Hello, readers! I have another author to introduce you to today that I met through the ACFW Romance genre Facebook page. It continues to be a wonderful way to meet other authors in my genre and network. And find some good reads. But, I won’t bore you with my rambling. I’ll get right to my interview with author Gail Sattler. And keep reading for an excerpt and details of a giveaway!
Thanks for being on the blog, Gail. Tell us, what was the inspiration for The Other Neighbor?
This book is based on a true story. One day my husband, who at the time ran a web design business, got a strange phone call asking some odd questions, which we later realized was the FBI. We didn’t find out until quite some time later what his customer was planning, but it certainly did explain why they disappeared and then his business shut down, unfortunately owing my husband’s company a lot of money. I still have a link to the story concerning the arrest and conviction. This just proves, you never really know about these things until it’s too late.
That’s incredible! Inspiration comes from anywhere they say, but this one was certainly something you knew well.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was in middle school I wrote a novel, coincidentally similar to a Nancy Drew novel, and the four primary characters, also coincidentally, were myself and my 3 best friends. Fortunately it never saw the light of day. I didn’t do any writing after that, until I was in my late 30’s, and I was laid off from my job. Suddenly I had lots of time (or so I thought). A friend gave me a box of books, one of which was pretty bad, and in my arrogance, I thought I could do better, so I started writing. I didn’t do better, but the writing bug bit me, and I couldn’t stop. I did most of my writing on the dining room table with my kids playing in the living room, or during nap time, join a few writers groups, and worked to improve my craft. My first book sold on my 40th birthday, and the rest is history.
What a story! I love that you kept at it.
I think we can always learn from each other. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer?
Join a critique group. There is more to learn by DOING a critique than what you will receive, because if you do it right, your task is to find out what is wrong, and make suggestions on what will work to fix it.
I usually listen to music when I write to set the mood. What kind of music, if any, do you listen to when you write?
I am a musician and am in 3 bands – a jazz band, a community jazz band, and an Elton John tribute band. I can’t listen to music when I write, it’s too distracting.
Interesting! What a talented lady!
How long does it take you to write a book?
It varies. In panic mode, I have written a book in 10 weeks. But that was all I did, besides my full time day job, at the time. My kids were older and didn’t need babysitting, and my husband, bless his heart, did all the housework. Gotta love the guy.
These husbands of writers are pretty awesome.
Do you have any current projects you’re working on? Care to share?
I’ m working on a 6 book series called The Kozlowskis. It starts when Zac Kozlowski’s distressed sister (and her dog), two wayward cousins, and his eccentric aunt (and her cat), all move in with him, and his neighbor, Cara, tries to help, but then gets buried in her own issues. I have no dates, but as I progress, I’ll keep everyone posted on my website on the release dates.
Sounds intriguing. Thank you so much for being on the blog today and for sharing about your process. I look forward to hearing more from you!
The Other Neighbor
Cheryl Richardson doesn’t know that her landlord who owns the other half of the duplex where she lives is plotting to build a bomb—but the FBI does. In order to discover what her landlord is planning to blow up, agent Steve Gableman moves next door to get closer to Cheryl to learn what she knows, namely the target and motive, so they can stop it. But when Steve involves himself in every area of her life, including her dog, will Cheryl be the one to explode?
Enjoy an Excerpt
Cheryl winced as the wire she was using to bind the flowers together pinched her fingers. As if it weren’t bad enough that she’d waited in line at the wholesaler for today’s new flowers, Nora had called in sick. Since Ellen couldn’t work on Wednesdays, this left Cheryl to handle everything alone and still meet the deadlines for all the orders. Technically she could do it, if no walk-in customers needed a special request. Hopefully Jason would show up on time, because she certainly didn’t want to deliver the two special orders as well, but if he didn’t, she wouldn’t have a choice.
She’d never before wished for a slow day, but today she almost considered putting the closed sign on the door, except people would see her inside.
Fortunately only a few customers had come in so far. They’d simply wanted to purchase bouquets made of loose flowers with a few additions of baby’s breath and ribbons with some nice wrapping. Those were easy and, most of all, fast.
She’d almost finished the order for the Red Hat Ladies’ monthly meeting when the bell over the door tinkled again. Without looking, she smiled. Jason was exactly on time. Something could go right today. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she muttered without looking up as she added a final sprig to the last arrangement for the tea party. “Traffic must have been good. I have that rush delivery almost ready.”
“Oh . . .okay . . .” responded a voice much too deep for Jason.
Instead of the gangly adolescent, a tall man in dark clothing stood in the doorway. His dark brown hair was exactly the same color as the frames of his glasses, with his eyes only slightly lighter, presenting a striking image. The scholarly styled glasses contrasted vividly with his strong jaw and a nose that had a bump on it like it had once been broken, which hinted of a cleaned-up bad boy, a good image for a popular action-packed movie.
On someone else, the slightly mismatched clothing would have looked nerdy, but the way he stood showed wide shoulders and hinted of lean muscles that would make any movie heroine and all female viewers swoon. Strange, she’d never seen him like this before. But then again, she’d never really looked.
Cheryl cleared her throat. “Steve? What are you doing here?” With her words echoing in her head, she felt her cheeks turn warm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I meant to say, what a surprise to see you here. Is there something you would like?”
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More About the Author
Gail Sattler’s first book sold on her 40th birthday, and she hasn’t looked back. Gail now has over 40 novels and novellas, and a few works of non fiction, most still available on Amazon. Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver BC (Canada, eh!) where you don’t have to shovel rain. A recent empty nester, Gail lives with her husband, 2 dogs, and a guinea pig who isn’t shy about asking for snacks.
Visit Gail’s website at www.gailsattler.com
Connect with Gail and her writing
GIVEAWAY!
Gail is offering one of her older books from her archives to one (1) winner in Canada or the continental U.S. Please follow the directions on the Rafflecopter to enter.