Sandra Robbins Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A:  I live with my husband in the small Tennessee town where I grew up. We have four children and five grandchildren. I was a teacher and principal in an elementary school before I left that life to pursue writing. In college I majored in music with an emphasis in piano, so I love listening to and playing music. I enjoy attending plays, and one of the highlights of my love for musical theater was seeing Yul Brynner perform in the King and I.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A:  I’ve always been an avid reader. However, I’d never thought about writing until I took an elective course called Writing Fiction when I was in college. The professor encouraged me, and a desire grew in me to write a book. As so often happens, life got in the way. Between my teaching career, my family, and my church and community activities, I found little time for anything else. Writing was put on the back burner until one day about twelve years ago when I suddenly realized that life was passing by and I hadn’t reached for my dream of writing a book. I sat down and began the first of many to come.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A: When I began to write, I realized that I needed a lot of guidance. I found American Christian Fiction Writers (at the time American Christian Romance Writers) on line and joined. I got into a critique group through the organization, and a year later attended their conference which was held in Nashville. There I met an editor who would eventually buy my first book.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Targeted?

A: Targeted is the first book in my Firebrand Series. For ten years Ash DeHan has been a member of The Firebrand Brotherhood, an elite group of ex-military individuals who hire out their services to the American government for assistance with delicate situations. With haunting images from a mission in South America keeping him awake nights, he’s ready to retire from his dangerous lifestyle. But someone who knows the exploits of Firebrand knows what happened in that remote village and has plans for Ash that also include his dead brother’s wife and her son. As Ash struggles to deal with the present threat to those he loves, he discovers it may be the secrets from the past that wound him the most.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Targeted?

A: Since the beginning of the War in Iraq, media news reports have been filled with exploits of professional security providers and paid mercenaries who provide services to government agencies. As the American public has become more educated about the individuals who provide added assistance to the military, interest has grown in knowing more about the individuals who choose to live such a life of danger. This series provides a glimpse into the lives of three men who served their country by planning and executing covert missions and how their exploits put themselves and those they loved in danger.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: I hope readers will understand the loyalty and trust that binds the hearts and lives of those who serve their nation in the military and behind the scenes in highly classified matters. There is another side to their story, though, and that is how their loved ones are affected by the dangers they face in serving.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: When I was beginning this book,I had just read James Scott Bell’s Write Your Book from the Middle, and the first scene I wrote was the emotional one in the middle of the book where Ash finds out that he has a ten-year-old son he didn’t know about. I felt this scene was at the core of the story, and it enabled me to go back and write the story as it built toward that point and then write how events play out after he makes the discovery.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: I have felt ever since I began writing that this journey I’m on is one of ministry. I am thankful for my readers and their encouragement, and I pray that the words God gives me will somehow touch their lives.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: When I first starting writing, I had no idea about writing as a business. I now find I spend a lot of time marketing instead of writing. I didn’t understand that a writing career is more than just sitting at a desk and writing. It involves a lot of time trying to get news out about upcoming releases, speaking to groups, and corresponding with readers.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Many people have the desire to write but they know nothing about the craft. I think one of the most important things to do is to associate yourself with a writers group. This can be a local group that has meetings or an online group that has email loops and critique opportunities to help you grow as a writer. If you have the opportunity, attend a writers workshop or conference. These can be tremendous helps.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A:  I am finishing up the third book in the Firebrand series, and I am working on the third book in my four book Smoky Mountains Secrets Series for Love Inspired Suspense. The first one in this series, In a Killer’s Sights, releases in July, and Stalking Season releases in December.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A: I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling. One of my favorite places to visit is the Smoky Mountains. I seem to draw strength from those mountains.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A: Readers can find me on my website at http://sandrarobbins.net, connect with me on Facebook and Twitter or email me at sandra@sandrarobbins.net

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A:  I would like for readers to remember that Igniting the Flame is the novella prequel to the Firebrand Series. It is available at amazon. Hunted and Betrayed are books two and three in the series.