Sandra Orchard Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.  

A. I live in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, with my husband of 25 years. We have three grown children, whom I home educated. The youngest is following in my footsteps, with several writing awards and published pieces to her credit. I’m also blessed to be a grandmother, which I love! Ironically, I majored in math at university, but that probably accounts for my enjoyment of plotting twists and turns.

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

A. In Grade One when one of my stories was printed in the school yearbook. Eventually school killed the creative side of my writing. I thought I’d write non-fiction. Then after my mom died, I discovered Christian fiction. Seeing characters face and triumph over trials similar to my own helped me tremendously. After several years of reading novels, a yearning grew to write them.

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

A.  I had many encouraging milestones along my writing journey, such as second place finishes in a few contests, several requests for full manuscripts, including one that made it to the pub board, as well as encouraging critiques from authors such as Linda Hall, Margaret Daley and Susan May Warren, who each assured me that my work was publishable. In 2008, I was a Genesis finalist, which generated a lot of interest among editors at my first ACFW conference. Then in 2009, I won the Daphne DuMaurier Award of Excellence for Mystery/Suspense. This led to signing with my agent Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency, and the following year, we sold my debut novel to Love Inspired Suspense.

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

Shades of Truth is the second novel in my series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their hearts—and lives—on the line. The novels in the series are linked by setting, theme, and characters, but not storyline, so you don’t have to have read the first to follow the second.

Back Cover Blurb: Big city detective Ethan Reed is working deep undercover at a Christian youth detention center. The kind of place he spent some harrowing time in as a kid. Ethan’s mission: ferret out who’s recruiting resident teens for a drug ring. He expects help from the lovely, devoted director of Hope Manor. But Kim Corbett won’t tell Ethan anything— even when she’s threatened and attacked. When Ethan discovers what Kim is protecting, his guarded heart opens just a bit wider. Enough to make this the most dangerous assignment of his career. 

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Shades of Truth?

A: Kim, my heroine, was introduced in Deep Cover as that book’s heroine’s sidekick. While I was in the middle of revising Deep Cover, a young woman from our church shared her experiences working at a Christian youth detention center. I was enthralled by her passion for the youth, and her sincere insistence that she learned far more from them than she was teaching them. That very night I decided Kim would work at such a facility. Kim wants the kids to know that no matter how many times they mess up, God will forgive them. She wants to believe the best about everyone. She’s plucky, compassionate, and loyal to the extreme. Naturally I needed to create a hero that challenged those outlooks. So enter my undercover cop who is haunted by an action in his past that had landed him in a similar facility, and who’s mission, if successful, will destroy everything she’s striving to save.

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

A: Not to let guilt rob you of life’s joy. God is a God of both justice and compassion.

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

A: When the hero reveals his past to the heroine. I love writing a hero who’s not afraid to bare his heart, be vulnerable, no matter the consequence.

Q: What inspires you to write?  

A. Not so long ago I didn’t think I’d ever be able to write fiction. I was not the kind of person who made up stories for her children at bedtime or even talked much about my childhood—both were my husband’s gifts. But the more I read Christian fiction, the more it spoke to my heart, and soon I found ideas for stories coming at me from every direction. I’ll listen to someone share something at church and my mind will start asking “What if” questions. I’ll be out kayaking with my hubby and notice how easily someone could sneak up on a property from the water, and minutes later, my mind will be off plotting how to use that in a book. I’ll read about a heart-wrenching story in the newspaper and my mind will immediately start weaving the happily ever after.

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

A: During my honing-my-skills years, I befriended many authors who shared the ropes with me, so happily I more or less knew what to expect. However, before being contracted I wasn’t involved in any type of social media or blogging, which is expected to help market your books. I find that I enjoy doing both, but I wasn’t prepared for how much it would cut into my writing time and divide my creative thinking.

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

A: Don’t be in a hurry to publish the first manuscript you write. Enjoy the journey. Take the time to learn the craft, connect with other writers, have your work critiqued by someone who doesn’t love you. Learning to write commercial fiction well is a lot like learning to play a musical instrument. Most people can pick out a passable tune with a minimal amount of instruction and practice, but to perform well enough to earn critical acclaim typically takes years of practice and hard work.

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

A.I just finished line edits for the third book in my Undercover Cops series, Critical Condition, which releases in October. It’s about a nurse, an undercover cop, and a murderer who’ll stop at nothing to avoid being caught. Now…I’m brainstorming the second book in a a trade-length romantic suspense series for which I recently received an offer! It’s guaranteed to change the way you look at flowers.  

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

A. Well…I was quite the Jill of all trades—roofing, siding, framing, plumbing, trim work, the works—until I threw out a disk in my back and took up writing instead.

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

A. Play with my granddaughter!

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

A. I love to connect with readers, and have created several “extras” to enhance readers’ experience of my novels. These, and other resources for both readers and writers, are on website: http://www.SandraOrchard.com.

I’d also like to invite readers to subscribe to my newsletter–http://bit.ly/OrchardNews

to receive updates on new releases, special subscriber-only reads and giveaway opportunities.

I’m also on Facebook at: http://www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard and initiate conversations about characters on my blog at http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com