Giveaway and Author Interview: Blue Skies Tomorrow

Welcome back to Writing for Christ Sarah Sundin, I am excited to have you here for a second time. J

What has changed in your writing life since you were last here?

It’s been quite a year. I signed another three-book contract with Revell for a series that follows three World War II flight nurses in the Mediterranean Theater. I’ve finished the first novel in that series, and it’ll be released Fall 2012. In April I received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Writers Conference, which meant a lot to me, since Mount Hermon is where I got my start. Mostly it’s just been a lovely blur of writing and blogging and social media.

What recent read stood out to you as truly spectacular?

Athol Dickson’s Lost Mission impacted me. Through dual storylines, he showed flip-side dangers Christians can fall into when interacting with the world—characterizing the world as evil and isolating ourselves from unbelievers, or identifying so strongly with those we minister to that we forget Christ’s teachings. And never once did Dickson “state his theme.” It all rose beautifully from the story.

Do you have favorite authors?

Oh, I hate this question because I have too many favorites! I’ve always loved Jane Austen and Maeve Binchy. Some of my more recent favorites include Dale Cramer, Athol Dickson, Liz Curtis Higgs, Charles Martin, and Jill Eileen Smith. I could list dozens more. Urgh.

What do you find the most enjoyable part of writing or connecting with readers?

I find almost all of it enjoyable. I love the story spark, researching, plotting, the rough draft, and editing. The reader connection has been a pleasant surprise. I’ve met so many fascinating people through reader mail, website contacts, and Facebook. I had no idea being a writer would be so much fun.

What do you find the most ideal atmosphere for writing? Do you ever get those surroundings? J

A quiet house, a sleeping dog, and my desk. We recently converted our guest room/sewing room/husband’s computer room to a his & hers office. I have my very own desk with lots of cubbies and drawers and a tackboard, plus an extra bookcase for my research material. I love it, and I use it every day. However, I can work pretty much anywhere. I’ve learned to use snippets of “wasted” time throughout the day, and I do research while waiting at the dentist’s office, edit while my kids play soccer, and clean out my email inbox on my phone while in line at the DMV.

Okay, something fun for those writers out there: In what point of your writing career did you surprise yourself by writing the most words ever in the shortest amount of time?

I don’t keep track of daily word count, but I occasionally write a 10-page chapter in one day. That’s pretty rare because I have to stop frequently to check research notes. The period in my writing life when I was most prolific was the very beginning. My first novel—which will never be published nor should it be—was a simple contemporary romance. I wrote 750 pages (yes, 750) in six months. And it was awful.

Thanks for being here again! It has been a joy and we wish the very best with your novels.

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