Sarah Sundin Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?

A: I’ve been writing since 2000, and my first novel was published in 2010. I’m also a pharmacist. I’d planned to work part-time as a pharmacist when our children were little, then transition to full-time when they left home. God had other plans. Writing has filled the holes, and I still only work one day a week in pharmacy.

Q: Do you write in only one genre and if so which one and why? If not, which ones and why?

A: All my published novels are historical romance set during World War II. I do have two unpublished contemporary romances, but those are my “starter novels.” Once I started writing about the WWII era, I was hooked! There are so many dramatic stories. It was a time when ordinary men learned they could do extraordinary things, and when women tried on new and exciting roles—while remaining ladies.

Q: How does your faith play into your writing?

A: All my characters begin the stories with a problem—an issue they need to deal with, a sin they aren’t acknowledging, a lack of depth to their faith, etc. In the course of the story, the characters have to acknowledge the issues and turn to God meet their needs. Since God is constantly showing me areas for improvement in my own life, I’m never short of inspiration!

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?

A: History, story considerations, and personal preference. For the Waves of Freedom series, I wanted to tell the story of the US Navy’s involvement in the Battle of the Atlantic, plus have Home Front mysteries for my heroines. I needed an East Coast city with a destroyer base for my naval officers and a Navy Yard for the sabotage mystery in the first novel. Boston met those requirements, plus I’ve visited the city several times and just love it. The more I researched, the more I realized Boston was the perfect setting for the series.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?

A: Totally made up. However, real-life historical figures do play a role in the stories. In When Tides Turn, my fictional hero, Lt. Dan Avery, serves on a real escort carrier, the USS Bogue, so many of the ship’s officers make an appearance.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release When Tides Turn?

A: When Quintessa Beaumont learns the US Navy has established the WAVES program for women, she enlists, eager to throw off her frivolous ways and contribute to the war effort. Lt. Dan Avery employs his skills in antisubmarine warfare to fight U-boats, but the last thing he wants to see on his radar is fun-loving Tess. When Dan is assigned to a new escort carrier at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he’s torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help Tess root out a possible spy on shore. Could Tess be the one for him?

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

A: The history of the Battle of the Atlantic inspired the action plot for this novel—the long struggle between Allied warships and the German U-boats that preyed on Allied shipping. Also, I had two side characters from the series who needed to have their stories told—hard-working, no-nonsense naval officer Lt. Dan Avery, who needed some color in his black-and-white life—and Quintessa Beaumont, a fun-loving glamour girl who realizes she wants to make a difference. The WAVES was established at the time this novel needed to start…and enlisting Tess in the Navy seemed an excellent way to challenge her!

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

A: The need for balance in our lives—keeping work and play and rest in their proper places.

Q: Tell us what you like about the main characters of this book.

A: I love Dan’s drive and how he knows his mind, but I also like that he isn’t so hard-nosed that he isn’t willing to change. And outgoing Tess is my opposite in almost every way—I’d love to have her as a friend. She’s the sort who encourages and brings out the best in people.

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

A: I’m working through the first round of my publisher’s edits on The Sea Before Us, the first book in the Sunrise at Normandy series, which follows three estranged brothers who fight on D-day from the sea, the air, and the land. The Sea Before Us releases in spring 2018 and follows naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton and British “Wren” Second Officer Dorothy Fairfax. I’m about to start work on the second book, The Sky Above Us, which follows P-51 pilot Adler Paxton and Red Cross volunteer Violet Lindstrom.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why

A: I’d go to England and France to research the Sunrise at Normandy series—and because I adore England and France! I’m very excited, because my husband and I will be taking this trip in September! If money were no object…I’d make the trip longer

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?

A: As a reserved person who spent the first half of her life trying not to look weird, that’s hard to say. As I get older, I’m far less inhibited and I’m willing to be silly for a purpose—to teach kids in Sunday school, to illustrate a point during a speaking event, or to embarrass my children. Sadly, my “children” are now young adults and not so easy to embarrass

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

A: Hm. Raising kids. Sending kids to college, marriage, and the Navy. Choosing to write books—a huge step of faith for me, since I never planned to be a writer. Submitting to editors and agents. Obeying God and agreeing to teach Sunday school. Opening those hard plastic cases that Costco uses to entomb printer ink cartridges. It’s difficult to choose…