An Interview with Sandra Bricker

In celebration of Sandie's new release, she's making a guest appearance today. Love Finds You in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California released October 1st through Summerside Press.

Welcome, Sandra. Good to have you here again. Tell us about your novel, Love Finds You in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Drawing inspiration from Hollywood classics, Annie Gray decides to start living the life of her dreams. So she moves into a picturesque bungalow and becomes a private investigator's assistant. When her screen-worthy plan starts to crumble, she lands in the arms of a leading man who is NOT Humphrey Bogart!

We’d love to know more about how you came up with the idea for your book.

Well, I’d pitched something for the Love Finds You series set in Shepherd, Montana, which they bought. However, Carlton Garborg, the owner of Summerside, had taken a golfing vacation to Carmel and came home with visions of a book set there. For some reason, maybe because I’m from California, he asked if I would consider changing the setting from Shepherd. Frankly, I thought he was out of his mind, and wondered if he’d been hit in the head by a golf ball! My book was all wrong for Carmel, or so I thought. But once I visited the place myself, I realized immediately that this was a divine connection. My book was meant for a location like Carmel! It didn’t take long to rewrite it, filtering in those dreamy ocean spots and the amazing artists’ culture of Carmel village. By the time I did the final read-through, I couldn’t even remember anywhere else but Carmel-by-the-Sea!

Tell us more about Annie Gray, your main character.

I adore Annie. She has a lot of me in her. She has a passion for classic films, she’s a little odd, but her deepest desire is to have a life that means something. And she has a key influence in the guise of her faithful dog, which of course I do as well. She also has a circle of very close friends, each of them contributing something vital to her growth and, over the course of the book, she learns a lot about the realities of love in comparison to her girlhood fantasies of what it should be.

What is your favorite scene in your novel?

Hands down, it’s the scene where Annie has just started her new job as a private investigator’s assistant. On her first stakeout, she makes the key mistake of interacting with the person she’s following. While she’s doing so, her dog goes missing from her car and, when she finds him (based on the true-life antics of a friend’s beagle) … Well, let’s just say I loved writing that scene!

I’ve read that you have a new devotional for women coming out in the spring, also published by Summerside Press. Tell us about it.

Thank you so much for asking! Last year, I worked with Debby Mayne, Andrea Boeshaar and Loree Lough to put together Be Still…and Let Your Nail Polish Dry. It was a pretty big hit with people, and Summerside asked me if I’d be interested in putting another one together with a new group of authors. So together with Diann Hunt, Kristin Billerbeck and Trish Perry, Debby Mayne and I co-authored Delight Yourself in the Lord…Even on Bad Hair Days. Like the first one, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. I am a survivor of the disease, and it was particularly poignant this time around because Diann Hunt was going through chemo treatments for ovarian cancer during the writing process! I’m a 6-year survivor of stage 3 ovarian cancer, and I had no good reason for surviving except for the intervention of a healing and grace-giving God. To this day, there is still no reliable diagnostic tool for the disease, so it’s a cause very near and dear to my heart. The cherry on top of all of this is that Diann was declared cancer-free recently. It’s been such a rewarding experience, on so many levels.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing the sequel to January’s novel, The Big 5-OH!, which will be called The Big 4-OH!, followed up next year by The Big 3-OH! I’m really excited about the series, and it’s been so great getting reacquainted with the characters from the first book.

Thanks for visiting, Sandie! Always a pleasure to host you!

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To learn more about Sandie, visit her website.

Always the Baker Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

Today I've got a special treat for you, dear readers--an interview with my friend and fellow author, Sandra D. Bricker, about her newest release: Always the Baker, Never the Bride.

Let's start with the book's summary:

They say you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. But who would want a cake they couldn’t eat? Just ask Emma Rae Travis about that. A baker of confections who is diabetic and can’t enjoy them? When Emma meets Jackson Drake, the escapee from Corporate America who is starting a wedding destination hotel to fulfill a dream that belonged to someone else, this twosome and their crazy family ties bring new meaning to the term Family Circus. The Atlanta social scene will never be the same!

Hi Sandie. Welcome! Tell us about Always the Baker Never the Bride.

This book has been an absolute joy! Even before it hit bookstores the first of September, the reviews have been phenomenal. Something about these characters really appeals to readers on a broad level. It’s receiving four- and five-starred reviews, we’ve taken a couple of queries about the possibility of translating the book to film, and I’ll be doing interviews for the likes of Walmart and Southern Living magazines. It’s been so exciting to see Emma and Baker develop a life of their own.

Tell us why you decided to pursue a career as a writer.

Well, I’m not sure there was ever a time when I didn’t know I wanted to write. However, I was a big fan of film, and the writing I wanted to do was for the movies. I moved to Los Angeles in my twenties, and went to film school to learn my craft. Just about the time I started to make a little headway, my mom became ill in Florida and I had to give up my life in California so that I could move there and take care of her. At the time, I thought my life was pretty much over. But what I found was that God had a plan for my life that I hadn’t quite found yet. When I walked into a local chapter meeting of RWA writers in Tampa, I knew I’d found it. Some of my best friends and supporters to this day came out of that little meeting room in the back of a Picadilly restaurant more than ten years ago.

What did you love about writing Always the Baker Never the Bride?

When I finished writing Baker, it was excruciating to leave the characters behind. Emma Rae is a diabetic baker who can never eat her own creations. From her family to the hero and his family, it was an absolute hoot to write!

What is your most difficult obstacle as a writer?

My greatest obstacle these days is trying to hold down a 40+ hour a week “day job” to pay the bills while building a writing career. It’s quite a challenge to compartmentalize all the areas of my life and keep all the plates spinning at the same time.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Quirky is my middle name, I am sorry to tell you. I’m the kind of person who can find humor in anything, even the most UNhumorous things. Fortunately, I have a couple of friends who are just like me, so we can giggle together at a funeral or laugh through tears at our misfortunes. It’s not so bad being an oddball when there’s someone else just as strange as you are to share it with … or at least someone who understands!

Are there themes you like to include in your books?

I’m a big fan of destiny. I think it comes from the belief that was developed in me very early on that there are no real accidents in life. God whispers a direction in our ear, and then opens up the path for us with road signs all along the way. I LOVE to write about those unexpected, often unrecognizable signs that point the way.

What else are you working on right now?

I’m collaborating with Kristin Billerbeck, Debby Mayne, Diann Hunt and Trish Perry on a devotional for Summerside Press. It will be titled Delight Yourself in the Lord…Even on Bad Hair Days, and like last year’s Be Still…and Let Your Nail Polish Dry, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

When the devo is all pulled together, I’ll jump right to The Big 4-OH!, the second in my Abingdon series about the life and loves of three sisters, ten years apart in age.

Thanks for visiting Sandie! I can't wait to read this one!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sandra D. Bricker has been publishing in both the Christian and general market for years with novels for women and teens, magazine articles and short stories. With 11 novels in print and 4 more slated for publication through 2012, Sandie has carved out a niche for herself as an author of laugh-out-loud comedy for the inspirational market. Sandie was an entertainment publicist in Hollywood for 15+ years. Her first comedy for the inspirational market, Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas, garnered three readers’ choice awards in 2009, and Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida has followed up with two more in 2010. Check out her blog here.

The Big 5-Oh! by Sandra Bricker

The Big 5-Oh! by Sandra Bricker will release in February, 2010, but I couldn't wait to share my thoughts on this fun book!

Here's the back cover copy:

Olivia Wallace has a birthday curse . . . or so she thinks. It was a broken heart on her 16th, a car accident on her 21st, pneumonia on her 30th, and a fall down a flight of stairs on her 35th. There were Ohio blizzards on her 38th, 39th, and 40th; and six days before her 45th, she lost the love of her life to a heart attack. Numbing grief stole that birthday and a couple more to follow and, on the morning of her 48th birthday, she received the call she’d dreaded ever since losing her mom so many years ago…she was diagnosed with stage-3 ovarian cancer. The doctors didn’t hold out a lot of hope, but Liv survived and maintained her faith. Months of surgeries and chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed.

But now, as her 50th birthday creeps up the icy Ohio path toward her, her hair has grown back, her energy level is up, and she is officially cancer free. It makes her nervous. After everything she’s gone through, Liv hates the idea of driving on icy roads and returning to work as an O.R. nurse in a local Cincinnati hospital.

Her best friend Hallie knows just the thing to break Liv out of the winter doldrums, while providing a safe haven of warmth, sunshine, and a time to regroup: a holiday in the Florida sunshine!

And now, my review:

This is the second Sandra Bricker novel I’ve read. The first was her fantastic Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas out through Summerside Press. (Read my review here.)

Sandie’s books are fun. While reading The Big 5-Oh! I recall laughing aloud when I was in no mood to laugh! That’s what good fiction does—takes you away from your circumstances and lets you have fun. She made me enjoy myself even against my will. (Thanks, Sandie!) I appreciated one of her themes—that even tough circumstances can be used by God as He works behind the scenes in our lives. That's been very true for me.

There is a shortage (in my opinion) of romantic comedies. Sandie’s books help fill the void. And readers of any age will enjoy it, I feel, because I’m a ways out from 50 (thanking God since I’m so not ready) and I enjoyed this novel. Quirky characters, alligators, and lots of fun await readers of this novel.

Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas by Sandra Bricker

I'm thrilled today to welcome a new-to-me author named Sandra D. Bricker as we highlight her new book "Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas" out from the new publishing house, Summerside Press. Readers: we're having a contest for a free, autographed copy. Read on to learn more.

Because Summerside Press is a new house, here's a bit of what this Christian house is about:

Love Finds You(tm) is a series of full-length romance novels that give readers a peek into the flavor of local life across the United States. The novels are uniquely named after actual American towns with quirky, interesting names that inspire romance and are just plain fun! This means that each fictional story draws on the compelling history or unique character of a real place.

Our fresh, original love stories will feature everything from romance kindled in small towns, to old loves lost and found on the high plains, to new loves discovered at exciting vacation getaways.

Here's the back cover copy:

So what if she can't hook a fish? This city girl has a plan to snag something else . . . and his name is Justin. Lucy Binoche is reasonably attractive, intelligent, and fit. She has French lineage and better-than-average hair. So why is she nearly 30 and still single? Justin Gerard is the rugged hottie new to her church's singles group. When he signs up for a camping trip in the Ozarks, Lucy loses no time writing her name on the line beneath his. There’s only one problem Lucy's idea of "roughing it" is suffering through a long line at Starbucks. She assumes she can rely on the grace of God and the assistance of her friend to get through. But at the campsite in Snowball, Arkansas, Lucy bungles everything she attempts as she tries to impress Justin. She can't fish, hike, or ride a horse; caves make her hyperventilate; and hot-air balloons make her ill. Soon, events are snowballing out of control. Will Lucy pretend to be someone she’s not just to snag a boyfriend? Or will she discover someone who loves her just as she is?

And now for my review, followed by an interview with Sandra!

Oh. Yum. This book is so much fun. If novels are about entertainment, this one is a best friends’ get-together—complete with laughing guests, a roaring fire, music in the background and a delicious meal on its way. You will laugh out loud as you witness Sandra’s characters’ missteps. Sandra’s timing and ability to create hilarious scenarios make for one enjoyable escapade after another. For this new series of books by Summerside, one of the elements is that of including the name of the real city in the story. She cleverly uses the term of “snowball” in her story (read it to see what I mean). Though the story is set in the fall, it's an anytime read. Sandra’s romantic thread is very enjoyable and for the most part unpredictable, making this a more enjoyable find. Another very fun aspect is the inclusion of recipes. Sandra included some great recipes I plan to try. Romantic comedies are a favorite read of mine, and they come along only once in a while. I appreciate the pacing of this story, the LOL factor, the setting, the storyline. And though some blunders were predictable (where the character, who’d been tripping up all along, would be tripping up again) some were a surprise, and most were downright slap-your-thigh funny. Careful about reading this book in a quiet house. You might wake everyone else up with your uproarious laughter! (Well, okay, that’s probably the best time for reading. But, just a little forewarning.) LOL factor=10. “Enjoyability”=10. “Recommendability”=10. Enjoy!

Now for our interview:

How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember. I wrote my first story in the 6th grade, and my first article was published when I was a senior in high school. I wrote screenplays in the 80's, adventures for kids in the 90's and then finally found my way to women's fiction in 2003. I'm an editor in my "day job" too, so writing is just a way of life for me now.

Do you generally write romantic comedies?

When I was writing for Avalon Books, I wrote two comedies and two suspenses. But recently it's come to my attention that people really seem to respond to my comedy more than anything else. I wasn't really looking to make a niche for myself, but that's what happened.

I haven’t read your earlier work, but I can say you nailed the romantic comedy genre! How did you get connected with the new press, Summerside?

As soon as I heard what they were planning, I really wanted to be a part of it. I put together several proposals but, when my editor finally called me, she started out by saying that they weren't going to be publishing any of them. I thought, "You're calling to tell me you're NOT buying my books?? Well, that's different!" But she went on to say that they wanted some lighthearted comedy to launch the line, and they thought I was just the author to deliver it. Since everything I’d proposed was rather serious in nature, I asked her, "Um, what would make you think that?" As it turns out, the e-mails we’d exchanged throughout the proposal processes were what sold them. I guess I cracked them up. Three days after sending in the book proposal I worked up based on that phone conversation, I got an email from the publisher saying I'd "nailed it!" and that I would be one of the first two authors representing them.

Wow. That’s a great story! I love it. How much research was involved in learning about Snowball, AR?

Well, I'd been to the area several years back when I was living in Los Angeles and working as a publicist for actors in the soaps. One of my clients had a personal appearance in the area, and we kind of went exploring for a couple of days afterward. I fell in love with the area around the Buffalo National Park, which is coincidentally where Snowball is located. So I called on my memories from that visit, and then I just started calling locals and asking them questions. It was such fun!

Sounds great. Seems to me the best kind of research is in person, and then contacting folks to fill in the blanks. I can’t wait to read your next book. What is next for you?

Thanks for asking! I have two more Love Finds You books contracted. One set in Big Sky, Montana, and another in my own back yard, in Holiday, Florida. I recently spent a whole day in the Holiday area, and had such a great time. Then in Spring 2010, Abingdon Press will release another comedy called The Big Five-OH!

How exciting that readers can look for more coming soon! Where can readers contact you?

My website is at www.SandraDBricker.com. They can email me via the contact form on my site.

Anything else you’d like to add?

If your readers would like to see a video trailer for Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas, they can go to http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=0d36c4dfcdcff80d0492

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas by Sandra. We'll have the drawing on Tuesday, November 25th, just in time for Thanksgiving. Leave an email address in your comment, like yourname [at] wherever [dot] com.