Sandra Robbins Interview

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. I’ve always known I wanted to write, but it seemed like I never could find the time to do it. I was busy working fulltime, raising a family, working in church, etc. I put it off for way too many years, but I finally listened to God’s voice and began to write toward publication in 2004.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?  

A. When I began to write, one of the first things I did was join ACFW. Through that organization I became a part of a critique group and went to my first ACFW conference in 2005. At that conference I met a writer, Susan Downs, who became an editor for Barbour a few months later. I sent her a proposal for a cozy mystery, and she bought it.

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

 A: Shattered Identity releases February 7 from Love Inspired Suspense. It is the second book in my Ocracoke Island Series. It is the story of Lisa Wade whose mother supposedly jumped to her death from the widow’s walk of the island lighthouse twenty-five years earlier. When Lisa and Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Michaels find her mother’s journal, they discover clues that someone had a reason to want Lisa’s mother dead. As they inch toward the truth, a killer is waiting in the shadows, determined to keep some secrets buried forever.

Romantic Times Magazine gave the story 4 ½ stars and called it “a thrilling story about seeking peace from past hurts.”

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Shattered Identity?

A: My son, granddaughter, and I visited Ocracoke Island several years ago, and I was fascinated by the lighthouse on the island. It’s the oldest one still in operation  on the east coast. It seemed like the natural place to set a murder mystery.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: Scott and Lisa both suffer from traumatic memories in their pasts, and it affects their present lives. I want readers to know, as Scott and Lisa learned, that Christ’s grace is sufficient to bring strength to our weaknesses.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: My favorite scene is when Scott tells his sister Betsy about an experience he had one morning when he led a military convoy through hostile territory down a dusty desert road in a faraway land. The story Scott relates is a true one that happened to a friend of mine. He allowed me to use his true-life experience of a reminder of how much God loves us, and the book is dedicated to him and all the men and women who serve our country in the military.

Q: What inspires you to write?  

A. I’m inspired to write by the knowledge that Christ loves me so much and has blessed me so abundantly. I hope the words He gives me will be an encouragement to someone who reads my books.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?  

A: I knew nothing about the marketing that is so important in writing a book. With so many books being printed, there’s a lot of work an author must do to entice readers to choose their book. A web presence is very important, not only for readers but for editors and agents who want to know how much an author is willing to do to promote herself. Then there’s social networking which also helps to make contact with potential readers. Even though it’s enjoyable, it does take time away from writing.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: The road to publication can be long. I would encourage new writers to persevere. There are going to be bumps along the path, but don’t give up. Join a professional organization and make friends with other writers. You can learn so much from their experiences.

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

A. Most of my books are romantic suspense, but I’m taking a detour right now into another genre. I am working on a historical romance series titled Smoky Mountain Dreams. It is a three book generational series that takes place in Cades Cove, Tennessee, a remote mountain valley in the Smokies from 1894-1934. The first book Angel of the Cove releases in August. I am just finishing the second book Mountain Homecoming, and I will shortly begin work on the third.

Q: What is something your readers might be surprised to learn about you?  

A.  I love to play games, and I’ve recently become addicted to Words with Friends.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?  

A. I enjoy reading, going to the movies, attending musical theater productions, and collecting flow blue china.

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

A. I am humbled by the emails and letters I get from readers telling me how my books have impacted their lives. I thank God that He’s allowed me to be used to spread the good news of His love for us.