Author Interview: One on One with Sarah Sundin


Have you ever been completely and totally sucked into a book from the very first page?
That's what happened to me when I read my  first Sarah Sundin book.
Today, it is my great privilege to post a one on one interview with this wonderful World War II writer from My Front Porch! We'll be covering topics from the beginning of her writing career to what's coming in the 2013 year! I hope you will recieve a blessing from today's post.


Rachel: Sarah, you are a fairly new author with your first novel debuting in 2010. You are also an on-call hospital pharmacist—what prompted you to begin writing novels?

Sarah: A dream. Of the sleeping kind. One morning in 2000, I woke from a dream with such vivid characters that I had to write their story. I argued with God for a few days… “Pharmacist,” I said. “Not a writer. Tested out of college English, and was glad to do so.” God just smiled. So I wrote that book, and very badly. But I was hooked. I wrote another book very badly, then started attending a writers group and writers conferences and learned how to write novels. The third novel I completed became my debut, A Distant Melody.

Rachel: In your first series, Wings of Glory, readers follow three brothers who are all pilots in the United States Army Air Force. Book 1, A Distant Melody, begins with Walter Novak serving with the US Eighth Air Force particularly—why did you choose to follow the Eighth Air Force into England?

Sarah: I knew Walt was a pilot, but no more than that. Then my husband and I watched a History Channel special about the Eighth Air Force. The stories were so gripping and harrowing! And it was England, beautiful England! And it involved B-17s! My great-uncle flew a B-17 both in the Pacific and with the Eighth Air Force. The decision was made.


Rachel: Revell recently released your fourth novel, With Every Letter, which is also the first book in your next series, Wings of the Nightingale. In this story you introduce the reader to brand new characters with a variety of personalities and take us into detail about flight nursing. What was the inspiration for this story?

Sarah: The heroine of my second novel, A Memory Between Us, is a nurse in World War II. While researching the Army Nurse Corps, I read about the flight nurses, and they intrigued me. My heroine ended up becoming a flight nurse in the second half of the book, but I felt I’d barely touched on what these brave women did. I had a vague series idea floating around about three mismatched women who become solid friends, with romances for each of them. So I made them flight nurses.

Rachel: Your novels have the tender romance between the hero and heroine, but you also delve into the mechanics of how WWII bombers and military strategies function. This may draw in readers of the male gender. Do you find you have a male following also?

Sarah: I’ve been pleased by how many men enjoy the Wings of Glory series. The emails I receive from men always start the same way: “I never read romance, but I picked up your book because of the B-17 on the cover. I’m surprised, but I actually liked it!”

Rachel: All of your novels have discussion questions at the end of the book. Being a Christian Fiction writer what message are you trying to relay to your readers?

Sarah: I never start a novel with a message in mind, but the message develops from the characters and the situations they face. Overall my goal is to help readers remove whatever barriers are in their lives (pride, fear, shame, disobedience, distrust, discontentment, etc.), so they can do His will.

Rachel: What can we expect from you next?

Sarah: The second book in the Wings of the Nightingale series, On Distant Shores, comes out in August 2013. I’m currently writing the third book in the series, which will release in August 2014.

Thank you, Sarah, for joining me on From My Front Porch. I’m ecstatic you were able to join me for today's interview and share your love for WWII with us. I have one more question before you go: What is your favorite WWII military aircraft?

Sarah: Do you even have to ask? The B-17 Flying Fortress. Not just a beautiful airplane, but a rugged one that could take a lot of damage and bring her crew safely home. I’m also growing fond of the C-47 cargo plane that plays a supporting role in the Wings of the Nightingale. Another rugged plane, sturdy and dependable, and kind of cute too. While the B-17 is the glamour girl, the C-47 is the friendly girl next door.

Thank you for having me today! I’ve enjoyed visiting.
And I thank all our readers for joining in the fun!
For information on how you can learn more about Sarah's books, upcoming events, and blog  please click on the link below.

Bio:
Sarah Sundin 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, 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, works on-call as a hospital pharmacist, and teaches Sunday school. Please visit her at http://www.sarahsundin.com.

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