Guest Friday – Sarah Anderson

Hi all!  Welcome to Guest Friday!  Today we are lucky to have the lovely and talented Sarah Anderson don her stilettos and chat with us for a while.  She was nice enough to subject herself to an interview with yours truly! Her new book, A Man of Privilege, hits shelves next Tuesday.  Trust me when I say, after getting to know Sarah, you aren’t going to want to miss it!

 

(Joelle) Why did you get into
writing?  (AKA – what the heck were you
thinking?)
Sarah – I love this question, because it implies there was actual
‘thought’ involved. I had always wanted to be an author, but had never had any
idea how to do it and hadn’t even thought about it for some years. Then, when
my son was 2 ½ and my Gram was 92 ½ we took a weekend trip. Everyone was worn
out on the way home, and I desperately wanted both of them to sleep the whole
way home. I didn’t even turn on the radio. But I had to do something to keep
from falling asleep, so I let my imagination run wild and saw this scene of two
people fighting in the rain and then kissing. The whole thing intrigued me—who
were they, why were they fighting, and what was up with that kiss? This sort of
thing had happened before—I’ve been accused of having an overactive
imagination—but this time, instead of the scene slipping off into the void of my
faulty  short-term memory, those people
stayed with me. I finally had to write down what they were saying just to get
them out of my head!
What was one of the
most surprising things you learned while writing/researching a book?
That writing the book wasn’t the hardest part. Oh, it was
hard, but that first book, with the kissing in the rain? I loved writing it.
Something inside me had been released, and it felt good. Then, after I typed
‘The End,’ I started looking around the Internet and saw how much work it would
take to learn the business, to get published, to be a professional author. That
was a terrifyingly daunting prospect. I almost didn’t do it, it was so
overwhelming.
What do you do to
unwind and relax?
Unwind? Relax? What are these words? Seriously, I watch a
lot of kid’s movies with my son, play solitaire, and, if I have the time, read
a book. If I get really wild, I knit. I’ve been working on the same scarf all
year!
Tea or coffee?
Tea. Lots and lots of tea. Black, green, white, oolong—anything
but mate. And, in the summer, water and lemonade. But tea.
Chocolate or potato
chips?
No contest—chocolate. I’m really enjoying the chocolate with
the hint of chili in it—that edge of spice is wonderful!
Do you ever suffer
from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
When writer’s block hits, I take a calm, reasoned step back
and freak the heck out. Then I force myself to remember all the other times
I’ve drawn a blank—after I had the flu, when I wasn’t sleeping, etc. Sleep is
the first step, getting back into my routine is second, and third is reading a
book or two. I might as well enjoy the writer’s block, right? By then, usually
my Muse has had a nice little vacation and she’s raring to go again!
What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
As I said, I always thought I’d be an author. My mom had me
in a creative writing summer course for kids back as far as third grade. I’d
taken a couple of cracks at stories in college, but never could get back my
Dreaded Backstory Problem. (Trust me, it was a dreadful problem!). I’d
basically given up on achieving that goal, but through a caffeine-fueled road
trip, I found that spark I’d been missing. It took a hell of a lot of hard
work, but it’s really wonderful to say that, all those years ago, I knew I was
going to be an author and now I am.

What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?

I write best with music—with lyrics. Part of my brain needs
to be distracted so the rest of it can focus on the words I want. I know a lot
of writers who cannot write with music or with music that has words, but
humming along with Toby Keith or Motley Cru keeps me from worrying about
laundry or dinner or whatever so all that’s left is the story.
Do you read reviews
of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence
your writing?
I do. I know I’m not ‘supposed to’ because I’m leaving
myself open to the slings and arrows of outrageous reviews, but I do. So far,
they haven’t overtly influenced my writing, but I gotta tell you, reading a
positive review makes me smile for days. I know that one day I’ll hit the
negative review that rips my heart out, but I just can’t quit those reviews!
Which of your characters would you like to invite to
Thanksgiving dinner and why?
Well, which one can cook the best? Probably Maggie in A Man of Privilege. She’s been baking
cookies and carrot cake for about nine years!
What is the best
thing about being a published author?
Ooh, it’s a toss-up between being paid to do something I
really like and having a reader tell me how much they loved something I wrote.
Both are pretty awesome!
What’s next for
you? 
It’s more a case of what’s not next for me! In addition to having A Man of Privilege out on July 3rd, my next book, A Man of Distinction, will be out on
September 4th. All three of the A
Man of
books are loosely related—Rosebud, the heroine from A Man of His Word, shows up in all
three.  After that, I have my very first
release from Samhain due on January 1st called Mystic Cowboy, a Valentine story from Desire called The Real Cowboy on February 5th,
and then a series called the Bolton Biker Boys from Desire out later next year.
Whew! I got tired just typing that!
Finally, tell us
about your pets!
I love my dogs. We have always rescued dogs. For almost a
decade, we had a three-legged wiener dog named Jake. Sadly, he went to Dog
Heaven last year. Right now, we have a beagle-terrier mix—a teagle!—named
Gater, as in Al E. Gater (say it out loud!). He doesn’t look like a beagle, but
boy, he sure barks like one. And a few months ago, we got Fifi, a ‘shepard
thing.’ She’s supposed to be Australian Cattle Shepard and Border Collie, but I
highly doubt the collie part. She’s mostly just a smallish shepard dog with a
whole lot of energy! 
Readers, is there anything you want to know that I forgot?
I’m giving away a copy of A Man of Privilege to one lucky commentator! Plus—bonus—every week I’m
giving away one of these handcrafted (by me!) book necklaces from everyone who
commented throughout the week! Check the
Authorial
Moms blog

every Sunday to see if you were the winner!

A Man of Privilege :  She isn’t what he expected.

Blue-blood lawyer James
Carlson is working on the case of his life.  After winning this trial, his
career will be set.  He won’t let anything…or anyone… alter his
course.  Then he meets his witness.
Maggie Eagle Heart makes
him question everything–his family, his goals, his future. Because she’s the
one woman he wants, and she’s the one woman who is completely off limits. Yet
even as he struggles to keep their relationship all about business, he can’t
deny the attraction is mutual–and irresistible. James has always done what
is expected of him…until now.
A Man of Privilege is available! Visit
your favorite bookseller, at
Amazon, or for the Nook.
Bio:
Award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson may live east of the Mississippi River,
but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains.
With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, it wasn’t
long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux.  She loves to put people from two different
worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take
them someplace they never thought they’d go.
When not helping
out at school or walking her rescue dogs, Sarah spends her days having
conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is
surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son.
Blog Boilerplate
This post is brought to
you as part of the A Man of
Privilege/Distinction
Blog Tour.  For a complete tour schedule and
rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com. Comments on this blog will be entered
to win a signed copy of A Man of
Privilege
.
Next tour stop is July 3: Video Interview at Happy Ever After

11 replies
  1. Fiona Marsden
    Fiona Marsden says:

    Gosh Sarah M. Anderson quotes Shakespeare. That makes her a classy writer instead of a trashy novelist. Hope her books aren't going to be too high brow for me. Thanks Sarah and Joelle. This was a fun read.

  2. Sarah M. Anderson
    Sarah M. Anderson says:

    Are you kidding, Fiona? I quote Shakespeare to 7 year olds–Alas, poor Pooh Bear, we knew him!

  3. Jen Shields
    Jen Shields says:

    Thanks for the great interview. Sarah = Fabulous. It was fun to get to see her adorable doggy 😀 Congrats on your upcoming releases!

  4. Joelle Charbonneau
    Joelle Charbonneau says:

    Sarah! Thanks so much for joining us and for being so much fun to interview. You rock! Of course, there were two pictures of doggies when I posted this and suddenly one has disappeared, so I am off to figure out why! I would hate for one dog to feel slighted.

  5. Sarah M. Anderson
    Sarah M. Anderson says:

    Thanks so much, everyone! Glad to be here. However, we're having a family crisis, so I may not be able to respond to comments for the rest of the day. But please, enjoy without me!

    Thanks again,
    Sarah

  6. Joelle Charbonneau
    Joelle Charbonneau says:

    Sarah – give lots of love to your family for me. We're all sending you good thoughts. And hey – I managed to get the second doggie photo to post! A minor victory for the day.

  7. Melonie
    Melonie says:

    There is never a bad time for Shakespeare! You are a busy bee my girl, I wish you continued success, and hope the crisis is not too serious.

    PS: Keep pinning the eye candy, you keep my Pin update page spicy.

  8. Mary Preston
    Mary Preston says:

    So much ahead for you. That pleases this reader.

    I wish for only great reviews for you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  9. Sarah M. Anderson
    Sarah M. Anderson says:

    And the winner of the signed copy of A Man of Privilege was MaryBelle! Congratulations, MaryBelle! Email me at message AT sarahmanderson DOT com and I'll get your copy!

    Thanks to everyone who commented!

Comments are closed.