Take Five and Meet Author Sandra McGregor

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Sandra McGregor.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book, WATCH FOR THE DAWN?

Thank you for inviting me today! My last few books have been located in small southern towns and I wanted this series about three professional sisters to be a little bit different. Although still “family friendly,” I set the stories in Denver, Colorado and added a bit of suspense to each of the sister's lives. In Watch For The Dawn I also chose to have a Golden Retriever stealing several scenes instead of a precocious child.

Have you been a lifelong reader of family-friendly romance?  What are some the first books you remember reading?

I've read ever since I can remember. I was in third grade when I first picked up one of my mother's romance books.  fter devouring her extensive stash, which also included books like Gone With The Wind and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, I branched out to find other sources. I borrowed Harlequin paperbacks from a neighbor and later from several of the ladies who hired me to babysit their children. I owe all those ladies a huge thanks for sharing their books with me...books that inspired my love of creating my own happily-ever-after stories to share.

What do you do to rev your creative juices?

I love this question! I have a consistent work/writing habit, so just sitting down at the computer is usually enough. However, when I need to “rev” up, I find that Zumba can get the juices flowing. When I concentrate on the moves, all thoughts of my hero and heroine are put on hold. Then, with the adrenalin pumping, I can return to the story and let my characters write their next scenes.

What would be your advice to people who are considering a writing career?

One of the first challenges I faced was learning that not everyone saw my work of art as the next New York Times bestseller. I can laugh about it now, but I remember the first time a close friend told me that I should start my story at chapter two...and eliminate the majority of the first chapter. What? My words were like children and I couldn't imagine eliminating any of them...but my friend was right.

 

My advice is to read the genre category you want to write and then write your best story.  Face the fact that it will need some revisions (okay, maybe a LOT of revisions) but never forget that all the work is worth it when someone buys your work and then when you get that first review saying they enjoyed the book.

You’re having a dinner party.  What character from your novel do you hope doesn’t show up?     Why?

Oh, this is an easy question to answer. In Watch For The Dawn, Kelly is being targeted by a serial killer, so I'd hate to see him show up for the party. 

Give us a brief summary of Watch For The Dawn :

Angry eyes stalk a student as she makes her way across the campus to class. The police are looking for a serial killer, but he knows there's more to the story. When a blond woman stops and talks with the girl, he changes his pattern, allows the student to go...for the moment...and follows the woman. After watching which room the woman enters, he adds Professor Kelly Cooper to his list. She should never have interfered in his plan.

Watch For The Dawn introduces Kelly Cooper, 29, single and a professor at Colorado State University in Denver. Kelly's trouble begins when her older sister, Dr. Madison Cooper, comes on campus to have lunch with her and stops to speak to a student she recently tended in the hospital emergency room. It's a case of mistaken identity, but since he doesn't know what the student might have revealed about him, there is now another potential “loose end” to be eliminated.

Police detective Steve Mitchell is leading the search for the serial killer, but after losing his temper with a journalist and shoving the man, his chief puts him on two-week administrative leave to cool off. A mountain cabin in the winter is a perfect place to get away from his work and just relax...or is it?

Buy Links:   Amazon  | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble

Bio:  Sandra McGregor was challenged by her husband in 2001 to stop talking about the story she wanted to write and just write it. She has since sold two under the name Sandra Elzie and also released thirteen as Sandra McGregor. Her current work in process is a series about three girls raised in Denver Orphan's Home in the 1940s and how WWII impacted their lives.  Sandra now lives in Georgia with her husband and resident feline, Jack.

Find Sandra at:

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