THROUGH WATERS DEEP - Sarah Sundin - One Free Book, Plus More

Dear Readers, Sarah Sundin is a favorite author of World War II novels. Her stories have won numerous awards. Last year, when my book took third place in the Golden Scroll Awards, hers took second. This one looks like another winner.

Welcome back, Sarah. As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?

So many! I have to start with my brainstorming buddies, Marcy Weydemuller and Cathleen Armstrong, who helped me flesh out the plot, especially the mystery component. Marcy is an experienced writing teacher and editor, and she helped me greatly as I learned to write mysteries.

Also, my husband and our youngest son, Matthew, indulged me as I tacked research on to our family vacation again. I stayed an extra week in Boston, and Matthew stayed with me. I assumed he stayed because he loves Boston and history and wanted a chance to visit the National Archives in Boston with me, which was a blast! On the trip, I found out the truth when he told my aunt, “I know what Mom’s like when she’s researching. I’m here to make sure she doesn’t get lost.” Ha! Nevertheless, I did feel better with a strapping teenage boy at my side!

If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

I love teaching and speaking! I’ll be teaching a workshop on historical research at the ACFW conference in Dallas in September. In October, I’m teaching a workshop on character development for the Alameda Writers Group in Alameda, Calfornia. And next March, I’ll be on the faculty at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in California, leading a fiction mentoring track and teaching a workshop called “No Missed Deadlines”—about goal setting, calendars, charts, and organization. More details are on the speaking page on my website.

If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?

With our nest emptying, my husband and I discuss this frequently. Our oldest son has a great engineering job in southern California. Our daughter got married this July, and she and her wonderful husband will be going to school in southern California. And our “baby” (see “strapping teenage son” above) is graduating from high school this year. So do we stay put in northern California until the dust settles? Move to Oregon as my husband has always dreamed? Go someplace else entirely? We shall see.

If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?

Slow down, relax, and learn. Everyone is in a hurry to get published. I was too, but that was before self-publishing became cheap, viable, and respectable, so I had no choice but to wait. In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t have that choice. My rejection letter years forced me to keep learning my craft, even when I thought I was already “there.” Those years also taught me vital things about God and about myself—things I needed to know before I entered the strange and challenging world of being a published author. So I advise every aspiring novelist, whether seeking traditional publishing or self-publishing, to take a deep breath, take your time, and learn as much as you can about the writing craft, the publishing industry, and about publicity.

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])

Oh dear. I’m afraid I’ve never been a celebrity watcher. I’m too skeptical of people who are lauded for superficial traits like beauty and talent, and I truly admire those with strong character, who often work behind the scenes unnoticed. If I held a cruise, it’d be for the volunteers, the veterans, the exhausted moms and dads—those who put other people before themselves. And they could just relax and be pampered.

Tell us about the featured book.

In 1941, as America teeters on the brink of World War II, Mary Stirling works at the Boston Navy Yard and renews an old friendship with naval officer Ensign Jim Avery. Jim’s destroyer escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic, but problems on his ship point to a saboteur at the shipyard. As Mary works to find the culprit and Jim battles U-boats, could their friendship blossom into something more? Or could the dangers they face keep them apart?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Boston Navy Yard; Boston, Massachusetts

Tuesday, March 18, 1941

On a platform by the bow of the USS Ettinger, Mary Stirling prepared supplies no one would notice unless they were missing.

While nautical pennants snapped in the sea breeze and the band played “Anchors Aweigh” for the ship-launching ceremony, Mary set down a box containing rags, a towel, a whisk broom, and a first aid kit. Then she nestled a bottle of champagne in a silver bucket.

Something crinkled. Odd.

Mary picked up the bottle in its decorative tin shield that prevented shattering. Yesterday, she’d tied red, white, and blue ribbon around the neck. Now the ribbon didn’t lie flat, the bow was lopsided, and the foil around the cork seemed loose and wrinkled, as if someone had taken it off and replaced it.

Why? Scenarios zipped through her head, each more ludicrous than the one before. “Too much Nancy Drew in junior high,” she muttered. And too many spy and saboteur stories in the press lately. With the United States clinging to neutrality in the war in Europe, tensions between isolationists and interventionists had become sharper than the prow of the Ettinger.

Mary stroked the sleek red hull of the new destroyer, towering above her. “Into the wild Atlantic you go.”

“That is a bad year.”

Mary smiled at the French accent and faced her roommate and co-worker at the Boston Navy Yard, Yvette Lafontaine. “I doubt the Ettinger cares about the champagne’s vintage.”

“She should.” Yvette narrowed her golden-brown eyes at the ship, then lit up and grasped Mary’s shoulders. “But you look très magnifique.”

Mary knew better than to argue. “Thank you for helping me choose the hat. I love it.” The shape flattered her face, and the fawn color blended with her brown hair and the heavy tweed coat she wore. It would also go well with her spring coat—if winter ever ended.

Yvette fingered the puff of netting on the brim. “I still prefer the red one.”

“Not red.”

“Sometimes a woman needs to . . . to accent, not match.”

Sounds intriguing. Where can we find you on the Internet?

Website:         http://www.sarahsundin.com

Blog:               http://www.sarahsundin.com/blog

Facebook:       http://www.facebook.com/SarahSundinAuthor

Twitter:           http://twitter.com/sarahsundin

Pinterest:        http://pinterest.com/sarahsundin

Dive into Sarah Sundin's explosive new series, Waves of Freedom, with book one, Through Waters Deep. When evidence of sabotage on the Atwood is found, Jim and Mary must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new challenges–and dangers–await them in the midst of their budding romance.

Join Sarah in celebrating the release of Through Waters Deep by entering to win an Anchors Aweigh prize pack!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Through Waters Deep
• A nautical tote bag
• A set of compass rose notecards
• A "Hope Anchors the Soul" journal
• A Boston Tea Party earl grey tea set
• A Through Waters Deep apron
• A set of nautical tea towels

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 24th. The winner will be announced August 25th on Sarah's blog.

That looks wonderful. I know my readers will want to enter.

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing this new book with us. Many of my readers love World War II novels.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Through Waters Deep - Christianbook.com

Through Waters Deep: A Novel (Waves of Freedom) - Amazon

Through Waters Deep (Waves of Freedom Book #1): A Novel - Kindle

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