Interview With an Author
Sandra Brewster
Do you have any pen names?
No
Tell us about where are you from?
Currently, I live in Chilliwack, BC. It’s where corn comes from and is about an hour east of Vancouver. I grew up in Squamish, BC which is the stop light between Vancouver and Whistler. I married my husband while there and we moved regularly. We spent 5 years in Northern BC with 24 hour daylight in the summer and 4 hour daylight in the winter. We then spent years all over Ontario.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I work in a Walmart pharmacy. For fun and recreation, we plan trips, go for walks, hikes, garden, read and have almost finished renovating our house.
When did you start writing stories?
The first story I remember putting on paper was in Grade 8 or so. It was about a bank robber who escaped on a plane. I’ve had stories running through my mind for as long as I can remember. I wrote my first manuscript in 1990. We had moved to Ontario, and I was so homesick. The story in my head started to keep me up at night and I wrote it down so I could purge those thoughts and I could sleep. Work, babies and life got in the way and I stopped for a few years. Then my mom had a stroke. All she could do was read and she very quickly read through the library in their small town. I then opened the part of my mind again and allowed the stories to flow to entertain her.
What or who inspired you to write stories?
I don’t know. I’ve said often that I’m just the keeper of the hands that type. Where the ideas come from? How the puzzle fits together? I don’t know, I just type and let the story form. I learned early on not to delete anything until the entire story is finished, you never know what fact is going to be important.
What is your favourite genre to write and why?
I would say it’s Romance, but to be honest, I don’t like that label. It brings up a vision of Harlequin Romances and bad Christmas movies. People trying to hide from their feelings and avoiding the one they care about ‘in case they find out.’ Most of what I write is a couple fighting to stay together and dealing with the problems the world deals them.
What is your favourite genre to read?
I like to read Women’s Fiction and Suspense.
Who is your favorite Author and why?
From years ago, LaVyrle Spencer, I love her writing. Nora Roberts has a varied style and I like a lot of her books. Blood Brothers and my current favorite is Under Currents. Danielle Steel and a lot of Daniel Kalla’s work.
What was the first story you ever wrote?
I don’t think it even had a title. It was about a bank robber who escaped on a plane. My first full-length novel finished is IN HONOR OF HIM. My first full-length novel started is Nobody Needs to Know.
What happened to it? Did you save it or trash it, and why?
The bank robber was trashed. I gave it to a teacher to read and was told it was too predictable. The two novels are on tap to be self-published.
Are there any sub-genres that you would considering pairing together?
I would love to be able to write suspense and crime stories. A personal touch of a couple fighting together is what I love.
Do you have more fun writing the scenes, or creating the characters?
I like dialogue the best. I get to say all the things that I wish I’d said when I was having the conversation.
You’re an Indie Author, so tell us, why go Indie? Why choose to self publish?
I’m not interested in fighting to become a best-selling author. I don’t want to be pushed to sell, sell, sell. My whole point in getting my books published was to hold them in my hands with a beautiful cover. That they’ve been well received and people love them is icing on the cake.
Tell us how you work. From pen and paper, to your fingers dancing across the keys, do you find yourself cozy and warm with a cup of tea and a blazing fire? Or do you hide in your dungeon, slaving away on your latest masterpiece; the words of wisdom flowing from your fingers as the story is born? Tell us how you write?
Music! There must be music. When I wrote full time, my kids were in school. I would write while they were in school. Spend the evening with them and then write till the early hours of the morning. I mostly typed all day. First thing the next morning, I would print out what I had written the day before and would make hand-written notes on it. Many a time, I would write a paragraph or thought which was further along in the story and then spent the rest of the day trying to catch up to what I’d written. In my novel, No Matter What, I wrote the ending first.
Social Media Links
Author Website
Reviews:
Shattered Badge Shattered Trust
So finally sat down to read the book tonight and yeah it’s now 3:33am!! I absolutely loved it! The story made me laugh, feel anger and cry! The author definitely has the gift of a story teller ? Her writing has a good amount of wit and sarcasm to it as well which I love in a story! I love the attention to detail and can tell she did her research for the backgrounds and jobs for Jill and Logan. This is great at helping develop depth to the characters and helping me feel like I really know them and be able to sympathize with them. I thoroughly enjoyed those 4 hours lost in her imagination and I give it 5 stars!! ??????????
****
This book captured me as I read through the chapters. There was always something going on and then the least expected occurred. So many emotions were encountered including bringing tears to my eyes. Well done Sandra Brewster this is a wonderful read.
****
Absolutely loved this book. I immediately fell in love with the characters and couldn’t put the book down til it was done. The writing is fantastic. I felt like I was there with Logan and Jillian through it all. An absolute must read. 5 out of 5 stars from me ? ? ? ? ?
****
Sometimes I don’t finish mystery novels because I get bored with them. This author however, blended mystery and romance in a way that kept my attention throughout. It was difficult to put it down at night. You may lose some sleep when you read this book.
****
Well written with a great ending. Showed lots of insite into the sometime failed law enforcement procedures. Sandra should be compared with Sandra Brown.
It’s Only a Name
I honestly cannot put this book down, I’m halfway through and so far, there has been so much that hits so close to home. I understand Devon, I understand why she feels and thinks the way she does. She has become a friend of mine and I find myself rooting for her!
****
I encourage everyone I know to read this book, I promise, you won’t regret it. You’ll be finding yourself thinking about it, thinking about Devon, about Jarrett, anxious to find the time to read more.
****
It is amazing! So accurate. I loved it! Not living it but revisiting the how and why. An absolute must read, either cautionary or for recovery.
****
I absolutely love it! I know I’ll be so sad when I’m finished. You’ve truly outdone yourself with this one, I can’t wait to start the next!
****
Author Bio
Most children have imaginary friends. I was no different. I spent hours in my room telling myself stories and creating lives for my “friends”. Where most people grow out of this stage, as I grew older, the lives I’d created became more intense as I understood more of the world.
As an adult, letting my mind wander as I tried to fall asleep began to keep me awake as I tried to keep all my stories straight, and the only way to sleep was to purge my mind of the characters by writing it down.
My mother had a stroke and once home from the hospital, the only way she could entertain herself was by reading. She very quickly read through the library in the little town she lived in, so I told her to give me some time. Typing as fast as I could, I turned my scraps of paper and stories into six novels to send to her so she had something to read.
I have since written a seventh and have three more in various stages of completion.
On the personal side, I work OTC at a Walmart pharmacy and am the wife of a retired RCMP Constable. We live in Chilliwack, BC and have two grown children.
