Happy Mother's Day to All Mom's!

And the winner of Sarah Sundin's book is....kindergarten storyteller! Congratulations. I know you'll enjoy the read.

AKB

Author Sarah Sundin Balances Real Life and Historical Fiction

I'm so honored to have author Sarah Sundin featured on my blog today. If you're not familiar with Sarah and her work, she is the author of With Every Letter, the first book in the Wings of the Nightingale series from Revell, and also the Wings of Glory series (A Distant Melody, A Memory Between Us, and Blue Skies Tomorrow). In 2011, A Memory Between Us was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. Sarah lives in northern California with her husband and three children. She works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies.

 

And now the interview with Sarah...

In what genre do you write? (Historical, contemporary, romance, etc.)

I write historical romance set during World War II.

 

How much spirituality do you weave into your story?

I’m middle-of-the-road as far as Christian fiction goes. I don’t write with an evangelistic goal, but I also don’t write with just a whiff of Christianity. My characters always struggle with some aspect of their faith and deal with sin issues. They talk about God, pray, and grow in their walks with the Lord. The spiritual lessons they learn help them deal with the problems they face.

 What is your general purpose as an author?

To tell gripping stories with engaging characters. Through those stories, to build interest and appreciation for the past. Through the characters’ growth, to encourage readers that they can face their own trials and live the lives God intends for them.

 What is your greatest challenge in your writing?

Trying to find balance. I have a husband, three teens, and a yellow lab who desires constant play. I work as a pharmacist one day a week, and teach Sunday school and women’s Bible studies. Although I thrive on a certain level of busyness, I’m an introvert and crave solitude. My quiet time with the Lord is a high priority, and I’m careful not to schedule much during those lovely, silent hours when the kids are at school.

Do you believe there is evil in the world and, if you do, how do you portray it in your novels (or do you portray evil in your novels?

A single glance at the headlines shows evil in the world. Since I write stories set in wartime, evil is definitely present. I try to portray some of the complexity of good and evil—my heroes and heroines always struggle with sin, and I try to show positive traits in my villains.

Did you ever have a memorable book-signing? (Sad, humorous, or awesome?) If so, please share it.

My most memorable was this summer at a brand-new local store. A lady I didn’t know came to my table and patted a copy of A Memory Between Us with a pensive look on her face. “This was on my father’s nightstand when he died. It was the last book he read.” Oh my goodness—so touching. Then the bookstore owner, a petite brunette, told me of her other job—as a guard in a high-security prison. While reading A Distant Melody in her bullet-proof glass enclosure, an inmate tapped on the glass and said, “I read that. That’s a good book.” Another wow moment. I wasn’t able to go to that deathbed or that prison cell to minister, but God took my books there! I’m still reeling from that.

 What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper?

With Every Letter is the first book in the Wings of the Nightingale series, which follows three World War II flight nurses in the Mediterranean. The second book, On Distant Shores, comes out August 2013 (I just turned it in to my publisher. Yay!) and the third book in August 2014. I’m also brainstorming ideas for another series.

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Sarah is giving away a copy of her book, With Every Letter, so leave a comment with your name and email address and you'll be entered into the drawing on Mother's Day! What a super gift Sarah's novel will be for one blessed reader. 

Be sure to stop back on Sunday to see if you've won!

And the Winner of a signed copy of "Threads of Love" is...

Diane Kalas!

Congrats, Diane -- I'll get in contact with you shortly.

And now for baby news!

My new granddaughter, Ashlee Faith, was born yesterday at about 9:00 pm. She weighed 9lbs 7oz and she's just beautiful! Mom and baby doing well. Follow me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/andrea.boeshaar to see pictures and to keep up with all my releases.

Thank you to everyone who stops in to read my blog and the Impossible Dream interviews as well as all my other tidbits. God bless you!

~Andrea

In just a few days, I’ll give birth to my third and final book in my Fabric of Time series, titled Threads of Love. The very next day, my daughter-in-law will give birth to my fifth grandchild – WHOO-HOO! Unless another is chosen at the last minute, her name will either be Ashleigh Faith or Jenna Faith – my vote is for the later, that is if my vote counts.  *smile*

I had the privilege of sitting in on one of my daughter-in-law’s ultrasounds and the baby turned just at the right time and I saw her little face! I told my son, who sat beside me, that she resembles her sister Alyson (who is 2 1/2). What a thrill to get a peek inside the womb at my granddaughter! 

My granddaughter -- coming soon!

Way back in the stone ages (ha, ha…) when I delivered my three sons, ultrasounds weren't common practice unless doctors felt that there was something wrong with the baby. Epidurals weren't given on a regular basis either. Funny, how I recall my mother and mother-in-law peppering me with stories about when they gave birth to their children in hospital maternity wards – forget about that having your own birthing suite business. Back in the 1950s women had roommates! Hospitals had visiting hours. Female nurses wore white dresses and caps.

My, my, but times do change!

My great-grandmother  and her sons
(including my grandfather,
sitting in front of the dog).

In my novel Threads of Love, readers can see how much has changed since 1902, the year in which the story is set. I had so much fun writing this novel because my great-grandparents were married in the year 1900. My grandfather was born in 1906. The early 1900s are years I just can remember – not because I lived them, obviously, but because of the tales I heard from my grandfather and grandmother and others as well as the pictures I still have today.

I believe handing stories down from one generation to the next is biblical. Take a look at Psalm 78:5-7 (ESV):

He established a testimony in Jacob
    and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers    to teach to their children,
 that the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,    so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,    but keep his commandments;

While it's fact that not everything I heard from older relatives was godly, all of it worked together for God’s good in bringing me to Him. 

We learn from the past – which is why birthing both a new book and a new baby is so much more pleasant today than a century – or even 50 years ago. Wouldn't you agree?

I’d love to hear from you -- and you can win a FREE, signed (paperback) copy of Threads of Love. Simply leave a comment along with your email address and you’ll be entered into the contest. I’ll select a winner on Thursday -- and I'll tell you all about my brand new granddaughter, so be sure to stop back!!

*Threads of Love will be available after May 8th in traditional print and e-book formats. Ask for it at your favorite bookstore or order it online!

Lisa Lickel's Impossible Journey -- Possible!

My Impossible Journey

By Lisa LickelWeb: http://www.lisalickel.com

 In 2007, four years after I started writing professionally, things seemed to be falling into place for a long and happy writing career. I’d signed with an agent, signed two contracts for novels, been published nationally in my church magazine and Writer’s Digest, as well as locally doing front-page features for the decent-circulation newspapers.

Not only had I signed with Barbour publishing and had my first mystery published in 2009, but had the promise of publishing the second book in the series. Many of the authors in Barbour’s mystery writers club had published with a small publisher, and when that same house accepted my manuscript, Healing Grace, the second book I wrote, I was thrilled. The publisher had a very strict-sounding policy of how to make your book look perfect, so I wasn’t worried about anything.

I was naive. I blithely walked right off the edge of the publication path. The Barbour mystery book club folded, my second contract went up in smoke, and Healing Grace came out with so many typos I was too embarrassed to market it. Not that I knew much about marketing anyway. I took the next three years attempting to figure out what makes books sell. By the time I’d tried to work with another agent and pitched my work all over the place, I decided to stick with independent publishers and signed with an up and coming Canadian publisher, MuseItUp. My writing partner, Shellie Neumeier, had a book with them, and it looked great. Muse picked up the mysteries and we’re doing okay. I had the rights for Healing Grace back and submitted it. The acquisitions team recommended against accepting it.

  In the same death sentence, however, the publisher offered me an opportunity: Lea believed in me and the book. I was not blasé about accepting this challenge. I knew there were things that could have been better—I believe I have learned a lot since I wrote the book in 2004, and I believed in the editing team that had done such great things with the first two books. I was glad to have the chance to bring Healing Grace, a favorite story, back to life.

Here’s what I learned.

1. Never assume.

Just because Healing Grace had been published, I shouldn’t have simply thought another publisher would jump at it. I was glad to be given reasons why it should never have been published in the first place, and a chance to make it better.

2. Be better.

I’ve learned a lot in nine years. It’s time to apply that knowledge, but also to accept guidance. Take every opportunity to challenge yourself.

3. Rely on experts.

Muse uses three layers of editing before a book goes to publication. I love my team and trust them, but I still had to know what the acquisitions team didn’t like about the story. When Greta got in touch with them, we were able to work on those issues and make a stronger story.

4. Promote early.

I learned that just because I wrote it, readers do not know about my book unless I tell them. I called several reviewers ahead of time to get some reviews ready and start talking it up to a new audience.

5. Slow and steady.

Although I have my reviewers lined up ahead of time, I’ve learned that one blast of promotion for a book on the release date flutters and dies if the author doesn’t get some discussion going. Keep fanning the flames. Line up promotion spots for six months at least. Schedule immediate press releases, then more interviews and spots and signings spread out. Use the opportunities to mention other work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back Cover Copy of Healing Grace:

Grace has a secret. Just like her aunt, and her Tennessee grandmother before her, she can heal with a touch. Often the gift comes with a physical price, but one she’s willing to pay—until her husband developed a fatal cancer.

How much, then, was Grace willing to sacrifice? When she couldn’t help him, she runs from God and friends—straight into the life of another terminally ill man.

Ted Marshall, whose young son Eddy reminds Grace of everything she lost, has a mysterious illness. Can she redeem her soul by helping this man? Finding new friends and trying to fit in to a small, established, fruit-growing community in Michigan provides enough strife. When Ted’s suspicious brother, Randy, attempts to trace Grace’s past, what will he find? More than a tragic figure whose parents and child were killed in an accident and whose husband died a few years later?

Randy’s son is hurt in a summertime accident. Can Grace keep her secret and still help the young man? Ted’s ex-wife stirs up the community with her accusations, and Grace discovers who are her real friends. Her new boss lets her know he feels more than professional admiration for her. Can she return his feelings, or will her emotional attachment to Ted win out?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Readers, WIN AN E-VERSION OF LISA'S BOOK! Leave a comment and your email address. The drawing will be on Monday, so be sure and stop back!!!

Researching My Own Backyard

By Andrea Boeshaar

My latest novel, Threads of Love, releases May 7th, It's set in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1902. 

One of the main characters, Emily Sundberg, is well known in the community as she's a school teacher. Her father (Captain Daniel Sundberg from Book 2) owns a shipping business and, as I researched the city, it was interesting to learn that in the 19th and early 20th centuries Manitowoc was commonly referred to as "Clipper City" because of all the shipbuilding going on -- Manitowoc was known for building those graceful lake clippers. 

I toured the Wisconsin Maritime Museum and got a glimpse of what the city might look like in the time period of my story. It helped the characters to come alive in my mind.

Below is the back cover copy of Threads of Love  --
 





As my character's aunt and mother (Julianna from Book 2 in the series) work in a shop in Manitowoc called Sundberg Creations -- a shop that offers hand-spun items -- I took a knitting class at Cream City Yarn Shop. I felt it was important to get the feel of different fibers and textures. I imagine that the Sundberg ladies' shop would look similar to Cream City Yarn. It's a quaint shop in Brookfield constructed in vintage Cream City Brick. 

Incidentally, I knitted scarves for all the grandkids and my daughter-in-law for Christmas (talk about getting inspired!).

I enjoyed researching the fashion in 1902, but still can't imagine wearing all those under-garments (especially in summertime!). And, as a portion of my story takes place in Fallon, Montana too, I enjoyed researching that area. It'd be fun to ride the train out west.

Threads of Love is book 3 in my Fabric of Time series and all three novels in the series are set in Wisconsin. So fun to research my own backyard!


Stop by on May 7th because I'll be giving away FREE copies of my books in the Fabric of Time series, Threads of Hope, Threads of Faith, and Threads of Love -- to celebrate the release of the third and final story -- Threads of Love.

The Winner of Pam Meyers' Book Is...

AJ Cattapan.!

Pease email me privately at: AndreaKuhnBoeshaar (@) gmail (dot) com

Congratulations!