June 1, 2025 • 40 mins
In this episode of The Christian Book Blurb, host Matt McChlery interviews author Natasha Woodcraft about her historical fiction novel, The Wanderer's Legacy. The conversation delves into the themes of humanity, sin, and hope, exploring how historical fiction can illuminate biblical narratives. Natasha shares her research process, the psychological depth of her characters, and the challenges of writing sensitive topics. The discussion also touches on the importance of discipleship, the role of the Holy Spirit in her writing journey, and her future projects aimed at equipping young readers.
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Visit Natasha Woodcraft's website natashawoodcraft.com
With thanks to this episode's sponsors 'God Whispers are Life Changers' by Michael and Delane Salkheld
Takeaways
- The Wanderer's Legacy is a standalone book set in ancient history.
- Natasha aims to humanize biblical characters through her writing.
- Historical fiction can help readers engage with scripture.
- The heart of humanity remains unchanged across time.
- Patriarchy's origins are explored in the context of the story.
- Hope is essential in Christian fiction, even amidst darkness.
- Writing about sin requires sensitivity and care.
- The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in Natasha's writing process.
- Natasha is working on a series aimed at teenage boys.
- Community feedback is vital in the editing process.
Sound Bites
"There is power in stories." "The heart of humanity is the same." "It's essential to acknowledge the darkness." "God never leaves us alone." "Hope needs to be there." "I refuse to accept that there's no hope." "There is a way to find peace." "I want to equip teenagers to live in purity."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to The Wanderer's Legacy 02:57 Exploring Historical Context and Research 05:52 Themes of Humanity and Sin 08:49 Character Development and Psychological Depth 11:47 Discipleship and Influence in the Narrative 15:04 Hope Amidst Darkness 17:49 Writing Challenges and Sensitivity 20:51 The Role of the Holy Spirit in Writing 24:08 Future Projects and Aspirations
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is Christian Book Blurb brought to you by author and songwriter Matt McChlery Get abehind the scenes glimpse into the lives of some of your favourite Christian authors, hear
about their books and faith.
Also, why not check out my website, mattmcleary.com.
This episode of Christian Book Blurb is sponsored by the book God Whispers Our LifeChanges by Michael and Delaine Sulkeld.
(00:26):
Available now from godwhispersforlife.com.
Hello and welcome to The Christian Book Blurb, where we like to encourage you and yourdiscipleship one book at a time as we meet some amazing Christian authors and learn about
their books, their lives and their faith.
Well, I am your host, Matt McChlery.
Thanks so much for clicking over here and joining me today.
(00:48):
I'm really grateful for your company.
Now today I'm going to be chatting with the author, Natasha Woodcraft, all about her newbook.
It's called The Wanderers.
Legacy and it's a historical fiction novel and in April it was the number one hot newrelease on the historical fiction sales on Amazon.
(01:13):
So a very warm welcome to Natasha.
Hi Natasha.
Hello, thank you so much for having me.
It's a pleasure to be here and to chat with you.
It's wonderful.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Now, tell us about your new historical fiction novel called The Wanderer's Legacy.
It's set in ancient history as, well, any good historical fiction novel should be set inthe past, and this one certainly is.
(01:42):
Could you just explain where it fits in with the biblical narrative?
And perhaps also mentioning some of the other books that you've written that have led upto where this one sits in the grand story of the wide world and everything.
Yep, that's right.
So we go back about as far as you can go in the Wanderer series.
(02:07):
So this is book three, but it is a standalone book.
So you don't have to have read the other ones to read it.
And we're back in Genesis four.
So the whole of the series is based on Genesis four.
So we're almost right at the beginning.
And the first book is the story of Cain and Abel from Cain's perspective.
That's called The Wanderer Scorned.
(02:27):
And it's really a deep dive into Cain's psychology and an attempt to humanise him again,because he is so dehumanised in ancient literature, and really to get to the heart of what
might have been his reason for doing what he did and taking the path that he did.
And then the other books look at the kind of results of that.
(02:51):
So The Wanderer Reborn is in the middle, and that's the story of one of his sisters in theaftermath of what happened.
And then the Wanderer's legacy is actually 750 years afterwards.
And it's the story of Lamech and his two wives.
So right at the end of Genesis four, you get a little poem about Lamech.
And it just really piqued my interest em because firstly, Lamech's wives and daughter arementioned and they're the only women apart from Eve that are mentioned in Genesis one to
(03:21):
10, which is really interesting.
And also, Lamech is not only a murderer, but he's the first polygamist.
And so he's a lovely chap, generally.
I just wanted to also get, my thing is getting behind these characters and trying tounderstand why they would have done what they did and why that story is in the Bible, what
the Holy Spirit wants to teach us through those little obscure stories that are sort of inthe middle of something bigger.
(03:48):
So that's really where I dig.
And yeah.
So we're going right back and then about 750 years forwards, if that makes sense.
Okay, so the book we're talking about today is The Wanderer's Legacy, which sort of zoomsin on Lamech and his wife Ada?
(04:10):
Ada?
Yes.
I say Adda,
Well, why don't you leave a comment?
Tell us how to pronounce this, the historical.
I think it's aah, I think it's aah-dah.
An okay.
Alright, great.
Just say it with confidence and hopefully, you know, people will just believe you.
(04:33):
Maybe that's the thing.
Is historical fiction helpful for us?
This is something I find fascinating.
Is historical fiction helpful for us in helping us to understand more about the Bible andthe places and times in which stories occur?
I mean, you're not trying to rewrite the Bible or replace the Bible, are you?
(04:57):
No, absolutely not.
And that's really important to say from the outset.
There is stigma against biblical historical fiction because people in that obviously don'twant to tamper with the biblical text.
It's really, really important not to do that.
So I'm really careful to make sure that everything that I'm writing lines up with what isin the scripture.
(05:18):
And really my passion is to bring out the truths that are there in a similar way to whatyou do in a sermon, but through story.
And so part of my own testimony is that when I've got four children and so I know what itmeans to be tired.
And when my kids were young, so if anyone's listening with lots of kids, they get me.
(05:41):
When my kids were young, I found it really hard to engage with big texts, with big Biblestudy texts.
And I'm trained in theology, so I have lots of big fat textbooks on my shelves.
but I just couldn't read them without falling asleep and it just wasn't going in.
And even when listening to sermons, you know, I couldn't remember the three points of thesermon an hour after I'd heard it, if I'd even not fallen asleep in the middle of it.
(06:05):
And so, you know, I was coming from that place, but what I found and discovered was that Icould remember stories.
So I could remember a fiction or a memoir that I'd read, you know, a month ago.
but I couldn't remember a sermon.
And so what that taught me, think what Holy Spirit was saying to me through that was thatthere is power in stories.
(06:27):
And of course, some of the stories that Jesus told were really short, but they're stilljust as potent 2000 years later.
um yeah, so what I think, coming back to your question, historical fiction and biblicalfiction can open up the scripture in a way that helps us to not only understand it, but
(06:48):
also remember it.
em And so I get to do the research, I get to do all the background digging to conjure upthis sort of narrative that then places these characters in a setting that you can then be
diving into that setting and living it with them and understanding a little bit more aboutthe scripture.
(07:11):
And my interpretation might not be correct and I'm not claiming any kind of...
em
Yeah, what's the word?
I've forgotten it.
For any kind of authority, that's the one.
Any kind of authority on my interpretation of it.
And yet, hopefully, it just helps people to dive in with those characters and think aboutwhy their stories are there and in a way that they can remember, in a way that they can
(07:35):
engage with, in a way that hopefully they won't fall asleep in the middle of reading.
But of course, you can't take that for granted.
Yeah.
And not everyone will have researched.
correctly and ancient history is so difficult anyway because loads of it got washed awaywith the flood.
So we don't even know really a lot of things.
(07:56):
So how do you do the research then for something like this?
Is it a lot of guesswork or do you have sort of some source material you can try and drawon?
I know there's the Bible, but are there other things that you can sort of look at and findout about?
And do you like travel to museums and ancient unknown dusty corners of big libraries andall that kind of thing?
(08:22):
I've looked at some things in museums, certainly.
I haven't had the opportunity to go to some really, really ancient things.
uh I would love to.
But as I said, it's very difficult with pre-flood narratives.
It is a lot of my imagination, I will confess that.
But also there's, so in the first book there was lots and lots of farming, because Cain isobviously a farmer.
(08:48):
And so I...
I did lots of research into ancient farming practices and thought about what tools theywould have used, how they might have developed.
em In this one, we have the character Tu-Vol-Cain or Tu-Vol-Cain em and he's the firstmetal worker, it says in the Bible.
So I take the biblical narrative as truth and then I work from there.
And so then I see what history, em you know, lines up with that.
(09:13):
em So I did research about different metals, different metal ores.
What would they look like?
What would they feel like?
And what were the processes?
So there were different metal ores that arose at different times in history in differentplaces.
And so thinking about where, yeah, how on earth that might have worked in a short space oftime with two volcano.
(09:40):
So, lots of internet research, if I'm honest, not taking any of that for granted, butscouring.
the internet and trying to find what is actually true and what's fake.
You've also got like sort of marriage practices and things in there as well that, youknow, are, some of them are quite different to what's culturally normal or acceptable
(10:03):
these days.
And because obviously it happened a very long time ago and culture and everything isdifferent.
Yeah, and covenantal practices and things like that, sacrifices and that kind of thing.
Looking, looking back at what the most ancient texts said and different cultures acrosscultures as well, because we're pre-Israelite culture here.
(10:27):
So just looking at the Israelite culture isn't necessarily helpful because actually we'rebefore that.
And so you want to look at the whole culture, including the Canaanite cultures and thedifferent things that came out of, because they had a beginning.
we're at the beginning.
So it's kind of almost going backwards and thinking where might they have come from.
(10:48):
Hmm.
Interesting.
Interesting.
So this novel explores humanity's downward spiral into sin and depravity.
Obviously we have humanity being expelled from the Garden of Eden, and then we get thesort of the Cain and Abel story where the Wanderer series kind of started.
(11:11):
And now, as you say, this is 700 some years after that event.
Um, do you see many reflections of the world we live in today in your story?
Cause I know there was some bits where there was a conversation in the novel where, um,someone mentions Yahweh, the name of God and another character hadn't heard of this name
(11:40):
before.
You know, who is this Yahweh, this God that you're talking about?
And I thought,
When I read that, thought, actually, yeah, that, still rings true.
Today, you could be walking down the supermarket or somewhere and have a conversation oroverhear a conversation.
So I'm saying who, what, you know, what are you talking about?
(12:02):
So do you see other sort of crossovers in the state of where the world was then to wherewe perceive the world to be now?
Hmm, I think yes, lots.
And I think what my heart is actually to draw out how humanity is the same as it's alwaysbeen.
(12:25):
And we may have different cultural practices, we may have different technologies, theworld may be a different place globally, but the heart of humanity is the same.
And so the same struggles in my characters.
the same struggles that we're all still facing today.
And one of the big things, em one of the big themes in The Wanderer's Legacy is thecreation of patriarchy.
(12:49):
em And patriarchy wasn't there right at the beginning because Eve was taken out of Adam'sside, not his feet.
So it wasn't the state of things to start with, but it was a result of the fall, you yourdesire shall be for your husband and he'll rule over you.
And so that was one of the curses, the results of the fall.
But I think that would have taken a little while to play out in society.
(13:12):
And so one of the main themes in The Wanderer's Legacy is how did that come about?
How did it become the case that women became objects and, em you know, ways for men toadvance themselves rather than being equal and having inherent value?
And so it was an interesting thought experiment to think.
And because obviously Lamech being the first polygamist,
(13:35):
and is the first person to decide that having two wives is acceptable and therefore thatby definition, know, by implication, those two wives were not of equal value to him.
They were just, em you know, means to an end as it were.
em yeah, so it's, and I think extending, thinking about today's society, it's justeverywhere and women are abused across the spectrum, across the world and em
(14:05):
not treated as equal.
And so, you know, where did that come from?
And I think that came right from this early time.
m And what can we do about it?
And what's God's heart in that situation and all of those things we're thinking about?
(14:26):
So, yeah, so that's one of the things which was very m in the forefront of my mind m as aparallel with our society.
but also like you say, the thought that actually, there's a little line at the end ofGenesis four, which says, at that time people began to call on the name of the Lord, which
suggests that there was a time when people weren't calling on the name of the Lord, evenso close, even so close after creation.
(14:52):
And so, and that's certainly a time now where actually you have this thing where so manypeople don't know the name of the Lord.
And yet there's a glimmer, isn't there?
There's a glimmer.
things are starting to, the Holy Spirit is starting to speak, people are starting to callon the name of the Lord.
And I think God never leaves us alone.
(15:12):
There's always a remnant and the Holy Spirit is doing some exciting things in the world.
Not necessarily, I think he is working in the Western world, but what we're seeing is inthe rest of the world.
He's really working and that's really, really exciting.
And proclaiming the name of Jesus.
through all sorts of means, dreams, visions, et cetera.
(15:35):
Yeah, which excites me.
No, good.
We mentioned already that um the book talks about the sort of the sin and depravity afterthe fall sort of leading up towards the flood.
Now as a Christian author, how challenging was it to write about these things, umobviously without going into too much detail or kind of trying to, you know, without
(16:02):
glorifying.
the sin or without sort of promoting it as entertainment in some way within a novel.
uh How did you do that?
I hope I've done it successfully, but it was very challenging.
can't imagine.
It be so hard.
(16:24):
Because there is so much going on in The Wanderer's Legacy.
I mean, it does spiral.
It spirals quite quickly.
And I didn't want to ignore that.
I didn't want to pretend that that didn't happen because that doesn't do anyone anyfavors.
The world is a dark place.
And pretending it's not doesn't help us.
em But I think I chose to tell the story through the eyes of Ada.
(16:49):
em And I think seeing her perspective and
feeling the pain of it em helped to stop it from being glorified.
But there were a couple of chapters that are in Lamech's perspective, and I think that wasimportant because again, I really wanted to get into the psychology of what was going on
in his head.
(17:09):
um And those ones I had to be really careful with.
And I would write them and then sit with them for a while and ask Holy Spirit to show meif there were bits that shouldn't be there.
So often it was worse before it got edited because I would be getting myself into hishead.
(17:30):
And then I would sit with Holy Spirit and say, okay, which bits here are not glorifyingyou, which bits are not pure and holy, which, you know, without dumbing down his
character, which bits are not going to bring you glory.
And then I would take them out.
And also then I went through a process of sending it to other readers.
and going through and there's lots of things that happen in this book, which are very,very hard to write and lots of them I had to wrestle with.
(17:58):
And so I chose readers that I knew might have experienced certain elements of it and Igave it to them and I said, could you please give me honest feedback on this and tell me
if anything is in a, you know, I haven't dealt with it appropriately, if anything isinsensitive, et cetera.
yeah, so it went through quite a long process, a good nine months of editing.
(18:20):
where I gave it to people and asked for feedback.
So I was looking for Holy Spirit checks in my own heart and looking for Holy Spirit checksin the hearts of others in order to write it well.
So I hope that what's gone out, and I've been told that the readers that have come back tome have said, yes, it is triggering.
(18:40):
There are things that are really hard in the book, and that's unavoidable because of thetopic, but it's also healing.
And those are the words I wanted to hear.
It is triggering, but it's also healing.
And that's what my heart is for this book, that it shows the heart of God and that itheals those painful moments.
(19:04):
Zooming in on a discipleship theme in the book, can you tell us about the character ofHanukkah and his influence on Adda's faith journey?
Yes, so Hanok, another one that's hard to say.
um
had to ask you before we started recording actually, how do I pronounce this?
(19:26):
So yeah, thank
It's a guttural, ha!
Yes, so he is the elder of the city, so almost everyone in the city is related to him insome way apart from those that have moved in through marriage or whatever.
And he has this burden for seeing the city continue in the worship of Yahweh.
He is a follower, he's a believer, and yet he sees this depravity extending everywhere.
(19:54):
and things getting worse and that's a huge burden to bear.
I just tried to imagine what it was like to feel that.
But he has a particular affinity with Adda because um he sort of by mistake influences hermarriage decision and so she meets Lamech through him and so yeah, he feels this
(20:19):
particular burden for her and has to watch her going through suffering.
And so he draws alongside her at different points and lots of them are God incidences.
So she just happens to bump into him at certain times.
But then there's some lovely conversations that they have together and he's not an expert.
And again, we're pre-Jesus here.
(20:39):
We're pre almost everything.
We're pre Moses.
We don't know, they don't know much about God.
But I think God is always there and he's always seeking a relationship.
And the lovely relationship that he has with Hanok is then, is brought to play in Hanok'srelationship with Ada.
So he disciples her in different ways and he never forces anything on her, but he's justthere as a support when she needs him.
(21:10):
And then he is influential in what happens at the end of the book, which I can't tell youabout without giving the story away.
Just fair
But think that's the key for discipleship really, my heart for that was it's loving peopleand showing them Jesus and showing them his kindness and showing them that he is there and
(21:31):
he loves them even when their circumstances are absolutely horrific.
So we've mentioned there's a lot of darkness and difficult things, but there is, as you'vealso said, there is this glimmer of hope despite the darkness, or even within the
darkness, there is this hope.
(21:51):
And I've found with the historical fiction novels I have read, there is this hope, theycall it the story arc, there's this hopeful story arc.
How important is it in a Christian
fiction, whether it's historical fiction or any other kind of book, to have sort of thishope within it.
(22:16):
I think it's essential um because coming back to that thing that the heart message of thisbook is that God never leaves you alone.
He never leaves us alone.
And history is messy and bloody and you you could focus on all of the negative thingseasily and write loads and loads of books about them.
(22:39):
uh But if you're writing something to glorify Jesus,
we have to acknowledge that Jesus has always been there and he's always been speaking intothose situations.
And so the glimmer of hope here really is that the book that was my verse as I was writingthe story that I kept coming back to again and again is, peace I will lie down and sleep
(23:00):
for you alone Lord make me dwell in safety.
And Ada needed to find a place of safety which she didn't have in her naturalcircumstances.
And we have to believe that that scripture is true.
that God actually desires us to have peace and he desires us to have safety and that hecan create that for us.
And if that is true, then there must always be a way.
(23:22):
There must always be a way to find that.
And so that hope needs to be there.
And The Wanderer's Legacy is a long book and there's a lot of it where it doesn't looklike there's much hope for Ada and she lives in...
She gets to a point of despair and then as I say, people come, just little drops of littleglimmers, people come into her life and just keep her going and keep her going.
(23:48):
And yeah, and then eventually she finds the place of peace.
But it's knowing that with God there is always a way and sometimes we can't see it, butthat might just be because we haven't got our eyes open.
em And yeah, so seeking him for that way.
And for me, it's everything that there is hope available because otherwise the Bible's nottelling the truth and I refuse to accept that.
(24:21):
Now fast-forwarding many many many many many many years from when this book was set, sortof Genesis times, to today, because as you said the the condition of man is still fairly
similar.
If someone's listening to this podcast now and is experiencing a bad relationship ordomestic violence or infidelity
(24:49):
What would your advice be for them?
Yeah, it's a really hard question and I'm not qualified to answer, but I do just want tosay that I feel for you and that in the story Ada, she hides, she lives in fear for a long
(25:14):
time because Lamek just seems too powerful.
As I say, it seems hopeless.
He's too powerful.
How can she ever survive?
And it might be that you're feeling that, that the situation is too big, that whoever isagainst you is too powerful.
But I just want to say to you that God is more powerful, that he knows you, that there isno shame in what you're going through.
(25:45):
It is not your fault and there is no shame in it and that he desires your peace.
And so there is a way.
And if you can find the courage to speak up, to lean on those that God has placed in yourlife to offer you a lifeline, those that you can trust, then do that.
(26:08):
You do not have to live.
And I think historically the church has sometimes not helped, has said that you have tolive in these situations.
The truth is that you don't because God desires your peace.
So look for the way, ask God to show you the way and embrace the Holy Spirit's peace foryou.
(26:34):
I don't know if that's...
No, thank you.
Thank you.
And we'll be back just after these short messages and finding out more about NatashaWoodcraft's life and fate.
So stay tuned.
God Whispers Our Life Changes, a book by Michael and Delaine Sulkeld is an incredible truelife story of Michael and Delaine, an ordinary couple who listened as God led them from
(27:03):
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(28:25):
Hello, welcome back to the Christian Book Blur podcast.
I've been chatting with the author, Natasha Woodcroft, all about her new historicalfiction novel called The Wanderer's Legacy.
Now, we chatted a lot about your book and its themes and discipleship content andeverything else before the break.
Then this side of the break, we like to get to know the author a little bit better.
(28:48):
um So who are you?
Who are you, Natasha?
What do you do for fun?
Let's start there.
I have a very busy life and don't feel like I often have much time for fun.
I said we have a small holding.
We have three acres and lots of animals and um a big vegetable garden.
(29:14):
And actually, I do love to go in the vegetable garden for fun because it's somewhere thatI can switch my brain off and just focus on digging up those weeds and taking out my anger
on them.
And yeah, and then
I also just love to meet up with friends and m I'm a bit of an introvert so I can't dothat all the time, it wears me out.
(29:34):
But when I do see my friends I love it and m just having a good laugh with them and aswitch off is great, going for tea and cake.
Well, I was going to say, if you see your friends, what do usually do?
Tea and cake.
So more preference towards tea rather than coffee.
Yes, I'm definitely a tea drinker.
Yes.
I've only started drinking coffee in the last couple of years and I only have oneoccasionally.
(29:59):
Okay, and is this tea just your of your standard English breakfast tea, or do you venturetowards sort of, you know, herbal teas and infusions and all these exciting other things?
I tend to have Roybos in the evenings, but the Earl Grey one, the flavoured Earl Grey one.
I really like that.
(30:19):
Yeah, and I know I've got some South African listeners, so they'll be they'll beinterested to hear that.
Yeah, definitely.
I prefer that in the evenings as my decaffeinated rather than fruit teas.
I'll drink fruit teas occasionally, uh they smell a lot better than they taste, don'tthey?
And your piece of cake?
(30:39):
What sort of cake might that be?
What's your go-to at the moment?
Oh, probably.
Oh, I love a bit of lemon drizzle, although I don't tend to make it very much because it'sa bit of a faff, but I do love a bit of lemon drizzle.
If I'm making cake, it's normally just vanilla cupcakes.
Yeah, quick and easy.
(31:00):
No, very good.
Very good.
You've said you're very busy and it sounds like it.
Writing an author.
Now you've mentioned allotments and animals and things like that.
Do you do other things, dare I ask?
Yes, unfortunately, I have to.
My husband is also self-employed.
(31:23):
So he, yeah, so I have to do all the administration and accounts for his business, which Ireally don't like.
It's just something I have to do.
And yes, and then also I am on the team at Broadplace Publishing.
So that's a new Christian publishing house in the UK.
(31:45):
which we are specialising in these stories, like the ones that I write, that acknowledgethe hardness of life, but shine the hope into it.
And em yeah, so we've come together and started producing these kinds of stories.
And so I'm doing that em a day or so a week as well, doing line editing and formatting andbits and bobs like that.
(32:12):
So yes, and I do some freelance editing as well.
But I do struggle to find time for everything.
I do struggle to find time.
It's a constant battle to find God's rest amongst it all, to find my merry moments amongstmy marthering.
Excellent.
(32:32):
uh Have you got any family?
You mentioned a husband.
Yes, I have four sons as well.
So my eldest is just starting GCSEs.
My youngest is seven.
So in that, they're all boys, which, keeps life simpler.
I think it would be complicated if we threw a girl in the mix.
But yeah.
And then, and then I have, I have 22 animals, I think at last count.
(32:56):
So there's lots of mouths that require me feeding them every day.
Um, but yeah, my, my boys are great.
I do thank God for them.
They are, they are wonderful.
So very grateful.
Keep me on my toes.
Great.
Yes, A slightly more serious question.
What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life or speaking to you at the moment?
(33:20):
Well, I've been on a wonderful journey the last few years, really since I started writingabout five, six years ago, of learning to transfer things I know about God into actually
knowing Him.
And Holy Spirit's been really speaking to me about that.
I used to know a lot about God, but I didn't really walk with Him.
(33:40):
I didn't really know Him.
And it's just been an absolute joy and pleasure to transfer knowledge into my heart.
and to just spend time with him.
Now I love nothing better.
If you're really gonna ask me what I do for fun, it's sit on the sofa with a Bible and anotebook for about four or five hours.
(34:02):
That's my idea of fun.
I'm a right geek.
So yeah, it's just really spending time with him, listening to him.
And you know, that's one of the things which I think we can do so much in our busyness.
We might do a five minute.
you know, quiet time here and there.
And we shouldn't guilt trip ourselves about that at all.
(34:23):
I don't think God ever wants us to live in shame and guilt.
That's not his heart for us.
em But we can so easily do it.
And it's such a joy actually to just be listening and saying, okay, God, what is yourlifestyle choice for me?
How do I find, em you know, your desire for me amongst all of the crazy?
(34:48):
em And I'm still learning because I still, my default is to strive instead of to abide.
So I'm still learning and he has to constantly point me.
Even last night I was meant to be having a day of rest yesterday and I didn't.
And m I had my husband who's working away.
m
(35:09):
He was texting me saying, did you rest today?
And I was like, no, I failed.
And my business partner, Joy, was texting me saying, did you rest today?
No, I failed.
And so they were both saying, come on.
You have to rest.
And yeah, so I'm grateful for those people speaking God into my life and saying, come on.
(35:29):
Yeah, abiding, abiding is what he's really still teaching me.
And I'm being very slow to learn.
Really good.
Now I know you've been caught up in the the frenzy of launching a new book recently, TheWanderer's Legacy, but I will ask have you got something else up your sleeve?
(35:52):
you on to the next thing or have you got an idea as to is something else coming in thenext year or so maybe?
Because I know it takes a while to...
to write a book and as you're saying nine months to edit the other one.
take a while, but have you got something in the background that you might start working onor not really?
(36:15):
Yes, I actually have.
So I started a project about three years ago, em which was aimed at teenagers,specifically teenage boys, because there's not very much for them to read.
And I have teenage boys.
So I know it's a constant battle to find wholesome things for them to read, but not justwholesome, but also things that are going to equip them to deal with the challenges that
(36:38):
they face as as teenagers.
particularly teenage boys.
em And so I'm working on this series and it is actually lots of people ask me, are yougoing to do Noah next?
Well, this was actually my attempt at doing Noah next, but it's a fantasy series.
So it's not about Noah at all.
It's not set in.
uh So there's no Noah, there's no ark and there's no animals.
(37:00):
uh The only resemblance it has to Noah is that there's going to be a big flood.
uh That was giving the game away.
What the f***?
But it's again, it's a remnant thing.
It's a how do we live faithfully in a society that goes against everything that God says.
And that's what it is.
(37:20):
And so it's trying to equip, that's my heart, to equip the teenagers as well as adults tolive in purity and to walk with Jesus in a way that they can actually fight the fight and
win the battle.
So yeah.
I started work on that ages ago.
And then when Wanderer's Legacy started knocking on my door and annoying me, because Adawouldn't leave me alone, I wasn't intending to write that third book.
(37:47):
I thought the Wanderer series was finished, but I decided to focus on that and get thatdone before I started releasing a different series in a different genre, because my brain
couldn't cope with doing two genres at once.
So I am now attempt going to try and do that.
So it's called The Stronghold of Anjanin.
the series and one and a half, one book is ready, the other one is drafted so I'm gonnaget working on that again because if I don't my 13 year old son is gonna beat me up
(38:19):
because he's been waiting for it to come out for ages.
going to be 25 by the time it's ready but yeah no no really good oh interestinginteresting yeah we look forward to finding out more about that as we go along where can
people find you on social media and how can people buy your books
(38:40):
have the benefit of having a name that nobody else seems to have.
So if you just type Natasha Woodcraft into Google, you'll find me, which is, which ishandy because a lot of people don't have that benefit.
eh Yeah.
Um, so I am on Facebook.
It's called Natasha Woodcraft, writes wrongs and songs.
but just typing Natasha, you'll find me and, um, Instagram occasionally I go on Tik TOK.
(39:04):
I'm not very good on that.
And YouTube I have
I put up book readings on YouTube.
So if you want to know more about Wanderer's Legacy oh and you want to just hear a snippetof it, you can pop on YouTube and there's a few readings on there.
And also my website is just natashawoodcraft.com.
So that's nice and easy.
Excellent, and buying books.
(39:25):
So the easiest place to get them if you're in the UK is through the Broadplace Publishingwebsite, is broadplacepublishing.co.uk, slash shop will take you to all of the books.
That's the cheapest way because they're cheaper on there than they are on Amazon, etcetera.
If you're worldwide, then they are obviously on Amazon and you can order through bookshopsand that sort of thing.
(39:48):
yeah.
Wonderful.
That's great.
Well, it's been a joy having a chat with you today, Natasha.
Thank you so much for joining us here on the Christian Book Blob podcast.
Thank you very much for having me.
I just want to give a really big thank you to the sponsors of today's episode.
This is the book, God Whispers Our Life Changes by Michael and Delaine Selkeld.
(40:09):
That book is available now from their website, GodWhispersForLife.com.
Do go and check it out.
Thank you for listening to this episode of The Christian Book Blurb.
Don't forget, I'll be back really soon on the first and the 15th of every month where I'llbe chatting with another Christian author all about their books there.
(40:30):
life and their faith, so don't miss it.
I'll see you then.
Thank you and goodbye.
uh
This is Christian Book Blurb brought to you by author and songwriter Matt McChlery Get abehind the scenes glimpse into the lives of some of your favourite Christian authors, hear
about their books and faith.
Also, why not check out my website, mattmcleary.com.
This episode of Christian Book Blurb is sponsored by the book God Whispers Our LifeChanges by Michael and Delaine Sulkeld.
(00:26):
Available now from godwhispersforlife.com.
Hello and welcome to The Christian Book Blurb, where we like to encourage you and yourdiscipleship one book at a time as we meet some amazing Christian authors and learn about
their books, their lives and their faith.
Well, I am your host, Matt McChlery.
Thanks so much for clicking over here and joining me today.
(00:48):
I'm really grateful for your company.
Now today I'm going to be chatting with the author, Natasha Woodcraft, all about her newbook.
It's called The Wanderers.
Legacy and it's a historical fiction novel and in April it was the number one hot newrelease on the historical fiction sales on Amazon.
(01:13):
So a very warm welcome to Natasha.
Hi Natasha.
Hello, thank you so much for having me.
It's a pleasure to be here and to chat with you.
It's wonderful.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Now, tell us about your new historical fiction novel called The Wanderer's Legacy.
It's set in ancient history as, well, any good historical fiction novel should be set inthe past, and this one certainly is.
(01:42):
Could you just explain where it fits in with the biblical narrative?
And perhaps also mentioning some of the other books that you've written that have led upto where this one sits in the grand story of the wide world and everything.
Yep, that's right.
So we go back about as far as you can go in the Wanderer series.
(02:07):
So this is book three, but it is a standalone book.
So you don't have to have read the other ones to read it.
And we're back in Genesis four.
So the whole of the series is based on Genesis four.
So we're almost right at the beginning.
And the first book is the story of Cain and Abel from Cain's perspective.
That's called The Wanderer Scorned.
(02:27):
And it's really a deep dive into Cain's psychology and an attempt to humanise him again,because he is so dehumanised in ancient literature, and really to get to the heart of what
might have been his reason for doing what he did and taking the path that he did.
And then the other books look at the kind of results of that.
(02:51):
So The Wanderer Reborn is in the middle, and that's the story of one of his sisters in theaftermath of what happened.
And then the Wanderer's legacy is actually 750 years afterwards.
And it's the story of Lamech and his two wives.
So right at the end of Genesis four, you get a little poem about Lamech.
And it just really piqued my interest em because firstly, Lamech's wives and daughter arementioned and they're the only women apart from Eve that are mentioned in Genesis one to
(03:21):
10, which is really interesting.
And also, Lamech is not only a murderer, but he's the first polygamist.
And so he's a lovely chap, generally.
I just wanted to also get, my thing is getting behind these characters and trying tounderstand why they would have done what they did and why that story is in the Bible, what
the Holy Spirit wants to teach us through those little obscure stories that are sort of inthe middle of something bigger.
(03:48):
So that's really where I dig.
And yeah.
So we're going right back and then about 750 years forwards, if that makes sense.
Okay, so the book we're talking about today is The Wanderer's Legacy, which sort of zoomsin on Lamech and his wife Ada?
(04:10):
Ada?
Yes.
I say Adda,
Well, why don't you leave a comment?
Tell us how to pronounce this, the historical.
I think it's aah, I think it's aah-dah.
An okay.
Alright, great.
Just say it with confidence and hopefully, you know, people will just believe you.
(04:33):
Maybe that's the thing.
Is historical fiction helpful for us?
This is something I find fascinating.
Is historical fiction helpful for us in helping us to understand more about the Bible andthe places and times in which stories occur?
I mean, you're not trying to rewrite the Bible or replace the Bible, are you?
(04:57):
No, absolutely not.
And that's really important to say from the outset.
There is stigma against biblical historical fiction because people in that obviously don'twant to tamper with the biblical text.
It's really, really important not to do that.
So I'm really careful to make sure that everything that I'm writing lines up with what isin the scripture.
(05:18):
And really my passion is to bring out the truths that are there in a similar way to whatyou do in a sermon, but through story.
And so part of my own testimony is that when I've got four children and so I know what itmeans to be tired.
And when my kids were young, so if anyone's listening with lots of kids, they get me.
(05:41):
When my kids were young, I found it really hard to engage with big texts, with big Biblestudy texts.
And I'm trained in theology, so I have lots of big fat textbooks on my shelves.
but I just couldn't read them without falling asleep and it just wasn't going in.
And even when listening to sermons, you know, I couldn't remember the three points of thesermon an hour after I'd heard it, if I'd even not fallen asleep in the middle of it.
(06:05):
And so, you know, I was coming from that place, but what I found and discovered was that Icould remember stories.
So I could remember a fiction or a memoir that I'd read, you know, a month ago.
but I couldn't remember a sermon.
And so what that taught me, think what Holy Spirit was saying to me through that was thatthere is power in stories.
(06:27):
And of course, some of the stories that Jesus told were really short, but they're stilljust as potent 2000 years later.
um yeah, so what I think, coming back to your question, historical fiction and biblicalfiction can open up the scripture in a way that helps us to not only understand it, but
(06:48):
also remember it.
em And so I get to do the research, I get to do all the background digging to conjure upthis sort of narrative that then places these characters in a setting that you can then be
diving into that setting and living it with them and understanding a little bit more aboutthe scripture.
(07:11):
And my interpretation might not be correct and I'm not claiming any kind of...
em
Yeah, what's the word?
I've forgotten it.
For any kind of authority, that's the one.
Any kind of authority on my interpretation of it.
And yet, hopefully, it just helps people to dive in with those characters and think aboutwhy their stories are there and in a way that they can remember, in a way that they can
(07:35):
engage with, in a way that hopefully they won't fall asleep in the middle of reading.
But of course, you can't take that for granted.
Yeah.
And not everyone will have researched.
correctly and ancient history is so difficult anyway because loads of it got washed awaywith the flood.
So we don't even know really a lot of things.
(07:56):
So how do you do the research then for something like this?
Is it a lot of guesswork or do you have sort of some source material you can try and drawon?
I know there's the Bible, but are there other things that you can sort of look at and findout about?
And do you like travel to museums and ancient unknown dusty corners of big libraries andall that kind of thing?
(08:22):
I've looked at some things in museums, certainly.
I haven't had the opportunity to go to some really, really ancient things.
uh I would love to.
But as I said, it's very difficult with pre-flood narratives.
It is a lot of my imagination, I will confess that.
But also there's, so in the first book there was lots and lots of farming, because Cain isobviously a farmer.
(08:48):
And so I...
I did lots of research into ancient farming practices and thought about what tools theywould have used, how they might have developed.
em In this one, we have the character Tu-Vol-Cain or Tu-Vol-Cain em and he's the firstmetal worker, it says in the Bible.
So I take the biblical narrative as truth and then I work from there.
And so then I see what history, em you know, lines up with that.
(09:13):
em So I did research about different metals, different metal ores.
What would they look like?
What would they feel like?
And what were the processes?
So there were different metal ores that arose at different times in history in differentplaces.
And so thinking about where, yeah, how on earth that might have worked in a short space oftime with two volcano.
(09:40):
So, lots of internet research, if I'm honest, not taking any of that for granted, butscouring.
the internet and trying to find what is actually true and what's fake.
You've also got like sort of marriage practices and things in there as well that, youknow, are, some of them are quite different to what's culturally normal or acceptable
(10:03):
these days.
And because obviously it happened a very long time ago and culture and everything isdifferent.
Yeah, and covenantal practices and things like that, sacrifices and that kind of thing.
Looking, looking back at what the most ancient texts said and different cultures acrosscultures as well, because we're pre-Israelite culture here.
(10:27):
So just looking at the Israelite culture isn't necessarily helpful because actually we'rebefore that.
And so you want to look at the whole culture, including the Canaanite cultures and thedifferent things that came out of, because they had a beginning.
we're at the beginning.
So it's kind of almost going backwards and thinking where might they have come from.
(10:48):
Hmm.
Interesting.
Interesting.
So this novel explores humanity's downward spiral into sin and depravity.
Obviously we have humanity being expelled from the Garden of Eden, and then we get thesort of the Cain and Abel story where the Wanderer series kind of started.
(11:11):
And now, as you say, this is 700 some years after that event.
Um, do you see many reflections of the world we live in today in your story?
Cause I know there was some bits where there was a conversation in the novel where, um,someone mentions Yahweh, the name of God and another character hadn't heard of this name
(11:40):
before.
You know, who is this Yahweh, this God that you're talking about?
And I thought,
When I read that, thought, actually, yeah, that, still rings true.
Today, you could be walking down the supermarket or somewhere and have a conversation oroverhear a conversation.
So I'm saying who, what, you know, what are you talking about?
(12:02):
So do you see other sort of crossovers in the state of where the world was then to wherewe perceive the world to be now?
Hmm, I think yes, lots.
And I think what my heart is actually to draw out how humanity is the same as it's alwaysbeen.
(12:25):
And we may have different cultural practices, we may have different technologies, theworld may be a different place globally, but the heart of humanity is the same.
And so the same struggles in my characters.
the same struggles that we're all still facing today.
And one of the big things, em one of the big themes in The Wanderer's Legacy is thecreation of patriarchy.
(12:49):
em And patriarchy wasn't there right at the beginning because Eve was taken out of Adam'sside, not his feet.
So it wasn't the state of things to start with, but it was a result of the fall, you yourdesire shall be for your husband and he'll rule over you.
And so that was one of the curses, the results of the fall.
But I think that would have taken a little while to play out in society.
(13:12):
And so one of the main themes in The Wanderer's Legacy is how did that come about?
How did it become the case that women became objects and, em you know, ways for men toadvance themselves rather than being equal and having inherent value?
And so it was an interesting thought experiment to think.
And because obviously Lamech being the first polygamist,
(13:35):
and is the first person to decide that having two wives is acceptable and therefore thatby definition, know, by implication, those two wives were not of equal value to him.
They were just, em you know, means to an end as it were.
em yeah, so it's, and I think extending, thinking about today's society, it's justeverywhere and women are abused across the spectrum, across the world and em
(14:05):
not treated as equal.
And so, you know, where did that come from?
And I think that came right from this early time.
m And what can we do about it?
And what's God's heart in that situation and all of those things we're thinking about?
(14:26):
So, yeah, so that's one of the things which was very m in the forefront of my mind m as aparallel with our society.
but also like you say, the thought that actually, there's a little line at the end ofGenesis four, which says, at that time people began to call on the name of the Lord, which
suggests that there was a time when people weren't calling on the name of the Lord, evenso close, even so close after creation.
(14:52):
And so, and that's certainly a time now where actually you have this thing where so manypeople don't know the name of the Lord.
And yet there's a glimmer, isn't there?
There's a glimmer.
things are starting to, the Holy Spirit is starting to speak, people are starting to callon the name of the Lord.
And I think God never leaves us alone.
(15:12):
There's always a remnant and the Holy Spirit is doing some exciting things in the world.
Not necessarily, I think he is working in the Western world, but what we're seeing is inthe rest of the world.
He's really working and that's really, really exciting.
And proclaiming the name of Jesus.
through all sorts of means, dreams, visions, et cetera.
(15:35):
Yeah, which excites me.
No, good.
We mentioned already that um the book talks about the sort of the sin and depravity afterthe fall sort of leading up towards the flood.
Now as a Christian author, how challenging was it to write about these things, umobviously without going into too much detail or kind of trying to, you know, without
(16:02):
glorifying.
the sin or without sort of promoting it as entertainment in some way within a novel.
uh How did you do that?
I hope I've done it successfully, but it was very challenging.
can't imagine.
It be so hard.
(16:24):
Because there is so much going on in The Wanderer's Legacy.
I mean, it does spiral.
It spirals quite quickly.
And I didn't want to ignore that.
I didn't want to pretend that that didn't happen because that doesn't do anyone anyfavors.
The world is a dark place.
And pretending it's not doesn't help us.
em But I think I chose to tell the story through the eyes of Ada.
(16:49):
em And I think seeing her perspective and
feeling the pain of it em helped to stop it from being glorified.
But there were a couple of chapters that are in Lamech's perspective, and I think that wasimportant because again, I really wanted to get into the psychology of what was going on
in his head.
(17:09):
um And those ones I had to be really careful with.
And I would write them and then sit with them for a while and ask Holy Spirit to show meif there were bits that shouldn't be there.
So often it was worse before it got edited because I would be getting myself into hishead.
(17:30):
And then I would sit with Holy Spirit and say, okay, which bits here are not glorifyingyou, which bits are not pure and holy, which, you know, without dumbing down his
character, which bits are not going to bring you glory.
And then I would take them out.
And also then I went through a process of sending it to other readers.
and going through and there's lots of things that happen in this book, which are very,very hard to write and lots of them I had to wrestle with.
(17:58):
And so I chose readers that I knew might have experienced certain elements of it and Igave it to them and I said, could you please give me honest feedback on this and tell me
if anything is in a, you know, I haven't dealt with it appropriately, if anything isinsensitive, et cetera.
yeah, so it went through quite a long process, a good nine months of editing.
(18:20):
where I gave it to people and asked for feedback.
So I was looking for Holy Spirit checks in my own heart and looking for Holy Spirit checksin the hearts of others in order to write it well.
So I hope that what's gone out, and I've been told that the readers that have come back tome have said, yes, it is triggering.
(18:40):
There are things that are really hard in the book, and that's unavoidable because of thetopic, but it's also healing.
And those are the words I wanted to hear.
It is triggering, but it's also healing.
And that's what my heart is for this book, that it shows the heart of God and that itheals those painful moments.
(19:04):
Zooming in on a discipleship theme in the book, can you tell us about the character ofHanukkah and his influence on Adda's faith journey?
Yes, so Hanok, another one that's hard to say.
um
had to ask you before we started recording actually, how do I pronounce this?
(19:26):
So yeah, thank
It's a guttural, ha!
Yes, so he is the elder of the city, so almost everyone in the city is related to him insome way apart from those that have moved in through marriage or whatever.
And he has this burden for seeing the city continue in the worship of Yahweh.
He is a follower, he's a believer, and yet he sees this depravity extending everywhere.
(19:54):
and things getting worse and that's a huge burden to bear.
I just tried to imagine what it was like to feel that.
But he has a particular affinity with Adda because um he sort of by mistake influences hermarriage decision and so she meets Lamech through him and so yeah, he feels this
(20:19):
particular burden for her and has to watch her going through suffering.
And so he draws alongside her at different points and lots of them are God incidences.
So she just happens to bump into him at certain times.
But then there's some lovely conversations that they have together and he's not an expert.
And again, we're pre-Jesus here.
(20:39):
We're pre almost everything.
We're pre Moses.
We don't know, they don't know much about God.
But I think God is always there and he's always seeking a relationship.
And the lovely relationship that he has with Hanok is then, is brought to play in Hanok'srelationship with Ada.
So he disciples her in different ways and he never forces anything on her, but he's justthere as a support when she needs him.
(21:10):
And then he is influential in what happens at the end of the book, which I can't tell youabout without giving the story away.
Just fair
But think that's the key for discipleship really, my heart for that was it's loving peopleand showing them Jesus and showing them his kindness and showing them that he is there and
(21:31):
he loves them even when their circumstances are absolutely horrific.
So we've mentioned there's a lot of darkness and difficult things, but there is, as you'vealso said, there is this glimmer of hope despite the darkness, or even within the
darkness, there is this hope.
(21:51):
And I've found with the historical fiction novels I have read, there is this hope, theycall it the story arc, there's this hopeful story arc.
How important is it in a Christian
fiction, whether it's historical fiction or any other kind of book, to have sort of thishope within it.
(22:16):
I think it's essential um because coming back to that thing that the heart message of thisbook is that God never leaves you alone.
He never leaves us alone.
And history is messy and bloody and you you could focus on all of the negative thingseasily and write loads and loads of books about them.
(22:39):
uh But if you're writing something to glorify Jesus,
we have to acknowledge that Jesus has always been there and he's always been speaking intothose situations.
And so the glimmer of hope here really is that the book that was my verse as I was writingthe story that I kept coming back to again and again is, peace I will lie down and sleep
(23:00):
for you alone Lord make me dwell in safety.
And Ada needed to find a place of safety which she didn't have in her naturalcircumstances.
And we have to believe that that scripture is true.
that God actually desires us to have peace and he desires us to have safety and that hecan create that for us.
And if that is true, then there must always be a way.
(23:22):
There must always be a way to find that.
And so that hope needs to be there.
And The Wanderer's Legacy is a long book and there's a lot of it where it doesn't looklike there's much hope for Ada and she lives in...
She gets to a point of despair and then as I say, people come, just little drops of littleglimmers, people come into her life and just keep her going and keep her going.
(23:48):
And yeah, and then eventually she finds the place of peace.
But it's knowing that with God there is always a way and sometimes we can't see it, butthat might just be because we haven't got our eyes open.
em And yeah, so seeking him for that way.
And for me, it's everything that there is hope available because otherwise the Bible's nottelling the truth and I refuse to accept that.
(24:21):
Now fast-forwarding many many many many many many years from when this book was set, sortof Genesis times, to today, because as you said the the condition of man is still fairly
similar.
If someone's listening to this podcast now and is experiencing a bad relationship ordomestic violence or infidelity
(24:49):
What would your advice be for them?
Yeah, it's a really hard question and I'm not qualified to answer, but I do just want tosay that I feel for you and that in the story Ada, she hides, she lives in fear for a long
(25:14):
time because Lamek just seems too powerful.
As I say, it seems hopeless.
He's too powerful.
How can she ever survive?
And it might be that you're feeling that, that the situation is too big, that whoever isagainst you is too powerful.
But I just want to say to you that God is more powerful, that he knows you, that there isno shame in what you're going through.
(25:45):
It is not your fault and there is no shame in it and that he desires your peace.
And so there is a way.
And if you can find the courage to speak up, to lean on those that God has placed in yourlife to offer you a lifeline, those that you can trust, then do that.
(26:08):
You do not have to live.
And I think historically the church has sometimes not helped, has said that you have tolive in these situations.
The truth is that you don't because God desires your peace.
So look for the way, ask God to show you the way and embrace the Holy Spirit's peace foryou.
(26:34):
I don't know if that's...
No, thank you.
Thank you.
And we'll be back just after these short messages and finding out more about NatashaWoodcraft's life and fate.
So stay tuned.
God Whispers Our Life Changes, a book by Michael and Delaine Sulkeld is an incredible truelife story of Michael and Delaine, an ordinary couple who listened as God led them from
(27:03):
joblessness to starting and growing a business.
then into ministries that have taken them from underprivileged neighborhoods in the UnitedStates to rural villages and orphan care in sub-Saharan Africa.
It is story of life lessons by example, of the elation and frustration in starting andgrowing a business, interwoven with heartwarming and heartbreaking stories of serving in
(27:30):
their community and abroad, and how God led the way in it all.
God Whispers or Life Changes by Michael and Delane Selkeld is described as a must read foranyone looking for God's direction in serving others.
It is available now from their website GodWhispersForLife.com as well as on other onlineretailers.
(27:57):
Do grab yourself a copy today.
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(28:25):
Hello, welcome back to the Christian Book Blur podcast.
I've been chatting with the author, Natasha Woodcroft, all about her new historicalfiction novel called The Wanderer's Legacy.
Now, we chatted a lot about your book and its themes and discipleship content andeverything else before the break.
Then this side of the break, we like to get to know the author a little bit better.
(28:48):
um So who are you?
Who are you, Natasha?
What do you do for fun?
Let's start there.
I have a very busy life and don't feel like I often have much time for fun.
I said we have a small holding.
We have three acres and lots of animals and um a big vegetable garden.
(29:14):
And actually, I do love to go in the vegetable garden for fun because it's somewhere thatI can switch my brain off and just focus on digging up those weeds and taking out my anger
on them.
And yeah, and then
I also just love to meet up with friends and m I'm a bit of an introvert so I can't dothat all the time, it wears me out.
(29:34):
But when I do see my friends I love it and m just having a good laugh with them and aswitch off is great, going for tea and cake.
Well, I was going to say, if you see your friends, what do usually do?
Tea and cake.
So more preference towards tea rather than coffee.
Yes, I'm definitely a tea drinker.
Yes.
I've only started drinking coffee in the last couple of years and I only have oneoccasionally.
(29:59):
Okay, and is this tea just your of your standard English breakfast tea, or do you venturetowards sort of, you know, herbal teas and infusions and all these exciting other things?
I tend to have Roybos in the evenings, but the Earl Grey one, the flavoured Earl Grey one.
I really like that.
(30:19):
Yeah, and I know I've got some South African listeners, so they'll be they'll beinterested to hear that.
Yeah, definitely.
I prefer that in the evenings as my decaffeinated rather than fruit teas.
I'll drink fruit teas occasionally, uh they smell a lot better than they taste, don'tthey?
And your piece of cake?
(30:39):
What sort of cake might that be?
What's your go-to at the moment?
Oh, probably.
Oh, I love a bit of lemon drizzle, although I don't tend to make it very much because it'sa bit of a faff, but I do love a bit of lemon drizzle.
If I'm making cake, it's normally just vanilla cupcakes.
Yeah, quick and easy.
(31:00):
No, very good.
Very good.
You've said you're very busy and it sounds like it.
Writing an author.
Now you've mentioned allotments and animals and things like that.
Do you do other things, dare I ask?
Yes, unfortunately, I have to.
My husband is also self-employed.
(31:23):
So he, yeah, so I have to do all the administration and accounts for his business, which Ireally don't like.
It's just something I have to do.
And yes, and then also I am on the team at Broadplace Publishing.
So that's a new Christian publishing house in the UK.
(31:45):
which we are specialising in these stories, like the ones that I write, that acknowledgethe hardness of life, but shine the hope into it.
And em yeah, so we've come together and started producing these kinds of stories.
And so I'm doing that em a day or so a week as well, doing line editing and formatting andbits and bobs like that.
(32:12):
So yes, and I do some freelance editing as well.
But I do struggle to find time for everything.
I do struggle to find time.
It's a constant battle to find God's rest amongst it all, to find my merry moments amongstmy marthering.
Excellent.
(32:32):
uh Have you got any family?
You mentioned a husband.
Yes, I have four sons as well.
So my eldest is just starting GCSEs.
My youngest is seven.
So in that, they're all boys, which, keeps life simpler.
I think it would be complicated if we threw a girl in the mix.
But yeah.
And then, and then I have, I have 22 animals, I think at last count.
(32:56):
So there's lots of mouths that require me feeding them every day.
Um, but yeah, my, my boys are great.
I do thank God for them.
They are, they are wonderful.
So very grateful.
Keep me on my toes.
Great.
Yes, A slightly more serious question.
What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life or speaking to you at the moment?
(33:20):
Well, I've been on a wonderful journey the last few years, really since I started writingabout five, six years ago, of learning to transfer things I know about God into actually
knowing Him.
And Holy Spirit's been really speaking to me about that.
I used to know a lot about God, but I didn't really walk with Him.
(33:40):
I didn't really know Him.
And it's just been an absolute joy and pleasure to transfer knowledge into my heart.
and to just spend time with him.
Now I love nothing better.
If you're really gonna ask me what I do for fun, it's sit on the sofa with a Bible and anotebook for about four or five hours.
(34:02):
That's my idea of fun.
I'm a right geek.
So yeah, it's just really spending time with him, listening to him.
And you know, that's one of the things which I think we can do so much in our busyness.
We might do a five minute.
you know, quiet time here and there.
And we shouldn't guilt trip ourselves about that at all.
(34:23):
I don't think God ever wants us to live in shame and guilt.
That's not his heart for us.
em But we can so easily do it.
And it's such a joy actually to just be listening and saying, okay, God, what is yourlifestyle choice for me?
How do I find, em you know, your desire for me amongst all of the crazy?
(34:48):
em And I'm still learning because I still, my default is to strive instead of to abide.
So I'm still learning and he has to constantly point me.
Even last night I was meant to be having a day of rest yesterday and I didn't.
And m I had my husband who's working away.
m
(35:09):
He was texting me saying, did you rest today?
And I was like, no, I failed.
And my business partner, Joy, was texting me saying, did you rest today?
No, I failed.
And so they were both saying, come on.
You have to rest.
And yeah, so I'm grateful for those people speaking God into my life and saying, come on.
(35:29):
Yeah, abiding, abiding is what he's really still teaching me.
And I'm being very slow to learn.
Really good.
Now I know you've been caught up in the the frenzy of launching a new book recently, TheWanderer's Legacy, but I will ask have you got something else up your sleeve?
(35:52):
you on to the next thing or have you got an idea as to is something else coming in thenext year or so maybe?
Because I know it takes a while to...
to write a book and as you're saying nine months to edit the other one.
take a while, but have you got something in the background that you might start working onor not really?
(36:15):
Yes, I actually have.
So I started a project about three years ago, em which was aimed at teenagers,specifically teenage boys, because there's not very much for them to read.
And I have teenage boys.
So I know it's a constant battle to find wholesome things for them to read, but not justwholesome, but also things that are going to equip them to deal with the challenges that
(36:38):
they face as as teenagers.
particularly teenage boys.
em And so I'm working on this series and it is actually lots of people ask me, are yougoing to do Noah next?
Well, this was actually my attempt at doing Noah next, but it's a fantasy series.
So it's not about Noah at all.
It's not set in.
uh So there's no Noah, there's no ark and there's no animals.
(37:00):
uh The only resemblance it has to Noah is that there's going to be a big flood.
uh That was giving the game away.
What the f***?
But it's again, it's a remnant thing.
It's a how do we live faithfully in a society that goes against everything that God says.
And that's what it is.
(37:20):
And so it's trying to equip, that's my heart, to equip the teenagers as well as adults tolive in purity and to walk with Jesus in a way that they can actually fight the fight and
win the battle.
So yeah.
I started work on that ages ago.
And then when Wanderer's Legacy started knocking on my door and annoying me, because Adawouldn't leave me alone, I wasn't intending to write that third book.
(37:47):
I thought the Wanderer series was finished, but I decided to focus on that and get thatdone before I started releasing a different series in a different genre, because my brain
couldn't cope with doing two genres at once.
So I am now attempt going to try and do that.
So it's called The Stronghold of Anjanin.
the series and one and a half, one book is ready, the other one is drafted so I'm gonnaget working on that again because if I don't my 13 year old son is gonna beat me up
(38:19):
because he's been waiting for it to come out for ages.
going to be 25 by the time it's ready but yeah no no really good oh interestinginteresting yeah we look forward to finding out more about that as we go along where can
people find you on social media and how can people buy your books
(38:40):
have the benefit of having a name that nobody else seems to have.
So if you just type Natasha Woodcraft into Google, you'll find me, which is, which ishandy because a lot of people don't have that benefit.
eh Yeah.
Um, so I am on Facebook.
It's called Natasha Woodcraft, writes wrongs and songs.
but just typing Natasha, you'll find me and, um, Instagram occasionally I go on Tik TOK.
(39:04):
I'm not very good on that.
And YouTube I have
I put up book readings on YouTube.
So if you want to know more about Wanderer's Legacy oh and you want to just hear a snippetof it, you can pop on YouTube and there's a few readings on there.
And also my website is just natashawoodcraft.com.
So that's nice and easy.
Excellent, and buying books.
(39:25):
So the easiest place to get them if you're in the UK is through the Broadplace Publishingwebsite, is broadplacepublishing.co.uk, slash shop will take you to all of the books.
That's the cheapest way because they're cheaper on there than they are on Amazon, etcetera.
If you're worldwide, then they are obviously on Amazon and you can order through bookshopsand that sort of thing.
(39:48):
yeah.
Wonderful.
That's great.
Well, it's been a joy having a chat with you today, Natasha.
Thank you so much for joining us here on the Christian Book Blob podcast.
Thank you very much for having me.
I just want to give a really big thank you to the sponsors of today's episode.
This is the book, God Whispers Our Life Changes by Michael and Delaine Selkeld.
(40:09):
That book is available now from their website, GodWhispersForLife.com.
Do go and check it out.
Thank you for listening to this episode of The Christian Book Blurb.
Don't forget, I'll be back really soon on the first and the 15th of every month where I'llbe chatting with another Christian author all about their books there.
(40:30):
life and their faith, so don't miss it.
I'll see you then.
Thank you and goodbye.
uh
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