth meaningful for readers. Because it’s such a fun aspect of writing, it comes easily.

3. Do you pen down revelations and ideas as you get them, right then

and there?

Yes and no. Some of my best ideas have come to me when I wake up or while I’m driving. If I’m able to grab a pen and paper, I absolutely jot down the idea right away. If I’m not near a pen, I make a note on my phone, or if I’m driving I’ll just say the idea aloud a few times to help myself remember it for the time being.

4. Where do you get your ideas for your books?

The idea for my first book Avalanche literally popped into my mind while I was getting lunch for my young kids one day. I had just read a YA novel about some teens surviving a string of dangerous situations in Africa, so I think the idea of surviving danger was on my mind. Several years earlier while backpacking in Colorado, I had seen the aftermath of an avalanche and was astounded by the destruction that it had caused. I think those two memories just came together and I realized that a group of friends experiencing an avalanche would make a compelling story.

My sequel, Chased, which will be published this summer, includes a new character who is introduced when he is dehydrated on the trail and needs help. That idea stemmed from a real-life experience when a group I was hiking with came upon a young couple who was sorely unprepared for the harsh environment of the Grand Canyon. We helped the young couple, and they ultimately made it out safely, so I decided to use the idea in a book. However, in Chased, the guy they help turns out to be a threat to my characters.

5. Do bits of yourself/friends show up in your characters?

I tend to include traits of people I know in my characters. Sometimes it’s a detail such as a middle name or a home state. Other times my characters will tell a story that really did happen to myself or someone I know. It feels like sharing a fun secret with my readers when I include anecdotes that my family and friends might recognize. Another instance when bits of myself or friends appear regards the characters’ birth order. When I’m designing characters, I want their personalities to be realistic, and I know that birth order affects the way people view the world. For that reason, I glean traits of firstborns I really know to help design my firstborn characters, and so on.

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About the Author

Liz is an author, the wife of a professional tree climber and the mom of three energetic and laundry-producing children. She received her Associate’s of Arts at the University of Sioux Falls, where she received the LAR Writing Award for her essay entitled, “My Real Life Mufasa.” Liz once spent a summer in Colorado teaching rock climbing, which she believes was a fantastic way to make money and memories. She resides with her family in Wisconsin, where they enjoy hiking and rock climbing. Liz and her husband have also backpacked in Colorado and the Grand Canyon, which have provided inspiration for her writing. She likes making adventurous stories to encourage others to find adventures and expand their comfort zones (though admittedly, she still needs lots of practice expanding her own comfort zone). She has thoroughly enjoyed working on her first novel, Avalanche, and the sequel Chased, which will release in the summer of 2020.

More from Liz

Have you ever been tempted to take a risk even though your conscience was screaming at you? Were you able to justify the pursuit of the thrill, actually convincing yourself that what you knew to be the unwise decision made perfect sense?

I did. So did my sisters. And so did Sawyer and Marshall Miles. When Sawyer first proposed the idea of the moonlit summit on our families’ annual backpacking trip, I was terrified. But I was also hooked. Sawyer convinced us that we would be fine, and we would be back to camp before our parents woke up with the sunrise.

Hearts racing and hands trembling, we five kids snuck away from camp in the middle of the night. Hiking toward the peak, the full moon was breathtaking, the wildlife abundant, and the experience unreal.

It became a whole lot more unreal when an avalanche, roaring, white and enormous, thundered into our path. Buried in the packed snow, I would have given anything to go back in time and change my decision to go along with this foolish idea.

Digging out of the cemented snow was the first of many challenges in the coming days. Physically, emotionally and spiritually, we were all pushed to our limits.

I had always loved hiking Colorado’s peaks. But, of course, I had never had to evacuate my own sister. I had always trusted Dad’s orienteering. Now I had to trust Sawyer, who, by the way, was the brain behind this dilemma. I usually slept best while backpacking. But, mountain nights are warmer when spent in a sleeping bag. But I can’t let my mind go there. I must keep a positive outlook and trust God to bring us to safety. That’s easier said than done.

Avalanche is a Christian teen and young adult novel. This engaging journey, told by fifteen-year-old Marlee Stanley, captures a timeless sense of adventure. The five young adults strive to exhibit godly character throughout their escapade, but they have not been in such a dire situation before. It will take immense strength and cooperation to hike out of this mess.