Welcome, Sarah. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
It really depends on the character—there’s definitely more
of me in some of my characters than others. I had a lot of fun with Claire in Silent
Night Shadows, and her sister Gemma who was the heroine of my last book
and shows up in this one as well, because I gave them each some characteristics
from both me and my sister, but it’s hard to say which one of them is more like
which one of us and which qualities are just made up. There are a lot of
completely fictional qualities, though, and I do like to try to remind people
to remember that just because a character thinks a certain way or has certain
feelings, it doesn’t necessarily mean the author does. I’ve written characters
before who dislike coffee and that is definitely not me. =)
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I was reminded tonight on Facebook of a multi-year phase I
went through where I made fish faces for fun. That’s pretty quirky, right?
Works for me. When
did you first discover that you were a writer?
I’ve loved having blank notebooks to write stories in since
I was very young. I don’t remember if my blank notebook with the horse on the
front was given to me when I was eight or if I was closer to twelve, but it was
somewhere in there that I started writing, and when I was thirteen it started
to become something I did a lot more. By the time I was seventeen, I had
submitted my first query letter and decided I really wanted to be a writer.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
Oh, I love reading so many different kinds of books. I read
an amazing general market fiction book earlier this year by Eowyn Ivey, To the Bright Edge of the World that
really inspired me as a writer. Most of the time, though, I read Christian
fiction, everything from romantic comedy to suspense. Some of my favorite
authors are Kara Isaac, Hillary Manton Lodge, Melissa Tagg, Denise Hunter, and
Colleen Coble.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I have two young boys so I feel like it’s essential for me
to hang onto my sanity as tightly as I can. Haha. Practically speaking, I try
to get outside especially in the summer, because hiking helps me relax. I also
go to the gym often, love coloring with colored pencils if I feel like I’m
getting too stressed, and make sure the boys and I have some downtime built
into our day. Basically, I also try to remind myself that it’s not worth it to
rush through life, and I do a pretty good job most of the time of not letting
the world’s craziness rush me.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
This changes a lot depending on the book and character. In
my first book, I chose the heroine’s name (Shiloh )
because I liked the name and my husband had already told me we were never using
it for a baby so I figured I could use it for a book character. Haha. In my
second book, I knew the heroine’s name before I’d written a thing. In some of
my other books, I’ve changed names after sending in the initial proposal.
Sometimes I ask friends for suggestions, sometimes I look up baby names, and
while I do usually pay at least a little attention to name meanings, usually I
just choose a name that I like the sound of.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
This a tough one. While I am proud of some of my
accomplishments, these books for one thing and having taught my kids things for
another, mostly I’m thankful for the chance to get to do them.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
Hm…I think I’d be a grizzly bear so I could hike around the
gorgeous mountains up here all the time and never worry about, well, bears.
What is your favorite
food?
I love spaghetti. It’s been one of my favorite foods since I
was a kid and it still is, although my husband’s chicken parmesan is right up
there with it.
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I think the greatest roadblock I faced was a rejection that
came after feeling like I was so close to finally making progress in my career
as a writer. That was the time I honestly did almost stop writing, and moving
forward from there required rethinking my writing and my genre. At the time I’d
been writing chick-lit, but switched to romantic suspense (which I loved and
had already written an attempt at years before) when an agent suggested I try
to find a way to hit the market a bit better than my chick lit attempts would
have at the time. I’m so glad for that agent’s honesty and I’m glad I
persevered.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Silent Night Shadows is a story of play-it-safe Claire, her
small town’s sweetheart, accidentally witnessing a crime and then finding
herself under the protection of Nate Torres, whose life is defined by risk. I
loved writing this story and having Claire and Nate in some ways be such
complete opposites, but in other ways have so many similarities. I feel like
they really bring out the best in each other.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
The cool, dark December night wrapped around Claire
Phillips, making her shiver deep inside. She wrapped her arms tighter around
herself, wishing she’d grabbed her jacket before she’d left the coffee shop to
head toward the town square for the tree lighting ceremony. But there hadn’t
been time. She’d promised her sister she’d meet her there at six, and it was
already five till.
Claire glanced to her right and left. No one was around.
Everyone seemed to be at the square already and Claire rubbed at goose bumps
that weren’t just from the cold. She’d walked this route by herself more times
than she could count, but right now she felt off somehow. Claire could feel a
certain tension in the air like tonight was a rubber band, stretched back.
And something was about to break.
Lately she’d felt watched. Not all the time, but sometimes
when she was walking around town, she’d felt like someone was tracking her
movements. She’d been debating with herself all day whether or not she should
say something to her sister—Gemma’s husband was a police officer and would know
if she needed to report that or anything.
I love romantic
suspense. I’m eager to read your book. How can readers find you on the
Internet?
You can email me, sarahvarland@gmail.com,
or you can find me on facebook, which is facebook.com/SarahVarlandAuthor
Thank you, Sarah, for sharing this book with us.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Silent Night Shadows - Christianbook.comSilent Night Shadows (Love Inspired Suspense) - Amazon paperback
Silent Night Shadows (Love Inspired Suspense) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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.
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24 comments:
You can feel the suspense in the little bit that was offered. I'd love to read more. It sounds terrific.
Linda in CA
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I love the Love Inspired Suspense line and would love to win this book. Thank you.
Blessings,
Cindy W. from Indiana
Silent Night Shadows sounds like a book I would like to read! Thanks for sharing, I love reading about Sarah and her family.
Sue C. Middle Georgia
I love Love Inspired Suspense books. This one sounds like a great book. Thank you.
Beth in Montana
I love reading suspense novels and would love to read Sarah's book.
marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
Maryann in NY
Thanks Linda! I tried to make this one nice and suspenseful. :)
Glad to hear you love the line, Cindy. That's always encouraging!
Thanks for commenting and entering, Sue!! :)
Thanks Beth! I had fun with this one. :)
Suspense is fun isn't it? Have you read Coleen Coble? She's one of my favorites.
New-to-me LIS author, which is funny for me to say since I read so many of the Love Inspired line :-) Suspense and Historical are my top favorite. Thanks for the giveaway chance
Trixi in OR
Thanks for sharing this first page. Suspense from the very first few beginning paragraphs!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Hey, it's fun to find a new to you author right? :) I hope you get a chance to read it and like it!
Thanks Connie! So glad you found the opening suspenseful!
Absolutely Sarah, it's awesome to find a new-to-me author! It certainly adds books to my TBR pile , and that's always a good thing! :-)
This sounds like a book I would enjoy reading.
Susan in Texas
Thanks Susan! That's so nice to hear!
Trixi--Yes I agree.. I love it when I have lots of options in my TBR pile. =)
sounds like a lovely read. I love the love inspired books thanks for the chance to win. I live in ND
Thanks for entering, Apple Blossom. :)
Looking forward to reading this the Love Inspired Suspense books are my favorites.
Lourdes, Long Island, New York
That would be scary to accidently witness a crime!
Beth from IA
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Conway SC.
I'd love to win -- when I get wonderful clean Christian books like this, I send them to my grandmother. She loves to read and can't get out much.
Dianna in TN
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