Please
tell the readers a little about yourself:
Hi,
there! Thanks so much for having me here today. I'm an accidental author
(truly, I never wanted to write fiction!) and love crunching numbers. (Yes, I
confess, I'm fascinated by our family budget, LOL.) I've been married to an
unbelievably awesome guy for going on 15 years and we homeschool our six kids,
ages 13 down to 19 months. I've been blessed with an amazing life . . . and
writing offers me the chance to escape the chaos that comes with it. Yep—I can
go anywhere I want through the worlds I create and I don’t have to pack for
eight people. Definite WIN!
How
about your latest release?
FAMILIAR
LIGHT is a romantic thriller complete with lost love and deadly obsession. :c)
When Laney returns to her hometown hoping to reconnect with her first love,
Bridger, his reception is not what she hoped, and it's not until she becomes
the victim of a threatening attack that Bridger realizes he can't deny his
feelings. He promises to keep her safe, but not even he can protect her from a
sick man's obsession—or from the murderous intentions of a cold-blooded killer.
What
was your primary inspiration for this book?
It
was written specifically for the Noble Romance Timeless Desire blog tour, so I
had to work within that theme and also keep it to 10k words. The concept of
reunited lovers is actually a favorite of mine and worked well with the tour,
so I went with it for FAMILIAR LIGHT. My
biggest challenge, then, was writing a suspense plot—not because we had to, but
because I love suspense so much. My husband, who does NOT read romance at all,
is my go-to guy for plot help, so together we hammered out the suspense
element. The beach setting came naturally, as that's easily one of my favorite
spots. :c)
Do
you have any muses?
If
I do, they're ornery suckers! LOL. Rarely does writing come easy for me, and I
really do admire (okay, I'm JEALOUS of) those authors who write effortlessly.
Do
you control your characters or do they flog you into shape?
I
start with a plan. By the end of my story, it's all I can do to keep up with
them and their bright ideas. (Yes, very much like herding children, LOL.)
When
you write, is there a special routine you follow?
I
discovered during my older kids' horseback riding lessons that my best writing
time is spent in the truck with my favorite CD playing. (I stick to one CD for
months—it's like my brain is programmed to write as soon as the first notes
play). But riding lessons are only a small percentage of my writing time, so
for the most part I just write in the evenings after dinner—roughly 8:00 p.m.
to midnight. My hubby keeps the kids entertained, which gives him plenty of
one-on-one time with them and me a much needed break.
If
you could be one animal, person, or at a place for a day what/who/where would
it be?
We
love boating, and I can't wait to take a trip to the Keys, so that's my pick: on
our boat in the Keys. (I prefer to stay out of international waters. I'd
probably get arrested for something I didn't know was illegal, LOL.)
Five
random facts about you:
- I
never missed a single day of school. At my high school graduation, I
received a certificate for 13 years of perfect attendance.
- My
hubby and I planned our first five kids, but number six came as a shocker
. . . after my tubes were tied!
- In
1992 I spent several hours stuck in an elevator in Spain, missed the tour
bus, and ended up touring the city (Seville) in a horse-drawn carriage
instead. Best elevator fail ever!
- I've
never had a "real job."
- I've
been to nearly every state in the continental U.S., mostly by car. When I
was a kid, my parents made a huge effort to "drive the country"
so I'd see it firsthand, and those are among my fondest memories—memories
I'd like to re-create with my own kiddos.
Are
you working on any new releases later this year?
Yes!
In FAMILIAR LIGHT, readers meet Detective Holden Whitlow. In my upcoming
romantic suspense TIDE OF LIES, someone from Holden's past resurfaces with a
devastating secret, and as the truth comes to light, the consequences turn
deadly. Lots of twists and turns to keep this one exciting! (Although these
stories are related and I hope you'll be interested in reading FAMILIAR LIGHT
first (*grin*), TIDE OF LIES is a novel-length story that stands alone.) I'll
also be adding titles to my Packing Heat series with Noble Romance @ https://www.nobleromance.com/Books?series=30
Anything
else you’d like to say?
If
you like freebies (*ahem*), I'd like to invite you to subscribe to my blog.
Why? Because I offer a weekly giveaway. Each week random.org chooses one of my
**email subscribers** to win their choice of a $10 gift card to Noble Romance
or a $5 gift card to Amazon. You'll be automatically entered into each weekly
drawing so long as you remain an email subscriber, so head on over and join me!
(Full details and subscription box are available here: http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/weekly-giveaways/ )
Thank
you so very much for having me today!
Contact
info:
FACEBOOK FAN http://www.facebook.com/sarah.ballance.author.news
1 comment:
Thanks so much for hosting me today!
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