INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA ORCHARD

REPOSTING OUR INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA - JUNE 2013

Sandra Orchard is an award-winning Canadian author of inspirational romantic suspense, whose novels include Deep Cover, Shades of Truth, and Critical Condition. She is an active member in American Christian Fiction Writers, The Word Guild, and Romance Writers of America, and lives in the Niagara area of Ontario, Canada. To find out more, and to read interesting bonus features for her novels, please visit www.sandraorchard.com or connect at www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard

Interview with Sandra Orchard:

1.  What made you start writing?

I’ve always loved to write, but I never imagined myself as a fiction writer until I discovered inspirational romance and romantic suspense. The books started piling so high in our house that my husband suggested I write my own. I didn’t need to be told twice. J

2.  How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?

I began my first novel in the fall of 2004, and signed my first contract six years, and six much-revised manuscripts, later. I currently have 10 novels contracted/published.

3.  What would you be doing with your free time if you weren’t writing?

Spending more time with my grandchildren—very tempting!

4.  Tell us about the book you have out right now.

Deadly Devotion is the first book in my Port Aster Secrets series with Revell Publishing. It is a standalone mystery, however, the budding romance between the hero and heroine, and an underlying suspense will arc the three-book series.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Kate knows the truth is out there—but if she’s right, that means a killer is out there too.

Research scientists Kate Adams and Daisy Leacock were on the brink of a breakthrough for treating depression with herbal medicine when Daisy was suddenly found dead. Kate knows that her mentor’s death wasn’t suicide or a careless accident—and she’s determined to do whatever it takes to unearth the truth about what happened to the woman who changed her life.

Former FBI agent Tom Parker is finding it hard to adjust to life back in his hometown of Port Aster. Though an old buddy gave him a job as a detective on the local police force, not everyone approves. Tom’s just trying to keep a low profile, so when Kate Adams demands he reopen the investigation into her friend’s death, he knows his job is at stake. But despite his attraction to her, Tom thinks Kate herself may have something to hide.

As evidence mounts, a web of intrigue is woven around the sleepy town of Port Aster. Can Kate uncover the truth? Or will Tom stand in her way?

5.  Did you do any special research for this book?

Yes, since the heroine is a researcher of herbal medicine, I spent a great deal of time researching herbal remedies, particularly those served as teas. The original title of the story was Murder by Marigolds, so you can imagine the unusual kinds of tea I explored. I also took a position on a sensory panel at our local research station. Through that I was able to get a feel for the variety of research projects that are undertaken, the kind of equipment to be found, the security and much more.

6.  What are you working on right now?

Line edits for the next book in the Port Aster Secrets series, and polishing an upcoming Love Inspired Suspense set on an Alaskan cruise, and beginning the final book in this series.

7. What is your favorite book you’ve written and why?

Shades of Truth, the second book in my Undercover Cops series with Love Inspired Suspense. The heroine was inspired by our former pastor’s daughter who worked at a Christian youth detention center. It was a fascinating book to research. The heroine’s Christ-like love toward the inmates challenged and inspired me, and the hero’s need to both accept God’s forgiveness and forgive himself is a theme very dear to my heart.

9.  Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don’t be in a rush. Enjoy the journey. There is much to savor along the way.