Interview with Romantic Suspense Author Sarah Ballance

Please welcome romantic suspense author Sarah Ballance to Book of Secrets! Sarah is here to answer some interview questions and to talk about her latest release RUN TO YOU.  Hi, Sarah!

Describe yourself in six words or less.

Not as innocent as I look.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Not until after my first book released in June of 2010.  I wrote that story on a dare to myself and only submitted it for kicks after my crit partner strongly encouraged that I do so.  (Okay, she harassed me.  Totally.)  I was stunned when the contract arrived and I remained in a fog of denial that didn't begin to lift until after that buy link went live on release day.

Please share some juicy details about your latest release RUN TO YOU.

Talk about a vacation gone wrong!  Mattie takes off with her best guy pal Hutch to get away from a personal scandal and subsequently walks right into the target of a killer.  She's got her eyes on the local sheriff for a fling to forget about what's brewing at home, but Sheriff Wyatt Reed has his own set of secrets.  The truth is one none of them saw coming.

What was one of the most interesting things you learned in researching your book?

This one didn't require any research – just the occasional moment with Google – but I did learn that I have the ability to get REALLY freaked out when I'm in the middle of a scary part.  This is especially true as I've been staying up late to work, and not so much a problem when I get up early in the morning to write.

What is your favorite part of writing Romantic Suspense?

I like toying with my characters.  Weaving clues in the plot, trying to point readers in multiple directions at once to keep them guessing, and building to the climatic end – the combination is like a drug for me.  And developing a relationship between the characters in the midst of it all?  Oh, what sexual tension danger brings to romance!

Do you have a special formula for creating characters’ names?

Not at all.  I take the idea forming in my head as to who my character is and hit the baby name websites with it, LOL.  I try to match the character's personality and the mood of the story, and after that it's just whatever name I'm in the mood for.  Eventually, one will stick.

What does romance mean to you?

When I think of romance, my first thoughts are of my husband.  He's not the kind of guy to show up with a dozen roses, but that's because he knows daisies are my faves (and I prefer them plucked from our garden rather than from a florist).  We seldom go out on a "real" date, but he will totally pawn the kids off on my mom for an evening so we can grill steaks and shoot pool at home in peace. He'll take all six of our kids somewhere just so I can sit at home alone and write.  In those ways and so many more, he finds a way to show me every day that he's thinking of me.  There's no greater romance for me than that.

What are your guilty pleasures in life?

 Writing is my greatest guilty pleasure because it does take so much time from my family.  I'm a stay-at-home-mom and we homeschool so you can just imagine the amount of activity around here at a given moment.  Writing gives me a much needed break from that, but it's not my only guilty pleasure.  I'm also a little partial to a threesome with Ben & Jerry … my favorite flavor is Half Baked. ;c)

What can readers expect next from you?

Suspense, suspense, and more suspense!  I'm working on a new romantic, er, suspense series.  The working title of the first book is UNFORGIVEN and I'm hoping to get that one off to the submissions department within the next month.

Where can readers find you on the web?

Buy links:

PDF, EPUB, HTML, MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader:  https://www.nobleromance.com/Authors/97

Amazon Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003WKYEJI

Author links:

Website:  http://www.sarahballance.com/

Blog:  http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/author.sarah.ballance

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/SarahBallance

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103362.Sarah_Ballance

About the Book:

RUN TO YOU

By Sarah Ballance

Format: eBook

Length: 153 pages

Publisher: Noble Romance

Release Date: December 13, 2010

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.