Welcoming award-winning author Sarah Sundin!

Hi all! So excited to welcome this amazing author to visit with us today!

Sarah Sundin is the author of eight historical novels, including Anchor in the Storm. Her novel Through Waters Deep is a finalist for the 2016 Carol Award, won the INSPY Award, and was named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” 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.

First of all, Sarah, I want to say how much I love your latest book, Anchor in the Storm! Lillian and Arch immediately drew me into their struggles and aspirations, and as always your setting is so rich and alive. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series! 


We know you have been writing for a while now and have a wonderful backlist of WWII romances. But when did it all start for you? What made you decide to become a writer?

In 2000, I woke one morning with a dream that wouldn’t let me go. I had to write it. As a stay-at-home mom and a pharmacist, I had no plans to become a writer and no idea what to do! Over time I joined a writers group and started attending writers’ conferences. After years of writing, learning, rewriting, and rejection letters, my first novel, A Distant Melody, was published in 2010.

It is quite the journey to get to where you are! As I’ve already said, I love your latest book. Plenty of romantic tension and danger. Where did the inspiration for Anchor in the Storm come from? 

My husband is also a pharmacist. A few years ago, he made a transition from medical research to community pharmacy—at the height of the narcotic abuse epidemic that’s finally making headlines just now. He began cracking down on shady prescriptions, which were clearly being used to funnel narcotics to the black market. In my overactive novelist’s imagination, I wondered what those drug kings were thinking. Would they try to get their revenge on my husband? So I transferred the situation to the World War II home front and made the scenario more dramatic by making my fictional pharmacist a woman…with a disability.

I must say, Lillian's disability, how she dealt with it and her struggles really endeared her to me. She had a lot to overcome, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I do love the inspirational elements in your stories. How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing? 

Since I teach women’s Bible studies, I’m familiar with how we “mature” Christians still struggle with elements of our faith. My spiritual themes come out of each character’s experiences and personalities—the fears and shame and pride and misconceptions about God that hold them back. Often these are areas I’ve worked through myself or am currently working through. I want to portray the reality of walking with Christ—the detours, false steps, and delays—but also His steadying, patient presence that is always there for us, urging us forward.

So true and beautifully put. What do you want readers to come away with after reading your books?

Although a story theme emerges in each novel and I dream of how that could affect readers’ hearts, I’ve learned God is far bigger than my themes. I’ve received countless emails and messages from readers who tell me how some element of a story challenged them or touched them or convicted them. It’s often something I never intended. But that’s how God works—He takes my feeble words, rearranges them, and inserts them in His children’s minds and hearts to teach what He wants to teach. I’ve learned my only job is to obey and keep churning out the feeble words for Him to play with.

I think being an instrument in His hands is the most rewarding part of writing inspirational fiction. 
Now for something really random. Let’s say you are running against a deadline, or something else is life is stressing you out. What is your favorite comfort food or beverage? 

I need to chew. If I’m being naughty, that means gumdrops or gummy bears, something with some give—plus a fruity flavor. If I’m being good, I grab the chewing gum. A few days before my daughter’s wedding last summer, my mother teased me about how hard I was chewing that gum.

LOL. 
Speaking of favorites, what is one of your favorite scenes from Anchor in the Storm? 

Speaking of chewing…(ha!) One of my favorite scenes takes place at Boston’s landmark restaurant, Durgin-Park, which was famous for its surly waitresses. Lillian Avery is new to town and is insulted by the surliness, but then her friend (and future love interest) Arch Vandenberg clues her in. I’d planned to have Lillian simply relax and enjoy the food and company, but Lillian surprised me. She gave the waitress some sass, and their banter made me laugh. Plus, it baffled poor Arch. So I kept it.

That was a really fun scene. :) 
Now, Anchor in the Storm is the second book in your Waves of Freedom series and I am looking forward to book 3 that releases early next year. Is there anything you can tell us about When Tides Turn?

When fun-loving glamour girl Quintessa Beaumont learns the Navy has established the WAVES program for women, she enlists, determined to throw off her frivolous ways and contribute to the war effort. No-nonsense and hoping to make admiral, Lt. Dan Avery has been using his skills to fight German U-boats. The last thing he wants to see on his radar is a girl like Tess. For her part, Tess works hard to prove her worth in the Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit in Boston—both to her commanding officers and to the man with whom she is smitten. When Dan is assigned to a new escort carrier at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he’s torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help Tess root out a possible spy on shore. The Germans put up quite a fight, but he wages a deeper battle within his heart. Could Tess be the one for him?

So much to look forward to! Thank you so much for joining us today, Sarah. For me it has been a huge treat. We look forward to all your future projects! 

For plucky Lillian Avery, America's entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg’s attentions only annoy—even if he is her brother's best friend. During the darkest days of the war, Arch’s destroyer hunts German U-boats in vain as the submarines sink dozens of merchant ships along the East Coast. Still shaken by battles at sea, Arch notices his men also struggle with their nerves—and with drowsiness. Could there be a link to the large prescriptions for sedatives Lillian has filled? The two work together to answer that question, but can Arch ever earn Lillian's trust and affection?

If you have read any of Sarah's books, which was your favorite so far? Do you have any personal connections to WWII?


Don't forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for  Dawn of Liberty by Amber Schamel! Winner announced in the Weekly Windup on July 18th. Check out all of our great prizes on the Prizes Galore page.

The Bronte Plot

Katherine Reay has done it again! Drawing on her love for classic literature, she crafts a story that is not necessarily a retelling, but a story that talks about the great literature of the past in a contemporary setting. For the reader, it almost has the effect of hanging out with a bunch of book clubbers and chatting about great books. What makes it even better, is the fact that she has created a good plot unto itself, and a character I care about who incidentally, loves books. Just like me!

In the story, Lucy works for an interior designer and sells rare books alongside the designer’s antiques. She falls in love, and then out of love, and finds herself travelling to England with a client who accidentally digs up bits from Lucy’s past that she never intended to learn.

I love the soul-searching, the classic fiction references, the family drama, and the setting. Oh! The setting is mostly England, and the moors! Lucy is as struck by the moors as I am, having read endless scenes taking place on moors. Can you believe we don’t have moors in America? It’s so unfair.

Reay writes with an easy narrative voice, fun attention to detail, and heart-deep insight. I can recommend any of her three books with confidence. You can find her books here. You can learn more about her on her website.

Have you read the Bronte classics? Which is your favorite? Leave us a comment for a chance to win this week’s giveaway!

Secrets of a Charmed Life

I'm not telling secrets today. Well okay, I'm telling one: I. Loved. This. Book.

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner charmed me.

One girl chases her dreams. The other girl chases her sister. When the war tears them apart, each must learn to live with the guilt of her actions on that fateful day - the day the Luftwaffe began bombing London in WWII.

Meissner delves deep into the psyche of two sisters who are evacuated from London to the Cotwolds. It’s fascinating to think about all the children who lived for up to five years with foster families during the war. Many of them lost their parents. Many returned to their parents after the war as strangers. And other children were taken to America for the duration of the war.

This story gives beautiful and terrible details about the London bombing, and most critically, how difficult it was to find loved ones during the war. Some records were destroyed in bombings. Telephone service was rare. Today we merely call the person we need to find, or Google them or text or email. Back then, if the single paper record was burned in a fire, the record was lost for good, along with the details of that person’s whereabouts. Or sometimes one person would leave word with another person about where they were going. If the one person they told happened to die in a bombing, so did the information. People seemed to disappear during the war, and in many cases it took years for people to reconnect. Entire streets were bombed out, causing many to become homeless overnight. Every person sought refuge where they could find it, but with no address, people were difficult to track.

The story winds its way amidst the years of the war, the twenty years following the war, and present day. The ripple effect of a single decision plays out in heartbreaking fashion as we follow characters whose fates are bound to one another, even while cruelly separated.

I hope you’ll give this book a try. The emotional ride is worth every minute you spend curled up, bent over this treasure.

Into the Woods and Off the Beaten Path

Today I'm Going Into the Woods...

I'm veering off the beaten path, posting on a Friday instead of a Thursday. This means ANYTHING GOES! So I thought I'd take you with me on a trip Into the Woods.

I’m captivated by a couple of beautiful lyrics from a song entitled, “Children Will Listen.” It’s from the musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, now a major motion picture.

I am personally most fond of this version by Bernadette Peters. But one line sticks out to me as a writer.

“Be careful the tale you tell, for that is the spell…”

The whole musical is about wishes and using magic to make those wishes come true, but then what happens after the wishes come true is sometimes not as fabulous as the wishers thought it would be.

One couple wishes for a child. Another lies to her child and wishes to keep her close. And we come to a place in the story where we learn that truths or untruths we tell our children can make or break them.

Looking at it a different way, the stories we pass on to our children may determine the paths they take into the future.  Where they come from may determine where they will go, whether by driving them toward something different or holding them close to home…

Be careful the tale you tell…Do you tell tall tales? I do. As a writer of fiction. But I strive to tell the truth in my fiction. And I hope the stories I tell will ring true, captivating the audience…like a spell. And I hope the words I write might inspire and encourage.

But there’s always a risk, putting words out there into the world. Because someone might read them. And believe them. Or take them to heart. And pick them apart. And if my tale is not true? Well, that wouldn’t do…

So I’m careful with the tales I tell. Because I’d like them to cast a beautiful spell on my readers. One that is memorable, but ultimately very good.

Thanks for indulging me today. If I’ve sparked your interest, go see Into The Woods this weekend. It’s magical. Or actually go into the real woods for a spell, you’ll come back with a tale to tell. (sorry - I can’t stop rhyming!)

Have you read a novel full of truth? What’s the most recent fiction you’ve read that communicated a truth you still carry with you?

Back in the Day . . .

Do you ever wish you lived in the days of the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker? How about the Cobbler, the Haberdasher, and the Milliner?

Speaking of Milliners . . . I just read this great book about a hatmaker. Carla Stewart’s The Hatmaker’s Heart. Stewart is known for her “nostalgic novels.” They generally have to do with a specific moment in time, and when I read her stories, I want to go back. Ok, keeping it real . . .. I’ve never actually lived in the roaring twenties, but when I read Hatmaker, I felt like I was there. And I wished I could wear one of her hats . . . and go back there.

It’s a story about postwar (between the wars) women and explores the paradigm shift whereby women sought after careers and college education in greater numbers than ever before. It examines the plight of women who lost husbands in the war, and tried to find a way to support families on their own. And how they came up against the old guard who promoted their traditions of women at home. 

The Hatmaker’s Heart follows a girl who loves designing and making hats back in the day when nearly every outfit required a different, matching hat. 1920s high fashion in NYC and then London dominates the scenes and provides a colorful backdrop for the drama which unfolds as Nell discovers who she is and learns to stand up for herself in a male-dominated workforce at a time of great change.

Nowadays, hats are for fun, sun, or warmth. What was the last hat you purchased for yourself? Do you like hats? Would you wear one every day if that was in style? Leave us a comment for a chance to win this week’s drawing.

The Hatmaker’s Heart is a quick and fun read. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Review by Jennifer Fromke