Thanks for joining me today, Sara Beth! To start with, let’s take a little ‘flight of fancy’. How would you complete these sentences?

If I could travel anywhere in time and space, it would be to…

I would love to go to Italy, anytime. Also, for research purposes, I’d love to go to Spain during the 1600s. I’m sure it would be extremely dangerous, but fascinating.

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a… 

I like playing classical guitar, so I’d probably love to be a classical guitar. I love the sound, the rhythm.

If I were an animal, I would be a…

I’d totally be a cat.

Okay, back to earth and down to business. 😉 When did the writing bug first grab you?

I remember in 5^th or 6^th grade, writing short stories, or copycat stories of books I’d read. I recall in junior high, my English teacher commending my storytelling/writing skills.

Who or what has influenced you most as a writer?

Author Hallee Bridgeman’s Jewel series greatly influenced me to pursue writing toward publication. I loved those first four books and I thought, if she can do it, I can do it. I have good ideas too! I’ve since read all of Hallee’s books, as well as many other Christian fiction authors.

What do you enjoy most about writing contemporary romance?

I love being able to tell redemptive stories with a double thread—one with two people finding love, and the second being a person or both, discovering or rediscovering in some way, God’s love for them. I also love to be able to show the world that Christian fiction and Christian romance specifically, does not have to be boring, or irrelevant, but that it can be deep and thought provoking, and high quality writing.

Someday though, I’d also love to write historical fiction. 🙂

What would you say is the most difficult or your least favourite aspect of writing?

I don’t mind the basic editing so much—I am increasingly disliking huge revisions. Especially when I have edited the thing so many times over. I know they’re necessary, but whole-book revisions are daunting and it takes me time to sit down and wrap my head around it. It’s not a fast or easy process.

Where did the idea for Joel and Serena’s story come from?

This story was difficult to pen. It was not based on my own experiences and therefore, initially I was afraid to write it for fear it would not come off as logical or realistic.

I was attending an ECE class one summer. We spent six weeks sitting through several panels of people who shared over various topics related to family, children and community. One of them was domestic violence. It began the spark that would become a flame of an idea. What reason would Joel have NOT to fall in love with Tara, as—shocker—I had initially thought to do? Those of you who have read When Hearts Collide may laugh at that, I am sure. I wanted to have something less predictable occur, though, so I began to develop Serena’s back story from my research in that class. In doing so, I discovered multiple people close to me who have experienced abusive relationships. Joel already had a back story, so everything just fell into place.   

See…God knows what He’s doing. I should really just stop right now and give Him credit for this story because this story is for those close to me—and everyone else- who are survivors. Whom God loves.

What was something you learned from these characters as you wrote their story?

As writers, often the things we write about are our way of processing through things in our life. It may not apply to all writers, but for me, many of the themes in this story are things I’ve dealt with on a less intense level. If I am dealing with such spiritual themes, than what’s to say others are not? The greatest thing I’ve learned through writing about Serena’s journey is that finding the ability to love comes from, not my strength, but that of the Holy Spirit within me.

Thanks for joining me today, Sara Beth!