Debut Author ... Sara Mills!

Sara Mills is a freelance writer, wife, mother of three, and motorcycle racing enthusiast who lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in beautiful Alberta, Canada. She has two novels coming out with Moody Publishers in fall 2008 and spring 2009.

Sara collects swords, raises Golden Retrievers and has a house full of hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles and puppies. She loves motorbikes, film noir, Humphrey Bogart and The Maltese Falcon.

You can visit her website at http://www.saramillsbooks.com/ or email her at saramills@platinum.ca.








Tell us about your latest project.

MISS FORTUNE , the first book in the Allie Fortune series is a 1940’s mystery. Allie Fortune is the only female private investigator in New York in 1947, and she’s got a brand-new mystery to solve and a years-old personal quest that doesn’t let her sleep.


We'd love to hear about your journey to publication.

I become serious about writing five years ago when I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. I was on bed rest for over six months, and let me tell you, with a broken hand, broken foot and trashed knee, I had lots of uninterrupted time to think about what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. Once I’d finally realized that writing was it, my calling (as opposed to entomology, nursing, midwifery or botany), I pursued publication with a vengeance. I attended my first writer’s conference a year later and brought eight manuscripts to show to editors. With so much writing under my belt I felt sure that I would come home with a contract… Let’s just say that the entire conference was a learning experience.

What I actually came home with was the realization that I had some pretty good, unique ideas, but that I didn’t have the writing skills to back them up. From that point on, I wrote every day, working on my craft and trying to develop my voice. I attended conferences and submitted regularly, garnering several ‘positive’ rejections, and took each one of those as a small victory.

Three years ago I joined ACFW, an online writers group, and the daily encouragement and sage advice there helped me to take another giant leap forward. That winter I wrote a first-person detective novel and felt like I’d finally found my sweet spot. The combination of first-person style and mystery just clicked in me. I finished the manuscript knowing it was the best thing I’d ever written, and I decided it was time to start looking for an agent. I sent my proposal to three agents, including my dream agent. Within a week I’d heard back from one of them requesting the full manuscript, and a week after that I heard from my dream agent. I opened the email from him with fear and trembling. The email started with five words that changed my life.

You are a wonderful writer.

To that point I’d never known if I had what it took to succeed. Those words, from a respected agent, one who does not pull any punches, changed me. Because of those words I was able to let go of some of the fear and doubts that plagued me.

I sent the full manuscript to my dream agent and waited. And waited. And waited. Six weeks later Steve Laube phoned and offered to represent me. Even now it still ranks as one of the most exciting phone calls of my life.

The year after that was all about learning patience. I came very close to selling that series, but eventually a deal fell through. Thank goodness I’d spent my time while my first proposal was making the rounds, writing another book. When my agent and I agreed it was time to move on, I had a project ready and that was Miss Fortune, my 1940’s mystery.

We sent out the proposal for Miss Fortune and within a week we had a request for the full manuscript. I was actually at the ACFW conference when I heard that we already had interest and within 6 weeks of the conference, I got a call from Steve telling me that a publishing house had made an offer. I was over the moon! My husband took me out for supper that night, and we celebrated the realization of a dream. I went to bed that night in a state of euphoric shock.

I woke up the next morning to another shock. Another publishing company had come along and made a counter-offer. After five years of no offers, I had two in the space of two days. Life can be very surprising sometimes.

About a month later we signed a two-book deal with Moody Publishing for Miss Fortune to be released in September 2008 and Miss Match to release March 2009. That only gave me 9 months to adjust to the idea of being a published author. It’s now September and I’m not entirely sure I’ve adjusted yet, but it’s been quite the ride.


What is one weakness you have as a writer and what do you do to overcome it?

My biggest weakness as a writer is probably description and setting. I tend to write complex stories that take place on a blank stage. I’m renowned amongst my critique partners for forgetting to describe my scene and for letting my heroine’s appearance stay a mystery. I work on this lack on my second pass through my manuscript. I try to layer my description in and use that opportunity to make description echo the mood and theme of the story.

What is one strength you have as a writer and to what do you attribute your success in this particular area?

I’ve been told that I do dialogue well. I believe that most writers have one element of craft in which they naturally excel. Probably what drew them to writing in the first place. My theory is that it’s important to work on the elements of craft that we struggle with and in time we’ll become proficient in those areas. But I also think we should work just as hard on the skills that come naturally, those elements can be shined and polished into writing that will sparkle right off the page.


If you could go back to the young writer you were when you were just beginning, what advice would you give yourself?

I would probably tell myself not to doubt and worry so much. No matter how low I’ve felt at various times in my career, God never allowed me to give up on writing. And believe me, if I could have, I would have. Now all of the worrying and the fussing seems an awful lot like trying to backseat drive God.

What’s one publicity tip you can share that you’ve gotten a good response with in promoting your work?

My mother. LOL. Honestly, my mother has been my best promotion tool at this point. Not only has she helped me to arrange a 500 person launch party, she’s also initiated a huge book exposure opportunity that I never would have had access to without her. Unfortunately I can’t spill the beans on this opportunity yet, because it’s still not 100%, but I’ll make an announcement on my website as soon as it’s final.

What do you hope to improve as a writer?

That’s a multi-faceted question. Craft-wise I’d like to ground my stories in stronger settings and improve my descriptions, but on a higher level I’d like to work on the underpinnings of theme and meaning in my stories. The guts of the story. It’s the stuff you can’t see as you’re reading but the things that will bring the story back to mind once you’re done.

What are a few of your favorite books not written by you?

I have dozens of favorite books. I’ve just discovered Tim Down’s Bugman series and am dead impressed with those. I think Lisa Samson, Claudia Mair Burney, Jack Cavanaugh and Susan Meissner are all amazing. I enjoy Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell and Lee Child as well. There are so many more, but that’s a start.


Do you have a pet peeve to do with this business?

I get tired of discussions in various writers groups about minutiae. Three-day discussions about how this editor likes to read a manuscript in Courier font, and if you send a proposal in Times New Roman you’re going to get an automatic rejection for sure. It’s silly and I understand that we’re all trying to minimize the odds against us in our publication journey, but so many people lose sight of the story in their quest.

Story is everything. Period.

What’s your favorite part of being a writer/least?

This question is going to force me to be shallow. My favorite thing about being a writer (other than the actual act of writing) is conferences. I’ve made such good friends through conferences, and once a year we all gather together and have an amazing four days of catching up, learning and of refreshing. The ACFW conference is coming up, and I’m counting down the days.

What has surprised you most about this industry?

I think it surprises me how many writing friends I’ve lost to attrition along the way. None of my original critique partners are still writing and while I remain in contact with a lot of them, it is kind of sad to see them drop out of the writing world.

Advice to aspiring authors?

My advice is always the same. Write. All the time. Finish one manuscript and then start another. Some people can write an incredible first novel, but more often a writer needs practice before they score a bull’s eye.

Parting words?

I just want to tell the staff of Novel Journey what an amazing job they do. I read the site everyday, and it has encouraged me more times than I can count.