Happy St. Paddy’s Day to ya!

I’m beginning something a bit different on the blog. Author interviews. Each month, I’m going to introduce you to some talented authors you may or may not have had the pleasure of reading. Please comment if there are other things you’d enjoy reading in the blog or as part of my newsletter. I want these writings to serve your needs. And now, drum roll please…

Sara Davison ~ On the Edge Suspense

Sara has been seriously writing suspense and romantic suspense novels for fifteen years. Her first book, The Watcher, won the Word Alive Press publishing contest out of more than two hundred entries across North America and was published in 2011. Since then, she has put out eight traditionally published books with WhiteFire Press and Mountain Brook Ink.

In 2020, Sara released her first independently published novel, Lost Down Deep, which won the Carol Award for romantic suspense in 2021. Driven, the third novel in her Night Guardians Series with Mountain Brook Ink, won the Carol for romantic suspense in 2022. Almost all her novels have been finalists for major awards including a Selah (Lost Down Deep placed second in 2021 and Every Flower of the Field placed third in 2024), and Daphne du Maurier. Besides the two Carol Awards, Sara has won a Cascade Award and two Word Awards (the top literary awards in Canada for writers who are Christian) as well as the Holt Medallion Award in 2024 for The Color of Sky and Stone.

While often pushing boundaries and tackling edgy, gritty topics, she is committed to publishing books that are excellent and that contain strong but organically written Christian messages, something reviewers often comment on. Readers also appreciate the humor woven throughout, which provides relief from the intensity of the stories. Reviewers commonly mention that, while she doesn’t shy away from edgy, gritty topics, she handles difficult, complex issues with skill, sensitivity, and grace. Building that kind of trust with her readers is one of Sara’s top priorities. She prays over every story, that it will be a blessing to readers and that God will use it to have an impact on hearts and lives.

Sara’s next two releases are The Darkness Deepens coming this September and Sharp Like Glass which follows in October.

Interview:

What do you hope readers will take away from your book? Are there specific themes or messages that are close to your heart?

While every book I write has its own theme, the overarching theme of every story I write is that we are never alone. No matter what we have been through, what we might might have done or what has been done to us, God sees us, knows us, and has promised to never leave us or forsake us. I pray with every book of mine that goes out into the world that readers will take this truth, promise, and hope with them after the turn the final page.

Your characters feel so real. How do you go about creating and developing them? Are any based on people you know?

I have never intentionally based a character on someone I know. My husband sees himself in every hero I write, and maybe he is right about that 🙂 I don’t do a lot of thinking about my characters before I begin writing. I rarely know their backstory or their interests, sometimes not even the past wound or trauma that has shaped them, not even the type of person they are or their individual voice. All of that comes out during the process of writing. I’m not sure how, but somehow it does every single time. It’s more fun for me to allow the characters to gradually form and develop and show me who they are by the things they say or do and how they interact with others.

Can you share a bit about your writing process? Do you have any rituals or routines that help you stay creative?

I love the writing process and love even more the stage of editing a book once the initial draft is done. While it is equally exciting and terrifying, I do love releasing a book into the world and waiting to see how it will be received. Possibly the most rewarding aspect, though, and I hadn’t anticipated it when I first started out, was what an incredible joy and privilege it is to be part of the Christian writing community. This is such an encouraging, uplifting, amazing, God-honouring body of believers. We know we are not in competition with each other, that we are on the same “team” and that we write to glorify God. That frees us up to support each other at every turn and in every way possible. Many of my closest friends are part of this community and my life is so much richer because of it. I’m grateful every day to be part of it.

Find Sara on her website or Facebook. Sign up for her newsletter so as not to miss her newest titles, covers, and releases and download a free book.

Thanks for joining me. I so appreciate your reading my words. Until next time, les vayan con Dios. Go with God.