Sandra Robbins: Following a Dream to Write

On Tuesday, Sandra Robbins dropped by to talk about making choices. Today, she shares how she's living her dream.

When I was a child, I had many ideas of what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was almost like I was planning the path my life would travel. First and foremost I wanted to be a wife and mother. Next I wanted to be a teacher. Then I wanted to write a book.  All were worthy goals.

            

The first two happened right on schedule. I married a wonderful man, we were blessed with four healthy children, and I taught in an elementary school. As my children got older, I thought now is the time to write that book I’ve always dreamed about, but another detour blocked my path. By this time I had risen through the teaching ranks and had become principal at a school. Between work and family responsibilities I had little time for pursuing anything else.

            

Time passed, but my dream didn’t die. One night in 2004 some unknown force guided me to my computer, and I began to write. I knew nothing about the craft of writing, but the words filled the pages night after night. That’s when the reality of what was happening to me set in—I had become a writer. I had never spoken to another writer. In fact I didn’t even know one. The only experience I’d had with writing was a course in writing fiction I’d taken in college. That had hardly prepared me for jumping into the publishing world.

            

By 2005 I realized if I was to write a book somebody might actually read some day, I needed help. I turned to the internet and stumbled on an organization called American Christian Romance Writers. It didn’t cost much to join, and so I did. I soaked up every post on the loop and began to get an idea of what I needed. One was to join a critique group which I did. Through ACRW (soon to become ACFW) I was randomly placed with a group of beginning writers, and we worked together over the internet. I was thrilled with my entrance into the writing world, but every morning I still went to my day job.

            

By the summer of 2006 I had gained a lot of confidence. I had attended several conferences and workshops, and my critique partners were helping me grow as a writer. Since two of them lived in Texas, we decided to meet at my daughter’s house in San Antonio for our first face to face meeting. The night before their arrival I had a heart attack while visiting the River Walk and was rushed to a hospital where an amazing cardiologist saved my life. The next day for the first time I met Janelle Mowery and Lisa Ludwig, my critique partners, when they arrived at the hospital to visit me. In the fall we attended the ACFW conference in Nashville, and I met the woman who would become my first editor.

            

I knew God had given me one more chance to follow my dream to write, and I resigned my job at the end of that year to pursue writing full time. God has blessed me greatly as I’ve followed His guiding on this wonderful journey. My books have been honored as finalists in the Daphe du Maurier Contest for excellence in writing mystery, the

Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for writing romance, the ACFW Carol Awards, and as a merit recipient in the Holt Medallion. Recently Angel of the Cove, the first book in my Smoky Mountain Dreams series won the Single Title Inspirational Category in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. This is given by the Birmingham Southern Magic Chapter of RWA in honor of multi-published author Gayle Wilson.

          

At times I still shake my head in disbelief at how everything has worked out. When I complete the three book contract I'm working on now, I will have published eighteen books. I never dreamed what was about to happen when I sat down at that computer one night and began to write some thoughts down about a story rolling around in my head. Now those ideas come all the time.

            
So when someone asks me how long I’ve wanted to be a writer, I can honestly say, “As long as I can remember.” It took a while for me to step out on faith and begin the work required to add author to my accomplishments, but I’m so glad I did. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. 

Sandra Robbins lives with her husband in Tennessee. In April 2013 Summerside released A Lady’s Choice, which chronicles the plight of suffragists who picketed the White House to gain the vote for women.

Stop by tomorrow for a chance to win a free copy!

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Choices by Author Sandra Robbins

Sometimes I wonder if I was born with a book in my hand. I’m sure my mother would have told me if that had been the case because she was also an avid reader and fostered her love for the written word in me. By the time I was in college, I was reading across a broad spectrum and finding out I loved many different genres. My favorites were mystery/suspense and historical romance. So when I decided to follow my dream and enter the world of writing, I found I couldn’t choose which genre to write. I decided to pursue both, and I’ve discovered it was the right choice for me. 

In the last two months I’ve had two historical romances to release. One is Mountain Homecoming, the second in my Smoky Mountain Dreams Series, and A Lady’s Choice, a release in Summerside’s new American Tapestries line.  

In my latest book, A Lady’s Choice, the heroine Sarah Whittaker has to decide which path she should travel. Should she marry the man she loves or follow her dream of helping win women the right to vote? Her journey takes her from a small, rural Tennessee community to Washington, DC where she joins suffragists at the White House gates. The Silent Sentinels as they are called because they refuse to answer the insults hurled at them by the crowds are arrested for blocking sidewalk traffic and sentenced to Occaquan Workhouse. Behind prison walls, they suffer all kinds of abuse as they refuse to waver in their commitment. 

Although Sarah Whittaker is a fictional character, the events described in the book are historically accurate and depict what many women suffered to give their daughters, granddaughters, and generations to come the right to vote. Those women made a choice to stand against injustice, and women today have the privilege of casting their votes. 

Because of what they endured, the suffrage movement became one of the hottest political issues of the day, and by the summer of 1920 thirty-five states of the needed thirty-six had ratified the 19^th amendment which would give women the right to vote. Of those states yet to vote, Tennessee seemed the only one where victory might be achieved. However, the Tennessee House of Representatives was evenly divided on the issue. 

When the roll call began, supporters in attendance realized something unexpected had happened. Harry Burn, who had staunchly supported the defeat of the amendment, had voted aye, and the motion passed by one vote. When reporters asked Harry why he changed his vote, he said his mother had written him and told him to vote for ratification. He ended by saying a boy should always do what his mother said. He made the right choice. 

Writing A Lady’s Choice, the fictional story of one young woman’s journey in the suffrage movement, has made me more thankful for my right to vote. It’s also made me proud to be a Tennessean where the last battle was fought and very thankful for a mother who urged her son to do what was right. 

It is my prayer that we will never take that right for granted and that we will impress upon our daughters to make their choices known by voting on election day. 

Sandra Robbins, former teacher and principal, is an award winning multi-published author of Christian fiction who lives with her husband in Tennessee. Angel of the Cove, her first book in the Harvest House Publishers historical romance series Smoky Mountain Dreams, released in August, 2012, and was recently named the 2013 winner in the Single Title Inspirational Category of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. In April 2013 Summerside released A Lady’s Choice which chronicles the plight of suffragists who picketed the White House to gain the vote for women. 

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Historical Romance Book Review: Angel of the Cove

About the Book

"Before Anna Prentiss can start nursing school in New York, her brother sends her to Cades Cove, deep in the Smoky Mountains, to spend a summer apprenticing to the local midwife. Anna is determined to prove herself and then head to the big city. But nothing could have prepared Anna for the beauty of the Cove, the community and friendships she finds there, or the feelings Simon Martin, the handsome young minister, arouses in her. Has God’s plan for Anna changed? Or is she just starting to hear Him clearly?"

Amber's Review

For a sweet summer setting, Cades Cove is the place to visit! Tucked away into the Smoky Mountains (a setting reminiscent of Christy by Catherine Marshall), Cades Cove is a delightful retreat with a dear community and lovely, rustic scenery.

Anna Prentiss' experiences as an apprentice to the well-beloved midwife of the Cove, Granny, are informative, suspenseful, and uplifting. The "summer-lovin'" drama feels a bit over-exaggerated at times, but overall the romance is enjoyable to read about. And the tidbits of wisdom from the kind and generous Granny, as well as the lessons on friendship and understanding, round out the story in a meaningful way.

While perhaps not extremely original (after all, Christy fans will find the setting, the pastor-love-interest, the attitudes of the Cove residents, and the strong female mentor to be nothing new), Robbins' story has its own charm. The details regarding midwifery are interesting, and Anna's challenges as a newcomer to the Cove are unique.

*With thanks to the author and Harvest House for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Note: This review was posted previously on Seasons of Humility.

About the Author

"Sandra Robbins is a multi-published author who lives with her husband in the small Tennessee college town where she grew up. At present she has eleven books published and six more contracted. Her books have been finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Contest for excellence in mystery writing, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for romance, the Holt Medallion, and the ACFW Carol Award. In Barbour’s 18th Annual Heartsong Awards for 2010, Sandra was one of five authors voted by readers as favorite new authors, and The Columns of Cottonwood which went on to be a finalist in the ACFW Carol Award was voted by readers as one of ten favorite historical romances of the year. Angel of the Cove, her first book in the Harvest House historical romance series Smoky Mountain Dreams, releases in August, 2012. It will be followed by Mountain Homecoming and Mountain Laurel Promises in 2013.
 

You can find out more about Sandra and follow her blog at her website http://sandrarobbins.net/"

Book Trailer

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Research Adds Authenticity by Sandra Robbins

Every author dreams of opening a box that’s just been delivered to her house and finding the first copies of her new book inside. The joy that comes from holding the finished product of long hours of work can be overwhelming. But no one wants the nightmare of receiving an irate letter from a reader stating displeasure over the fact that something in the book is incorrect. No one is perfect, and we all make mistakes, but there is a way to cut down on the possibility of that happening. The answer lies in one little word—research.

Although research can be tedious and time consuming, taking the time to make the story authentic will be worth it in the long run. Research can take many forms. The internet gives us access to the world, and we don’t have to leave home to visit foreign settings or find out about customs in other places. Libraries contain books that are great sources of information, and librarians are always eager to help a writer. Also you’ll find individuals in your hometown with expertise in areas that you may need help. Most people are delighted to help, especially if you tell them they will be thanked in print for helping make the book possible.  

In my latest book Angel of the Cove, I have a scene where a mountain midwife is delivering a breech baby. This scene proved very emotional for me to write. Women today in childbirth have all the advantages of modern medicine to assist them. In 1894 that wasn’t true in a remote cabin in the middle of the Smoky Mountains.  Although I’d searched the internet and felt I’d described the process accurately, I ran my scene by a local obstetrician, and he informed me I was correct.  

One tool that I discovered not long ago is YouTube. Recently I was going to write a chapter that dealt with a group taking a hike up a mountain. Not being an outdoorsman, I had no desire to go hike that mountain myself. However, lots of other folks have done it in the past, and some of those nice people made videos and posted them on YouTube. I’m thankful I found this resource. 

Angel of the Cove from Harvest House Publishers is the first of three books in my Smoky Mountain Dreams series,a generational series that follows a fictional family who lived in Cades Cove, Tennessee, a remote valley in the Smoky Mountains. Approximately 2,000,000 people  visit Cades Coves each year to see the preserved cabins, churches, and barns that show what life was like before the residents were forced to sell their farms to the government for inclusion in the park. I realized the setting and the way of life there had to be accurate, and I have spent untold hours researching the area. I pray I’ve done those hardy mountain people justice.

Whether you’re researching a period in history or police procedurals, the author must make every effort to give the reader accurate facts. Not being able to find something can certainly lead to madness, but it can become a sense of accomplishment when you can prove a point because you took the time to do your research. 

Sandra Robbins is a multi-published author who lives with her husband in the small Tennessee college town where she grew up. At present she has eleven books published and six more contracted. Her books have been finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Contest for excellence in mystery writing, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for romance, the Holt Medallion, and the ACFW Carol Award. I

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Write it Right: The Importance of Research by Sandra Robbins

One of things that appeals to me most about writing is the research that goes into my books. If the setting is fictional, then I have the opportunity to dream up any kind of community I want, but that’s not the case if I’m writing about a city or town people know well. It then becomes very important to have your facts right. 

The internet age has put writers at an advantage that our predecessors didn’t have. I often wonder how many hours an author had to spend in a library years ago as they searched for information about a place they wanted to include in their book but had no way of traveling there. Today a writer can sit in the comfort of his/ her bedroom and visit sites around the world. Technology has made the lives of writers better, but there is still no substitute for going on the road and visiting the places you want to write about.

If you've followed my romantic suspense Ocracoke Island Series, you know that Dangerous Reunion released in July 2011 and Shattered Identity released in February of this year. The third book Fatal Disclosure released the first of May. These three books came about because of a trip I took to Ocracoke Island, a barrier island twenty-five miles off the coast of North Carolina. The island served as the headquarters for Blackbeard the Pirate in the 18^th century, and he met his death offshore there in 1718. The cover for Fatal Disclosure is a view of Teach’s Hole, the body of water where Blackbeard died. 

The ferry ride to this thirteen-mile strip of land is two and a half hours, but it has become a favorite vacation spot for thousands of people. With its pristine beaches, its historic lighthouse that still operates, and a British cemetery that serves as the last resting place for British sailors whose ship was torpedoed by a German submarine off its shores during World War II, it became the perfect setting for my three books. 

As I wrote the three books, I felt like I was back on the island. I remembered the sea gulls hanging around the marina as they waited for a scrap from the day’s fishing trips, I visualized families riding bicycles through the two lane street that winds through the only village on the island, and I felt the salt air breezes that made the sea oats wave on top of the sand dunes. 

Now that the series is complete, my journey has come to an end. I’ve said goodbye to the fictional Michaels family who made the island their home, and I can only hope I’ve given enjoyment to readers who have followed the adventures I dreamed up while visiting a place that will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Sandra Robbins is a multi-published author who lives with her husband in the small Tennessee college town where she grew up. At present she has eleven books published and six more contracted. Her books have been finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Contest for excellence in mystery writing, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for romance, the Holt Medallion, and the ACFW Carol Award.

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