Featured Interview With Steve R. Hartwig
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on a small farm in Central Illinois, but life has taken me quite a long way from there. Over the years, I have lived in Dallas, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; and Bocas del Toro, Panama. Today I live in León, Nicaragua, which has been my home for more than a decade.
Living in so many different places has given me the opportunity to experience very different people, cultures, and ways of life. Central America in particular has had a strong influence on my writing, and Nicaragua has become the setting for several of my stories.
And yes, I have a pet—or perhaps she has me. Brandy is a rescued Nicaraguan street dog who found her way into my life and has been my companion ever since. Like many rescued dogs, she seems quite certain that she did the rescuing.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I became interested in books when I was young. Even as a child, I felt a strong sense of empathy for other people, and one of the first books I remember having a profound effect on me was *Black Like Me* by John Howard Griffin. It helped me understand how a book could allow you to see the world through someone else's eyes and better understand difficulties you had never personally experienced.
Later, I came to enjoy the novels of John Grisham and the way a compelling story can keep you turning pages because you simply have to know what happens next.
Writing came much later for me. I wasn't one of those people who knew from childhood that I wanted to become an author. Life took me in many other directions first. Eventually I began putting stories of my own on paper, and discovered that writing gave me another way to explore something that had interested me since childhood—what life looks and feels like through someone else's eyes.
Perhaps that's why so many of my stories eventually became centered on young people. I enjoy stepping into their world and allowing them to tell me where the story needs to go.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
John Grisham has long been one of the authors I enjoy reading, particularly because of his ability to tell a story that keeps you wanting to know what happens next.
But I've also always enjoyed biographies and autobiographies. One of the most memorable for me was *Lady Sings the Blues*, Billie Holiday's autobiography. I think I'm drawn to books that let me step inside another person's life—particularly lives and experiences very different from my own.
As for what inspires my writing, much of it comes from people themselves. Living in different parts of the United States and then spending more than twenty years in Central America has introduced me to people and cultures I might otherwise never have known. I observe people, listen to their stories, and try to understand the world from their perspective.
Perhaps that connects back to why books fascinated me in the first place. Whether I'm reading a biography or writing fiction, I'm interested in the person inside the story.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is *Mateo and the Secrets of the Eternal Word: Book One — Genesis Thru Babel*.
Mateo is a curious twelve-year-old boy growing up in the mountains of Nicaragua. He has a loving family, a best friend, chores he'd sometimes rather avoid, and plenty of questions about God and the Bible. One of the people he turns to with those questions is Father Tomás, the priest at a small mountain church.
Then Mateo discovers something hidden inside that church—an ancient Bible called Verbum Aeternum, the Eternal Word.
When its pages mysteriously come alive, Mateo doesn't simply read the stories of Genesis. He enters them.
He finds himself standing in the Garden of Eden. He encounters Adam and Eve and witnesses the consequences of their choices. Later, he meets Noah and his family, watches the enormous ark take shape, and experiences the terrifying reality of the Flood. His journeys eventually carry him to the Tower of Babel, where once again a familiar Bible story becomes something very different when witnessed through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy.
But *Mateo* isn't only about his journeys into the past. I wanted his present-day life in Nicaragua to matter just as much. Mateo returns from these experiences with questions—sometimes more questions than answers—and talks about what he has witnessed with Father Tomás. His grandmother, Doña Rosa, also seems to understand far more about the mysterious Bible than she is willing to explain.
Mateo cannot change the events he witnesses. Biblical history remains biblical history. But every journey changes Mateo a little.
I wrote the book primarily for middle-grade readers, but one of my hopes was that parents and grandparents would enjoy reading it as well. The adventure gives young readers a way to experience familiar biblical events from a new perspective, while the questions Mateo brings home can open conversations about faith, choices, consequences, and God's relationship with His people.
And when Book One ends, Mateo has only begun to discover the secrets of the Eternal Word.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Steve R. Hartwig Facebook Page
If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.