BLB Ebook Tours - Giveaway & Interview with Sarah Ballance

Today I'm

Author Sarah Ballance

Welcome to the Round Table Sarah.  May I offer you a beverage before we begin?

Sarah:  Mmmm … Tantalizing Tea!  And make it a double. ;c)

Here's your tea with a little extra shot of something special :).

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today.  It's so nice to have you at the Round Table.

BK:  Please tell us a bit about yourself....

Sarah:  I'm a stay-at-home mom of six kids, ages 12 years down to 11 months.  We homeschool, so needless to say I stay busy.  I never wanted to write fiction at all, but once I realized it offered a unique escape from the day-to-day grind, I was hooked!

BK:  Wow.  Six kids,  I guess that would keep you busy.  Especially homeschooling.  God love ya.

BK:  What inspired you to pen this novel?

Sarah:  My husband and I went for a walk on the beach one night after dark.  It was just the two of us.  There was a storm off shore so the beach was deserted.  The waves were huge and tons of foam flew around the beach.  I was so freaked out!  I just knew someone could walk up behind us and we'd never hear them on the sand, especially not over the sound of the water.  That creeped-out feeling carried the mood of RUN TO YOU, and as for the plot itself, I dreamed it over the next couple of days.  It was quite a week!

BK:  What draws you to write in this genre?

Sarah:  I love the added tension in the story that comes from danger – it really amps up the sexual tension when the stakes are high.  And, to be honest, I just love toying with my characters a little. ;c)

BK:  How do you keep your writing different from all the other novels in this genre?

Sarah:  My novels have a bit of humor tossed in.  My characters take good-natured verbal jabs at one another—it's fair to say they've inherited some of my tendency for finding humor in the oddest places.

BK:  Who is your favorite character and why?

Sarah:  Gage, from my WIP UNFORGIVEN, is my favorite.  I think that's my trend – to love the new character in my life – but he wins the prize because he's a one-woman man and he experiences some angst over that.  It makes for some pretty amusing thoughts and conversation.  Besides, who doesn't love a man who admits his woman is his weakness?  *swoon*

BK:  Which character would you most invite to dinner?

Sarah:  Wyatt, from RUN TO YOU.  He's a laid back guy who loves to hang out on the beach.  He and my hubby would have a lot to talk about. ;c)

BK:  What is your favorite part about writing?

Sarah:  Being able to go anywhere and do anything. No matter what's going on in my (most often chaotic) life, I can lose myself in the pages and really experience the world I've created for my characters. It's like an instant vacation!

BK:  Did you find any particular challenges during the writing of this novel?

Sarah:  Only one:  I was pregnant and sick almost the entire time.  It's really, really hard to feel creative or excited about a story when you are literally throwing up several times a day.  Looking back, I want to kick myself.  Months in bed and all I managed to spit out was a 55k manuscript?  At first I think *slacker!* but then I remember I also created a human life, so maybe I did okay.

BK:  Yes that would put a damper on things.  Thank God, especially for us,  you got through it :).

BK:  Did you learn anything about yourself as a result of writing this novel?

Sarah:  I learned I could pull off writing suspense.  Once I realized it was my dream to write suspense, I immediately worried I wouldn't be able to pull it off.  Getting that first manuscript finished was amazing, and it gave me confidence to keep going in the genre.

BK:  Are you currently working on any projects?

Sarah:  Yes.  UNFORGIVEN is book one in a new suspense series.  At this point, no one knows the whole plot but me and I'm dying to dish with someone, but that would ruin the suspense.  Writing is a lonely world, indeed!  LOL.  When the story opens, my hero is pointing a gun at his former girlfriend and he's got compelling evidence that she just killed his brother.  Believe it or not, things go downhill from there.

BK:  Any advice for new aspiring authors?

Sarah:  Find a crit partner who will tell it like it is.  Writing is not a sport for the faint-hearted—you'll either hear about your weaknesses from a crit partner, or you'll hear about them from readers, en masse.  Your call.  ;c)

BK:  Excellent advice and very true.

BK:  Where can readers find you?

Website: http://www.sarahballance.com/
Blog:  http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/
GoodReads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103362.Sarah_Ballance
Facebook Friend:  http://www.facebook.com/author.sarah.ballance
Facebook Fan:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Ballance-author/125956520788499
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/SarahBallance

Thank you so much for being at the Round Table today.  It's been such a pleasure chatting with you and I wish you much success in the future.

Sarah:  Thank you so much for having me!  I see a lot of new faces, and it's great to get to know you all.

Sarah is kind enough to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a tee shirt with the cover of Run To You on it,  and that's one hot cover.  Simply leave a comment with your email addy so we have a way to get in touch with you.  

Extra Entries: (separate comment so it gets its own number)

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Visit Sarah's Website and Tell me one thing you loved
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Blurb:

Mattie James can't pinpoint exactly when she lost control of her life, but the moment she decided to take it back made the front page of the local paper. Desperate to dodge the fallout— and the tabloids—she jumps at the chance to spend an off-season week in a tiny resort community by the sea. Making the trip with her ex-lover is a complication she can live with; coming face to face with a dead woman is not.

The last thing Sheriff Wyatt Reed expected to find on the storm-ravaged beach was a beautiful blonde with a jealous sidekick, but one look at Mattie left him wanting more. Their first date takes an ominous turn when he gets the call that a woman was found murdered. With a killer on the loose and a troubling lack of suspects or motive, Wyatt has to put his feelings aside to focus on the case. But his vow not to become personally involved is shattered when he discovers Mattie's life is on the line, and this time the truth leaves her with a deadly choice . . . and nowhere to run.

Buy links:
EPUB, PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, & Microsoft Reader:  https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=214
Amazon Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003WKYEJI


Author Bio:

Sarah lives a charmed life as the mother of six incredible homeschooled children, all of whom are completely adorable when they're asleep. Her husband of many years (long, long years, he calls them) is the kind of guy who could teach those heroes from the books a thing or two about romance, not that he'd readily admit it. Completely supportive of her addiction for writing fiction, he's generously offered to help with any necessary research for "the good parts." She's never had to ask twice.

When Jack Gellar returns to Jefferson Heights after five long years and an unforgettable betrayal, is his appearance the last thing Molly Coleman needs in her tragedy-stricken life . . . or the first?

Molly just lost her entire family, and now her home and business are both on the line. An unexpected encounter with the one man who can put the pieces back together leaves her reeling, for he can just as easily destroy what little she has left. Jack has a lot to prove to win her back, but when a lapse in judgment turns into an ultimatum he can’t refuse, will his choice bring them together or tear them apart for good?


Until next time,