At Every Turn
My friend Anne Mateer recently released a novel, At Every Turn.
Story: Caught upin a whirlwind of religious fervor when two missionaries speak at her church,Alyce Benson impetuously pledges three thousand dollars to mission work inAfrica. She's certain her wealthy father will hand her the money. Butwhen he refuses, Alyce must either stand in front of the congregation andadmit failure or raise the money herself.
It's 1916,and the latest advancements in car engines allow some to post speeds upwards ofseventy miles per hour. Alyce has a passion for speed. And she discovers her father's company has sponsored aracing car that will compete in several events—races in which thedriver will be paid and could win as much as five thousand dollars in prizemoney. So she conspires with her father's mechanic, Webster, to secretly train andcompete. But as Alyce comes across needs in her own community, money slipsthrough her fingers faster than she can earn it. And when her friends castaspersions on Webster's past, she wonder whether she trusted the wrong manwith her secret.
Anne took some time recently to offer a Q-and-A session about her book:
Missionsand auto racing seem like an unlikely combination for a heroine’s interests.How did these come together?
Especially in 1916, these are an odd combination. When Ibegan looking for a fresh book idea in 2010, I ran across an article aboutan auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the fall of 1916. I wasfascinated especially by the courage it took to drive thosecars at such speeds with little in the way of safety equipment. As I pondered that aspect of auto racing, I wondered what kind of a woman would both enjoy watching the sport and be willing to take the risk herselfshould the opportunity present itself. Some of the most courageous women Iknow arepassionate about missions, heedless of their own safety in their passion tobring the love of Jesus and truth of the gospel to those who don’t yet know.Thus, it seemed quite natural to have my heroine, Alyce, find energy andpassion for both of those things.
Whatwas your favorite tidbit of research for the book?
I loved learningthe history of the speedway outside of Chicago that hosted one of the races in
At Every Turn. It opened in 1915, Ibelieve, but closed (as did all the others) with the onset of America’sinvolvement in the Great War (WWI) in 1917. However, when the track owner’s sonwas killed in France, he donated the land where the speedway was located for aveteran’s hospital, which it remains to this day!
Whois your favorite character outside of the main characters?
I’m one of thoseweird writers who doesn’t outline much, if at all, so often I havecharacters I didn’t expect pop into my stories. In
At Every Turn I had a whole family drop in uninvited. Lucindaand her children appeared, and I fell in love with them. And it turned outthat Alyce needed Lucinda’s friendship.
Howdid this book change you?
The writing ofeach book is about so much more than the story for me. Through the creation of
At Every Turn and journeying with itscharacters, I believe I gained a greater understanding of each of our roles inthe kingdom of God. We are not all called overseas, like the McConnells were.Or to be outrageously courageous, like Alyce. Some of us, like Lucinda andGrandmother, have a much smaller, less visible—but no less important—sphere ofinfluence. Writing this story helped settle my own heart with the way the Lordcreated me and the ministry He’s put in my path.