Interview with Judith Sanders, author of IN HIS STEAD & a Giveaway!

By: Meradeth Houston on 6:30 AM

Another author treat for everyone today: it's my pleasure to bring you Judith Sanders, author of fabulous and heartfelt IN HIS STEAD. Check out her interview and leave a comment below for Judith for a chance to enter the giveaway! Extra entries for adding her book to your TBR list on Goodreads (just let me know in the comments!).

(Q) Thanks for stopping by my blog! Let’s start with the basics: where are you from? Is there any place online you’d like to direct us to learn more about you? 

I divide my time between North Carolina and New Hampshire. Obviously, I prefer the south when the north wind blows. In His Stead; A Father’s War is available in hardcover, paperback, as an eBook for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and iPod on line at Barnes & Noble and Amazon & iTunes. Or you can go to my website at http://InHisStead.com or through my publisher http://IronWordPress.com . You may also visit me on Facebook, Twitter, and http://goodreads.com , as Judith Sanders.

(Q) I always love hearing about how the idea for a particular book came about. Please fill us in on how you got the idea for IN HIS STEAD.

I must confess that the idea for In His Stead is not completely my own, however every word is my creation. Three years ago I was in the middle of writing another book when, at a Thanksgiving celebration my nephew came to me, concerned for his son’s safety. Jim’s son was seventeen and thinking of joining the military right out of high school like his cousins were about to do. My nephew had almost lost his daughter a few years early. He could not bear the possibility of another of his children being in harm’s way. His concern touched me. Especially when he said he would do anything to protect his son even if it meant taking his place. I thought he had a point. After all isn’t that our job as parents? We protect our children. That’s what moms and dads do. We discussed this scenario as a novel. Once I validated the premise through my research, I began to write. Jim offered several suggestions for scenes.

(Q) Which authors have most influenced your own writing?

The writers that most influence my writing are ones who have presented new ways to approach the ordinary such as: Maya Angelou, Octavia Butler, Kahilil Gibran, Wm. Paul Young, and Mitch Albom.

Some one once wrote that there are only twenty basic plots from which all novels emanate. So, if you think of the millions of imaginative variations in great literature that have come from a common root, wow! It is impossible to pick just one who has influenced me. It is stringing together the same old words in a new order that will touch a cord in me as a reader.

(Q) What do you do for fun other than writing?

Writing is fun! But when I am not writing I like to go fishing. 

Something more exciting is the things my husband and I do with our four grandchildren, ages 8 to twelve. One summer we put on a musical. This past summer we ran a science camp for them. For two months, every Tuesday and Thursday from 10AM until 4 PM they had laboratory assignments. They learned to pour agar into Petri dishes and then swabbed anything they wanted; that included between their toes, the neighbor's bird bath, and lake scum to name just a few. They grew-up bacteria and then we looked at it under a microscope. They also fingerprinted each other. Some swimming breaks were also involved. You have to understand that with my background in nursing and that my husband is a physician, science is inevitable. For adult time both my husband and I enjoy a great glass of wine, Broadway shows, wonderful family and friends, and dancing.

(Okay, I LOVE THIS! Just have to say I totally wish my grandparents would have done it!)

(Q) If you could describe your ideal writing spot, where would it be? What music would you listen to (if at all)? What treats would you have on hand?
My ideal place to write is at my desk in North Carolina. Although centrally located in my home it is still off the main path and is surrounded with my things; two lava lamps, a heart shape cutout of the grandkids, two angels (one says ‘What we need are more people who specialize in the impossible’, the other ‘Stars got tangled in her hair whenever she played in the sky’), and a giant size Gumby. I drink about four to five cups of tea per day when I am writing and I write five-to-six hours a day. I listen to music that fits the mood of what I am writing. I can pass up a chocolate cake but potato chips have never escaped once they are within my reach.

(Q) Plotter or pantser? Both? Neither?

I am differently definitely NOT a pantser. I outline every chapter, map out plot points, and do separate and complete profiles for each character. After I have done this entire mapping for the novel the characters and their problems become very real to me. I am completely invested in their movements by the time I start writing dialogue. Of course, at times they want to go places I didn’t expect them to go and I have to scold them for that.

(Q) Do you have any new projects that you are working on? Care to share?

I don’t have one  but three WIP. One is the sequel to my first novel Crescent Veil (a fiction of biological weapons inspectors on the hunt for a terrorist), the second is a green book fiction/fantasy for the grandkids that includes teaching them about the Carbon Cycle, and the third is a fantasy, sort of an adult Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

(oooh, very intrigued by the last one there!)

(Q) What kinds of marketing do you think are the most successful in terms of getting your name/book out there? (Curious minds are taking notes!)

The most successful marketing for a new on the scene writer is the internet. More books are sold on line than in bookstores. So it is understandable that readers are going to the internet for recommendations. GoodReads is one of the primary sources for publicity, marketing, and reviews. A review on Goodreads is now more valuable than one in the New York Times.

But my favorite form of publicity is still meeting people. I have found that direct contact with readers is a great reality check. I love discussions with book clubs and I have been meeting with some clubs via Skype. While I would much prefer to be physically there as part of the book club and enjoy the interaction with the members, Skype is the next best thing.

(Q) If you'd like to add anything, please do so. 

I will be starting a project for my readers where I ask them to write! After all, there’s no successful writer who wasn’t a reader first.  My contest will be to write the script for a book trailer.  There will be monetary prizes.  Watch Goodreads and my website for details.

(Q) How about an excerpt to tantalize the readers? 

Guided through the darkness by the small lights of the microwave and DVD player, Tom moved through the rooms, repeating his nightly ritual. He checked the windows. Making sure they were tightly closed and latched. The bolt on the back door was in place. As he walked through the kitchen, he passed Tommy’s high school graduation picture on the refrigerator door. Next to it was another photo, taken at Arlington, of his wife holding the same high school picture and kneeling next to their son’s tombstone.

“My boy,” whispered Tom to the sleeping house.

He moved to the living room, locked the front door, and headed for the stairs to go to bed. The heat came on. The old pipes in the duplex shuddered as the boiler forced steam through the radiators.

 With the birth of each of his three children, Tom had pledged to God that he would be a good father and protect them. But the best he had been able to do for his family was to put locks on the doors and windows.