ABOUT THE BOOK
Surrender can mean many things to many people, even animals. In this fictional story, a religious fairy-tale satire about a Sasquatch named PoBo, we learn what it can mean on many different levels. On one level, he is displaced from his family at a young age amid a war initiated by humans. But with an unyielding spirit to be reunited with his kin—and with music being his best motivator, at least at first—the hairy bachelor decides to embark on a dangerous quest to find them. He knows the journey will be fraught with danger because he and his family are on the endangered list—a constant struggle to survive. But like an adage he once read in a book, “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he is steadfast to not give up on his goal. Fortunately, and unexpectedly, he gets some assistance from two animals, one of whom is far bigger in his faith than his physical size. PoBo encounters many obstacles along the way, and his own faith is tested repeatedly as time runs out to fulfill his quest. What he at first thinks is the true meaning of his journey becomes redefined as a desperate yearning to achieve three things: faith, family, and love.
When we’re broken and we realize we are not in complete control, it’s time to surrender.
Book Details:
Title: Surrender
Author: Chris Baum
Genre: Christian Fiction
Publisher and publish date: Covenant Books (October 26, 2017)
Page count: 139
INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS BAUM
Q: Chris, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
A: My personal definition is that we need to surrender to the Lord, as we can’t do it alone. We need to lean on Him for strength and guidance. . . But I like to leave it open to interpretation so the reader can decide since, for this tale, it really could have different meanings as the main characters are animals.
Q: Do you have another job outside of writing?
A: I’ve been in the medical field for about 14 years, and am currently editing electronic medical records full-time; but eventually I would love to write full-time.
Q: Who are you?
A: I’m a Christian man married to a strong, beautiful woman with two handsome boys, Michael (10) and Alex (7).
Q: Where’s home for you?
A: Ohio, the Buckeye state, in the good ol’ US of A.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Born and raised in Ohio, rural—never urban. I work in the city, but in my free time give I’ll take wide open spaces any day of the week.
Q: What’s your favorite memory?
A: Playing outdoors as a child, just letting my mind and body run wild.
Q: What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?
A: In hindsight, it would probably have to be baseball cards as a kid, always thinking they’d be worth a lot of money someday. The market must have gotten too saturated. I still wish I had a Mickey Mantle or a Babe Ruth though—those ones would really have been worth the investment!
Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
A: Don’t sweat the small stuff, and, honestly, most of it is small. Sometimes to be human is to make things out to be more than what they are . . . but really life’s hard enough without adding more stress to a situation.
Q: Who would you pick to write your biography?
A: Preferably someone who is a fan of my work, like my wife.
Q: What do you love about where you live?
A: The changing seasons. Although most of us complain about the Ohio winters. They are not all that bad, and they make you enjoy spring and summer that much more the next year.
Q: What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
A: It’s good to be daring because if it doesn’t kill us, it will only make us stronger.
Q: What’s one thing you wish your younger writer self knew?
A: How important it is to discipline oneself to write more often.
Q: What makes you bored?
A: Commercials. They can get so redundant.
Q: What makes you happy?
A: Time spent with my family.
Q: What makes you excited?
A: A new book in my hands (and sometimes even an eBook).
Q: What brings you delight?
A: Many things, but the first thing that comes to mind is my mom’s Cherry “Delight” pie.
Q: What’s one of your favorite quotes?
A: To write is human, but to edit is divine.
Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
A: Probably Ireland because the castles and landscapes look so majestic.
Q: What would you like people to say about you after you die?
A: That I wasn’t afraid to live.
Q: What’s your favorite line from a book?
A: The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
Q: What would your main character say about you?
A: I’m a realist and a comedian; that is, I can be serious and I love to make people laugh too.
Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: God, Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman, Lee Child, Raymond Carver, etc.
Q: What book are you currently reading and in what format?
A: Sleeping Beauties – Hardcover.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Prequel to Surrender.
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