Welcome, Sandy . Tell us how much
of yourself you write into your characters.
Probably quite a lot. At this stage of my writing, I think
it’s easier to glean from what I know. Don’t tell her, but my teenage character
in Red
Gold came from a lot from my daughter at that age. Now my bad guys, I’m
not going to name where I get their nastiness.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
Stepping into a pen full of wild Mexican Gray wolves so I
could learn about them and take photos up close and personal.
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I started out with the typical diary as a young girl. In
high school, I wrote quite a bit. A lot of those stories went to a teacher who
disposed of them before I could get them home. I have journaled a lot over the
years. But when my daughter was three, I did a home study course on writing. I
really had a desire to be a writer. There was a lot of learning to do and it
took me many years to accomplish it. I did write a newspaper column for twelve
years. When that ended, I turned to novels. My grandmother did a lot of
writing, and my mom writes poetry and lots of stories of her life growing up in
the depression years.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I read almost every genre within the Christian market. I love
historicals, contemporary, suspense, mystery, romance, adventure. I tend to
stay in the Christian market because I like the clean, values-driven writing.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
Day trips of driving up to the mountains to find some
adventure. We’re not far from some great destinations in this state. I love to
photograph the views, the wildlife. My husband and I have to often go get our
“mountain fix”. It settles me back down. God’s creation does that for me.
Camping too. Just have to get away sometimes.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
I torment over them quite a lot. I’ll look at magazines and
pull out a name that seems to suit a character. I had a hard time naming Mr.
Shonee in Red Gold, but I finally saw an ad for the restaurant by that
name and that just became a fit. It was different. And I guess I’ll fess up. My
two main characters Jon and Mandy are living out a dream my husband and I had
of running a ranch like that, so…well…Ron and Sandy/Jon and Mandy….
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I’ve been writing for so many years. It was always a dream
to have a book published. To have achieved that goal is a huge accomplishment
for me. To have an outlet to share the love of God, it’s priceless. I hope the
Lord will continue to bless this writing path I’m on with more books to
publish.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
Living here in Colorado ,
I guess I would have to be a mountain goat so I could get over the next ridge
easier to see what’s beyond.
What is your favorite
food?
Popcorn. Dark chocolate. Does that count?
It does to me. What
is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you
overcome it?
B.I.C. Butt in Chair. Just sit down and write! I haven’t
overcome it enough yet.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Mandy Phillips loves life with her husband running an
adventure ranch in the Colorado
mountains, but when Mr. Shonee, their crotchety old neighbor, tries to stop
them from building a kid-size old west town their dreams of expansion are
crushed.
Is Shonee just being a difficult neighbor, or is something
more sinister going on? A discovery on the property of Colorado 's state mineral leads to more
mysteries for the ranch, and then a teenage guest finds herself thrust head
first into danger.
Mandy will have to rescue her, but who will rescue Mandy?
Her faith in God is her only source to keep the guests safe, solve the
mysteries surrounding her ranch, save her neighbor from himself, and discover
the secrets of the Red Gold.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
The stench of burning brush assaulted her.
No! Mandy ran for the porch, grabbed the wand of the triangle suspended from the roof, and clanged the warning. Dread and panic crept up. Her heart raced.
Smoke billowed over the ridge. She knew flames inched towards the dry brush that lay between them and the guest ranch.
“Jon!” Mandy screamed for her husband as she clanged the triangle, and then dashed into the house.
The screen door slammed shut.
“Jon!” She grabbed the phone and ran back outside to the triangle. Visions of losing everything rose in her mind.
Barney, their black and brown Australian Shepherd, stood outside the door flinging himself into the air and barking frantically.
“What’s going on?” Jon’s thundering steps came from the house.
She dialed 911 and clanged the triangle while waiting for the operator to answer. “Fire!” she yelled to Jon. “There’s smoke coming up from over the ridge to the south.” Beads of sweat ran down her forehead.
“What’s your emergency?” The dispatcher’s voice came over the phone.
Mandy stopped clanging. “Fire to the south of High Country Safaris off County Road Five. Hurry!”
Jon sailed past her, not even touching the porch steps.
Ranch hands ran from the barn and the bunkhouse, some men
still pulling on boots.
Mandy pointed to the smoke rising over the ridge.
Mandy pointed to the smoke rising over the ridge.
“I see it, Miss Mandy,” Mike hollered. His boots stirred up
a cloud of dust as he changed direction. “I’ll get the water truck.” He ran
towards the garage with George, another ranch hand, on his heels.
Mike and George hopped in the passenger seat. They tore up
the service road towards the rising smoke.
The others grabbed shovels, picks, and axes.
Mandy threw the phone onto the porch chair and headed to her
old Willys Jeep.
Barney jumped off the porch ahead of her and ran in
circles.
She pointed a warning finger at his spot under a tree near
the porch. “Go lay down, Barney. You stay! I mean it.”
Barney whined, sat back down, but his front paws bounced
side to side. He obeyed, but panted heavily and watched after the crew going
into the smoke. The dog let out an occasional bark as she left.
“Lord, please, stop
this fire… please.”
A blaze could take off, especially after such a dry winter
and all the dead trees from the beetle infestation. Spring rains had been
sparse in the mountains of Colorado ,
and the sun was hot at their 7,900 foot elevation.
The vehicle bounced off every rock and pothole in the old
dirt road, but she didn’t care about the jarring her body endured. Her knuckles
grew white as she gripped the steering wheel.
Over the ridge, Jon and the hands were flanking the
fire.
A deep chill ran up her spine, and her palms went
cold.
Shovels and pick axes flew up and down with rhythmic
movement as the men worked to throw dirt onto the crawling flames.
She scanned the potential route of the fire. It wasn’t that
large, maybe over an acre, but as the wind picked up, it would only get worse.
If the fire made it into the trees, there would be no way to stop the flames
before they finished off the forest. And their ranch.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
www.SandyNadeau.blogspot.com for some short stories of our adventures
around Colorado .
Sandy Nadeau, author on Facebook
@SandyNadeauCO on
Twitter
And they can email me at sandy@sandynadeau.com
Thank you, Sandy, for sharing your new book with us.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Red Gold - Christianbook.com
Red Gold - Amazon
Red Gold - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Red Gold - Christianbook.com
Red Gold - Amazon
Red Gold - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
18 comments:
I am intrigued by this one and would love to read it. Thank you for a great interview, Lena.
I think you'd like it a lot Melanie. It's a fun adventure giving you a taste of the mountains of Colorado.
Portsmouth, VA
Sandy
Beautiful interview!!
God bless you and yours
Chris G
Thank you Chris.
Your book sounds wonderful Sandy! Love to win it! Shelia from Mississippi
Good luck Shelia. Fun to see where you all are from. VA, MS, fun! You'll love to learn about CO in my book!
So happy for you, Sandy! Looking forward to reading your book!
RED GOLD does sound like a fantastic read.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
sounds like a good book thanks for the chance to win
live in ND
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
Sounds interesting! I live in Ruckersville, VA.
Sherry
Thanks Paula, Mary (hello to Austrailia!) apple blossom (I have lots of relatives in ND), Sherry in VA. Good luck. I'll have a new website up soon. Hope you'll check back with me.
I loved the first page of Red Gold and I am looking forward to reading it soon.
Thank you for the interesting interview.
Ohio
mcnuttjem0(at)gmail(dot)com
Jackie in Ohio. Thanks. Hope you get to read the whole thing.
Hi Sandy & Lena! Red Gold sounds so good - your first page already had my heart pounding! Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Kristen in OK
kam110476 at gmail dot com
My daughter and I would both love to read "Red Gold!" In Indiana!
Enter me!!
Sharon Richmond Bryant
Conway,SC.
sharonruth126@gmail.com
I love the Colorado mountains and I would love to read this book.
Beth from IA
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