Author Interview · Hope Came at Christmas

A Conversation with Angela D. Shelton

Angela is one of our amazing authors featured in Hope Came at Christmas, and added some gritty dystopian flavor to the book. Besides dystopian fiction, she also writes romantic suspense. Angela’s story does a fantastic job of showing that, though the world seems bleak indeed, nothing can stop the life-giving gift of the gospel.

She was kind enough to provide a little more insight on her story.

The characters in these stories often face difficult decisions or circumstances. What encouragement would you offer a teen—or anyone—walking through a challenging season of life?

You are never alone, even when it feels that way. And it often does. Our phones, our problems, even our earbuds can quietly wall us off from the people around us. Once you feel alone, reaching back out gets harder every day.

That’s what happens to Ash in Ribbon. He’s determined to save his brother on his own, working himself into the ground. The harder he tries, the more alone he becomes. His way out starts when he finally accepts help he can’t earn.

When trouble comes, God points us in two directions. First, to Himself. Jesus promised the Spirit would be with us forever, even on the days we can’t feel Him (John 14:16-17). Second, to each other. We’re told to carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and that means letting others carry ours, too.

I’ve found my people among writers who care deeply about others and want to share hope through stories. Your people might be in a youth group, on a team, or sitting one desk over. Find them. Let them in. You were never meant to walk through this alone.

Thank you, Angela, for sharing your thoughts with us on such a weighty subject, and for contributing such a wonderful story for all of us to enjoy!

To find out more about Angela and her work, check out her website or follow her on the social platforms below.