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| Great cover, Sarah! |
Sarah, thank you for joining me today to talk about
your writing and your newly re-released novella, Claiming Love. (Now available at Amazon)
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GIVEAWAY!
To celebrate Sarah's release, we'll be giving away a copy of Claiming Love to a randomly selected commenter. Leave a comment on Wednesday or Thursday to be eligible. The draw will be held on October 12, 2012! Check back Friday to see who won! The winner's name will be posted on this blog.
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First, Sarah, tell me a bit about yourself.
Hi Lorraine, thanks
for having me! A bit about myself; I was born and raised in the U.S. When in
university I fell core-rocking, no-holds-bar in love with a Canadian. We’ve
lived all over central and western Canada for both school and archaeology. Had
a blast, and have now settled in Calgary.
Sounds like a whirlwind! Welcome to Calgary! When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always been a
voracious reader, and used to create stories in my head when I was a kid, but
didn’t really think anything of it. Four years ago I was talking on the phone
with an author friend who was telling me about a series idea she had. For the
next two months a story started kicking around in my head. She told me to go
for it, to try writing it. She’s so awesome. So I did and the story was
accepted. I realized I loved writing. . . and that I had a lot more to learn!
But that experience started my love affair and active participation in
storytelling.
What an exciting experience! Congratulations on your quick success. So, tell me about your process - is there a particular food or drink you keep
handy when writing or editing?
Water. Always water.
Sometimes I’ll have a coffee, too. Once in awhile a beer, but water is the
staple. I never eat when I write. I’ve tried, but I realized I had just
consumed whatever it was and had no conscious recollection of it.
LOL - so that's what happens when I find crumbs on my desk.
Since you are a writer, I'm guessing you are also an avid reader. What is your favorite book? What do you love about it?
I have so many books
and authors I adore! I enjoy several sub-genres; contemporary, paranormal,
historical, western. The ones I tend to consistently re-read the most, though,
are my favorite historical and western ones. “Ransom” and “Honor’s Splendour”
by Julie Garwood, and “Savage Thunder” by Johanna Lindsay are quite dog-eared.
Anything by Elizabeth
Lowell, historical or contemporary, are good for a re-read. In the last couple
years I found Christie Craig, Lori Foster and Sabrina Jeffries. Three
completely different styles, but I dig them. I need characters I would want to
hang out with; witty dialogue, smart women, and alpha males. And of course the
story has to move me.
Hmmm... I haven't read some of those. I'll have to track them down. Now, let’s talk about your novella, Claiming
Love. Tell me about it.
The story is set in
the present day and is about a 1000 year old ex warrior, current
angel-in-training who doesn’t believe in love and thinks people are largely
assholes, himself included. Gaia and ArchAngel Michael are his handlers and
assign him to an archaeologist who asked for divine help to release her fear of
flying. As an afterthought she also requested to meet the perfect man for her.
The two find love a powerful healer, but did it come too late?
It was a blast to
write. I realized just how characters take on their own life and let the author
know what they are going to do next, how the story is going to go. That was an
interesting learning experience. I had heard other authors say similar things,
but it is pretty cool to experience it.
That's happening to me right now - *sigh* - obstinate characters.
So, what inspired you to write this story?
The author friend I
mentioned above had the idea for several authors to look at the same picture
and write a story about it. She described the photo over the phone to me and
the story that started kicking around in my head was from her description.
After all four novellas were released, I actually saw the photo. I would have
written a completely different story had I seen the photo first hand.
I choose angels
because the theme was a winged dude and I have always been fascinated with
those helpful, loving, divine beings that pre-date religion. I wanted to write
a love story and it seemed including a winged dude would naturally be an
angel-ish being. The rest of the story just flowed out, it was pretty cool.
Sounds like a fun writing exercise. I haven't read too many books with angels - and I have to say he's a very sexy angel!
I've never read another romance set
in the Alberta oil sands either. I find your setting very intriguing. Why did you choose that location?
I’ve done a lot of
archaeology field work in the Oil Sands and it is a remarkable landscape. The
Oil Sands, or Tar Sands, are an incredibly contentious place, but when you
focus on the land itself, besides being gorgeous boreal forest and muskeg,
there is an energy about it that defies normal comprehension. It is straight-up
magical there. A perfect setting for the magic of two people falling in love.
Archaeology field work must be fascinating. What is the most exciting thing you’ve
discovered in the field?
These were in Manitoba,
but a projectile point (arrowhead) embedded in a bison rib kicked up the heart
rate; the “smoking gun” so to speak. An arguably 6000-8000 year old knife made
me cry in a good way. And anytime I found pottery that had the fingerprints or
fingernail impression of the person who made it felt like a collective hug from
the universe. Archaeology taught me we are all connected.
That is awesome. I was on a dig (only once, mind you), and found pottery. It was humbling and exciting.
Coming back to your novella, what is your favorite line in (or excerpt from)
Claiming Love?
This line was a
favorite of a reader:
“Passengers
were not supposed to go licking their pilots midair, and she was going to have
one hell of a time keeping her tongue and hands to herself.”
There is another one I want to share. You know when it
feels more like you are channeling lines than writing them? That was this one. It
quite clearly came straight from Bodin, in reference to Elle:
“Bodin
felt like a moon or more appropriately a hapless piece of space debris pulled
into the orbit of a bright star, much bigger, stronger, and way more exciting
than he was.”
I love that one of your readers contacted you to let you know which line they enjoyed.
Okay, on a completely different note, what is your favorite wild animal? (This question was inspired by the wilderness
locations in your story.)
Like books, there are
a lot of animals I resonate with, but I’ll share a particularly special animal sighting story. I had a very brief
archaeology survey in Nunavut (northern territory in Canada). It was the first
time I had the opportunity to work on the tundra and it was incredible. The
vegetation and landscape were absolutely stunning; I had no idea fall on the
tundra was so vibrant!
But I really wanted to
see caribou. I’ve always thought they were pretty cool animals. We completed
the survey and although we saw caribou sheds (antlers on the ground), tracks
and scat, no caribou. I will admit I was disappointed as I was sitting in the
wee 6-seater plane on the “runway” to take us back to Yellowknife, the engine
loud, the small plane vibrating. But I looked out my window and thanked the
landscape for the opportunity and that even though I didn’t see caribou, the
place, and my experience, was perfect. At that second, I saw a small herd of
caribou run along a ridge adjacent to the “runway”. I remember thinking they
looked like a ribbon dancing, their movements were so fluid, so graceful and
co-ordinated. We took off within seconds and I thought I was the luckiest girl
in the world. I will always remember the experience.
I've always wanted to go to the territories. I envy you! :)
Since you are one of my lovely critique
partners, I have inside news: I know you are working on another book. Is there anything you’d like to share with
your readers about your latest project?
This one is a novel,
also set in the Oil Sands, but it is a contemporary, not a paranormal. It does
focus on how together, people can heal and learn to love and trust. I love
those themes. Often we have a lot of baggage we choose to keep hanging on to, I
like to write stories that inspire us to set it down and let it go. And if the
stories have incredibly gorgeous men in them, all the better!
Incredibly gorgeous men - Yes! More!
You’ve published with a publisher and now
you’ve just self-published, do you have any tips for other writers about both
processes?
Of course, regardless
of how you publish, the number one tip; write a great story well.
My first publisher
gave me the boost that someone else valued my work. I had never tried writing
and did not know if I had a clue or not. So that part at my start helped me a
great deal. A tip I was told before I submitted was to have a promo plan to
include in the submission. That felt weird, creating an online author presence
before I had anything out. Get past those nerves and jump in. And of course, follow
submission guidelines.
Now with indie
publishing, there is an incredibly freedom to it, and a huge frontier of possibility to explore. Some indie
writers, just like some indie musicians, are creating some seriously awesome
works and they are doing it on their own terms. It is exciting and inspiring.
After you’ve written a great story well, with indie publishing, just like with
a publisher, you need a great editor, a rocking cover, formatting for the
various distributors, and a solid promo plan. Only it is all up to you to bring
it all together, and tweak as you see fit.
Through it all, there
is also that staight-forward direction; Read. Keep reading. Then read some
more. This was one bit of wisdom I heard again and again at conferences,
festivals and workshops. It is true; reading helps your writing. I also joined
two local writing groups, as well as a critique group, and my writing has grown
exponentially. Let yourself grow as a writer. Let every story you put out be
your new favorite.
Is there anything else you’d like your readers
to know?
 |
| Sarah Kades, Author |
I love writing,
playing outside, and hanging out with great friends. Horseback riding and
helicopters make me smile. Oceans and mountains move me. And if I could tell
the world something it would be; be gentle with yourself and others, feel love,
share it, repeat.
***You can buy Claiming
Love here.***
If you want to drop Sarah
a line, you can find her at:
Goodreads:
Goodreads Author Page
*****
EXCERPT
Prologue
Michael quickly rapped
his knuckles on the oak door and entered the lush suite. Gaia was seated
crossed legged on the plush green couch hunched over an ethereal laptop,
frowning. She glanced up when he entered and shot him a quick smile, casting
the already bright room into a radiating glow.
“Tell me good news,”
she said in greeting.
“The sun came up this
morning.”
“I know that.” Gaia
rolled her eyes good-natured.
Michael shrugged. “Not
a lot of good news out there.”
“I know that too,” the
Goddess answered glumly.
He tried again.
“Bodin’s finally coming along, that’s something.”
Gaia perked up at the
archangel’s words. She moved the laptop aside and directed her full attention
to the Archangel.
“He didn’t scare
anyone, try to maim anyone or resort to any physical destruction on his last
assignment.” Michael continued, “He did swear, threaten, and was his usual
pain-in-the-ass self, though.”
She frowned again.
“For the most part, the Changeling Program has been a success. Bodin’s an
outlier, that’s for sure. I doubt he’ll ever claim his wings.”
“Outlier, that’s a
nice way to put it. Yeah, angels don’t tend to try and browbeat people, bad for
the whole free will thing.” Michael saw Gaia smile at his uncharacteristic
description. He was rarely sarcastic, but Bodin had a way of bringing it out.
“I’m glad he’s
starting to come around though, well, if you can call it coming around.
Something special is about to come up,” Gaia said, her voice ringing with
anticipation and delight.
Michael raised his
eyebrow in question. Gaia just smiled, while she started putting possibilities
and doorways in place, her divine face intent and concentrating. He recognized
the look but asked anyway. “A hint?”
She shook her head and
gave a small smile, but said nothing as she maintained her concentration and
continued her divine aligning. Michael shrugged, unsurprised. Gaia was not in
the habit of talking about that aspect of her work. Still, he wondered. As head
of the Angel Realm, he was responsible for, and cared about, all the categories
of angels. That included the gruff, reluctant Changeling. Although a pain in
the butt, Bodin had really grown on him. He was curious what Gaia had in mind
and wondered if Bodin would take the latest opportunity that was presented.
If you
want to check out more Six Sentence Sunday excerpts, go to the official website:
www.sixsunday.com
