Interview with Author Sara Brunsvold

T4JYM: Can you describe your books for our readers? What can they expect from you?

SB: I write contemporary women’s fiction for the Christian market, which basically means I write non-“kissing” books set in modern times. All my books take place in the Midwest, where I live, and they feature intergenerational relationships in some fashion. That could be a mother to daughter, an uncle to niece, or an elderly woman to a young reporter. You will find characters who live out their faith amid hard life situations that the readers of today can identify with. Some of the themes of my books include divorce, end of life, loneliness, and refugee resettlement. I love hearing from readers that my books have sparked meaningful conversations around these topics.

T4JYM: How many times have you faced rejection from a publisher? How do you respond when this happens?

SB: Multiple times. Rejection is part of the vocation, and it doesn’t just come from publishers. Rejection could look like a library refusing to carry your book, a reader leaving a scathing review, a media outlet turning you down for an interview, or a panel of judges not selecting your book for an award. Rejection stings, and I admit to shedding some tears. The best salve, though, is to remember and hold fast to my identity in Christ. He alone is my sure reward and my Why.

T4JYM: What goes into editing a work for publication? Do you do it all yourself or rely on others to help?

SB: Most people don’t realize how much work goes into creating a book. I have trusted “first readers” who look at the first 100 pages of my draft and give me feedback about what is working and what needs attention. I make several revisions to a manuscript myself before turning it over to my developmental editor at my publishing house. We will go through one or two rounds of edits, looking at big-picture things such as character development, plot, pacing, etc. Once we have a solid draft, the manuscript goes to a copy editor, who looks for sentence- or paragraph-level edits. Finally, the manuscript will go through two proofreaders, who look for grammatical errors and typos. All said, at least six people besides me help fine-tune the book before publication, and the process takes about two years from the time I start writing to the time the book is released.

T4JYM: What do you like to do in your down time?

SB: I have two teenage daughters at home, so one of my favorite things to do is go on coffee and treat runs with them. We each have our favorite place, and we alternate between them. As a family, we love to explore the Midwest, where we live. We’ve been to almost every state in the middle part of the country.

T4JYM: What book have you read recently that has stayed with you? 

SB: I was stunned by Ellen Vaughn’s two-book study of Elisabeth Elliot, a former missionary to Ecuador and Christian icon. The first book chronicles her early life, including insights from her journals as a teenager, while the second book covers the second part of her life. It is not at all a tidy, hero-worshipping story. It is an honest, sometimes uncomfortably candid look at a woman who was thoroughly human yet maintained an unshakeable faith.

T4JYM: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be an author?

SB: Character matters as much as craft. How well you treat others and fulfill your commitments will always matter as much as how well you write, especially in the Christian publishing world. As you develop your writing skills and seek publishing opportunities, make sure you are also growing in your faith, relationships, discipline, patience, and endurance.

T4JYM: What advice would you give to the youth of this world?

SB: Prioritize intergenerational relationships. Titus 2 gives us God’s model: older men pouring into younger men, and older women pouring into younger women. The saints who have walked the hard road of life ahead of you have a well of experience and stories waiting to bless you. Likewise, keep your eye out for someone younger to bring along. Those younger kids look at you with admiration. You have far more influence than you realize.

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