So, do you use a pen name/pseudo name? If so, why? If not, why did you decide to write under your own name?
No pen name, although the US Department of Homeland Security insisted on me entering the US under my maiden name, so I sign contracts as Sarah Edwards and write under my married name, Sarah Hegger. And both are legally mine!!!!
Scratching my head over that, but then the Department of Homeland Security does odd things, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Can you tell us how long you have been writing?
I’ve always written in some form or another, but seriously for about four years now.
And look how far you’ve come!
What’s one thing you absolutely can’t tolerate during your writing? One thing you can’t write without?
I can’t do noise when I write, no music and, definitely, no children chatting in my ear. The computer has the same effect on my children as the telephone – it reminds them they need to talk to me RIGHT NOW.
Me too. Complete silence.
What’s the funniest thing anyone has ever said to you about your writing? Or the unkindest? Or the oddest?
My mother would like to know when I’m going to write a ‘proper book’. And a recent review called my heroine, too stupid to live. My husbands got a real kick out of that one.
My aunties blush because of the “sex” in mine. My cousin told them my books are very, very tame compared to most out there.
Why did you choose to write in this genre? Have you ever written any other genre? Do you plan on doing so in the future?
I write historical and contemporary. I love the romanticism of historical fiction. I know the reality was a lot grimmer and smellier, but it still hooks me.
I also have my sights set on a new series with dragons and crystals in the fantasy realm.
Oooh, that sounds intriguing.
Is there any genre you won’t read? Write? Can you tell us why?
There’s nothing I won’t read. Write me a good story and I’ll read it happily. I tend not to read sweet or inspirational.
What historical figure do you wish you could have met?
Ooooh! So many.
Elizabeth I, because I want to ask her if she really was a virgin, I have my doubts. Mostly, because she was such a strong and clever lady.
And Ghandi, because he’s Ghandi and I’m hoping some of that serenity will wash over me.
Tell us one unusual, weird, or curious fact you discovered while researching this book.
Beatrice and Garrett travel to London, 1215, and I had to find out if the city was walled at that time or not. In the process I discovered that many parts of the original Roman wall not only existed then, but still exist today.
I’ve been to London twice and have seen some of the original Roman Wall.
What are you most proud of about your writing?
Getting published is a huge milestone and I recently signed the contract for my sixth book, but what really makes me proud is that I stuck at it. I got knocked down, but I got up again …I wanted to show my girls what it meant to persevere,
How do you respond to negative reviews?
Everybody is entitled to their opinion. You put a book out in the public arena, there are always going to be opinions. I try and remember that the positive reviews should take up as much of my headspace as the negative ones.
Do you have a favorite quote?
Do. Or do not. There is no try. – Yoda
Tell us something unusual, quirky, or odd about yourself.
If I could get away with it, I would walk around in ball gowns all day.
Okay, now for the quickie questions: Answer in three words or less. Ready? Go!
Favorite Disney Character? Aladdin
Favorite Fruit? Cherries
Favorite Hero? Spiderman
Favorite Eye Color? Green
Best Vacation Destination? Greece or Bahamas
Food you can’t stand? Fish
What annoys you? Discourtesy
Coffee, tea, or something else? Coffee
Nightgown or Jammies? Jammies
Prefer dogs or cats? Dogs
A bit about Sarah:
Mimicking her globe trotting adventures, Sarah’s career path began as a gainfully employed actress, drifted into public relations, settled a moment in advertising, and eventually took root in the fertile soil of her first love, writing. She also moonlights as a wife and mother.
She currently lives in Draper, Utah, with her teenage daughters, two Golden Retrievers and aforementioned husband. Part footloose buccaneer, part quixotic observer of life, Sarah’s restless heart is most content when reading or writing books.
Sweet Bea
Is anything sweeter than revenge?
In a family of remarkable people, ordinary Beatrice strives to prove herself worthy. When her family is threatened with losing everything, she rushes to London to save them.
Unfortunately, she chooses as her savior the very man who will see her family brought low.
Garrett has sworn vengeance on Sir Arthur of Anglesea for destroying his life when he was a boy and forcing his mother into prostitution for them to survive. He has chosen as his instrument Sir Arthur’s youngest daughter, Beatrice.
Can Beatrice’s goodness teach Garrett that love, not vengeance, is the greatest reward of all?
Enjoy an excerpt from Sweet Bea
Time to be wooed. Wooed with honeyed words and sweeter touches. Delightful tingles spread to Beatrice’s fingertips, rushed back again, and pooled in her stomach.
Spring filled the air with scents of new grass and wildflowers. The sun beamed from a cloudless arc of blue above her. Birdsong serenaded her, as cornflowers merrily bobbed beside the path. Even the insects buzzed encouragement. Only one thing was missing.
Garrett.
She dare not tarry much longer. Someone from the keep would soon come looking for her. Beatrice shifted her basket to the other arm and investigated a patch of what might be vervain. From the keep, anyone would see her picking wildflowers. Just as she intended.
A footpath disappeared between the dense green beech thickets. It crossed a small stream before meandering through the trees and down to the village below. Was he still down in the village? She tried to picture what he’d be doing. Working at the forge, perhaps?
She gave up on the plant and straightened. She wouldn’t know vervain from, well, anything. Opposite the village, a path shot straight as an arrow through the meadow toward the castle. For certain, Garrett wouldn’t come from that direction. Perhaps he wasn’t coming at all. He’d made her no promises. There was no understanding between them. But, she dearly hoped all the same.
Hoping, however, didn’t make him appear. The sun blazed down harsh on her face and she’d freckle. “Wish, wish, planted a feather and wished a bird would grow.” Nurse’s voice sang in her head.
It was nonsense, pure and simple. Nonsense, like lingering alone on a path, pretending to pick wildflowers, whilst waiting for a man she barely knew to appear. A man with dark and mysterious eyes that whispered of secret places and forbidden pleasures. She was a goose. When she pictured the scene in her mind, it went thus. A beautiful maiden, garbed in her finest blue samite, engrossed in the gentle occupation of picking flowers by the roadside. The sun gleamed off her flaxen hair and brought roses to her alabaster cheek. Her slender form, bent like a reed to her feminine labors…
Roses be damned, she was sweating beneath her silk. It would leave stains on the fabric. She’d never hear the end of it from Nurse.
A soft whistle jolted her.
Her heart leapt.
There he stood, by the thicket. Smiling to warm her from the inside, one shoulder propped against a tree, arms folded across his broad chest.
Here’s how you can contact Sarah
She loves to hear from readers and you can find her at any of the places below.
Thanks again, Sarah, for joining me here today!
Buy links:
Available for Preorder now on Amazon
