Friday, August 17, 2018

Interview with Sara Furlong Burr, WHEN TIME STANDS STILL

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
When Time Stands Still is about a couple, Elle Sloan and Luke Hutchins, whose relationship ended a decade earlier. The book opens with Elle receiving a call from Luke’s mother Candy, explaining that Luke had been in an accident and is suffering from amnesia, where he can’t recall anything that happened over the last decade. As such, he still believes that he and Elle are in a relationship. To try and soften the blow, Luke’s desperate parents ask Elle to come to Roanoke to help them explain things to Luke. Still guilt-ridden over how their relationship ended, Elle agrees to travel to Roanoke in order to make amends with Luke, but soon realizes that some bonds just can’t be broken.

It’s a standalone, although given reader response, I may write an additional standalone involving a couple of the secondary characters.

Do you have a favorite character?
This is a tough one, as I’m particularly fond of a handful of the characters in this book, but if I must choose, I would say my favorite character is probably Mena. She’s a take no prisoners, say what she means, means what she says kind of girl. A friend everyone needs in their life.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?
Yes, actually, with When Time Stands Still, two of the minor characters, Mena and Monroe, have become quite popular with some of the readers and their own book may or may not be in the works.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?
At first, it was just because I was sick of rejection, but after I published my first novel and started gaining a bit of a fan base, I just decided that I would stick with that route.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
Somewhat. I gave my designer (the wonderful Mia Hoddell of M Designs) an overview of what the book was about and what I was looking for. From there, she came up with a few different cover designs. I was between two of them before selecting the cover for this novel, as I felt like it symbolized the transformation Elle makes in the book the best.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
I listen to music on occasion. I actually had a playlist on Spotify going while writing When Time Stands Still.  Some of the songs from that list were:
The Night We Met - Lord Huron
I Don’t Wanna Live Forever - Zayn and Taylor Swift
I Will Remember You - Ryan Cabrera
Love - Lana Del Rey
Every Breath You Take - Denmark + Winter
Ohh La La - Goldfrapp
If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time - R. Kelly
I Found - Amber Run
Are You With Me - nilu
Wicked Game - Ursine Vulpine (feat. Annaca)
In My Mind - Heather Headley
You Found Me - The Fray
Photograph - Ed Sheeran
Love Story - Taylor Swift

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
I did, and I believe every writer should. For those looking for an editor, I would highly recommend Melissa from There For You Editing.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
Yes, actually, I recently discovered that Barnes & Noble is selling paperback copies of When Time Stands Still online.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
I do most of my promoting on Twitter, but I also use Facebook from time to time. I also participate in blog tours and will occasionally advertise on some other websites, such as Kindle Nation Daily.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
I’m not big on marketing, in fact, I kind of despise it, even though it’s a necessary evil. I try not to let it consume too much of my time, as I think it’s more important to keep producing a product to market.

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?
I’m a cat person, but dogs are a close second
Chocolate all day, every day
Coffee
Text--I’m not a phone person
I’m a night owl through and through

What’s next for you?
Hmm…that’s a good question. I have a few ideas brewing in my head, but I’m leaning toward writing a standalone involving Mena and Monroe from When Time Stands Still.


When Time Stands Still
Sara Furlong Burr
Publication date: June 15th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

It’s been nearly a decade since Elle Sloan last saw Luke Hutchins. Close to ten years since she broke up with him over a single phone call, providing him with little explanation. Since the end of their relationship, Elle has done everything she could do to move on, marrying, proceeding forward with her life, almost allowing herself to completely forget about Luke.
Almost.
Out of nowhere, Elle receives a phone call from Luke’s mother. Luke has been in a horrific car accident and, a month later, has just awoken from a coma. However, instead of celebrating, his family is stunned to learn that Luke is suffering from amnesia and only remembers his life as it was before his breakup with Elle. Not wanting to tell Luke that he and Elle aren’t together anymore for fear it may compromise his recovery, Elle is asked by Luke’s family to come to the hospital to see him. Their hope is that she will slowly be able to jog his memory and cushion the blow.
Guilt-ridden over how their relationship ended, Elle readily agrees, finding herself transported back in time with Luke to the life they once shared and the future they could have had together.

Author Bio:
Sara “Furlong” Burr was born and raised in Michigan and currently still lives there with her husband, two daughters, a high-strung Lab, and three judgmental cats. When she’s not writing, Sara enjoys reading, camping, spending time with her family, and attempting to paint while consuming more amaretto sours than she cares to admit.


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