A Heart On Hold By Sara Barnard

Today we are talking with author Sara Barnard. Welcome Sara!

So your newest release is A Heart On Hold.

Please tell us a little about this book. Charlotte’s lips only took a moment to find those belonging to her beloved. He tasted faintly of molasses and she was immediately drawn into the warmth of his embrace. Their bodies were perfectly pressed together, fitting as though one had been divinely made for the other, as Sanderson’s kisses trailed from Charlotte’s lips down her neck. Her hands found his softly stubbled face and guided him back to her lips. With his strong arms around her, she’d never felt more safe. Or more vulnerable. War. Devotion. Deceit. Death. How long can a heart hold on before it breaks? Most women would carry on with their lives after being thrust into widowhood, but not Charlotte Adamsland. Upon learning that her husband, Captain Sanderson Redding, was killed in a botched escape from a Confederate prison in Illinois, she clings to his promise to return to her no matter what, and quickly heads north through a war-ravaged country with only her faith in God and her beloved horse to bring her beloved Sanderson home – one way or another. WOW! This certainly makes me want to read more! Where can we get it? www.5princebooks.com/buy.htm So just a few questions for our readers to get to know you more. What is your favorite thing about being a writer? I have enjoyed creating stories since I was a little girl, playing with my dogs in the backyard. I remember all through school, I wanted to be a forest ranger ... we would take our aptitude tests and I would answer all of the questions so that it would point to "outdoors career" but whenever it came to talking about the classes about making that happen, it was all science-related, which made me kind of turn up my nose. I kept writing all the while, winning a contest here, being published in the school paper there. It wasn't until my husband deployed to Afghanistan and I had three little kiddos at home that I seriously put pen to paper. Once I started writing, I felt that all of the chaos that came with my every day life kind of made sense out of itself once I got it down on paper (or typed into a Word document). I began my novel, A HEART ON HOLD, at that point and a mess of other short stories and kid's stories. Now, I finally feel at peace! What genre(s) do you write? Children's Nonfiction, Adult Historical Romance, and Children's Fiction. What was the hardest part of writing your book? I faced many challenges writing A Heart on Hold (Book One of An Everlasting Heart series). First of all, Dear Hubby was deployed so that was an emotional roller coaster in itself. Secondly, I underwent surgery for a malfunctioning thyroid gland soon after beginning work on it. Then, I kept writing through my husband's homecoming, a cross country move, the buying of a first house, epic PTSD-related breakdowns, the birth of baby number four, and another cross country move to our present duty station in the historic Oklahoma hills. Then came the three rewrites! Are you a plotter or a pantser? A pantster in fiction, all the way! I love writing the stories because the characters take on a life unto themselves and I am living and experiencing the adventures and adversities they face right along with them! I am plotted in nonfiction. Why do you think people should choose your books over another author? They shouldn't. They should choose my books AND the other authors!! What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories? Life experience, a feeling of hope, and happily ever after. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Perseverance, faith, trust. Oh yeah, and above all, LOVE. Love for Him and for him! Are any of your characters based on real people or events? Yes. In my children's story "The Big Bad Wolf Really Isn't So Big and Bad", the narrator, Cocoa, is based on my late wolf-hybrid of the same name. In A Heart on Hold, Sanderson is based on two people: Captain E.A. Adams of the Confederate Army who really died in Alton Confederate Prison, after lasting longer than most of his comrades, three days before the war ended; and my sweet husband. Cotton is based on my eldest son, while the three children Charlotte has to rescue is based loosely on the rest of my children. Minerva is based on my best friend, Rochelle, while in Charlotte, I tried to show a little of myself. In all honesty, Jackson is based on Jackson Rathbone's character in Twilight. What else would you like readers to know about you or your work? I am a metal head. At work, I received a call from the management representing some eighties hair metal bands who want to write books about their lives. When the management official told me their names, I squealed like a groupie. Sheesh. What books or authors have most influenced your life? Ann Swann, because she is my mother and her writing has captivated me since I was small. Stephen King. I don't read horror (mostly because I read the newspaper and that is horrific enough), but my mom's collection of his works surrounded me as a child. I remember looking at the book covers and the way they smelled and looked on the bookshelves in our southwestern-decored home ... and that will always be home to me. Larry McMurtry and Lucia St. Clair Robson, for obvious reasons. How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general? Everyone is very supportive, particularly my sweet mama. While I believe her writing blows mine out of the proverbial water, she insists we simply have different writing voices. Well it has been great to visit with you! How can people get in touch with you? www.sarathreesuns.blogspot.com www.sarabarnardbooks.com sarathreesuns@gmail.com facebook.com/sara.barnard6 facebook.com/sarabarnardbooks