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Friday, October 10, 2014

INTERVIEW WITH SUNNI JEFFERS




Award-winning author, Sunni Jeffers began writing books when her children left home. Faced with an empty nest, she discovered the joy of writing. In 1992, Sunni and her husband moved to the Great Northwest to raise cattle, timber and hay and to give her the time to write. Her first book came out in 2001. Thirteen years and fourteen books later, a new adventure has begun. She and her husband are exploring the US and Canada in an RV. As they travel, she continues writing suspense, romance, cozy mysteries, and heartwarming stories of women living out their challenges and adventures in everyday life.





INTERVIEW WITH SUNNI JEFFERS

S.S: How long have you been writing?

Not long. 26 years. Only published since 2002.
 
S.S: Do you write full time? If the answer is no, what else do you do? If you are a full time author, what other jobs did you have in the past?

I write full time, off and on. We also travel 75% of the year in an RV. In the past, I’ve done just about everything. Well, that might be an exaggeration. I’ve been a nurses aide; studied nursing; worked for several florists; taught sewing for the Singer Sewing Machine Company; worked as a seamstress; drove a school bus; co-owned a business and managed the office and accounting; co-owned and helped operate a ranch where we bred specialty highland cattle and raised hay and timber.

S.S: Tell us about the moment you finally felt like a “real author”?
 
When my first book came out, and held it in my hand, I felt like a real author. But that didn’t last long. My sequel was rejected. My publisher had been bought out and I was asked for the second book, which I wrote, and then they told me they weren’t going to do any more romances. They didn’t even read it. I suppose I feel like a real author now that I’ve had 14 books published, but I still have my doubtful moments. When I turn in a book, I wonder if it is any good or will my editor hate it. Then with the next contract, can I do it again?

S.S.: Who has been your greatest supporter as an author?
 

My husband, without a doubt. He has read many early manuscripts and given me great insights. He has done tasks and run errands for me so I can write. He has encouraged me all the way. In the early years, my mother and my Bible Study friends were great supporters, and in recent years, I’ve been blessed to be part of an amazing group of Christian authors who meet every summer to play, plot and pray. We had our 11th retreat this summer. Many great books have come out of those retreats.
 
S.S: Do you write in any other genres? If so, what?
 

I’ve written romantic suspense, supernatural suspense, cozy mysteries and Americana. I have several historical romance series percolating.
 
S.S: How does your faith play into your writing?
 

My faith is part of me, so it’s impossible for me to write without a faith element. It naturally spills onto the pages. In most of my books, it has been subtle, but my Guideposts Books have usually centered around a church, so the faith element was built-in. In my romances, it is part of the hero and/or heroine’s journey.
 
S.S: If you couldn’t write, what else would you want to do?
 
I would love to try my hand at painting. I don’t have a talent for reality art, like portraits or landscapes, but I’d love to try some mixed media or craft-art. Perhaps I will someday.

S.S: Tell us about your current release.

Heaven’s Strain is a departure from my other books. It is a supernatural medical suspense with a romance. Very mixed genre, but a very fun “What-if…?” story. There are angels, genetic engineering, and a love story with impossible odds. I fell in love with the characters and can’t say goodbye, so I’m starting work on another book.
 
S.S: Where did you get your inspiration for this book?

In this case, a Bible verse has fascinated me for a long time. I had to explore the possibilities. It took me into the amazing realm of genetics, and kept opening more and more questions. The three wonderful characters and a host of other characters insisted I tell their story.

S.S: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from your story?
 

That there is always hope and a second chance.
 
S.S: Who is your favorite character in this book and why?

I adore Ellen and Homer, but Rafe is my favorite. He’s so human and struggles deeply with honor and justice, yet feels unworthy of either.
 
S.S: Who is your least favorite character in this book? Why?
 

I will let you find that out on your own.

S.S: What are you working on now?

A sequel. This summer, my amazing brainstorming friends helped me plot the bones of two more books to follow this one.

S.S: Any writing goals you still hope to achieve?
 

Too many to count. Too many stories to tell. And I keep discovering more.

S.S: Now let’s get a little personal. Name two things on your “bucket list” that you haven’t done yet.
 

Live aboard a boat. That’s been on our bucket list (then called a dream list) for 38 years. It has morphed into dreaming of an extended cruise of the inland waterways of America. And I want to revisit Palomar Mountain, where I spent many days and weeks in my youth. My parents owned a cabin with a bunch of my mom’s siblings. We had grand family vacations and weekends together there. It was an enchanted place.

S.S: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?

Rattlesnake hunting in Montana. We were with someone who had done it many times. We came back with 39 snakes. He kept them all. I certainly didn’t want them!

S.S: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

Helped care for our beloved son-in-law the last weeks and months of his life. He went home to heaven last spring after a short battle with cancer.

S.S.: Where can readers find you on the internet?
 

My web site is www.sunnijeffers.com. Come by and sign up for my blog and newsletter. Also, I’m on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sunni.jeffers); Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/sunnijeffers/); and Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1067817.Sunni_Jeffers)

S.S.: Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Heaven’s Strain will be available by mid-October on Amazon in Kindle and print editions. Someone reading here will win one. They must be in the USA or Canada.

Leave a comment, along with your contact information, for a chance to win a copy of Heaven's Strain!







21 comments:

  1. Sunni you're traveling across the country via RV interest me. It's something my husband and I have talked about doing in our retirement. Thank you for your encouraging interview. By all means enter my name in the drawing.
    lill dot kohler at gmail dot com

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    1. I thought I replied, but it doesn't seem to have taken it. Thanks for the comment, Lill. So nice to hear from you. We've been traveling for the past 2 1/2 years. But we're becoming more full time as we have rented out our house. We are loving the travel. I am fortunate to be able to write as we travel. And our mindset is becoming more focused on the journey than on our destinations. We may stop in one place and spend a week or more exploring. We both love history, so we are absorbing all we can.

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  2. Sounds like a very interesting book. I would love to win a copy.
    Martha T.
    CRPrairie1(at)imonmail(dot)com

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  3. Heaven's Strain sounds captivating and unique. Thanks for this great feature. wonderful interview and interesting post. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. Wonderful interview with Sunni. Sunni, so sorry for your loss. Thank you for writing "Heaven's Strain". I currently have a young cousin battling cancer now.

    psalm103and138"AT"gmail"DOT"com

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    1. Thank you Caryl. Cancer is such a nasty disease, but there are many survivors who triumph over it. I pray your cousin is one of those.

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  5. Great interview!! "Heaven's Strain" sounds amazing, and I'm a total science nerd so this book really appeals to me. I can't wait to read it! lsubeth14@yahoo.com

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  6. I am intrigued by this one! Thank you for a great interview and giveaway.

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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  7. I can't wait to read your book: it is just the type I enjoy reading! Thank your for your contributions to enjoyable and edifying reading for us!
    Thanks,
    Janice Moore
    pjrcmoore@windstream.net

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  8. Sunni, I'm excited about your new book! Sounds really exciting.

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  9. Great interview, Sunny! Best wishes with your new book!

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  10. Looking forward to it! Thanks, Kristie Porter tklovenest (@) aol.com

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  11. Sunni, I fell in love with your writing through the books that you wrote in the Grace Chapel series for Guideposts. I look forward to reading this book and i wish you continued success!

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  12. Thanks Connie, I loved Grace Chapel Inn and the sisters and Aunt Ethel. That was such a fun series to writer for. Have you read Miracles of Marble Cove? Another great series with four friends. I hope you still love my writing with Heaven's Strain. It is different than anything you've read before, I promise you. Please let me know what you think after you read it.

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  13. Very exciting about your new adventure! You are one adventurous lady. :)

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  14. Rattlesnake hunting??? Amazing! Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Hi Sunni, Great interview! Would love to have been with you on the rattlesnake hunt!

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  16. Well that's 39 snakes less than we use to have . thankYOU ! !
    Sounds like an interesting book :)
    dkstevensne *at* outlook dot com

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  17. Thank you, everyone, for your comments. I love reading each one of them. Roxanne Henke's signature line says "Take care...and risks!" I love that line. I'm no daredevil by any wild stretch of the imagination, but I love a grand adventure, and isn't life full of them? If we look for them. So thanks for visiting and happy adventuring! Blessings, Sunni

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  18. Thank you very much for the notification that I was selected to receive this book! There have been some challenging (stressful) days lately, so this news is like having a rose in winter!
    Thank you!
    Janice Moore

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