Interview with Sarah Sundin

  

Sarah Sundin is the author of A Distant Melody, an exciting and heartwarming tale set during World War Two. This wonderful historical romance introduces us to Allie Miller and Lt. Walter Novak, two very different people whose paths happen to cross at a wedding. I won't give any more away other than to say that Sarah is a gifted writer who has a knack for bringing characters to life. I highly recommend her book! 

A Giveaway Too :)

Sarah has graciously offered a copy of A Distant Melody for a giveaway.  Check out the details at the end of the post.

The Interview: Part One 
                                                                                                                           

Karen: Thank you for joining us here at Write Now!  When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

Sarah: January 6, 2000. How’s that for exact? Although I always read voraciously, I didn’t consider a writing career. Instead I chose a practical career in pharmacy which allowed me to work on-call and stay home with our three children. Then in 2000, I had a dream with such intriguing characters that I felt compelled to write their story. That first novel will never be published, nor should it, but it got me started.

Karen: Did you do anything in particular before or as you began writing for publication (like take writing classes)?

Sarah: I wrote that first novel without any training whatsoever. It showed. After I finished my 750-page simple contemporary romance (no kidding), I went to my first writers’ conference and learned I’d done almost everything wrong. So I decided to learn. I read books on writing craft, joined a critique group, attended more writers’ conferences, and joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). I kept writing and kept learning. I’m still learning.

Karen: Congratulations on A Distant Melody, and your upcoming book, A Memory Between Us. What inspired you to write this series?

Sarah: The idea for A Distant Melody came out of a “what if” question—what if a man and woman met at an event, truly clicked, and parted before exchanging contact info? Wouldn’t it be romantic if he went through great effort to track her down? It wouldn’t work in a contemporary setting—he’d “Google” her—but it made a sweet premise for a historical. My husband and I watched a History Channel special on the US Eighth Air Force based in England which flew over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, and I was hooked. My great-uncle was a B-17 pilot with the Eighth, so I had access to his stories and letters. A Distant Melody was meant to be a standalone, but while doing research, I became enamored with the Eighth Air Force and wanted to tell the full story to V-E Day. Since my hero had two pilot brothers, I decided to write a series, with each book focusing on one brother.

Karen: How long did it take from the time you began A Distant Melody to when it was published?

Sarah: Almost nine years. I had the idea late in 2001 and began the research. I started the manuscript in 2002 and finished it in 2004. I first submitted it to editors and agents in 2003, and began receiving a stack of “good” rejection letters. I continued writing the series. In 2008, Revell offered me a three-book contract, and A Distant Melody came out in March 2010.

Karen: What are your writing habits like? Are you a plotter or a SOTP writer?

Sarah: I’m definitely a plotter. That’s the science nerd in me. First of all, I do lots of research beforehand—not only does this let me know if my story idea will even work historically, but it gives me ideas for scenes, problems, and characters. Then I fill out character charts (I love character charts!) and a plot chart which helps me track subplots and story arcs. Then come scene lists with everything from the date, the weather, what characters are wearing, goals and conflict, what’s happening historically, and an outline of the scene. Finally I get to my rough draft.

Karen: How did you go about developing your characters for these books? Were any inspired by people you know?

Sarah: I got the idea for Allie Miller, the heroine of A Distant Melody, when I visited a particularly gorgeous friend after her daughter was born. The first words I heard the mom say were, “Thank goodness she’s pretty.” My thought? What if she wasn’t pretty? That thought expanded—what would happen to a plain-looking daughter of a woman who thought beauty was a virtue? Would she think she could never find true love? So, Walt came about primarily as Allie’s counterpart. I gave him two brothers and no sisters so he’d be clueless about women.

Don't forget to come back for Part Two of Sarah's interview on Thursday, July 8. Sarah gives us a sneak peek at Book Two in The Wings of Glory series. 

For more info about Sarah, stop by her website or blog.  She has lots of goodies to share!

 
Giveaway Details

To Enter:

• Leave a comment to this post, include your email address like so: karenelange(at)gmail(dot)com. Entries without email address in comment box are not eligible.
• Receive an extra entry by becoming a follower, or by reminding me that you already follow.
• Receive a bonus entry by posting about this giveaway on your Facebook page. Please leave a comment telling me so.
• Receive a bonus entry by posting about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a comment with the link.
• This is only open to US residents. For those of you who follow outside the US, I apologize!
• Deadline to enter is noon eastern standard time, Friday July 9, 2010. Winner will be announced here, and notified via email, and have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Happy reading and writing!
Blessings,

Karen