Author 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.
What inspires you to write?
The beauty of this life God has given us is a lot of inspiration. We spent 30 years enjoying Colorado. Now we are enjoying Texas and looking forward to new adventures. That's what I love to write about, to share with others that we can find adventure anywhere.
Tell us about your writing process.
I'm a S.O.P. writer. So far. I'm now using Scrivener and hope to get a bit more organized in my thoughts with the hope of getting a book done faster. We'll see how that works out. My first book was sort of a dream fulfilled in fiction. My hubby and I always thought it would be fun to run a guest ranch like my book Red Gold. I loved imagining all the things that could go wrong in the mountains to provide more intrigue for the mystery that unfolds.
For Rescue Me, that one came from experiences when my hubby was a volunteer firefighter and rescue squad member. He helped me brainstorm a lot of the scenes. Living in Colorado, the various news stories of events like rockslides, wildlife encounters, fires, that fed the story as well. Not to mention my own experiences. I got chased by a bull elk during the rut in my own yard one time. Thankfully, there was a tall fence between us and I can run really fast when the need be. And when a 5 x 6 elk is chasing you down, that is motivation in the extreme!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I've argued with them. I want them to do one thing, then next thing I know they are telling me they aren't going to do that. I find myself writing things I hadn't thought of, so I know when the characters take the lead. It's weird. But I love when that happens.
I also tend to do a lot of hand and body motions while writing scenes to get the wording right of what they are doing.
Who are your favorite authors?
Tracie Peterson is #1. She's my writing hero. She's authored over 100 books. Amazing career. I was stunned when she agreed to endorse Rescue Me. That was a true treasure to hear her kind words.
I also love Lori Wick books. She was one of the first Christian fiction authors I knew about. Love her stories.
Then there's Jen Turano for some clever fun, Janice Hanna Thompson for fantastic humor, Colleen Coble and Dani Pettrey for suspense, James Scott Bell, JoAnn Durgin, Mary Connealy…there's so many. I basically read anything these folks write. ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) has some incredibly talented authors. And Fictionfinders.com helps me find even more.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I tried the route of being published through the big name houses. I met their editors at conferences. But when you are a newbie writer, it's a long shot to get in there. I understand why they don't always want to take a chance on the unknown, but it makes it a real challenge. When I discovered Pelican Book Group and met with an editor at an ACFW conference, I felt hope and encouragement. The owner, Nicola, was willing to help me learn through her edits FOUR times before I received a contract. It was invaluable to be taken under her wing like that. They may be a smaller publishing house, but the company is growing and producing such amazing quality. I found a home with PBG.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it will always have its ups and downs. Ebooks were so popular in the beginning for the convenience, the price, the availability, but more and more people are getting vocal about how they still prefer a real book. To hold it, smell it and see the beautiful covers. Books don't need batteries. There's something to be said for things that aren't electronic. We are drowning in electronics all day for our jobs, our fun, our cars, our everything. To sit down and open a real book and enter that world is priceless and won't ever die.
What genres do you write?
I love adventures whether that is in a mystery or romance.
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Sandy Nadeau Home Page Link
Follow Sandy Nadeau On Amazon
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All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
