Meet Author Melody Balthaser

Melody Balthaser


How did your interest in writing begin?

      My mother, who was a very expressive narrator, was responsible for my early love of reading. I remember her reading Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney to me. Then came Little House on the Prairie series, which I devoured, and during my teen years came my love of the romance genre. I was content with reading other people’s creations until the day, twenty years later, when a young woman named Sophie moved into my imagination. I couldn’t let her live a lonely existence in my head so her life poured out onto paper.


What was the inspiration for Seeking Sophie?

       Many years ago, I read a novel about a lighthouse keeper and so enjoyed the mystique of the profession. As the characters in my own story began to develop, they naturally progressed to a lighthouse setting.


Why historical romance?

      I find history so fascinating, in particular the women who sacrificed so dearly for the benefits we now enjoy. Their stories need to be continually told so that generations understand their import. I enjoy the research needed for an historical novel. What I learn about our forbearers consistently humbles and amazes me.


What do you hope to accomplish with your writing?

      I want my writing to entertain and enlighten. When life is particularly difficult, reading a good book can be a therapeutic escape. Beyond that, it can set the reader on a course to discovery of themselves and their relationship with God.

 

In 1858 New England, orphaned, indentured servant Sophie Stalz stabs her master to protect herself from rape. Now she must rely on her brother and his friends to protect her. Escaping through the Underground Railroad, Sophie finds herself stranded on an island in the hands of a stranger.

 

Surrounded by the sea and occupied with the duties of a lighthouse keeper, Jackson Scott just wants to be left alone with his memories. His fortress is about to crumble when his friend deposits Sophie on his doorstep. An old debt needs to be paid and the cost is dear.

 

As her master is Seeking Sophie, will Sophie and Jackson find a life together free from their past?

 

 

 

Melody lives in rural Pennsylvania with her husband and their three children. She has traveled to Africa to help orphans in Zambia and worked in children’s and women’s ministry. She enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, and canoeing, but when winter settles in she heads indoors to sit in front of the wood stove, while a classic chick-flick plays on the T.V., and homemade soup simmers on the stove. Melody’s passion is to encourage people to let God’s love free them of fear and rejection to live the adventurous life their Creator intended.