Meet the author, Sandy, who bravely opted for the infamous author interview.
How did you come up
with your premise? Is there a story behind your book? How did the story evolve?
Rescue Me came about after my hubby’s years as a volunteer
firefighter. It was originally going to be in a group of four novellas with
other writers, but that never sold. When we split up, I added to the story
(which isn’t as easy as it sounds) to make it longer and eventually sold that
to Pelican Book Group, who contracted my first book, Red Gold. I’m glad I had
the chance to add to it so that it could evolve into the message that it brings
now. It has much deeper meanings in it with the additions. God knew it needed
to be on its own. We lived in Colorado and knew the Rocky Mountains really
well, so tying the two, experience with location, worked out well. There’s a
lot of description of setting in it that readers seem to enjoy.
For those who are not
familiar with this story, would you please give us the blurb?
I love the tag line, “Risking her life to save him is easy.
Risking her heart to give him a second chance is impossible.” Here is the back
cover info:
First Responder Ronnie Spencer has a no-dating firefighters
rule. She lost her father to a fire, and won't risk the heartbreak of losing
someone else. But when Steve McNeal returns, Ronnie's heart is tested. How can
she swear-off dating a firefighter when she has to work with the one man she
used to love?
When the unthinkable happens, Ronnie has doubts. How can a
loving God allow tragedy to stalk her life again? As her faith wavers, Ronnie
must decide. Will their blossoming relationship be quickly extinguished by the very
thing she feared, or will Ronnie trust God and allow her heart to be
rescued—even if that means giving it to a firefighter?
Are there any fun
titbits about this story you can share with us?
The scene where the firefighters try to humble the rookie Troy,
that really happens. lol
How did you decide on
the setting?
Having lived in and loved Colorado for thirty years, and how
much adventure there is in that state, I like to use that as a setting in my
stories. The beauty of God’s creation, the wildlife, the exploration, I just
want to share what that’s like with people. It’s an amazing place.
When will it be
released?
It released on June 1 of this year so it is available right
now.
And now some more personal insights…
Where were you born?
I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but we moved by the time
I was two so I don’t remember anything about it.
What is the funniest
thing that ever happened to you or you witnessed that made you laugh so hard
you couldn’t catch your breath?
I was in my fenced in yard in Colorado a couple of years ago
watching a herd of elk that were moving through the area. We had an empty lot
behind us, so we would frequently get elk and deer (along with bears, cougars,
fox and about any other critter). I went out with my camera which I often did.
I was getting some great shots when the bull, who was in the rut, turned down
off the road and headed into the field. He was huge so the photos I was getting
were amazing! Figuring I was safe behind my chain link fence, little did I know
that my presence was not welcomed by him. He seemingly ignored me as he trotted
down the small hill, suddenly he turned and came straight in my direction.
There was a fence post outside of our chain link fence and he very well may
have thought that was me. I had the video rolling when he charged. I have never
run that fast in my life. Thankfully my back door was fairly close along with a
large tree and a bush, so I hoped I had a good chance. He didn’t jump the
fence, thank you Jesus, and the video is quite comical as I ran. I sure didn’t
have time to shut it off. Once behind my back door, I busted out laughing as I
tried to get my heart to calm down. So not only was I laughing, but I couldn’t
catch my breath either. For a longgggggggg time.
What hidden talent do
you possess outside of writing... something you do for fun, but are good at?
I love to do woodworking. I’ve done some lathe work that my
dad taught me how to do. He’s an amazing artist with wood. I love to build
things. My husband and I built and designed an amazing railing at our old house
out of aspen branches. Colorado has a lot of aspen trees and the wood is
amazing. I love wood. It’s fascinating how the different grains and colors meld
through a board.
What are you most
passionate about, other than writing?
Being here for my grandchildren. Being a part of their
lives. Helping them to grow in the Lord.
Feeding toddlers is a whirlwind experience, getting it
prepared, cut small, into their respective chairs, I get pretty frazzled and
sometimes forget to ask for a blessing. My two year old granddaughter will look
at me with this expression that is hilarious and fold her hands all with a
mouthful of food, to remind me we need to pray. Which we do. She cracks me up.
So it might be me growing in the Lord more than them.
What got you
interested in writing?
I’ve always liked to write. I wrote a lot in high school.
Always journaled. But I also think it’s a bit hereditary. My mom writes so
much, mostly about her childhood during the depression years. And her mom, my
grandmother, wrote a lot too in her later years. Writing and being published
has always been a dream.
Do you ever suffer
from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I do. I have been for a little while now. Mostly because
life got overwhelming. We had been planning the move to Texas for a long time
so we could be near our grandkids. So with packing up a house after 30 years in
it and all the details of a major move my writer brain sort of shut down. And
now I’m having so much fun with the grands, but I’m slowly getting back into
writing. I had a lot of guilt about it for a while, but a dear friend said to
me, “It just isn’t the time. Give yourself a break and you’ll get back to it.”
That helped a lot to release the struggle.
Who is your favourite
author and why?
Tracie Peterson is at the top of the list. She is solid in
her research and storytelling. Love her characters too. She endorsed Rescue Me,
much to my delight, so she’s pretty special. My writing hero. There are so many
amazing writers out there, especially in the Christian market.
Are you working on
anything at the present you’d like to share with us?
I have a couple of things going. One involves grandparents
(write what you know) and the other involves wood. But that’s all I’m going to
tell you. *grins*
Do you really, really
want a dog?
I really, REALLY want a dog. We’ve always had a dog. Our
last one died a couple years ago. He was the best and smartest dog we’ve ever
had. He was an Aussie mix so his intelligence was really remarkable. He truly
knew what I was saying to him all the time. I’m very hard of hearing, so it
helped a lot to have him in my life. Now that we’ve settled into a new home, I
see a new dog in our future. Gus will be hard to replace though. Dogs are just
the best! I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without one. The companionship
and loyalty can’t be beat.
When you looked in
the mirror this morning, what was the first thing you thought?
I’ve had the flu for a couple of days so it was a
frightening sight. Let’s just leave it at that.
What is your
heritage?
Norwegian and German. My great-grandfather was Ole Olson and
he married Nicolena Sven. Everyone thinks I’m about to make a joke, but that
truly was their names. There’s a lot of German on both sides of the family.
This would be why I was stubborn enough to keep trying to get published.
Do you sleep with the
light on?
Never! It has to be pitch black. If I sense any light at
all, I can’t sleep. I can see it through my thin Norwegian eyelids. The time is
covered on our radio alarm clock, no night lights to find our way, no light at
all. And if the moon is bright, heaven help me. Towels over the blinds.
You can buy Rescue Me here:
Bio:
Sandy
Nadeau loves to go on adventures, photograph them and equally loves to write
about them. She and her husband did a lot of four-wheeling in the back country
of Colorado and shared those experiences with others by taking them up in the
mountains. Her writing experience includes a community news column in a small
newspaper for twelve years, magazine articles and two novels with adventure,
mystery, romance, but most importantly sharing God’s love. She is currently a
member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. Married for a whopping 40
years, she and her husband are loving life as grandparents to their three
grandchildren after the big move to Texas. Travel is their favorite thing to do
and they don’t get to do it as often as they’d like. Adventure awaits around
every corner, over every hill and mountain.
You can find Sandy here:
twitter: @sandynadeauCO
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