Welcome to an author interview with …

A spark ignites a flame that could burn down everything they hold dear.

Contrary to her name, Patience Abbott has long felt unsettled and anxious to leave behind her painful memories in England for a fresh start in America. But her new life isn’t quite what she expected, and as tension grows in her new home of Boston, so does the distance between Patience and her estranged father. So when Josiah Wagner walks into her life, it finally feels like she’s not alone. If only his patriotic leanings didn’t put him at odds with her father’s loyalties.

Josiah Wagner has spent his life yearning for a true home and family, something he works toward each day, forging tools as a blacksmith, and each night, forging plans with the Sons of Liberty. But when the destruction of tea in Boston Harbor lights the spark of the Revolution, Josiah finds himself drawn into its tumultuous wake, pulling the woman he loves along with him.

As tensions mount, will their search for belonging lead to each other, or will the obstacles between them be too great to overcome? In a land on the brink of war, can they find the home they seek in the One who calls them His own?

Megan Soja is a multi-award-winning author who writes stories filled with strong faith, rich history, and sweet romance. Her favorite stories are those that point back to the author of life Himself. The kind that draw you into the lives and world of the characters, while also inspiring you with God’s truth woven throughout.

When she isn’t writing, Megan enjoys reading, hiking, canoeing and kayaking, and spending time with her family. She is also a musician and has played the French Horn for over twenty-five years. She lives in western New York with her husband and two young daughters.

What is something interesting readers would enjoy learning about you?

I love the outdoors and grew up hiking, camping, canoeing, and kayaking in the Adirondack Mountains of northern NY. It is one of my favorite places in the world. When I was nine years old, my dad took my sister and I to climb our first high peak. It was a challenge and there were some tears along the way, but when we finished, I was completely hooked! There are forty-six high peaks in the Adirondack Park, and in August of 2022, twenty-seven years to the day from that first mountain, I finally climbed my last high peak and claimed the title of 46er. It’s one of my favorite accomplishments.

Prior to writing this novel, I wrote a contemporary story set in the Adirondacks with bits of my own experiences woven in. That manuscript only lives on my computer for now, but I hope to revisit it someday.

What was the inspiration behind your story?

I’ve loved the American Revolutionary era since I was a little girl with a Felicity American Girl doll. I knew I wanted to write a historical novel in that time period, but wasn’t sure what to focus on. 

My younger daughter has a complex congenital heart defect, and we traveled frequently to Boston for several years so that she could receive specialized surgeries at the children’s hospital there. On one such trip we had the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing, and I realized what a wealth of history was right there in front of me – in a city that had become so special to our family.

I actually began researching and brainstorming this story from her bedside in the cardiac ICU, and as I delved into different resources, I was especially drawn to the Boston Tea Party. Beyond the fascinating history, I loved reading about the ordinary people who took part in something extraordinary, and I was inspired to build my story against the backdrop of that event.

Thankfully, my daughter’s surgeries were a success. She is now thriving, and this book will always hold an extra special place in my heart because of where and how it began.

What encouragement do you hope readers will take away from your story?

One of the big themes in this story is the idea of belonging. It’s something my characters wrestle with against the turbulent political backdrop of the Boston Tea Party, but also on a personal level with their family situations and with each other. 

I believe the desire and search for belonging is something we all deal with at different times and to varying degrees, and I hope in the pages of this book readers will find encouragement as to the true source of our belonging. 

The theme verse of Spark of the Revolution is Ephesians 2:19 which states, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” I hope readers will walk away from this story with a renewed sense of what an immeasurable gift it is to be part of God’s household, to call Him Father, and to belong to Him.