Talkshow Thursday: Author Sarah Hanks

Talkshow Thursday: Author Sarah Hanks

I'm pleased to be hosting award-winning author Sarah Hanks as she shares about her latest release and her writing journey.

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

This month, I’m releasing my 11th novel. Asking which one is my favorite is like asking who’s my favorite child (I have ten.) I love them all in special ways. I will say that Braving Strange Waters was the most fun to write. New Creations has a tender place in my heart because it’s about my grandpa. And Mercy Will Follow Me was my professional debut, so it’s memorable for me.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I had already written my Mercy series and Braving Strange Waters, which all contained steamboats, when I found out I have a ancestor who was a steamboat captain. I was going through my grandpa’s mementos when writing New Creations and I found a newspaper article about him. Fascination with steamboats must be in my blood.

How are your characters like you? Different?

In Braving Fiery Waters, book 2 of the time sailor series that releases January 21st, Marina is an

overprotective mom of two teenagers. Having several children in that stage of life right now, I wanted to explore the bitter sweetness of children growing up and becoming more independent. However, Marina and I are vastly different as parents. She’s ultra prepared, with everything she might need in the case of any imaginable emergency in her purse. I often forget to bring a diaper bag, much less band aids and Neosporin. I definitely don’t have things as together as she does, though I have a friend who’s great at that. I’ve gotten more laid back the more children we’ve had. Now it takes a lot to ruffle me.

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

With my other two series, the Mercy series and the Sisters in Arms collection, I did, but not with my time sailor series. Braving Strange Waters was a departure from my usual split-time style. It’s a time travel novel, and though I still have both a modern and historical storyline, it contains the speculative elements of a magical mailbox and time sailing rules. I had no idea if the idea would work or if anyone would like it. It wasn’t until I started receiving positive feedback that I decided to run with the idea and make it a series.

What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?

The idea for Braving Fiery Waters came from a visit to the Missouri History Museum. They have a fabulous display about the Great St. Louis Fire of 1849. I devoured the book Fire, Pestilence, and Death: St. Louis 1849 by Christopher Alan Gorden. It fascinated me. Not only did the people of St. Louis deal with a devastating fire, they did so in the middle of a cholera pandemic. The resilience of my home city resonated with me.

In the book, it mentions a woman named Catherine Weber who everyone thought to be insane. She wandered around Quarantine Island, making wreaths for the dead and signing strange songs. I thought it would be fun to bring her into the story. You’ll have to read it to find out how I did so. I think it’s an interesting touch.

What draws you to the time period about which you write?

Steamboats. I’m only half kidding! Most of my books have a historical storyline somewhere in the 1800s. I’m not sure why, but I’m drawn to the antebellum era through Reconstruction. So much changed throughout that period, and yet many mindsets and prejudices stubbornly held. I feel like my history classes in school skimmed over some very important events and themes. I find digging into that history for myself empowering.

Why do you write in your particular genre?

I write split-time fiction because I enjoy exploring how the past shapes the present. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Choices made a thousand years ago affect us today. Learning from history enables us to make wiser decisions but also gives us a clearer lens to our own struggles. It paves a path to freedom by highlighting lies humanity has believed. Weaving past with present also fosters a sense of connection to those who have lived before us.

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?

I’m an outliner, for sure. I usually dedicate a full month to plotting and learning my characters before I jump into writing. My first drafts lack details, however. I’m just getting the story out. My favorite part comes in the next step where I go back and add the sensory and historical details that make the manuscript come alive. This revision is fulfilling for me. I’m not a big fan of going back through to self-edit the minutia of sentence structure, etc. But dressing up my WIP is delightful.

How do you celebrate when you finish a manuscript?

Ice cream. I pretty much celebrate everything with chocolate ice cream.

What is your next project?

Right now, I’m working on the third book in my time sailor series, Braving Red Waters. This one features the hospital ship the USS Red Rover, which I’ve wanted to write about for years. Yes, another steamboat with fascinating history. It was the Navy’s first fully outfitted hospital ship and there was a handful of diverse women aboard. Couple that subject with a double romance, and I’m having a blast writing this one.

BOOK BLURB:

Her husband died in a fire. Now she’s heading straight into one.

Marina Stone planned an ideal family vacation, perfect for reconnecting with her two teenagers after their father's death. But those plans go drastically away when she time sails to the White Cloud in the year 1849. Now she must face her greatest fears and complete a mystery mission before she can return to her life and children. But what if they no longer truly need her or want her?

A family vacation to South Haven, Michigan, was the last thing Aiden wanted for his summer. Having just been dumped by his girlfriend and ticket to his future, he’d rather numb his mind with adventure. But when he connects with Nevaeh, a girl whose beauty is only matched by her faith, he might find there’s no place he’d rather be. When his sister runs away, he must work with Nevaeh to help guide her home.

In this second book in the Time Sailors series, new friends join the old in a faith-filled time travel novel you won’t soon forget.

Bio:
Sarah Hanks is a multi-award-winning author of split-time Christian fiction. Her background in teaching and children’s ministry prepared her for exercising her creativity as a writer, now her full-time job. She and her husband have ten children, a couple of whom seem to have inherited their mother’s love for playing with words and crafting stories. Though Sarah dreams of a cabin by the beach, the family lives jammed together in beautiful chaos near St. Louis, Missouri. She buys earplugs in bulk.

You can follow her here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08SC2GPF7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahHanks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsarahhanks/
Substack: https://authorsarahhanks.substack.com/
Website: www.sarah-hanks.com

Photo Credits:

Teenagers: Pixabay/Mircea Iancu

Steamboat: Pixabay/Dominador

Author Image/Book cover: Courtesy Sarah Hanks