Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back Sandra Ardoin

Talkshow Thursday: 

Welcome Back, Sandra Ardoin!

I'm pleased to have Sandra back to my blog. She writes fantastic stories and has a new release.

How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?

Including A Lady Divided, my newest, my book list consists of six novellas and eight novels.

I don’t like to play favorites, but for me, I think my favorite would be A Lady Divided. I wrote this story over a decade ago, entered it into a couple of contests where it became a finalist, and put it on the shelf until I felt the time was right to release it . . . which is now. 😊

I absolutely adore Laurel. She’s loyal, responsible, stubborn, independent. In other words, she complicated.

What does your writing space look like?

When my daughter moved out, I moved my office into her bedroom. Immediately. I painted and added new sheers, decorated a wall with a wall quote that reads: Life is a book unwritten . . . only you hold the pen. It seemed appropriate.

My desk sits in a corner facing the wall, so I can see out a window—if I stretch my neck. I have our old (emphasis on old) microwave to heat my coffee—over and over, because I let it grow cold as I work. The room also contains a dresser that was an antique before my mom bought it for my room when I was very young. I keep copies of my print books in the drawers. I never use the yoga mat on the floor for yoga, but I do use it for general stretching and pacing.

Can you share a real life event that inspired your writing?

With A Lady Divided, the story came from a scene that popped into my head and wouldn’t leave me.

Once I decided on the backstory, I came across a book of letters from a woman who disguised herself as a man to take advantage of the conscription money for Civil War soldiers. While Lauren’s story is different, this woman’s story was inspiring. And that’s all I’ll say. 😊

How did publishing your first book change your writing?

For one thing, it made me take the business of writing more seriously. Expenses increased with marketing, having a website, on and on.

It also cut into my actual writing time. Before I could just write and take as long as I wanted to finish a book. Afterward, I dealt (and still do) with deadlines and marketing and the other various tasks that come with being an “author.”

How do you develop your characters? (e.g. decide on their vocation, names, etc.)?

This question is making me think. So often, they pop into my head partially dressed, meaning they already have a name (at least a first name) or occupation or story/personal problem. I like to take secondary characters in one story and give them their own book, and sometimes I’ve given those characters a job or name suitable to that first book, so I’m kind of stuck going forward. Although, if I think they’ll become a hero/heroine in their own book, I’m more particular about the name.

In the case of first books, I’m definitely more particular. For instance, in A Horseman’s Mission, I knew before I developed the full story that Lane Becker was a man who raised and sold horses. Fun facts: His first name began as Caleb Becker and the story was to be the first book in a series. When I decided to make A Musician’s Heart the first book in the Hidden Veil Hometown series, using Kyle, a secondary character from a previous book (Lost in Winter’s Wonderland), I found I had too many (hard) C/K names.

For my names, I use baby books and internet sites with popular names from a particular decade or era. I also employ a name generator on a software program I use.

With jobs, it depends on setting, era, and what the story is about.

If your book is part of a series: Did you set out to write a series? Why did you decide to write a series?

A Lady Divided is the first book in the House of Fire series. I’ll have two more coming out in the future: A Lady Unveiled and A Lady Restored.

My books rarely start out with the idea that there will be a series. I think the exception is my Hidden Veil Hometown contemporary romance series. It doesn’t take long, however, before I find characters in the story that draw my attention and beg for a story of their own. It’s my favorite thing to do, actually. I’d thought of making the novella A Love Most Worthy the first of a series but have never written succeeding books.

What is your process for writing? (do you outline, have a special place or time of day you write, etc.) What is your favorite part of the process?

Weekdays, I get to my desk before 7:30 in the morning and leave at 5:00. However, I’ve been trying to do more of life lately. In other words, I’m taking more time out of my day or week to do non-working activities, such as going to gym and taking more days off.

When it comes to my writing, I plot some of the main points of the story, but I’m not an in-depth outliner. I know the type of character I want, the issue with them, and some of the things that will happen. I refine things as I write and get to know the characters better.

As for my favorite part of the process. For many authors, it’s the first draft—the discovery of the story. For me, it’s the rewriting process. I have the story down. I can tweak it however I want.

What is your advice to fledgling writers?

Have patience, study the rules and business of writing, and never give up!

What books are on your nightstand right now?

There are oodles of books on my Kindle waiting to be read. As of this writing, my next ebook is Dawn Kinzer’s September release Restoring Love. On my nightstand now is Of Silver and Secrets by Michelle Griep. Among others, coming up on the nightstand will be Lynette’s Eason’s Final Approach and Dani Pettrey’s Two Seconds Too Late.

What is your next project?

Right now, I’m writing the fourth book in my contemporary romance series Hidden Veil Hometown. The first three are out, and I plan to get A Father’s Promise out in the first part of 2026. Then I’ll release the second book in the House of Fire historical romance series in late 2026.

About A Lady Divided:

Just when she thinks she’s defeated the past, it returns with a vengeance.

Fighting to keep her late husband’s dream alive and her land-grabbing neighbors at bay, Laurel Tillman longs for a peace she knew before the war. But when her skill with a rifle saves a stranger from a mountain lion attack—a man whose life she once wouldn’t have hesitated to take—wartime memories rush back. While raising her daughter and taking responsibility for the stray women who work on her sheep ranch, Laurel can’t wait to get the injured Yankee out of her house. Getting him out of her heart is an entirely different matter.

Quinn Spencer, a former Union cavalry officer, owes Laurel a debt, but his career as a new lawyer in town comes with a warning to stay away from the unconventional women of La Casa del Fuego. Then, with the discovery of a dead man on Laurel’s ranch, Quinn must choose between his career and justice for a woman who can’t bear the sight of him. As they battle an unknown adversary who sets out to destroy Laurel, will she join forces with her former enemy? Or will she allow the past to overcome any chance of a truce between them . . . and, possibly, something more?

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.sandraardoin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandraArdoinAuthor
X: https://x.com/SandraArdoin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5069360.Sandra_Ardoin
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sandra-ardoin

Photo Credits:

Author Photo/Book Image: Sandra Ardoin

Letters: Pixabay/Nile

Woman with laptop: Pixabay/Peter Olexa