Forged In the Refiner's Fire

We all have trials. We all have hills to climb and conquer. Through all of this, we have lessons to learn to help make us stronger. Forged in the Refiner's Fire, by Candace Salima and Elizabeth Cheever, is a book filled with stories of people that have had their share of trials and become stronger for them.



As I read this book, I was reminded of some of my past struggles and how they have made me stronger. I was also able to see that some of my current struggles were also making me a stronger person and realized that I do not always meet them with grace, so that was a lesson to me as well. If you know Candace, you will know that she is the picture of grace and gratitude. She always has a smile on her face and a kind word and is more concerned about others than herself. Even when life is crazy for her and she is climbing uphill, she will stop to make sure that those around her are not falling behind. I am glad to be able to call her friend.

Here are some questions I had for Candace Salima when I finished reading.



Tell us a bit about you and your background.

I am descended of a long line of authors, artisans and musicians, and as such, carry a rich heritage and tradition in my veins. My mother, a voracious reader, instilled a deep love of the written words in our hearts, beginning with the mishaps of a veterinarian in the British countryside. I began writing original stories as a child and have never looked back.

I went to college to study criminal justice, desiring to be a prosecutor. That career path was waylaid in my sophomore year where I turned to creative writing and have stayed on that course since then. I was deeply influenced by a Professor Dorla Jenkins who honed my very rough skills in the writing Heavenly Father intended me to have.

The daughter of a father who survived the invasion of Hitler’s war machine in his homeland and a mother who was often a controversial conservative columnist, I spent my childhood on the back of a horse or trudging through the mountains and valleys of the American west.

I met my sweetheart, Alvin, at Brigham Young University in 1983. You can read more about that story here. Just scroll past the official bio to get to the good stuff. I appeared on the Phil Donahue Show when Deborah Laake wrote the anti-Mormon book “Secret Ceremonies: Diary of a Mormon Wife.” I stood in defense of the Church and the Priesthood and enjoyed one of the most intensely spiritual experiences of my life. Alvin saw me on that show and called me. Two years later, almost to the day, he called April 23, 1993 and we married May 4, 1995, we were sealed in the Bountiful Temple. He has remained the great and wonderful man I married and I love him more than life itself.

When I was younger, and no, I’m not that old, I did a lot of things just so I could say I did them. I rafted down the Colorado River, through the Grand Canyon and into Lake Mead. I hiked the Colorado Rockies, or rode horses in the Grand Teton Mountains of Wyoming. It makes me sound much more adventurous than I really am. But I have to admit, all those things were a blast. But when it boils down to the basics, I love BYU football, Orem High basketball, swimming, movies, plays, musicals and hanging out with family and friends. All of these things I still prefer to be curled on the couch with a good book.

I am a fierce defender of Jesus Christ and of America. All of these things, meshed together, define the woman I am today. I currently write for http://ldsblogs.com/ and http://yourldsneighborhood.com/. I am the author of three books and two health booklets with more books on the way. I am always, first and foremost, a wife and then a devoted daughter and sister.

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

Each of goes through difficult times in life, although, thank goodness, I have not had to go through what Job or Joseph Smith went through. But each of us goes through ugly times and so many ask: Why, why is this happening to me. Some things happen because they are consequences of decisions and actions, others happen because we were obedient to the promptings of the Spirit. Either way, they are rough times. Forged in the Refiner’s Fire is about going through these times of trial and tragedy and learning how others have pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and drawn closer to the Lord in the process. This is was inspired this book. People, from every walk of life, who simply kept putting one foot in from of the other, even through their darkest moments of despair.

Elizabeth Cheever, my co-author, is one who has suffered greatly in her life. Initially, she came to me to ask if I would write this book with her. I couldn’t say no, even though I was very busy. There was something about the concept that I couldn’t walk away from, and I’m glad I didn’t.

Was it hard to write your stories? To relive them? Or had you already written them and worked through the emotions that sometimes come when we relive hard memories.

No. Well, okay, I cried when I wrote them. They were extremely painful and difficult times in my life. But in all honesty, I had come to terms with both situations long before I wrote them down. And no, I hadn’t written them before. They seemed to scream to be included in the book because they taught particular points of the gospel that I had to learn the hard way. I thought perhaps others could see the light at the end of the tunnel a little sooner than I had and their spirits would be uplifted.

Which story, other than your own, touched you the most?

Hazel Jensen’s. When her horse reared up and fell backward on her, crushing her pelvis my heart literally fell. I could not believe the suffering and pain that woman went through. And yet, I had met her after this happened and she was a cheerful, peaceful, absolutely delightful woman who, unbeknownst to me, was in great pain because of her crushing injuries. She’s had multiple back surgeries, as late as last year and yet continues to paint, write and serve her Savior, Jesus Christ.

If readers of this book could take only one message from it, what would you hope for it to be?

Hope. There is always hope. We were never meant to walk this mortal path alone and each of has only to look to Jesus Christ for the strength to continue on. We belong to a great brotherhood of mankind with a common ancestry and a possible common divine goal. None of us are truly alone. Between heaven and earth, there are untold numbers of good people who will step forward and lift you up until you can walk on your own.

What do we have to look forward to from you?

“Standing on the Fifth: The Long Road” is almost finished. I am co-writing that with Merrill Osmond and we are having so much fun bringing this action suspense to life.

“Dreams Die Hard” is the sequel to “Out of the Shadows . . . Into the Light.” I’ll probably have to end up self-publishing that one because no publisher will pick up a series mid way through.

“The Heart of a Woman” is a nonfiction book which address the issues facing women today and the strength/answers we can draw from the brethren and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Again, we were not meant to walk this thorny path alone and it is my hope that this book will give the women of the Church the strength they need to keep moving forward.

“The Tale of Two Fathers” is a nonfiction book covering the lives of the two men who shaped me. My biological father and the father of my heart. One suffered terribly as a child and then, as an adult, chose women and booze over the eternal family he’d been creating with my mother. The second had an even more horrific childhood and chose God, remaining faithful until the day he passed away. The book will delve into the lives of this men and show how small choices can lead to the ultimate destruction or salvation of a man’s soul. It will show the ripple effects on the wife and children of these men and how their actions cause scars which can take decades to overcome, and the opposite, which is the healing balm of a righteous father.

If you get the chance, pick up a copy of "Forged In the Refiner's Fire", it is well worth your time.

Here is a short video of an interview that Candace did for "Forged In the Refiner's Fire"