AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE SUTTON

 

I’m pleased to have back my dear friend, and one of my favorite authors, Michelle Sutton. Her recently released book, Their Separate Ways, is a sequel to Never Without Hope, and she’s here to discuss it. But first, here’s a little info about Michelle:

Michelle is a social worker who has been writing romantic fiction for over seven years and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, as well as an avid book reviewer and blogger on a variety of sites. She founded Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers social networking site which has over 1000 members. Southeastern Arizona is where Michelle calls home. She loves being surrounded by mountains and clean air, which inspires many of her novels. She and her husband are approaching twenty-one years of marriage and their two sons will begin their second year of college in August. She is the author of a dozen novels releasing through Dec 2011 and and additional six new titles and two re-releases are scheduled to happen between 2012 and 2014. She presently has three publishers.

Welcome, Michelle!

Please tell us a little about Their Separate Ways.

Forgiveness is a beautiful thing when you experience it in marriage... But what if you don't? 

What happened in the hearts of Tony Perotta and Hope Williams after the affair was exposed and they went their separate ways? Did they ever struggle with memories from their past relationship, or with wishing things would have turned out differently? Was trust ever restored in their homes after their lives crashed and burned around them? Did they ever heal enough to enjoy their marriages as before, or were they even worse off after their sin was revealed? 

Their Separate Ways continues the saga the year after the 
exposure of Tony and Hope's extramarital affair. It's an honest and close-up look at the inner working of each of their hearts as they reflect on the painful memories resulting from that devastating choice. Experience with them the vast difference between couples who know true forgiveness and hope and those who don't.

What inspired you to write this sequel?

I had someone who finished the first book say, "I wonder what happened after they went their separate ways?" A little bell went off in my head and I knew I had to write the sequel. The idea persisted in my head for some time to compare and contrast marriages where there is shared faith and where there is none.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book?

Research for Their Separate Ways followed the research I did for Never Without Hope. Nothing new needed to be looked into. I got the info from the first go-round. Some elements of the story were things I learned through my job as a social worker or from people and situations I'd come across in my private life.

Michelle, without giving too much away, can you tell us your reason for the ending you chose for Their Separate Ways? (sounds like you read it!)

It just didn't feel right to reward one of the characters for making a bad moral choice even if it wasn't pursued, but rather fallen into when the guard was down -  poetic justice felt right, though. I wanted the character to get a taste of their own medicine, if you know what I mean. Funny thing is a few people wanted this character to be happy and were like, "Hey!" But most were like… "cool ending, loved that twist!" I just couldn't do "happy" for that person because it would be wrong. Sorry, it just came out that way… methinks I may need to write a third book. What do you think?

Do you have other books of this type in mind?

Honestly, the Lord gave me the ideas for the first two books and He's been heavily weighing on my heart some issues for a third book, but as of yet I am still undecided, though leaning heavily toward the sense deep in my heart that the series isn't over yet. I just write what God calls me to write. The message is clearly pro-Jesus and forgiveness, even if the context is on the edgy side.

Please remind us of what new releases you have coming up, and even any other recent ones.

Well, this year I've had (holy cow) five books releasing by year's end. They are: Letting Go, Their Separate Ways, First Response, In Sheep's Clothing, and When Love Collides. The last two titles release in Sept. and Dec. respectively.

Though I’m sure most visitors know where to find you, just in case there are any first-timers out there, please tell us where readers can learn more about you and your books.

www.michellesutton.net
http://edgychristianfictionlovers.ning.com
http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com
and on facebook I'm MichelleSuttonAuthor, twitter I'm MichelleSutton

Michelle, name one thing about writing you know now that you wished you knew before publication.

How much selling and promotion is involved. Writing the story is the easy part!

Thanks so much for chatting with us, Michelle. We wish you many blessings, and all the best with all of your works.

To win a signed copy of Their Separate Ways, use my Contact page, and type “drawing” in the comments box. The deadline to enter is September 24th.

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