Although Lynn Austin left her job at Chicago Christian High School years ago to pursue her dream of being a writer, her job as a teacher has continued. The multi-award winning author has educated her audience (via the million and a half copies of books she's sold worldwide) about history through her fictional accounts of real periods of history. From ancient times to her brand-new account of immigrant life in Holland, Michigan, she uses her characters and situations to reveal history--as well as the truth of Christianity. 

With the release of Waves of Mercy (buy here), Austin has pivoted from Biblically influenced historical fiction to other time periods and communities. We asked Austin some questions about what inspires her and how she keeps faith at the forefront of her stories without it being forced.

Which authors/books inspire you as a writer? What are you reading?

My biggest source of inspiration has been the novels of Chaim Potok. When I first read his novels 30 years ago, I realized how the Holy Spirit can speak through fiction. Potok's beautifully-written books took me into the world and faith of Orthodox Jews and he inspired me to take readers into the world and faith of Christians in the same way. 

Other favorites are Maeve Binchy for her marvelous characters and Rosamunde Pilcher for the sweeping scope of her stories. Non-fiction authors who never fail to inspire and challenge me are Eugene Peterson, Timothy Keller, and Mark Buchanan. 

I'm currently reading "Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain. I love his low-key humor. And I'm also reading "Who is This Man" by John Ortberg.

You grew up in New York, lived in Canada, South America, Connecticut, Illinois and now western Michigan. So, after all the places you've lived, how and why did you decide to write about Holland, Michigan? What inspired you or piqued your curiosity?

I grew up in the area of New York State that was originally owned and settled by the Dutch, and I visited Holland for the first time when I attended Hope College. I was immediately impressed by how proud the community was of their faith and their Dutch heritage. My husband grew up in Holland, so when we decided to move back there two years ago, I began researching Holland's history to see if it would make a good novel.

It intrigued me to learn that the first Dutch settlers came here in 1846 for religious freedom after suffering persecution in the Netherlands. Since that's true of so many other immigrant peoples over the years, I knew the story would resonate with many readers. I was very surprised to learn how much hardship these early settlers suffered in the process of founding this community. If nothing else, their story taught me not to take our religious freedom or the American Dream for granted.

Are the events included in your book historically accurate?

I tried hard to keep the dates and circumstances I portray in the novel as accurate as I possibly could. But Waves of Mercy is a novel and not intended to replace all of the history books about Holland. My main characters--Maarten, Geesje, and her family--are products of my imagination. No one by those names immigrated with the original settlers. But I relied on first-person accounts and diaries written by Holland's original settlers for accurate details of their life in Holland. 

Some excellent books have also been written about Reverend Van Raalte and his vision for this community, which helped me bring his part of the story to life. My "Author's Note" at the end of the novel explains which dates and events are true and which ones I tweaked for plotting purposes.

What did you find most interesting about the Dutch community as you did your research?

I was amazed by how committed the members of the Dutch community were to each other and to God. The Christian faith that the settlers shared is still very strong and vibrant in Holland, which has more than 70 churches in a population of 33,000. As I researched the many hardships the original settlers faced--famine, sickness, shipwreck, fire, war--I found it amazing that their faith in God never seemed to falter. And it's still being passed down to the next generation today.

Have you ever dreamed of seeing your books turned into screenplays/movies? Anything like that in the works? 

My novel Hidden Places was made into a Hallmark movie several years ago, starring actress Shirley Jones. It was thrilling for me to meet Miss Jones and to visit the set in California to watch some of the filming. My publisher has heard rumors that A Woman's Place is being considered for a TV series, and that Wonderland Creek might become a movie, but nothing definite has come through, yet.

Who would you pick as your lead actresses for Waves of Mercy if you could pick? 

Emma Thompson for Geesje, and Jennifer Lawrence for Anna.

There are many complicated love stories included in this book. What inspired you to create those triangles? Do you have a favorite couple?

I guess I created love stories that are complicated because the reality is--love is complicated! It's still a mystery to me why we fall in love with the people we do. And perhaps an even bigger mystery is how to keep love alive and growing after the first burst of passion fades. I've lived long enough to know that "happily ever after" is a myth, and I believe my readers know it, too. I wanted the love stories in Waves of Mercy to reflect real life and say more about true love and marriage than a typical romance novel does. My favorite couple is Geesje's parents, who were role models for her of what dedicated love looks like throughout the ups and downs of life.

How is writing historical fiction different from the biblical fiction you've written? Is it a whole different process or is it similar?

My last three novels, The Restoration Chronicles, were based on the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah--which meant that I had to remain true to events and personalities from the Bible. I began with an outline of all the scenes and actions that are given in the Bible and then added dialogue and description and information from my research to expand that outline into chapters. The major characters and the plot are real, and I needed to remain true to their stories, but the minor characters could be fictional.

I have much more leeway when writing non-biblical historical fiction because my characters and plot events are products of my imagination. I begin with a brief timeline of historical events that I've developed during my research, then create my characters and plot as I go along. I often have only a vague idea of what will happen next and how the story will end as I'm writing it.

What is another era or people group you'd like to delve into for future books, and why?

When I was researching "Waves of Mercy" which takes place in Holland, Michigan, I learned about the lost ghost town of Singapore, Michigan. It was once a shipping port on Lake Michigan for the logging industry but the town now lies buried beneath a sand dune. I wonder if there is an interesting story there!

What's the most difficult part about trying to portray faith in story form? How do you escape pitfalls of it appearing scripted or disingenuous? What's the secret there?

It doesn't have to be difficult to portray faith in story form as long as I remember to model my characters after real people--showing how real Christians act and think. In other words, make them imperfect! There are many Christians whom I admire and want to emulate, but every last one of them is a sinner, like me, and makes mistakes, like me, and fails to act in a Christian manner 100 percent of the time, like me. If I get my characters right, it's easier to portray faith honestly in my stories.

I avoid having a story feel "scripted" by not scripting it! I never begin my novels with a theme that I want to bring out, such as forgiveness. I create my characters and put them into a setting or a situation, and write the story. My goal is always to tell a good story, to entertain readers. When my first draft is finished, I look to see if a theme is emerging on its own. If so, I can then go back and look for opportunities to strengthen it. But if I start out with a "message," the book will feel like a sermon.

Pick up a copy of Waves of Mercy here.

Editor's note: Some of the questions here were provided in an official Q&A posted on Baker Publishing Group's website and was used by permission.