Nancy Lee Badger Interviews author Sandy Loyd

Author Sandy Loyd

Visiting author, Sandy Loyd, has shared some wonderful answers to my questions. Her book, A Matter of Trust, is a romantic suspense and was released on February 18, 2013

Do you have any rejection stories to share?
 
The first book I ever wrote, back before I even knew RWA or writing organizations existed, I sent out five queries with partials to agents I researched. I received three personal replies even though I had no idea what that meant. One in particular said she liked several elements but it wasn’t strong enough. I had no idea what that meant either (still don’t). What wasn’t strong enough? The writing or the story? But at the bottom off the letter was a PS that mentioned something along the lines that sample chapters should be the first three chapters. I’d sent the first chapter, a middle chapter and the ending chapter. To this day I still laugh over my ignorance. The further into the process I got, the more I realized just how ignorant I was. The business is vast and always changing.

I understand about ignorance. Before joining RWA, I entered a scene from my manuscript in a writing contest. The judges all said I was 'head hopping', the first time I heard the term. I was so embarrased! On a brighter note, do you see writing as a career?
 
Yes. I never considered myself as a writer. It seemed like something that was hard to do. But I’ve always read, and like most authors, I love the written word. One day I didn’t like what I was reading and wasn’t happy with the books out there, so I challenged myself to do better. Of course, I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I wasn’t prepared for all that creating a good story involves. It takes more than talent and skill. It takes just doing it and then lots and lots of classes and workshops and then when you think you have it exactly right ready to send off to an editor, you realize there is still more work to do on it to make it marketable. It’s more than a career. It’s a lifestyle. I love it.  Thanks to the changes in publishing, I can run my career and stories the way I want to. To date I have written fourteen books and self-published eight of them – four contemporary romances and four romantic suspenses. A Matter of Trust is the first romantic suspense I wrote and it is one of my favorites. It has action and a scary premise, but the characters have fun finding out the answers. Basically I wrote this for myself. It’s packed with all the things I love, including plenty of twists, but mostly it focuses on the romance. 

Share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know.
 

I love cats. I have two. My last was a scrawny kitten that no one wanted. I rescued her from a life spent in a cage while waiting to be adopted.
 

My cat, Blaze, was a foster cat that stayed. He is a 14# orange tabby who is happiest at my elbow while I write.
 

Second fact, I’m an avid skier, both snow skiing and
waterskiing. Although, I must admit, I don’t do it as much as I used to. I still love it, especially snow skiing. Being up in the mountains in the winter where the air is clear and the forest covered in snow is awesome.
 

I learned when I was in 9th grade then choose a college because it was close to a ski area. Loved it.
 

The third fact is that I lived in Germany for two years back when I was in the army – a long, long time ago. That was a cultural education in itself and one experience I will always treasure.
 

Visiting my hubby's German friends, who he met when his dad was stationed there, is on my bucket list. 
 

What do you see ahead in your writing career?

I have several books left to write in my series, both for my contemporary books and my romantic suspenses. It just takes time and the muse has to be willing. Right now, I’m working to publish books I wrote while on my journey to being published. When you’re going it alone like I am, it means working on every aspect of the finished product. I need to have the books edited, formatted and then I have to come with ideas for covers. Then comes the promotional part. Letting people know they exist is probably the hardest part about writing.

Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped?

I swear by writing organizations. I belong to too many to count. RWA, Louisville Romance Writers, Utah Romance Writers, From the Heart Romance Writers, Kiss of Death, and Central Ohio Fiction writers. They are a writer’s toolkit. Local chapters offer meetings where there is always a workshop or a speaker to learn about craft. Online chapters offer plenty of classes too. Then there are the contests that can help hone skill. Everything I need is available through these organizations, including friendship with people who understand me.  
 

What’s next for you?

I’m working on revisions for a time travel where the heroine goes back in time to 1874 in Louisville Kentucky, just before the creation of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. It’s another one of my favorites. It has a strong message about love and friendship and I love both the hero and the heroine. I wrote it early on, so it really needs work, but I’m whipping into shape.  Hopefully, it will be out at the end of May or the beginning of June.

BOOK BLURB for A Matter Of Trust.
Tired of living in fear of an abusive ex-husband, Cat Tyler is taking charge of her life by learning to fly. Unfortunately, she discovers what true fear really is when her cross-country flight ends in a forced landing. Now she’s trapped in the Montana wilderness with her flight instructor, Josh Buchannan—a jerk who’s been riding her butt since she first stepped into the cockpit.  She definitely doesn’t like the attraction that has sprung up between them. Worse, someone is trying to kill them.

Josh doesn’t wait to find out why they’ve become a target—or who’s behind it. Instinct takes over and Josh spirits Cat away to safety.  Yet, while on the run, he discovers that an incident from his past, one he’s tried to forget, connects him to Cat.  He was in charge of a failed mission in which her parents lost their lives.  Is this her twisted way of getting revenge? Josh can’t trust Cat, but he protects her as they narrowly escape fiery graves, not once but twice. 

Unwittingly, the two are fighting more than trust or attraction.  An unknown terrorist cell has unleashed its secret weapon—a human Trojan horse—which gives a new meaning to terror. 

As Cat and Josh struggle to stay alive, their trust in each other is threatened at every turn. Josh senses Cat’s somehow involved in this mess and works doubly hard to keep his attraction to her under control.  Still, he craves her belief in his innocence, impossible once she discovers the truth about his involvement in her parents’ deaths.

As they work together to uncover the plot that threatens western civilization, they must come to grips with the past in order to create a relationship built on mutual trust in the future.

A little bit about the author: 
I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, but left after high school to see the world. In my earlier life, before I started writing, I was a sales rep for a major manufacturer and I traveled a great deal. I was able to live and work in some fabulous places in the US, including South Florida.  I’ve met a lot of people and have seen a lot of places, which is a good thing because I now have a million stored memories to draw from for my novels.  I currently live in Kentucky and am able to write full time since I’ve recently become an empty-nester.  But I’ll always be a western girl at heart, so I try to get back to the Wasatch Mountains every year to renew my muse. 

I have published eight books so far – four contemporary romances and four romantic suspenses. I write what I love. All my stories have plenty of twists and turns to keep a reader guessing. My suspenses are more like an edgy cozy mystery filled with romance. My characters have fun and my voice is lighter and more humorous than dark and gloomy. My latest romantic suspense, A Matter Of Trust, is one of my favorites. The characters interactions are entertaining. It’s a good mystery and has plenty of action along with romance. 

 

How can my readers buy your book?  

Links to A Matter of Trust:

Amazon        iTunes       NOOK

You can find more information about Sandy Loyd

and all her books by visiting:

 

WEBSITE       TWITTER       FACEBOOK