Welcome to Sandy James' guest blog

Welcome Ms. Sandy James to Love Romances and More, thank you for joining us.

Thank you so much for having me!

Did you always want to become a writer?

My earliest attempts at writing were in junior high school. My English teacher, Mrs. Dewey, gave me quite a bit of encouragement and swore one day I would write books. I was and still am a voracious reader, but life became too hectic for me to find time to write. I graduated from high school at sixteen and went right on to college. I completed my Bachelor of Arts when I was nineteen, and I married that summer. My husband and I hadn’t planned on starting a family right away, but whenever you make plans… Let’s just say we got a family right away. Raising two kids, going to school to get my Masters, and then teaching full time didn’t leave much time for anything else. The year the younger of my two kids was a senior in high school, I wrote my first book. Because of all the encouragement of my family, friends, and especially my students, I kept writing.


What is the most, and the least interesting fact about writing?

Being a psychology teacher, I love “creating” personalities for my characters. I want my readers to be able to get to know my heroes, heroines, and secondary characters and to feel what they feel, experience what they experience. In a recent review of Free Falling, the reviewer said my characters practically leapt off the page. What a beautiful compliment!

I can’t honestly say there is anything “least” interesting about writing. I love the research. I love the writing process, although it’s hard for me to pull the words out of my head sometimes. I absolutely love the editing process, probably best of all.


How did you celebrate your first release? What was it like to see your book in a bookstore? Do you have a special ritual for celebrating a book release?

Since my books were e-published before they hit print, and because the print is available online, I never got to see my first book on a bookstore shelf. I did, however, cry when I saw the cover of Turning Thirty-Twelve on Amazon.com for the first time. I felt as if I’d finally “made it” as an author. I still look forward to the day when I can walk into a Borders or Barnes & Noble and see my books.

When one of my books releases, my husband always takes me out for a nice dinner. He’s smart enough to know that if he doesn’t, I’ll sit at home obsessing over sales.


How did your family react to fact that you also write romance novels? Have your family read your books?

My husband and children have always been supportive of my writing, although my husband gets teased a lot by his friends since I write romance. When I started writing my first book, we only had one computer. As soon as he realized how often I’d be using the computer, Jeff got me a laptop that Christmas. He keeps me sane and grounded by insisting I go with him to watch our horses race instead of spending absolutely every evening with my fingers glued to my laptop. My son acts as my “muse,” and is always the person I bounce ideas off when I’m developing a story. My daughter and mother are my proof-readers.

I actually waited almost a year to tell my mother and father that I was writing books. After all, I was doing it for fun, and I was afraid it seemed silly for a forty-year old woman to one day just start writing books. It wasn’t until I started wracking up contest finals that I wondered if I should pursue publishing. When I signed with an agent, I printed out my best manuscript and handed it to my parents and told them about my writing. They’ve became my biggest cheerleaders.


Most authors are also avid readers. Is this the case with you? If so, who are some of your favorites? Have any influenced your writing?

I try to read at least a book a week. Mostly romance, but I pick up some mainstream stories every now and then.

Being as I write contemporaries, it may come as a surprise that I read mostly historicals. My favorite author is Julie Garwood, and her book Honor’s Splendour is phenomenal. I always re-read her historicals every summer. The first romance author I ever read was Kathleen Woodiwiss. I love all her books. When she passed away, I felt as if I’d lost a family member.

On a more personal level, there are two authors who have shaped my writing and my career. Judie Aitken is my mentor, and her book A Love Beyond Time is my favorite time-travel story. Emma Wildes has given me so much great advice and has helped me make wise choices in advancing my career. Her An Indecent Proposition is a spectacular story.


Your characters come to life in your books. Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write? Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life? Can you name an example? Do you have living role models for your characters?

I believe one of my strongest assets as a writer is how I write my “cast.” My characters become so alive for me, they could be good friends. When I’m writing a scene that is emotionally draining, I feel as if I live it right along with them. Their moods become my moods. In my latest work-in-progress, I wrote a scene where the couple has an argument, and I was mad at my husband the whole time I worked on that scene. After twenty-five years of marriage, I think he’s used to my eccentricities by now.

My characters aren’t always modeled after people I know, but their names are often tributes to family, friends, and students. The only character who I can honestly say came from a real person is Jackie Delgado in Turning Thirty-Twelve. I can say that with so much authority because Jackie is me.


Where do you get the inspirations for your books?

Inspiration comes in the funniest of places. I have to give my son Kevin credit for helping me develop several of my ideas. He’s so creative, and he can help me shape storylines so well. We usually go to a movie matinee where we sit and eat popcorn and hash out plots before the previews.

Sometimes the ideas pop into my head with no real catalyst. Faith of the Heart began to form at a Christmas Eve mass. Waiting for services to start, I was staring at the crucifix and just thinking about the things Jesus did in His lifetime. He healed the sick. So I thought, “What if someone else could really heal sick people?” Sarah Reid was born. The story was so strong, I just had to write it. It simply couldn’t wait. The prologue was written long-hand on a legal pad on the way to my in-laws’ home for Christmas dinner.

Do you find it difficult at times to write love scenes?

When I first started writing, I blushed every time I wrote a love scene. I even giggled, which cracked my husband up. But those scenes are so much a part of the bond between the hero and heroine and necessary to the progression of the story, so I realize their importance. Since there’s always a possibility family and friends will read my books, I keep the scenes hot but tasteful.

What is your favorite book from the books that you have written so far? Who are your favorite hero and heroine, and why?

Such an unfair question! That’s like asking me which of my kids I like best! But I’ll give it a shot.

My favorite book is Murphy’s Law. Horseracing has become such an important part of my life, I wanted to share that world with my readers. The characters in Murphy’s Law are so real to me, I feel like I could pick up my cell phone and give them a call.

My favorite hero flips between Seth Remington in Murphy’s Law and Lucas Mitchell in All the Right Reasons. Seth is the “bad boy” with the heart of gold who all girls want to find. How can you not fall in love with him? Lucas needs someone to love him, to heal him. He calls to my heart. But then there’s also Ross Kennedy from Free Falling. I named him after a favorite student who wanted to have a villain share his name, and since I was writing Murphy’s Law at the time, I created Ross Kennedy who was supposed to be an unethical lawyer in that book. But as I wrote Ross, he just wouldn’t let me make him evil. And when he got left all alone at the end of Murphy’s Law, I had to write him his own book.

As for my heroines, I really identify with Jackie Delgado in Turning Thirty-Twelve, probably because she is so…me! But my favorite is Sarah Reid in Faith of the Heart. She gives so freely of herself, wanting nothing in return. She loves with all her heart. How can you not want to have a person like Sarah in your life?

Which book was the hardest to write and which the easiest?

I have a chapter sister in Indiana RWA who calls me the “Energizer Bunny” because I write so much so quickly. It might surprise her that the hardest thing for me to do is put new words on a page. Sometimes, it’s agony pulling the story from my head. But once the words are down, the best part begins. I add layers of characterization and include all those things that pull a reader deeper into the story. Tweaking and editing are my favorite parts of writing because I craft the story to help it reach its full potential.

If you could change places with one character from your books, who would it be and why?

Katie Murphy. I would love to be able to live so close to my horses and work with them every day. Between teaching and writing, I don’t get to spend nearly as much time with the horses as I would like.


If you could travel through time to visit a special time period or famous person, what or who would it be and why?

What a provocative question to ask a history teacher! Queen Elizabeth I. What better person to know to help understand so many important events in history? She was such a strong woman who lived and ruled among powerful men.

Do you listen to music while you are writing and if so what music is it?

I have a three-hundred song compilation I call my “Ultimate Mix.” It includes lots of Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, all the American Idol singers – past and present, Michel Bublé, and a ton of Broadway show tunes. Beauty and the Beast, Rent, Hairspray, Mama Mia, Phantom of the Opera. I love Broadway musicals!

If you could choose of your books for a movie, which one would it be and who would you as the cast?

Murphy’s Law! I’ve had quite a few people tell me it would make a great movie. Katie Murphy would be Amy Adams. Short, spunky, and long, red hair. Ms. Adams could do a strong character like Katie justice. Seth Remington would be James Marsden. What woman wouldn’t fall in love with that face? He’s got that “bad boy” look about him, and I think he could handle portraying Seth’s wicked sense of humor.

Are you working on anything right now, and can you tell us a teaser about these projects?

I have a four-book paranormal series about women warriors I call “Amazons” in the works. I’m blessed to be represented by Maureen Walters of Curtis Brown, Ltd. She signed me on the strength of that series, and I know she’ll find it a great home.

I’ve had several fans ask me to write another romantic comedy like Turning Thirty-Twelve, and I’ve got one forming in my head. And since I liked the plot of my first two books but didn’t have the skills to do them justice, I’m rewriting both from scratch. Maybe Maureen can find them a home as well.

Thanks so much for this opportunity!