Meet Author Sara Trimble

Hosting other authors on my blog is something I'm resolving to do more of in the coming year. I'm starting today by featuring author Sara Trimble, who I met a couple of years ago on Writing.com - a great place to connect with writers, by the way. Sara's a busy young mom who somehow finds the time to pen novels. She and I also share an appreciation for the simple things in life - she's a country girl to the core.

Sara is new to the world of publishing, though not to writing. She has one published novel, two in the final stages of revisions and a stack of stories ready to work on. She's also venturing out of her comfort zone of Romance to work on a new suspense novel, which she hopes to have done by December 1st. When she isn’t writing, Sara spends her time with her three children and her husband Justyn, hanging with friends, and just enjoying life. You can find her at her website, follow her blog, tweet her, or find her on Facebook. She loves to hear from her readers so send her an email at saratrimble@saratrimble.com. If anyone is participating in NaNo, feel free to buddy her at youngmomx3. Don't forget to check out the new movie trailer for her debut paranormal romance, Heart Over Mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws0EXm5tsI8


What got you interested in writing?

The very first time I remember being excited to write was for Halloween in 4th grade. We had an assignment to write about a spooky event and I ended up writing a five page story when everyone else had only written two paragraphs. My teacher loved it. Apparently though, I've been wanting to be a writer since I was six. I have a 1st grade folder that my teacher created for us. In the section “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I put creative writer.


How long have you been writing?

I've been writing since I was little but I didn't start trying to make a career of it until January of 2005.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Don't try to be just like everyone else. If you have an idea for a story, don't abandon it just because it's different than what your favorite authors create.


Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

Unfortunately, I have and currently am. I'm still at that stage that I've yet to figure out how to beat this horrible scenario.


To you, what are the most important elements of good writing?

Great, believable characters. I think without strong, diverse characters, the book won't do much.


Tell us about your latest book.

Right now, I'm deviating from romance to try my hand at suspense/thriller/mystery. Gemma Davis, FBI, is called to the end of the world, Bayou Point, by her ex-fiance, when an arm is found inside the stomach of an alligator. DNA results show that the limb belonged to a young girl who'd gone missing four years prior. Claude worries at the find, as there are still sixteen other girls, approximately the same age and type, still missing.

Gemma agrees to visit and gets in over her head when she discovers a sinister secret about the town, and it's occupents, that could end up getting her killed. Nothing and no one is as it seems. The deeper she digs, the worse the outcome gets for the missing girls. Who is taking them, and why? How is that they've never been seen or heard from since their disappearance? And how were these intelligent, careful girls, all kidnapped without one single witness.

Gemma has to probe carefully to answer these questions and solve the case. And she has to watch her back in the process.


What comes first for you, the plot or the characters?

To me, plot comes first. I like to develop my plot and then the scenario tends to cause the characters to evolve into who they'll be.


What books or authors have most influenced your writing?

Lindsay McKenna, Caridad Pineiro and Patricia Cornwell really influenced the type of writing I wanted to do. I enjoy each of these wonderful women's books and would love to be as successful as they are.



Are you working on anything at the present you’d like to share with us?

I started writing my new book In the Bayou for NaNoWriMo, which is when an author tries to write a 50,000 word book in one month. I knew I wouldn't be that successful, though I'd have loved to, but I did get a lot done on it and think it will be a great book when I'm finished with it.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to spend time with my three children, go fishing, hunting or to the river with my husband, and spend time with friends. I try to enjoy each day of my life. Everyone I know tells me I live the life of a typical country song and I can't say I'd change one bit of it.