Dear Readers, our
author today is a debut author. I’ve read the featured book. I loved it. Sally
is an author to keep an eye on. Her writing is very good and her characters own
the stage.
Welcome, Sally. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Quite a bit! For instance, in Love at Sunset Lake, the
main character, Tess, alphabetizes her spices, makes endless lists, and is very
fond of colored gel pens. I’m guilty on all counts.
Another character in Love at Sunset Lake, Stacey,
struggles with a recently purchased order of French fries and a realization
that she needs to eat healthier food. Stacey, in a fit of tremendous willpower,
eventually throws the French fries away uneaten. In my life, the struggle to
eat healthy food is very real. I, however, would never throw away perfectly
good fries.
J
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
J
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
Hmm… Lots of options here. How about the time, back before the
days of Internet shopping, that a friend and I drove five hours (each way) to
go to a shoe store in Pennsylvania ?
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I started writing in high school. At the time, I focused
mainly on writing for the school newspaper. My first serious attempt at writing
a novel was when my kids, who are now 17 and 21, were in grade school.
I was on the high
school newspaper staff, too. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy
reading.
I read mostly Christian romance and cozy mysteries. I also
read some literary fiction, an occasional biography, some narrative nonfiction
(Erik Larson), mainstream contemporary romance, some suspense (especially Dick
Francis), and a wide range of mystery novels. I’m always on the lookout for a
book that will make me laugh out loud, usually because of its unusual
characters.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I’m blessed to be able to write as my fulltime job. That
helps a lot! Also, with my youngest now 17 and driving, I don’t run nearly as
much as I used to. I even traded in my mommyvan for a little SUV. Beyond that,
the things that keep me sane are starting each day with Bible study and prayer
and being able to talk things over with my very logical engineer husband.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
Oh, I struggle with this one, especially the male names! So
many names that used to be male are now female. Years ago, I made a giant list
of names that I liked, drawn from a name-your-baby website. I usually look
there and find some that appeal. Then I look up the meanings of the names and
look at data on the Social Security website, which will tell you how popular a
name was in a given year. Some character names, though, just come to me.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Raising our two children.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
I would like to be a dolphin. I love swimming, and I could
hang out in some warm, tropical ocean.
What is your favorite
food?
Answering “all” would be wrong, I suppose. I’ll say it’s a
tie between seedless Concord
grapes (I think the variety is actually Mars) that I buy at our local farmer’s
market in the fall, anything chocolate, and spaghetti and meatballs.
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Plotting. In college I studied journalism. The plot of a
news story is very straightforward. At first, the only way I could really see
the three-act structure of a novel was by visualizing each book as a play. To
understand plotting, I read many, many books and took several classes online
and at conferences. I’m happy to say that plotting is now one of my favorite
parts of writing a book.
I use a timeline of
events, but not plotting. Tell us about the featured book.
Love at Sunset Lake is a contemporary Christian romance that
features a small-town setting, down-to-earth characters, a touch of humor, and
the healing power of God’s love.
The heroine is struggling caterer Tess Palmer, who inherits
her great-aunt’s home at Sunset Lake ,
Missouri . She thinks she’s found
the way to save her business. Selling the property can provide just the
infusion of capital she needs to pay off her debts and move to a larger
commercial kitchen.
The hero is wildlife painter Jack Hamlin, who lives across Sunset Lake ,
and wants the area kept exactly as it is—a place where waterfowl can thrive and
where he can find peace and solitude to ease his troubled heart. Although he’s
drawn to Tess’s honesty and beauty, he’s appalled to learn she would welcome a
deal with a developer, and he vows to stop her.
Please give us the
first page of the book for my readers.
Tess Palmer didn’t need to be perfect. She only needed to
get every detail right.
Every time.
And as a special events caterer, her to-do list this Friday
ran for three entire pages of details.
She stopped at a light in a pricey St. Louis suburb and glanced at the clipboard
on the console of her van. For the next event, a simple surprise birthday
party, she’d gone over her list so many times that the edges of the paper
curled. The future of her catering business was at stake, after all.
She drove two blocks farther, passed a row of dogwoods in
full bloom at the entrance to a subdivision, and parked as instructed in the
client’s three-car garage, where her commercial van could be hidden from the
guest of honor.
Up since five, Tess had triple-checked the food, recounted
the plates, and examined every tablecloth for spots. She’d even taken more care
than normal with her appearance, using a double coating of hairspray to keep
her hair in a bun, dousing her white blouse with extra starch, and wearing her
newest black pants. This event was going to be a success. She’d make sure of
it.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
My website is www.sallybayless.com.
Readers can find excerpts from all my books there, can email me, and can sign
up for my newsletter and my street team. Newsletter subscribers are the first
to learn when I release a new book. My street team reads books before they’re
even published and helps promote them on social media.
I’m on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorsallybayless/.
Facebook is my favorite social media, so I check it often.
I’m also on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/sally_bayless/
and Twitter at https://twitter.com/sally_bayless.
Readers, here are links to the book. By
using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Love at Sunset Lake: The Abundance Series Book 1 - Paperback
Love at Sunset Lake: The Abundance Series Book 1 - Kindle
Love at Sunset Lake: The Abundance Series Book 1 - Kindle
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The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on
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15 comments:
Hi, Sally! *waving* Awesome to run into you here! I love Lena's questions--such fun behind-the-scenes reveals! For those who haven't yet had the pleasure, you really will love Sally's stories and writing style. Soooo much fun!!!
Hi Emily! Yes, Lena's questions are very fun! Thanks for your kind words about my writing!
Love at Sunset Lake is a book I know I would enjoy. Thanks for the chance to win it. I enjoyed the review and first page.
Beth from IA
Hi Beth! I'm glad you enjoyed the little snippet of the story. Good luck in the drawing!
Sounds like a great read!
Melanie Backus, TX
Thanks, Melanie!!
Please enter me- the synopsis sounds riveting. Sally- congratulations on your debut!
~Amanda J. from FL
I love this title! I live in a very small area that once was named Sunset. Thanks for sharing!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks, Amanda! So glad you stopped by!
Hi Connie. I'm so glad you like the title. I think I'd like to live in a place called Sunset. :)
Thanks for stopping by, everyone! And thank you, Lena, for having me on your blog. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter tomorrow.
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Conway SC.
Thank you for the giveaway. I really enjoyed the interview.
Lourdes in Long Island, NY
Looks like another great author with a great debut book. I'm anxious to read this.
Beth from IA
Hi Sharon! Hi Lourdes! Thanks for stopping by!
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