Today we welcome Sarah Sundin to my blog. Welcome Sarah. Tell us about your most recent book.
The Sea Before Us released in February 2018, the first book in the Sunrise at Normandy series, that follows three estranged brothers as they fight on D-day from the sea, the air, and the land. In 1944, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton arrives in London to prepare for the Allied invasion of France, determined to redeem himself with the brothers he has betrayed. Dorothy Fairfax serves as a “Wren” in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, piecing together reconnaissance photographs with thousands of holiday snapshots of France—including those of her family’s summer home—in order to create maps of Normandy. Maps that Wyatt turns into naval bombardment plans for D-day. As Wyatt and Dorothy work together, he hopes Dorothy will return his growing love. But will family secrets, misplaced affections—and the seas off Normandy—separate them forever?
The second book in the series, The Sky Above Us, is going through edits with my publisher and will be released February 5, 2019. I’m currently writing the third book, The Land Beneath Us.
You’ve definitely stay busy! What three things about you would surprise your readers?
Other than PE, history was my least favorite subject in school.
Writing is my only creative outlet. I keep saying they’ll have to take away my woman card, because I’m craft-impaired.
Despite rumors that I’m very organized, I still haven’t sorted my children’s old toys. Our youngest son will be twenty this month.
What do you consider your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Plotting is difficult for me, wrestling the plotlines and character development into order with a good pace, especially since I work around actual historical events. To overcome this, I make lots of lists and charts during the outlining process. It looks like an insane amount of work from the outside, but it helps me harness my thoughts and create a story structure that works.
And lastly, what are your recommendations for a great summer read, and why?
I’m currently reading Karen Barnett’s Where the Fire Falls, and I highly recommend it. Set in Yosemite National Park in the 1920s—romance, adventure, and the great outdoors—what could be better for a summer read? Since Karen used to work as a park ranger, she writes with authenticity.
Sarah Sundin is the best-selling author of ten historical novels, including The Sea Before Us. Her novels When Tides Turn and Through Waters Deep were named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years,” and Through Waters Deep was a finalist for the 2016 Carol Award and won the INSPY Award. A mother of three, Sarah lives in California, works on-call as a hospital pharmacist, and teaches Sunday school. She also enjoys speaking for church, community, and writers’ groups. Please visit her at http://www.sarahsundin.com.
