Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Virginia Smith - An Interview about Third Time's a Charm - HUGE GIVE AWAY!!!

1. This book is the third and final book in your Sister-to-Sister Series. How did you feel when you completed this last book?

I felt a little sad, because I have lived with the characters for three years, and they’re very real to me. I’ll miss them. Plus, I wanted to leave readers with a good impression, so I was anxious for the last scene to be strong. I prayed over that last line for a long time, and when the words finally came, I got chills. They were absolutely the perfect wrap-up for the whole series. I still get tears whenever I read them.

2. Which of the sisters in this trilogy do you relate to the most? Why?

That’s a hard question to answer, because there is a piece of me in each of the Sanderson sisters. But I’d have to say I relate most closely with Tori, because she is professionally ambitious, and she struggles to balance her career and her personal life. I did that for over twenty years, so much of her conflict comes from my experiences.

3. You've been contracted to write 12 times in the last 4 years. To what do you attribute this success and how would you encourage others who are doing everything possible to get published?

Perseverance. I wrote for over twenty years before my first book, Just As I Am, was published. But I believed that the Lord gave me the desire to write, and even when my pile of rejections was growing (to an astounding 143 before my first publication!), I knew if He wanted me to write, I was going to keep writing. Even now – or maybe especially now – I trust Him for every story, every contract. Sometimes I still receive rejections, but I keep writing because He keeps giving me stories.


4. How is your relationship with your own sisters similar to Tori and her sisters? Did you pull from these sibling experiences when writing Third Time's a Charm? How?

I sure did! Actually, my sisters were the inspiration behind the whole Sister-to-Sister Series. They are the most incredible women in the world, and I wanted readers to glimpse the relationship we have. And they were excited to have starring roles in my stories. It was funny watching them try to identify themselves in the books, because I took characteristics from each of us and mixed them up to create each of the Sanderson sisters. Tori, for instance, is a career-minded person, like me. She’s creative, like one of my sisters. And she’s a big flirt, like the other sister. Uh… I’d better not identify who that is, or I’ll start a family feud!
5. What's next for Virginia Smith?

In May of this year I have a new book coming out from Steeple Hill. Researching A Daughter’s Legacy was a lot of fun, because it is set in a zoo! It’s my first straight romance, and was something of an experiment for me to see if I liked writing the genre. I loved it, and have a few ideas germinating in my mind for future romance novels.
Then later in the year, Into the Deep will hit bookstores. That’s a romantic suspense novel with a scuba diving theme. It takes place partly in Key West, and partly in Cozumel, Mexico. Can you tell I have a lot of fun researching my books?
For a more indepth look into the life of Virginia Smith visit the KCWC blog.

This terrific interview was provided by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications

There is also a HUGE contest provided by Virginia Smith and Kathy Carlton Willis!!

The Grand Prize
will be awarded to one fortunate person who leaves a comment at one of the blog tours participating in the KCWC Third Time's a Charm blog tour. It includes:

The complete collection of Virginia Smith books, TEN in all (listed below), with a personal behind-the-scenes commentary written by the author - especially for this tour!

Sister-to-Sister Series, including: Stuck in the Middle, Age Before Beauty, and Third Time's A Charm.

Unforgettable Mayla Strong Books: Just As I Am and Sincerely Mayla.

Classical Trio Series from Love Inspired Suspense: A Taste of Murder, Murder at Eagle Summit, and Scent of Murder.
Murder By Mushroom
Bluegrass Peril

SO LEAVE A COMMENT TODAY!!!

13 comments:

Edna said...

please enter me into the contest
I follow you on Google
I follow you on Twitter
I also have your button on my blog http://edna-myfavoritethings.blogspot.com/

mamay2730(at)charter(dot)net

Merry said...

I admire Virginia's commitment to continue writing, to follow her dream. I'd love to be entered in the contest. Thanks!

worthy2bpraised[at]gmail[dot]com

Unknown said...

I obviously need to read the first two books in the series. Sounds like a good read.

Wendy
ebeandebe at gmail dot com

Amber Holcomb said...

I'd like to be entered in the give away! Thanks so much for the chance! :)

stokes[dot]a[at]suddenlink[dot]net

donna said...

I'd love to read all of virginia smith's books, so far i've only read one, but REALLY enjoyed it!

rebornbutterfly (at) sbcglobal(dot) net

Megan @ Inspired by Fiction said...

WOW! what a give away! I would love to read these!

inspiredbyfiction{at}gmail{dot}com

Linda Kish said...

I really want to win this.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Virginia Smith said...

Thanks so much for participating in the blog tour for my new book!

misskallie2000 said...

Would love to win Virginia's books. Great interview.
Pls add my name to giveaway. Thanks
I follow you on google


misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

Carmen said...

This is a great giveaway. Please enter me.
desertrose5173 at gmail dot com

Lady Araujo said...

I'd love to read these books. Please, enter me.
marthanadnny(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

These books sound great. I love the NCIS connection, perfect mental image.

Holly
oceandreamerfla(at)aol.com

Kim said...

Meagan - YOUR NAME HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE PUBLISHER FOR A CHANCE AT THE GRAND PRIZE!!

GOOD LUCK!!

Thanks everyone for entering the contest! There are tons more give aways ahead!! Stay Tuned!