Sandra Orchard Interview

Q: How did you get your start writing fiction and what genre do you predominantly write in?

A few years after I discovered Christian fiction, I began subscribing to Love Inspired and when the books began to take over our bedroom, my husband suggested I write my own. So I did!

I signed my first contract with Love Inspired Suspense in 2010 and in 2012 was contracted to write mysteries for Revell Publishing. So I currently divide my time between writing romantic suspense with lots of mystery and mysteries with lots of suspense and a touch of romance.

Q: What does your writing space look like?

A: Very organized…well, with an illusion of organization.

Q: In this busy world, how do you find time to connect with God and how does this impact your writing?

A: I start every morning with prayer before I even roll out of bed, a conversation that tends to continue through most of the day. I usually spend time in His Word after breakfast.

Q: What part of a writing career do you find most difficult?

A: The writing. 🙂 Well, balancing it with life. If I have a book contracted, I feel as if I need to write, write, write, even if I’m stuck, stuck, stuck, which means I have many unfruitful days when nothing seems to get accomplished.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Emergency Reunion?

A: I’m going to cheat and share the back cover blurb. Paramedic Sherri Steele refuses to believe someone’s out to get her—until she’s held at knifepoint in her own ambulance. It’ll take her high school crush to convince her she needs protection—and deputy sheriff Cole Donovan is as persuasive as he is handsome. But when his brother rises to the top of the suspects list, Cole’s torn between family duty and the woman he’s never forgotten. With every emergency call to the paramedics turning into an attack on Sherri’s life, Cole’s convinced Sherri has a stalker. Cole needs to know whether his brother is the culprit before things spiral out of control. Survival—and a future with Sherri—depends on discovering who wants to cause trauma to this EMT.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

A: Emergency Reunion is the final story in a series of novels, featuring members of the Steele family—an FBI agent, a firefighter, and in this one, Sherri, a paramedic. Sherri was introduced in Perilous Waters as the paramedic cousin of Sam Steele and her character was developed further in Identity Withheld when she treated the heroine.

So when it came time to write Sherri’s story, I used one of her seemingly wondrous accomplishments, mentioned in an earlier book—saving a baby—as the heartrending pressure point in her backstory.

Q: Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her.

A: I mentioned Sherri’s development above. As for the hero, Cole, I decided to make him a former high school crush/neighbor, a few years older than her, so that she hadn’t really been on his radar in that way before he left town for college and never returned until now. I went this route, because with everything Sherri would face, and the unaffected front I wanted her to put on, I needed a hero who already knew her well and who had lots of good reasons to want to help her. Not the least of which was his younger brother’s attack on her Cole’s first day on the job as the town’s newest sheriff’s deputy.

Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Least?

A: I loved doing the research for this book. It was fascinating hearing about all the experiences my paramedic interviewees had had. And it was fun to ride around in the back of an ambulance, while not a patient or anxious relative…I’ve been there, too.

I’d have to say I enjoyed the actual writing the least. It started out great, but then Sherri got all closed-mouthed on me and refused to tell me what was going through that walled off heart and head of hers, so it took way longer to finish the book than it should have.

But…RT Book Reviews declared it a Top Pick, so all the angst seems to have paid off. [Okay, I’m still a tad annoyed with Sherri, but I’ll get over it.]

Q: What is the main theme or spiritual message of this book?

A: God’s power is made perfect in our weaknesses. That it’s okay to let people see your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. That sometimes being willing to talk about them can help others and yourself in ways you might not imagine. Don’t shut out the people you love. Be honest with them. Be there for them. Forgive them.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A: The second book in my next mystery series with Revell—Serena Jones Mysteries. I am super excited about this new series.

The heroine, Serena Jones, is an FBI art crime detective working out of the St. Louis headquarters, who frequently travels for undercover operations. Amidst her cases, she’s also on a personal secret mission to find the art thief who murdered her grandfather. She has a fun sense of humor, and a zany aunt who likes to stick her nose into her cases, and an overprotective mother desperate for grandchildren who’d prefer to see her quit and settle down, and a hunky apartment superintendent who shares her love of art and old movies and who willingly takes care of her cat while she’s out of town, and an equally hunky, overprotective FBI partner.

I am having so much fun creating the characters in these stories, and all the twists and turns that my readers have come to expect. The first book, A Fool and His Monet, releases March 2016.

Q: If you could have dinner with 2 people, who would they be?

A: My parents. They’ve both been gone a long time and I’d love to spend an evening with them.

Q: Do you have a favorite hobby?

A: I used to do a lot of different crafts and painting and renovating. Now…playing with my grandkids is my favorite pastime.

Q: What is the most rewarding thing you have ever done?

A: Raised three wonderful children.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

http://www.SandraOrchard.com where they can also find fun bonus features for my books;

http://www.facebook.com/SandraOrchard where I interact regularly about life, current projects and deals I hear about;

http://bit.ly/OrchardNews to sign up for my quarterly newsletter, with special subscriber exclusives such as short stories.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A: I’d like to invite readers to also check out my Port Aster Secrets mystery series. The first book in the series, Deadly Devotion is currently free as an Ebook at online retailers.