What better time to share about our awesome patrons than our “flash peek” weekend? Havok publishes flash fiction across five major genres (and many subgenres) and our supporters are both lovers of speculative fiction and authors of such. Today we welcome Joshua and Sarah Chadd to tell us about their creative projects and why Havok is worth their investment.
Like many Havok supporters, the Chadds have forsaken the norm in order to pursue their creative passions–Joshua as an author, Sarah as a truth burner, and together as the owners of a small publishing company. They were kind enough to grant us this interview.
We were pleased to meet you both at the Realm Makers conference in July 2019. Tell our audience a little about yourselves.
We are a married couple of almost five years, who currently reside in Southeastern Montana. We met in Michigan and have since spent time in Alaska and New Zealand as well. We’ve always had an interest in entrepreneurship which led to us to owning and operating two small businesses that focus around our creative careers. Joshua is passionate about the outdoors, hunting, shooting, heavy metal music, reading, board and video games, and pretty much anything nerdy. Sarah is passionate about counseling, cooking, healthy living, running, dancing, the outdoors, crafting, and reading.
What kind of entrepreneurs are you?
Our first business we created is Blade of Truth Publishing Company, which we established shortly after Joshua self-published his first two books. Originally it was just for our personal use in publishing his books, but now we are branching out to publish other authors as well. The second business is Sarah’s burned leather goods, Armored with Truth.
That’s awesome that the two of you are pursuing your passions and turning them into something that can support you. How did Joshua get into writing?
I’ve always been fascinated by the fantastical and grew up exercising my imagination frequently. This naturally led to me loving to write sci-fi and fantasy stories as early as middle school. After being married and with the encouragement of Sarah, I finally finished my first book and decided that I might be onto something. After almost a year of research and digging into the industry of publishing, I decided to self-publish my first book. It was met with enough success I decided to continue the story, which turned into my five book series, the Brother’s Creed.
What’s it about?
The Brother’s Creed is a story that focuses around a small group trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. As it was my first series, I decided to structure it around something that hit close to home, as such the main characters are heavily based off my brother and I. The story starts off in Montana where the brothers discover the apocalypse has begun. The rest of the series has them traveling across a post-apocalyptic America to get to their wilderness lodge in the middle of Alaska where they will be safe from the infection. Along the way they make and lose friends, find love, face hardships, and stretch themselves to the breaking point as they try to survive the end of the world with their faith and humanity intact.
It was a fun and interesting project as most books in the zombie genre don’t dive into the faith aspect. These brothers don’t only struggle with their own morality and ethics as most people would, but they also have their Christian faith they struggle with as the world falls apart around them. It made for a very interesting and insightful dynamic to write, and I hope, to read as well.
Here at Havok, we love a good zombie apocalypse. Now, Sarah, what exactly is a “truth burner”?
I use a wood burner to burn words, phrases, and designs into leather to create key fobs, bracelets, bookmarks, journals, and more. My heart lies in burning God’s truth onto these pieces, whether that is a bible verse, a phrase that brings you life, or words God has spoken over you. Hence “truth burner.” I also specialize in custom work ranging from nerdy designs and phrases to names and coordinates of a special event, plus much more. I love taking my customers’ visions and making them a reality!
How did you start burning on leather?
I wanted a way to remind myself of the truth on bad days when I was battling the lies. So after brainstorming with my crafty mother-in-law and with my newfound love of leather (since moving out west) I began experimenting with my wood burner. That’s when I created my first leather burned bracelet. After that, I realized there was a market for these leather goods so I started an Etsy shop, which is now Armored with Truth.
So, what are your plans for 2020 and onward?
JOSHUA: I have a sword & sorcery/epic fantasy trilogy I’m working on to rapid release late this year or early next. This series will be the same character driven stories I write only with magic and a little more romance, instead of zombies and the end of the world. It’s a project I’ve been planning for years and am extremely passionate about.
SARAH: I am working on expanding my shop with more designs on my current products as well as adding new leather goods like journal covers, earrings, camera straps, and more. This year I’ll be able to focus and put more time into my shop than ever before and I have some new and exciting things planned!
Then together, as Blade of Truth, we are looking to establish the company and start finding authors to publish. We are going to run our company with a focus on making the stories as successful as possible. It will be like a business venture with the author instead of just publishing their book/series and then moving on to the next. We are excited to see how this comes along this year!
We’re so thankful for your support of Havok via Patreon. Where did you hear about Havok Publishing and what led you to support us?
JOSHUA: I heard about Havok when it was still an online magazine when I attended Realm Makers in 2018. I read some of the stories and instantly fell in love with the format and was hoping to submit my own work for publication. Then when the whole thing shifted to the new format I fell in love with it even more. The whole concept of these short stories being published online every weekday with the chance for readers to interact with them and vote for their favorites really brings something new to the industry. It is just such an awesome idea I wanted to help out and be involved!
More about Joshua, his books, and publishing company
- Follow on Facebook and Instagram
- Subscribe to his newsletter at: www.joshuacchadd.com
- Find Joshua’s books on Amazon
- Visit their publishing company at: www.bladeoftruthpublishing.com
More about Sarah and her leather goods
- Follow on Facebook and Instagram
- Shop for leather goods at: www.armoredwithtruth.net
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